Bo’s Hideway. Central Va

[yoderjac]

If you have turkeys there at your place, you might want to cover your buckwheat seed with cultipacker or discing it in. If the turkeys find the BW seed, they'll eat it ALL. Been there, and the turkeys found all of ours. Had to re-plant other things a couple years. Just a heads-up.

That is interesting, but quite plausible. We have very good turkey populations here. Before we got the cultipacker, I noticed that my germination rates of buckwheat was much lower than back when I was tilling or since we got the cultipacker. Back when I was tilling, the seed was covered. With the cultipacker it is pressed into the ground pretty well. Perhaps when I was doing T&M without cultipacking, much of the seed was not obvious because of the vegetation cover and germinated, but perhaps the lower germination rates were partly do to turkey predation of the seed.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[Bowsnbucks]

That is interesting, but quite plausible. We have very good turkey populations here. Before we got the cultipacker, I noticed that my germination rates of buckwheat was much lower than back when I was tilling or since we got the cultipacker. Back when I was tilling, the seed was covered. With the cultipacker it is pressed into the ground pretty well. Perhaps when I was doing T&M without cultipacking, much of the seed was not obvious because of the vegetation cover and germinated, but perhaps the lower germination rates were partly do to turkey predation of the seed.

Once our turkeys found the BW seed - they hit the field for 2 or 3 days SOLID. Gonzo on the BW crop. Scratched up every kernel of seed. $$$ and time down the drain.

 

[yoderjac]

Once our turkeys found the BW seed - they hit the field for 2 or 3 days SOLID. Gonzo on the BW crop. Scratched up every kernel of seed. $$$ and time down the drain.

Interesting. They do love buckwheat seed, but when I walk through my buckwheat fields later in the year, they have plenty of seed left. This could be a habitat thing. We have very good mixed habitat for turkey and they have lots of food sources. I think in places where food is more scarce like the big woods, when they hit a good food source they stay on it longer. While I've never had turkey wipe out a buckwheat plant, it would not surprise me that my lower germination rates pre cultipacker may have been somewhat due to seed predation by turkey.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Interesting. They do love buckwheat seed, but when I walk through my buckwheat fields later in the year, they have plenty of seed left. This could be a habitat thing. We have very good mixed habitat for turkey and they have lots of food sources. I think in places where food is more scarce like the big woods, when they hit a good food source they stay on it longer. While I've never had turkey wipe out a buckwheat plant, it would not surprise me that my lower germination rates pre cultipacker may have been somewhat due to seed predation by turkey

Our turkeys ate the SEED before it could germinate. No BW greens ever emerged!! We are in big woods with little other food sources other than bugs in our fields. I agree with your comments.

I just wanted to alert Bo of what might happen if he tries BW in a plot. My advice - cover the seed by dragging, cultipacking, etc. so the seed has a chance before his turkeys find it. At our place before we learned to cover ........ turkeys - 2 camp members - 0.

 

[yoderjac]

Our turkeys ate the SEED before it could germinate. No BW greens ever emerged!! We are in big woods with little other food sources other than bugs in our fields. I agree with your comments.

I just wanted to alert Bo of what might happen if he tries BW in a plot. My advice - cover the seed by dragging, cultipacking, etc. so the seed has a chance before his turkeys find it. At our place before we learned to cover ........ turkeys - 2 camp members - 0.

Yep, regardless of why, cultipacking always improves germination for me with T&M.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Yep, regardless of why, cultipacking always improves germination for me with T&M.

Agreed.

Best of luck with your place, Bo. Great-looking so far!!

 

[chbarnha]

Thank you sir, I have turkeys but no real over abundance of them until the fall. I saw the tall buck in the bean field across the road yesterday evening with 2 other nice bucks and 4 small bucks. The beans have started popping good around here so my pictures have dropped dramatically but that happens every year the fields nearby have beans instead of corn


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[chbarnha]

My plan as of now is to keep this mowed and try to just let the clover grow throughout the summer. Then about Labor Day I’m going to get some soybeans from my buddy and broadcast and cultipack them. We all know the fresh green growth of a soybean is a major draw. At the same time I do that I’m going to broadcast and cultipack the fall release blend, which has 4 cereals grains among other things. I guess we will see. The soybeans won’t grow a lot or produce beans but I’m going for the candy that is the fresh green growth. Y’all let me know what you think about this plan.


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[yoderjac]

My plan as of now is to keep this mowed and try to just let the clover grow throughout the summer. Then about Labor Day I’m going to get some soybeans from my buddy and broadcast and cultipack them. We all know the fresh green growth of a soybean is a major draw. At the same time I do that I’m going to broadcast and cultipack the fall release blend, which has 4 cereals grains among other things. I guess we will see. The soybeans won’t grow a lot or produce beans but I’m going for the candy that is the fresh green growth. Y’all let me know what you think about this plan.


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Maybe your soils are different than mine, but soybeans don't surface broadcast and cultipack well. Any warm season annual in the fall that is new lush growth will have that same draw. That is one reason I like buckwheat. When I do my fall plant, I get enough volunteer buckwheat for that early archery season attraction. Most of it gets nipped off by deer, but any that doesn't is killed at the first frost making room for my fall mix. Some folks get such a heavy volunteer buckwheat crop that it shades out their fall mix. That has never happened in my soils with my deer numbers.

As for you concept, it is great. I just think you picked the wrong plant for T&M. Back when I was doing traditional tillage, I would buy left over soybeans from the coop cheap after the farmers were done planting. I would add them to my fall mix and cover the seed. That worked well, but I've had no success T&M soybeans. I found that buckwheat served the same function and it T&Ms well. I have a small kasco 4' no-till versa drill. I could broadcast my fall mix an then drill soybeans over top in the fall. It is just more work, and since I've been including buckwheat in my summer mix, I have the same effect for free with the buckwheat volunteer crop.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[chbarnha]

Just a little photo update, not much to say as I’ve been trying to stay away, but we do have a familiar face back at the hideaway. He’s shown way more growth than any other deer I have. Hopefully this will be the year he decides to stay. This is the 5th year I’ve had pictures of him. Then I have another smaller buck that kinda looks like him, guess time will tell.Looks like a good fawning year as well.

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[chbarnha]

Well he’s steadily getting bigger, I hope this is the year he decides to change his pattern and stay.

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[yoderjac]

Nice deer! We have a few of those tall narrow racks as well.

 

[chbarnha]

Finally got a little bit of a cooler day to go get a little bit done after work today. I needed to bushhog a little bit. I cut the weeds over some of the clover and checked the back food plot as well. Pretty happy with how the back food plot is looking.

Clover looks to be coming in pretty well on the edges. Ran the bushhog over these areas high to trim the little bit of weeds but overall pretty happy with how it looks.

The browse release from green cover seeds looks to be doing a pretty good job of keeping the weeds at bay. I have a little bit of dog fennel in this plot but nowhere near like it was. In the last picture of this group you can see a lot of the blend components. Sunn hemp, sorghum, cowpeas, buckwheat, and clover. Overall very happy with the results from this browse release. I will be ordering the fall release over the next couple days to get ready to plant that come Labor Day. Question… would you leave this stand and broadcast into it? Or would you broadcast then bushhog and cultipack it? Wish I had a drill but I do not.

This persimmon looks terrible, any ideas?

On the way home I noticed some equipment for sale on the side of the road. Stopped and looked at this swisher 44” pull behind mower… new they cost 2800$. Guy fired it right up so I asked what he wanted for it… 200$. Sold! I then saw the swisher walk behind string mower/weed eater. Asked about that… he fired it right up as well. Asked what he wanted for it… 50$. Be good for cleaning around my trees! Overall a pretty productive day.


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[yoderjac]

That is the problem with some of the commercial mixes like that. There is no consideration for the next crop. For example, you may get some attraction from the cowpeas into the season and once they ripen in early fall, the sorghum heads will get used by deer. The clover will also get used, but you didn't mention if it was an annual or perennial. The sunn hemp, and buckwheat are done by fall.

So, if I'm going to plant for fall, I would have eliminated the sorghum and used a annual clover. I found when I used sorghum, I had to replant before the heads got used.

So, if you want to get the most for you money from that particular mix, I would probably let it stand. If you want attraction into the late season, I'd replant.

One more option would be to do strips through it. You could put PTT/GHR and WR in strips. That would leave most of what you have but add some later season food.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[chbarnha]

That is the problem with some of the commercial mixes like that. There is no consideration for the next crop. For example, you may get some attraction from the cowpeas into the season and once they ripen in early fall, the sorghum heads will get used by deer. The clover will also get used, but you didn't mention if it was an annual or perennial. The sunn hemp, and buckwheat are done by fall.

So, if I'm going to plant for fall, I would have eliminated the sorghum and used a annual clover. I found when I used sorghum, I had to replant before the heads got used.

So, if you want to get the most for you money from that particular mix, I would probably let it stand. If you want attraction into the late season, I'd replant.

One more option would be to do strips through it. You could put PTT/GHR and WR in strips. That would leave most of what you have but add some later season food.

Thanks,

Jack

This is the label for the fall release I was planning on planting around Labor Day. I was also going to wait until about the last week of September or first week of October and broadcast more cereal rye into it.


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[chbarnha]

That is the problem with some of the commercial mixes like that. There is no consideration for the next crop. For example, you may get some attraction from the cowpeas into the season and once they ripen in early fall, the sorghum heads will get used by deer. The clover will also get used, but you didn't mention if it was an annual or perennial. The sunn hemp, and buckwheat are done by fall.

So, if I'm going to plant for fall, I would have eliminated the sorghum and used a annual clover. I found when I used sorghum, I had to replant before the heads got used.

So, if you want to get the most for you money from that particular mix, I would probably let it stand. If you want attraction into the late season, I'd replant.

One more option would be to do strips through it. You could put PTT/GHR and WR in strips. That would leave most of what you have but add some later season food.

Thanks,

Jack

The clovers already established are all perennials, this is their second year and they are really starting to fill in pretty well. I’m just trying to get the highest level of attraction possible. Just not sure whether to bushhog existing crop or broadcast into it.


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[yoderjac]

I'd broadcast into it first and then bushhog and cultipack.

 

[chbarnha]

Well after some playing with it I got this “new” 50$ swisher trim n mow running and went by the hideaway to run it around the trees I have planted in the front. Let’s just say that I don’t think they have ever looked this clean around them. Definitely satisfied with the 50$ spent!

And me and dad started the process of getting our stands hung after some maintenance. The three in my piece are now up. We went up the county to a piece on the hunt club and hung a few too. We were hanging the last one of the day, and dad was up in this one when we heard a weird noise, so he finished what he was doing and went to get down and noticed one of the two support cables had broken… thank god the other one held. He was up there another 10-15 min after we heard the noise.

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[chbarnha]

Another eventful day, the bushhog I got with the tractor was getting borderline dangerous. The old Ford model had worn a hole through the deck and the stump jumper was all but gone. Picked this rebuilt bushhog from a guy dad used to work with for 200$. She cuts like a dream, and should get many years of use out of it.

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[buckdeer1]

Dang the deals are falling all over you,I bought a 6ft landpride at an auction,looked good from the outside but after I got it bent blades and trashed stump jumper.I still will have less than 900.00 in a almost rebuilt implement.I have a 5 ft kingkutter that needed some parts and finally found a aftermarket parts and saved hundreds over brand name parts