A few habitat pics I thought you might enjoy

[ghilliehunter]

I've been killing these dang thistles. This kind is native, but I still don't like many of them around. I think I've got a pretty good handle on them and will hit them again next year.

The neighbor put in 70 acres of corn instead of soybeans this year. I can tell that my summer food plots are being hit much harder this year than last year when the soybeans were close. The deer still have some beans, but they are further away and not as convenient.

The soybeans at my creek farm property are looking good. They do beans every year over there.

This is a sample of what I'm seeing on cameras so far. Not as impressive as last year at this time but still nice for our area.

I've been killing these dang thistles. This kind is native, but I still don't like many of them around. I think I've got a pretty good handle on them and will hit them again next year.

These Bevan's Favorite apples are awesome. Been eating more than one a day to keep all the doctors away.

Great pics Native! I'm curious what your thistle control technique is?

 

[Native Hunter]

I've been killing these dang thistles. This kind is native, but I still don't like many of them around. I think I've got a pretty good handle on them and will hit them again next year.


Great pics Native! I'm curious what your thistle control technique is?

I've been driving my pickup with a 25 gallon sprayer in the bed and hunting them down. However, the NWSGs are getting so big I'm going to have to give it up for this year.

This thistle (Pasture Thistle) is much harder to get rid of than Canadian Thistle. I practically eliminated the Canadians. They bloom early and the red head stands out like a sore thumb. This one doesn't bloom until late in the year and the NWSGs hide it from view. Also, the bloom is not bright and is hard to see. Another issue with it is that they pop up from seed all through the year, so after you have to stop hunting them, some will come on out. The good news is that they die in just a couple of years and have to come back from seed. So, if you keep after them, you can make a good dent in them.

Pasture Thistle is native and kind of like Bull thistle, which is not native. Pasture thistle is almost white underneath the leaves, and that is how you tell them apart. I don't want either of them. So far, I've not seen any Bull Thistle.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Good looking bucks on cams. Nothing new for you !!

I don't know what they taste like, but those Bevan's Favorites are really handsome apples. The red striping and spots just look like a classic, old apple. Good DR I'd guess ??

 

[Native Hunter]

Good looking bucks on cams. Nothing new for you !!

I don't know what they taste like, but those Bevan's Favorites are really handsome apples. The red striping and spots just look like a classic, old apple. Good DR I'd guess ??

Thanks Bows. Yes, Bevan's Favorite grows really clean. I have never seen even a hint of FB and nearly no spotting at all on the leaves. For an early apple, the taste is really good. The taste is even better if you allow them to set about a week. The flavor just continues to develop. My FIL is especially fond of them. He said they remind him of what good apples were like when he was a kid.

I can't think of any negatives on that apple.

 

[weekender21]

Wow, some good looking KY bucks again this year!

 

[Native Hunter]

7-13-19 Update

When I don't have to mow a food plot because of a weed problem, I don't mow it. This plot in front of the barn has not been mowed this year and the deer are in it like maggots. There is a lot of chicory in this but not many blooms because of how it has been hammered.

Tallgrass Prairie coming on strong from all the rain.

Shortgrass prairie coming in nice too.

Fruit gone wild.

A few deer hanging around:

That's all folks. My truck is broke down right now and it is cramping my style. I need to be doing some spraying and other work.

 

[g squared 23]

What do you usually spray this time of year? Non natives and invasives?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Native Hunter]

What do you usually spray this time of year? Non natives and invasives?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I do spot spraying in food plots for one thing. The plot in the pic above is in good shape, but I have another plot with some foxtail and curly dock at places. I hit these with gly from my truck and then later one seed over them in the fall with grains or something like that.

This year I am also spraying Pasture Thistles in NWSGs with Crossbow. Pasture Thistle is a native one, but I have one field where they need to be knocked back. This needs to be done soon, because the grasses are starting to get too tall to drive through.

I keep a couple of tanks in my pickup from spring until my fall plots get planted. If I see anything that needs to be hit, it is very handy to have them there and ready. I also hit undesirable trees in my fence rows and ditches. You would be surprised how just spraying a ditch once a year can benefit habitat. I have been doing this at some places the last few years. Where there were once things like sycamores, sweet gums, etc. I now have things like elderberry, persimmon, blackberry, etc coming up from the seed bank.

 

[scott44]

I'm finding out less is more on plots now.

 

[Native Hunter]

I'm finding out less is more on plots now.

I agree Scott. Sometimes I think just mowing at the right time to keep weeds from going to seed is simple, yet about as effective as anything. A food plot doesn't need to be manicured like a golf course.

 

[Bill]

I’m always jealous when I click on this thread

 

[Mortenson]

Haha, yep. Especially the fruit and bucks! Good year for things to grow down there it appears!

 

[Bowsnbucks]

^^^^^ I haven't seen a BAD year for Native Hunter !!! It always looks good there.

In that first pic - is there a cooler shade of blue that grows wild all over the place than wild chicory ?? It keeps our roadsides looking fresh and colorful here for a good part of the summer. Ma Nature hit a homer on those blue beauties. Thanks for all the pix, Steve !!

 

[Native Hunter]

^^^^^ I haven't seen a BAD year for Native Hunter !!! It always looks good there.

In that first pic - is there a cooler shade of blue that grows wild all over the place than wild chicory ?? It keeps our roadsides looking fresh and colorful here for a good part of the summer. Ma Nature hit a homer on those blue beauties. Thanks for all the pix, Steve !!

Yes, that chicory adds some beauty to the summer landscape. It's hard to believe that it isn't native to this country, but it is one of the good things that have been brought here. The pioneers used it as a coffee substitute, but since I don't drink coffee, I'm not sure how well it works.

I've been told that cattlemen have taken a liking to chicory in recent years as a forage because of several great factors - including an ability to kill internal parasites.

 

[BuckSutherland]

I'm finding out less is more on plots now.

What do you mean Scott? I stopped our food plots last year and have no plans to do them this year. I mowed down the thistle patches and other undesirable stuff, but left plenty of the other stuff growing. My hunting was 100x better last year with no plots. It was exciting to actually see a buck for once.

 

[blueKYstream]

Am I the only one that laughed at the "Fruit Gone Wild" comment? It's taken me a few days to read about 75% of the thread but I enjoyed seeing all your progress through the years Native! You and your son took some nice bucks (and turkey)! I have a whole bunch of NWSG growing but they don't look like yours. It's been growing for probably 20 years. It seems like a monoculture though. I'm guessing it was seeded a bit too heavy. I have the occasional quail and sometimes fawns use it for cover early season. Perhaps it has helped the rabbits, but their population took off when I feathered some field edges! Besides that, I'm not so sure. I expected more when it was converted from fescue I suppose. The turkey population from that time has definitely taken a hit. If I had a do-over, I probably would cut back on the acreage seeded.

 

[Native Hunter]

Am I the only one that laughed at the "Fruit Gone Wild" comment? It's taken me a few days to read about 75% of the thread but I enjoyed seeing all your progress through the years Native! You and your son took some nice bucks (and turkey)! I have a whole bunch of NWSG growing but they don't look like yours. It's been growing for probably 20 years. It seems like a monoculture though. I'm guessing it was seeded a bit too heavy. I have the occasional quail and sometimes fawns use it for cover early season. Perhaps it has helped the rabbits, but their population took off when I feathered some field edges! Besides that, I'm not so sure. I expected more when it was converted from fescue I suppose. The turkey population from that time has definitely taken a hit. If I had a do-over, I probably would cut back on the acreage seeded.

Thanks for your comments. I think the greatest benefit of the NWSGs is the cover I have during the fall and winter during hunting season. When combined with the food plots and fruit, it seems to be a great draw for the deer. My population always seems to increase during hunting season, and I think the cover is a key component.

Disking an NWSG field that is turning into a monoculture is a good way to bring back some diversity. I've not had to do that, but I keep it in my back pocket as something to use if I need to.

Thanks and best wishes.

 

[blueKYstream]

Thanks for your comments. I think the greatest benefit of the NWSGs is the cover I have during the fall and winter during hunting season. When combined with the food plots and fruit, it seems to be a great draw for the deer. My population always seems to increase during hunting season, and I think the cover is a key component.

Disking an NWSG field that is turning into a monoculture is a good way to bring back some diversity. I've not had to do that, but I keep it in my back pocket as something to use if I need to.

Thanks and best wishes.

I hadn't thought about disking strips but that's a good idea! It would be tough to do it in big bluestem unless it was after it was cut though. We used to do some burns but it got too tough and the help dwindled over time. Plus, it just resulted in thicker stands of Big Bluestem predominately. I can only recall jumping a buck bedded in NWSG once. I'm sure with all the diversity you have, there is lots to eat though! I'm curious what seed rates you used when you planted.

 

[Native Hunter]

I hadn't thought about disking strips but that's a good idea! It would be tough to do it in big bluestem unless it was after it was cut though. We used to do some burns but it got too tough and the help dwindled over time. Plus, it just resulted in thicker stands of Big Bluestem predominately. I can only recall jumping a buck bedded in NWSG once. I'm sure with all the diversity you have, there is lots to eat though! I'm curious what seed rates you used when you planted.

It was the light seeding rates required by the CREP program. I still have that info filed away and will look it up for you if you need for me to, but I can’t remember right off hand.

The partridge pea they sold me is a tall and tough cultivar that holds its own with the grasses. Some of my other native forbs like goldenrod, tickseed sunflower and smooth ticktreefoil are also very competitive with the grass. These tough forbs keep coming back strong and keep the planting diverse year after year for me.

My place was a cattle farm for many years, and it has many internal fence rows with lots of big cedars and other species of trees and shrubs that provides breaks in the NWSG fields. These old fence rows provide even more edge and cover which the deer like. In the summer months deer will not be bedding in NWSGs. They use them for bedding only in the fall and winter, but that's fine, because that's when we want them around.

However, bedding is not the most important aspect of NWSGs. Travel cover is the key. Mature bucks will use tall NWSGs for travel cover at any time of the year the cover is tall enough to hide them. The way I manage my NWSGs (mowing and spot spraying in the late spring, and then getting out of them the rest of the year) they become very attractive during hunting season. At that time the deer will use them for both bedding and travel, but most of the bedding will be near where the NWSGs come up to a cedar fence row or some other cover I have created.

 

[blueKYstream]

It was the light seeding rates required by the CREP program. I still have that info filed away and will look it up for you if you need for me to, but I can’t remember right off hand.

The partridge pea they sold me is a tall and tough cultivar that holds its own with the grasses. Some of my other native forbs like goldenrod, tickseed sunflower and smooth ticktreefoil are also very competitive with the grass. These tough forbs keep coming back strong and keep the planting diverse year after year for me.

My place was a cattle farm for many years, and it has many internal fence rows with lots of big cedars and other species of trees and shrubs that provides breaks in the NWSG fields. These old fence rows provide even more edge and cover which the deer like. In the summer months deer will not be bedding in NWSGs. They use them for bedding only in the fall and winter, but that's fine, because that's when we want them around.

However, bedding is not the most important aspect of NWSGs. Travel cover is the key. Mature bucks will use tall NWSGs for travel cover at any time of the year the cover is tall enough to hide them. The way I manage my NWSGs (mowing and spot spraying in the late spring, and then getting out of them the rest of the year) they become very attractive during hunting season. At that time the deer will use them for both bedding and travel, but most of the bedding will be near where the NWSGs come up to a cedar fence row or some other cover I have created.

Nah, don't bother going to the trouble to look it up. I was a kid when ours was planted. I was just curious if you had it at the top of your head. I think they went heavy on big and little bluestem at our place. I seem to remember buffalo grass but don't recall if that was included in the mix or just a consideration. I do recall some sunflower mixed in but never recall seeing any. That's interesting that deer use it in the Fall and Winter. I wonder if perhaps they don't use mine because it's cut for hay midseason. It still gets to about 4 or 5 feet. I dunno.

Either way, you have a great place there Native! Also, thanks for your help in creating a list of trees that grow well for you. I used that last year and will again this year when selecting varieties! I think I got a good base for deer, I may branch out a bit with shrubs next year in addition to adding some apples/crabapples. Keep us posted on everything!