MG Grass as bedding

[roymunson]

I have a field along the road that I'm pretty sure would/will get spotlighted if I put food in it. Deer pass thru the area connecting 1 woods to another, but its about 2-3 acres. Wouldn't mind having a field of MG grass, but have never seen it for habitat purposes. I'd assume that'd get fairly expensive, but other than just cost, what is your pros and cons list for doing something like this? It'd probably work as some sort of bedding cover as well as a visual screen from the road.

 

[Bill]

I’ve always wanted to try it. Kill the fescue, plant MG on 15 to 20 foot spacing then let clover and Forbes grow up.
The biggest problem is you might never get them to come out of it before dark.

I wouldn’t plant any closer than that either. As it ages the MG clump get bigger and if it’s spaced out you could use a small mower in between when needed.

 

[roymunson]

I don't think we'd hold a ton of deer in this area, i'm more thinking it'd be a cool look and something different.

 

[scott44]

I've done this to some degree I've only planted 2-3 hundred rhizomes in a 7 acres switchgrass field, planting them in different patterns hoping to promote bedding.

 

[Bill]

Let me ask you this. If that field was a food plot could you hunt it easily? Would it make sense?

I only ask because when planted screens there is one part of the field that is only 75 yards from the road to the timber. Pre miscanthus deer would run off this field at just the sound of a vehicle coming down the road. Today they stand in it in broad daylight and pay no attention if the vehicle doesn’t slow down. They can’t see the road and the road can’t see them.

 

[roymunson]

Not really. I have a field on the other side of a creekbed that we hunt. I'd love to just have this be a spotwhere maybe something beds, maybe nothing beds, but its not just a fallow field.

 

[Bill]

I bet if you planted clover and MG in blocks you couldn’t keep them out of it.

 

[j-bird]

I would at least use the MG for a road screen.....you can then see what you want to do with the rest of it later. It will take a few years for the MG to become effective and I would certainly wait until it was before I would try to make it cover or a food source or both.

 

[Bassattackr]

Agree w/ J-bird as a start... You could also use the MG as the road screen, then kill/disc the remaining field and just let it grow up with early successional cover.

 

[roymunson]

we've used it as screening and it's dynamite when it gets up and thickens. Just was thinking of it as a bedding/chunk rather than a linear line

 

[j-bird]

I think you could still do that.... I just think I would want to protect them from the road first. Once you have your screen...you have all sorts of options. You then also have your own source for rhizomes then as well.

 

[Mortenson]

I scatter planted a few hundred on 6-8' spacing a couple yrs ago to see how it would look as a bedding site. Some got dug up by pests, but the rest are coming. With plums scattered in the area I think it's really going to look superb in a few years. I only sprayed around them the 1st year, so they will just have to chug along.

 

[Bassattackr]

we've used it as screening and it's dynamite when it gets up and thickens. Just was thinking of it as a bedding/chunk rather than a linear line

I would think long term maintenance might be tough. Once it spreads enough and thickens, it might be too thick for game to use. I believe Don Higgins has to cut his with a chainsaw.