Late season food source

[DoubleRidge]

I enjoy the habitat improvement as much or more than the hunting because I can do it all year!

No doubt...working on the habitat and watching all types of wildlife respond is very rewarding...we have even been looking at planting some areas in pollenator blends of wildflower and native warm season grasses...great fawning cover, great turkey nesting cover and obviously good for the pollinators...win-win-win.

Actually...much of the time, while sitting in the deer blind, I'm looking around considering what projects to do after the season is over.

 

[Rebels20]

If its your own property that you plan on having for years down the road check out Whitetail Hill Chestnuts. They have some late season chestnuts and persimmons specifically for this situation. They stand behind their product and have great reviews. Just google the name they have a website to view all their products.

 

[Popcorn]

This year I have experienced something similar as to what you described as "mowing significant areas"....This year towards the end of summer I was on the property working and had the tractor and bush hog....we had already sprayed and planted various food plots so I was just bush hogging the roads and different strips that we keep mowed....on our property we have a powerline thats basically "grown up"....other than strips we keep mowed and the food plots we have....its blackberry briar, Honeysuckle, golden rod and a diverse selection of other forbes/weeds.
Well after completing all the task I had planned I was headed back to load the tractor up and noticed one soft sloping hillside that was basically head high briars...not an area we hunt....but i can see it from one of the shooting house's....always looking for cost effective ways to add diversity and improve habitat so I drove up the hill and cleared around 3/4 acre...went over it three times....really chopped it up good....some areas even scalping the dirt...following week we got one of the rare rains...never thought much more about it...didnt seed it...didnt spray it....then weeks later while checking cameras I noticed how nice and green it looked...allot of "edge" was created along with allot of young tender new growth....Also now the deer are using it on that ridge as a corridor to cross the powerline....but I've been shocked at how much this simple project has paid off with nothing invested but a little time and tractor fuel.
I will be repeating this process in two other areas on the property in the future...very eye opening.
"diversity on a dime"...all projects dont have to be expensive.

Think of this in terms similar to the management of NWSG ! Manage in thirds! Each third is at a different stage but as a whole are much closer to being a whole habitat. Even if you only mow it, mow 1/3 this year, 1/3 next and the final 3rd the year after. If you have the acres do it in sectors!
You could even go to 1/4's and add a planted plot into the rotation.
I saw a farm set up just like that, the owner used to release and shoot quail. It was in sectional rotation in 1/4's. He asked me how he could improve on it and told him he was ahead of me and in my humble opinion maybe, maybe some lime and fertilizer.

 

[Popcorn]

I enjoy the habitat improvement as much or more than the hunting because I can do it all year!

That's why I do what I do
Have not hunted a day this year but sure have had a good season!

 

[Popcorn]

I would love to say I have the formula all worked out, but I don't. I'm still experimenting and trying new things and measuring the results. And so much depends on the size of a property and what habitat the neighbors have.

When you work out that formula don't leave out the owner's preference! To see game? To see more game! To kill trophy bucks ? To take a little meat!

 

[DoubleRidge]

Think of this in terms similar to the management of NWSG ! Manage in thirds! Each third is at a different stage but as a whole are much closer to being a whole habitat. Even if you only mow it, mow 1/3 this year, 1/3 next and the final 3rd the year after. If you have the acres do it in sectors!
You could even go to 1/4's and add a planted plot into the rotation.
I saw a farm set up just like that, the owner used to release and shoot quail. It was in sectional rotation in 1/4's. He asked me how he could improve on it and told him he was ahead of me and in my humble opinion maybe, maybe some lime and fertilizer.

Thanks for sharing those observations and recommendations....I have noticed one area we keep bush hogged for visibility has over time turned from briars, weeds/forbs more to broom sedge and grases....so I like the 1/4 rotation suggestion...different stages are always available and this adds more diversity...good stuff...thanks!

 

[BigCityBubba]

I put in winter wheat. This is after season ended but it brought them in.

 

[Hillbilly Hunter]

I have a mixture of wheat, oats, and rye (not ryegrass) in two plots. I may put in two more next year.

 

[Hillbilly Hunter]

Think of this in terms similar to the management of NWSG ! Manage in thirds! Each third is at a different stage but as a whole are much closer to being a whole habitat. Even if you only mow it, mow 1/3 this year, 1/3 next and the final 3rd the year after. If you have the acres do it in sectors!
You could even go to 1/4's and add a planted plot into the rotation.
I saw a farm set up just like that, the owner used to release and shoot quail. It was in sectional rotation in 1/4's. He asked me how he could improve on it and told him he was ahead of me and in my humble opinion maybe, maybe some lime and fertilizer.

I have alot of thick nasty stuff. I have two fields that i bushhog at the end of May and thats it. It grows higher than the tractor by the next cutting and is full of woody weeds such as briars, milkweed, and other stuff. I don't see how a rabbit gets through it! I try to have as much variances in habitat as i can. I am always looking to improve it. Great info on this thread.

 

[BSK]

Think of this in terms similar to the management of NWSG ! Manage in thirds! Each third is at a different stage but as a whole are much closer to being a whole habitat. Even if you only mow it, mow 1/3 this year, 1/3 next and the final 3rd the year after. If you have the acres do it in sectors!

Hmmm, I've heard that before. Something tells me you've been talking to Grant.

 

[TheLBLman]

Even if you only mow it, mow 1/3 this year, 1/3 next and the final 3rd the year after. If you have the acres do it in sectors.

I'm not sure where the balance falls between most ideal & most practical to get done.
This will in part depend on what type equipment you have to do the work.

If you own a forest mulcher, you might find doing it 1/5 annually most ideal, and still very achievable.

I've ended up thinking every other year strips & patches, just because I get so behind that much ends up going 3 years anyway!

 

[Popcorn]

Hmmm, I've heard that before. Something tells me you've been talking to Grant.

I worked with Grant on the Kentucky proving ground for a few years. I learned a lot from him, didn't always agree but it's all good. I lean hard toward practicality in the field and I like water bars, grant prefers BBD's

 

[Ski]

The Ash Boring Beetle, even though detrimental to the Ash trees, has provided a lot of new growth in spots throughout my woods, which has changed areas of my place dramatically. I enjoy the habitat improvement as much or more than the hunting because I can do it all year!

The areas where my place had lots of giant ash trees now are thickets of young ash saplings and the deer love it.

 

[deerhunter10]

I'm glad to know I'm not the only nut that loves that habitat work as much as I do. To me it's a perfect imperfect science. There are a lot of right things to do not a lot of wrong things to do as long as you are doing something.

 

[lafn96]

I put in winter wheat. This is after season ended but it brought them in.

That's exactly what I'm hoping for late season, have 8 acres of wheat/oats

 

[BSK]

I worked with Grant on the Kentucky proving ground for a few years. I learned a lot from him, didn't always agree but it's all good.

Join the club!

I lean hard toward practicality in the field and I like water bars, grant prefers BBD's

I HATE water bars and LOVE BBDs, but I can't find anyone that knows how to make BBDs.

 

[TheLBLman]

I HATE water bars and LOVE BBDs, but I can't find anyone that knows how to make BBDs.

And that's why you have so many water bars!
I also hate water bars, but practical solution.

 

[BSK]

I hate to get on my soapbox, but I'm going to. And I don't want to paint all loggers the same. Some are great, some aren't. But I can't tell you how many thousands of dollars we've spent trying to repair the damage done by loggers to our roads. Every one will say, "Don't worry. When we're done, we'll put the roads back just the way they were." Yet they don't. I've had a couple of good loggers (small, family operations) that have put the roads back even better than what they were. And then I've had the big operations that cut and run, leaving the roads a mess. They're only attempt at fixing them is pushing up a couple of water bars, which quickly wash through once vehicles drive over them. I think 1) these big operations don't care, 2) they don't have bulldozer operators who know how to build a long-last road, and/or 3) don't want to spend the diesel money to fix roads when they're done.

The next time I have logging done (which will be in just a couple years), I'm going to 1) put fixing the roads to my satisfaction - with picture examples - in the logging contract, and 2) require the logger to post a $10,000 bond before they start work to cover road repair if they don't honor the contract.

 

[DoubleRidge]

I hate to get on my soapbox, but I'm going to. And I don't want to paint all loggers the same. Some are great, some aren't. But I can't tell you how many thousands of dollars we've spent trying to repair the damage done by loggers to our roads. Every one will say, "Don't worry. When we're done, we'll put the roads back just the way they were." Yet they don't. I've had a couple of good loggers (small, family operations) that have put the roads back even better than what they were. And then I've had the big operations that cut and run, leaving the roads a mess. They're only attempt at fixing them is pushing up a couple of water bars, which quickly wash through once vehicles drive over them. I think 1) these big operations don't care, 2) they don't have bulldozer operators who know how to build a long-last road, and/or 3) don't want to spend the diesel money to fix roads when they're done.

The next time I have logging done (which will be in just a couple years), I'm going to 1) put fixing the roads to my satisfaction - with picture examples - in the logging contract, and 2) require the logger to post a $10,000 bond before they start work to cover road repair if they don't honor the contract.

We went with #2 at the advice of our Forester. Our place isnt as big as yours but we had similar concerns....So our Forester collected $5,000 earnest money up front which he held in an account. Once the project was complete we drove the property and agreed that the contract agreement was met. Contract included all road construction and condition as well as location and condition of all log loading decks, zero trash, height of tree tops from ground, no work in Nov or Dec, etc.
Once we gave the Ok the money was returned. If not ok, they had 30 days to make it right. After 30 days, if not complete, the money could be used to repair roads, etc....all was spelled out in the contract and agreed upon before the first tree fell....all in all this worked well for us....its nice knowing your somewhat protected.

 

[BSK]

Smart man DoubleRidge.