Catscratch House and Habitat build
- Thread starter Catscratch
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Catscratch
5 year old buck +
We spent the weekend up in Iowa. They are way behind us, but likely way ahead of you. You have a long winter, short summer.
Catscratch
5 year old buck +
Planted sunflowers this morning. No rain in the foreseeable forecast. Hopefully soil moisture is right. I disced them in instead of dragging. Might work, might not.
Catscratch
5 year old buck +
Almost disced in a spot for more sunflowers but got to digging around and decided to let it ride.
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Catscratch
5 year old buck +
Waded through my main plot. I don't remember everything I put in there but it's awesome at the moment. Rye is waist high, wheat is thigh high, and the clovers are just below knee high.
Catscratch
5 year old buck +
Sugar beets are few and far between. Unless more come up it'll basically be a failure for a plot. Don't know if they didn't get buried far enough, soil crusted, too cold, etc.
Corn is looking about the same... few and far between.
Milo looks good though.
Corn is looking about the same... few and far between.
Milo looks good though.
Catscratch
5 year old buck +
The oldest graduates college next weekend. Dad (Grandpa) got the kid a grad gift. Saw it for the first time today. I love it, the kid will too!
Bowsnbucks
5 year old buck +
Do you mow that plot at any time - or just let it grow to maturity??
Catscratch
5 year old buck +
I'll probably let it grow (I change my mind sometimes though). I like to let the awnless wheat head out. Plus any clover that seeds out is a good thing.
Catscratch
5 year old buck +
Got our family knives tonight. The oldest will get his this weekend as he graduates and moves into his first place. Starting his own life.
The dark hair is turkey beard from the boys and I hunts. The light is from a really blonde yote we trapped together. Rattlesnake rattles from a hunt we did in TX, and various snakes we killed while working cattle or fence. And the front bands are ground Indian flint chips we pick on walks together. Our place produces both black and rose colored flint. Made by a cousin. Lots of sentimental stuff.
The dark hair is turkey beard from the boys and I hunts. The light is from a really blonde yote we trapped together. Rattlesnake rattles from a hunt we did in TX, and various snakes we killed while working cattle or fence. And the front bands are ground Indian flint chips we pick on walks together. Our place produces both black and rose colored flint. Made by a cousin. Lots of sentimental stuff.
Catscratch
5 year old buck +
Throw a bunch of wheat and rye seed on it. If I have lots of vegetation the cereals might come up sparse, but they'll get their job done.
Catscratch
5 year old buck +
Old pic Bows but I like it. If I don't mow it'll end up looking like this mid summer.
Bowsnbucks
5 year old buck +
Do deer eat the grain plants at that stage, or the clover & other stuff growing lower out of sight?
Catscratch
5 year old buck +
They do eat the heads. There'll be a point that they vacuum them up. Kind of fun to watch. They'll turn their head sideways, put the stem in their mouth, then slide up pealing all the seeds off.
They do also spend a lot of time eating the stuff underneath. Just depends on the time of year and what's favorable at the moment. Like a lot of times I have deer in the plots eating grains when it's hot/dry and the other stuff has dried down and gone dormant.
This plot should be active year round for a couple of years, and all I'll need to do is overseed with cereals in the fall... and maybe mow once in a while.
SD51555
5 year old buck +
I think there’s a lot of value in having them come in and graze off those wheat heads. I can’t imagine how much extra deer droppings you get outta the critters for those extra weeks of attention.
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Catscratch
5 year old buck +
I need to pay attention and see how long it takes the poo to go away. It certainly doesn't build up. I see lots of dung beetles in the summer rolling around with their balls of it. Wonder how quickly it gets swallowed back up by the soil? Yote crap doesn't stay long except for the hair. I bet the deer stuff is gone quickly.
SD51555
5 year old buck +
Ok, I had to quick learn the habits of dung beetles. After this quick read, I would bet it lasts longer in terms of usefulness vs being on the soil. If your deer manure is being taken up to 3' below the soil and being eaten and digested and excreted a second time, I'd say you're getting super availability from the nutrients in the dung beetle dung.
Dung beetle benefits - Improving soil health in pastures
Dung beetles can improve soil, pasture and livestock health, as well as reduce nutrient runoff. Learn about how these hardworking bugs can help you.
If I remember right, the last time you showed us a soil test, your ground is pushing 7% or better organic matter. Am I remembering that correctly?
Catscratch
5 year old buck +
Ok, I had to quick learn the habits of dung beetles. After this quick read, I would bet it lasts longer in terms of usefulness vs being on the soil. If your deer manure is being taken up to 3' below the soil and being eaten and digested and excreted a second time, I'd say you're getting super availability from the nutrients in the dung beetle dung.
Dung beetle benefits - Improving soil health in pastures
Dung beetles can improve soil, pasture and livestock health, as well as reduce nutrient runoff. Learn about how these hardworking bugs can help you.growingcountry.com
If I remember right, the last time you showed us a soil test, your ground is pushing 7% or better organic matter. Am I remembering that correctly?
I think that's right. Probably been 10yrs since I did a soil test, things might have changed since then.
You know... I've watched hundreds of dung beetles on the place and even see them while driving down the highway, but I've never seen one bury a ball. They are the size of a shooter marble so yes, the hole would be pretty big.
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