A few habitat pics I thought you might enjoy

[Mozark]

I don't mind answering that question at all Mozark. On my 100 acres place where I have the native grasses, the change was obvious the next year when the grasses started making good cover. I had some good bucks to filter in from the surrounding areas quickly. Good cover trumps everything else in my opinion for old bucks. Before we put in the NWSGs, my dad was farming cattle there, and my fields were fescue. So, adding cover really made a difference quickly. Food plots and fruit trees are kind of like icing on the cake. They help, but cover is king.

At my 20 acre place about all I can do over there is hinge cut unless I want to take the 7 acre field out of soybeans/corn. Since I don't have equipment over there to manage a field, I choose to just keep it in crops rented out to a farmer. But when i started hinge cutting over there and making the woods thicker, I could see an improvement on camera pictures within 2 years. So far, I haven't given this place as much attention as the other place, but my plans are to do even more hinge cutting, which I feel will really help me. I passed a nice 140 over there this year during ML season that came out right at dark. He had to have been bedded right in one of my spots that I had thickened up.

I still have goals to reach at both places, but I guess that's a good thing, because it keeps me working and on my feet.

Thanks native, I will be following along.

 

[Native Hunter]

I will Survive

Oh no, not I, I will survive
Oh, as long as I know how to love, I know I'll stay alive
I've got all my life to live
And I've got all my love to give and I'll survive
I will survive

 

[Howboutthemdawgs]

I will Survive

Oh no, not I, I will survive
Oh, as long as I know how to love, I know I'll stay alive
I've got all my life to live
And I've got all my love to give and I'll survive
I will survive

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Whoa bottom boy is a booner no doubt next year. Heck could be now

 

[Native Hunter]

Whoa bottom boy is a booner no doubt next year. Heck could be now

Yes, all he needs is heavier mass, and that should increase by next year. Unfortunately he is a roamer. He has been seen 2 miles from me and only passes through occasionally. But, in the spring he was on my place nearly every day. I’m hoping he settles down and stays closer next year.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Seed crop for next year. I wish I had your problems ........

 

[Native Hunter]

Winter has struck and it's time for inside tasks. These are a few things I've been into over the last few days:
















Ready for chainsaw weather to come back.

 

[omicron1792]

Winter has struck and it's time for inside tasks. These are a few things I've been into over the last few days:

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Ready for chainsaw weather to come back.

Those deer though….

 

[Turkey Creek]

Looks like you have a good crop of flying deer as well! Santa will be happy.

 

[TreeDaddy]

Those deer though….

........Big Rack magazine foldouts

bill

 

[Bowsnbucks]

........Big Rack magazine foldouts

bill

Yep - Native just had to pose that rifle in front of those 2 big gagger-sized bucks. I think he likes to turn us green with envy ..........

 

[Native Hunter]

Not much has changed since my last update, but here goes anyway:

I planted 4 more apple trees and direct seeded a few chinkapin nuts:








Only shed I have found. I know this deer well.



Here are a few deer and turkey pics for your enjoyment:

 

[Mortenson]

Nice pictures as usual, NH. Bet those strutters are getting you a little fired up.

 

[Native Hunter]

Nice pictures as usual, NH. Bet those strutters are getting you a little fired up.

Yep, I’m shaking like Biden at a press conference.

 

[T-Max]

Yep, I’m shaking like Biden at a press conference.

Well at least if you fall, you won't remember it.

 

[Native Hunter]

Been about a month since my last update:

1. Still planting some nuts and managing areas that are growing back from storm damage. Promoting the good and killing the bad.
2. Getting ready to do some NWSG mowing. Bushhog has been in repair shop but coming home next week.
3. Ended up finding the other side to shed posted last month. It was 1/2 mile away from the other.
4. Still several deer carrying both sides. Hoping I can find a shed from last picture today.
5. Turkeys look good when they are there, but ranging wide and not giving many pictures.



Check out the tap root on this little sawtooth

 

[SwampCat]

Been about a month since my last update:

1. Still planting some nuts and managing areas that are growing back from storm damage. Promoting the good and killing the bad.
2. Getting ready to do some NWSG mowing. Bushhog has been in repair shop but coming home next week.
3. Ended up finding the other side to shed posted last month. It was 1/2 mile away from the other.
4. Still several deer carrying both sides. Hoping I can find a shed from last picture today.
5. Turkeys look good when they are there, but ranging wide and not giving many pictures.

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Check out the tap root on this little sawtooth
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Please esplain your intent with mowing your nwsg. Do you mow a percentage every year or all of it. Do you spray any herbicide after mowing, etc. thanks

 

[Native Hunter]

Please esplain your intent with mowing your nwsg. Do you mow a percentage every year or all of it. Do you spray any herbicide after mowing, etc. thanks

The primary intent of my NWSG mowing is setting back blackberry briers and volunteer trees. I do this once a year in early May - before fawns are born. In the CREP program I'm only required to mow 1/3 per year, but they have told me if I need to mow a little more to set back unwanted competition, I can do that. Each year I do at least the required 1/3 and play it by ear on doing any more.

The only herbicide spraying I do is spot spraying with a 25 gallon tank in the back of my pickup truck. I will drive around through the fields a few weeks after mowing but before the grass starts coming back very tall. Mainly I'm hitting thistles, patches of dogbane and stuff like that. I'm mainly using Crossbow for that, but I also keep a tank of Gly in the truck bed. If I see a patch of Deer Tongue grass starting to form, I will hit that with the gly. This is a short grass that you don't want, and it can be very competitive. It forms a colony and spreads out from there. When you set it back, you will usually get a nice flush of annual forbs and then more desirable grasses will come in later.

My 15 year CREP contract is over this year. I need to decide what I'm going to do. There are some other programs that pay about 1/2 or less of what I've been getting. I may do one of those or may not do any programs.

 

[omicron1792]

The primary intent of my NWSG mowing is setting back blackberry briers and volunteer trees. I do this once a year in early May - before fawns are born. In the CREP program I'm only required to mow 1/3 per year, but they have told me if I need to mow a little more to set back unwanted competition, I can do that. Each year I do at least the required 1/3 and play it by ear on doing any more.

The only herbicide spraying I do is spot spraying with a 25 gallon tank in the back of my pickup truck. I will drive around through the fields a few weeks after mowing but before the grass starts coming back very tall. Mainly I'm hitting thistles, patches of dogbane and stuff like that. I'm mainly using Crossbow for that, but I also keep a tank of Gly in the truck bed. If I see a patch of Deer Tongue grass starting to form, I will hit that with the gly. This is a short grass that you don't want, and it can be very competitive. It forms a colony and spreads out from there. When you set it back, you will usually get a nice flush of annual forbs and then more desirable grasses will come in later.

My 15 year CREP contract is over this year. I need to decide what I'm going to do. There are some other programs that pay about 1/2 or less of what I've been getting. I may do one of those or may not do any programs.

You’ve been a big help in how I deal with my place. Thanks my man

 

[Native Hunter]

You’ve been a big help in how I deal with my place. Thanks my man

Glad to help my friend!

 

[Native Hunter]

Turkey ATTACK!!!!!!!!!!!!






I want to find this so bad..............