Badgerfowl's habitat projects

[badgerfowl]

The killed grass will get planted to WR, brassica, and clover this weekend.



Pine trees planted in 2013 from plugs are thigh to waist high hanging out in the weeds.





Was thinking about killing the weeds one of these years but the pines don't seem to mind and I think it helps protect them a bit from the elements. The norway spruce planted at the same time that I found this past weekend are probably half the size. I have dumped some 10-10-10 around the pines the last couple springs though.

 

[badgerfowl]

Our typical "spike" the last 4 years or so.



Next best one on cam in my in-woods clover plot. Still nothing to shoot. Sadly this is probably a 2 year old.



Mom and the kids.



One of the apple culprits. Maybe the same 6 as above.

 

[badgerfowl]

Party in my brassica plot.



The other apple bandits.

 

[bueller]

Red clover looks great !!!

Those brassicas look prime for a urea application. Of course we would need rain for that.

 

[SD51555]

That's a hell of an update! Nice work! That early brassica plot looks mighty fine for no soil amendments. Did you have some kind of legume in there before them?

 

[badgerfowl]

We had clover for years but it had thinned out to nothing basically for a year or two.

 

[badgerfowl]

Red clover looks great !!!

Those brassicas look prime for a urea application. Of course we would need rain for that.

Yup that's the issue, especially when I can only get there on the weekend. There was a chance for Saturday that has now gone to 0%. Maybe I'll pick up a bag of 46-0-0 just in case it changes.

 

[badgerfowl]

Was up to our place today to do some final mowing and shooting lane clearing. June and July planted brassicas are looking pretty good.

 

[badgerfowl]

Planted winter rye, clover, and a few brassicas in the background here on August 1. Over seeded a bit I think. Cranes have been in here all day everyday basically. Would they be eating the winter rye?

 

[badgerfowl]

In-woods clover plot kept trim by the deer.



Other half of plot just planted on 8/1. Clover and winter rye emerging.

 

[SD51555]

You left some longer tails on those cut off trees. Is that so you can have some leverage when you pull them out?

 

[badgerfowl]

Those were hinge cuts from a couple of years ago to open up the first half of the plot. We had 3 good size trees to cut up a few weeks ago and just didn't get to trimming them off at ground level. The deer are browsing the sprouts coming off the stumps so I'm not too concerned. They'll get chopped eventually.

 

[Satchmo]

Planted winter rye, clover, and a few brassicas in the background here on August 1. Over seeded a bit I think. Cranes have been in here all day everyday basically. Would they be eating the winter rye?

View attachment 6801

Yep, the cranes and doves start in on mine as soon as I'm done broadcasting.

 

[sandbur]

In-woods clover plot kept trim by the deer.



Other half of plot just planted on 8/1. Clover and winter rye emerging.

I am surprised at how open that woods is. No brush at all under the timber?

 

[badgerfowl]

Not much. It hasn't been logged in over 25 years. But it is river bottom and a majority of it floods every spring and some parts, like the old oxbows and sloughs, don't dry up until July or August when we get some dry hot summer weather. By then we are lucky to get some grass growing in those spots.

 

[wiscwhip]

Quite a bit different than the bottom areas on our old place in the Little Yellow. We had MUCH thicker undergrowth, both shrubs and grasses. Our canopy was not as full as yours badger. I would recommend a select cut/hinging in there. You don't have to go super heavy if you don't want to, even opening that canopy up 30%-40% will help, you should notice a very good increase in a season or two just by taking out some of the larger canopy trees. My guess is that you have a bunch of silver maple down in there and other "trash" trees as well. Take out about 20%-30% of the large caliper non-mast producing trees and any other small caliper junk trees that are devoid of branches and leaves for the first 8' and above, they are not doing anything to help your undergrowth. Take out the big trees for camp firewood and hinge the smaller stuff, maybe to make some directional travel lanes to your plots. Believe me it will help immensely with the growth in that bottomland area. Just keep an eye on what comes back. With that area flooding all the time, who knows what types of weed seed float down and get deposited on those soils?

 

[sandbur]

Quite a bit different than the bottom areas on our old place in the Little Yellow. We had MUCH thicker undergrowth, both shrubs and grasses. Our canopy was not as full as yours badger. I would recommend a select cut/hinging in there. You don't have to go super heavy if you don't want to, even opening that canopy up 30%-40% will help, you should notice a very good increase in a season or two just by taking out some of the larger canopy trees. My guess is that you have a bunch of silver maple down in there and other "trash" trees as well. Take out about 20%-30% of the large caliper non-mast producing trees and any other small caliper junk trees that are devoid of branches and leaves for the first 8' and above, they are not doing anything to help your undergrowth. Take out the big trees for camp firewood and hinge the smaller stuff, maybe to make some directional travel lanes to your plots. Believe me it will help immensely with the growth in that bottomland area. Just keep an eye on what comes back. With that area flooding all the time, who knows what types of weed seed float down and get deposited on those soils?

And plant a few clumps of conifers!

 

[wiscwhip]

I am very familiar with the bottoms in badgers area, they would likely have to be black spruce or balsam fir to get them to grow very well in those areas and have any benefit to the wildlife.

 

[badgerfowl]

Yes it would work on the higher spots I would think. We have big oaks fall over quite a bit in storms and those places get thick with new growth when a little sun is able to reach the floor. We get quite a few pines coming up in those places which is nice.

There are plenty of trash trees. The popple or whatever they are called grow fast and high and shade everything else out. I know we have some maples just not certain what kind.

In the early 90's after my parents first bought it, I remember it being much thicker and brushier. I think it was logged not too many years before that. So it's probably been 30 years since last logged.

We might look at a 60 acre parcel a couple miles west this weekend. Same sandy soil but all dry upland. Lots of oaks, and a little more elevation change.

 

[wiscwhip]

Man, when I used to drift/row the section of the Lemonweir around Kennedy park it was T.H.I.C.K. Of course, that was 30ish years ago :rolleyes:

That is true on the ground you can see from the banks, which gets added light from the opening above the river itself, and the fact that very few huge trees grow right on the banks themselves. If you get back off the river a ways where the oxbows and flats have huge maples and green ash with full canopies, it can be a very different animal.