Converting a crop field to cover

[roymunson]

So the new piece has a slope facing south and east thats 20+ acres. It was farmed in the past, but I want to turn a portion of it into cover. I have other fields designated as feeding fields, but this is a middle of the farm area that I think I can hold deer on safely, and hunt the edges. I want them to bed here.

NWSG is what I'mthinking, along wiith allowing some of it to go feral and essentially turn into old field growth (briars, multiflora rose, etc)

So in the NWSG I'm thinking switchgrass of some sort, but in reading on here, I don't think I want a monoculture of it. Local seed place will mix whatever I want, and I'd probably have pheasants forever come drill it in. What mix are you guys doing? Plan is to plant it as a perennial grass field. Hope to let it stand for the forseeable future.

1/3 Switch, 1/3 big bluestem, 1/3 indiangrass? What is your favorite mix? Or how would you do yours differently today, if you could?

 

[DJN]

I was just researching a similar thought this weekend, and found Ernst Seed has a good selection of Switchgrass cultivars of varying heights. I was thinking that going with multiple switchgrass cultivars, instead of a SG/blue stem/Indian grass mix that may end up matted down by late winter, might yield better results. That being said, I haven’t planted yet and don’t have “in the field” experience with it to backup my thinking.

 

[buckdeer1]

Find what switch grows best in your area and if it was crops and good dirt exposed I would plant in switch soon and then if it becomes to pure just lightly disc to stir up weeds

 

[j-bird]

It all depends on how ambitious you are. If you are are on the cheap....I simply till the soil, broadcast me a switchgrass seed of choice and let mother nature do the rest. Over time you will get what you are after....but that is a minimum....and will take a few years to develop into a functional bedding area. With a little more up front work and $$ you can add some forbs in with the switchgrass to add some diversity. If you want to go a step further, I would plant some shrubs (bare root or cuttings) and the like to create some cover and the like of the 10 to 20 foot tall variety. I would do this in winding rows or clusters and they would be of both browse and non-browse species...taller ones can later be hinged or copiced. This will also help create edges and potentially directional movement thru and into and out of the area as well. If you are going to put some work into it just consider your hunting access and the like first.....instead of trying to figure it out later. Just also keep in mind that at some point you may need to "re-set the clock" on the area as it matures and understand how you plan to accomplish that without entirely starting over or creating a burden.

 

[john volkman]

i converted the 40 acres i live on into wildlife cover and a wetland. When i bought it, it was at most 10% cover the rest being alfalfa and canary grass. I have planted alternating blocks of switchgrass and conifers and other early successional shrubs and hardwoods. I have one 100 yard wide area of spruce, dogwood and other hardwoods that are 10 years old that is bordered by a 50 yard swath of switch. This area almost always has deer bedding on the edge of the switch in the spruce or just inside the switch. American plum with spruce mixed in bordered by switch is dynamite for me. Heavy wet snow can temporarily knock switch down and it helps to have other cover close by. You cant see all of it in this drone view but you can see the spruce bordered by switch i was referring to. I would look into planting some pollinator forbs close by, it gets use all year by turkeys, pheasants, deer and other wildlife other than the dead of winter.

 

[H20fwler]

i converted the 40 acres i live on into wildlife cover and a wetland. When i bought it, it was at most 10% cover the rest being alfalfa and canary grass. I have planted alternating blocks of switchgrass and conifers and other early successional shrubs and hardwoods. I have one 100 yard wide area of spruce, dogwood and other hardwoods that are 10 years old that is bordered by a 50 yard swath of switch. This area almost always has deer bedding on the edge of the switch in the spruce or just inside the switch. American plum with spruce mixed in bordered by switch is dynamite for me. Heavy wet snow can temporarily knock switch down and it helps to have other cover close by. You cant see all of it in this drone view but you can see the spruce bordered by switch i was referring to. I would look into planting some pollinator forbs close by, it gets use all year by turkeys, pheasants, deer and other wildlife other than the dead of winter.

Your place looks great!
You need to start a Land Tour thread on that.

 

[H20fwler]

On the seed mix for the OP I would cut down on the SG some it will end up taking over anyway, also would ad native wildflower mix with lots of cone flowers into it at planting time. Our pasture of fifteen acres was rotated crop field up until four years ago, now it is something that all kinds of wildlife can use year round.

 

[buckdeer1]

I have been getting email adds from Pure air natives seed company

 

[S.T.Fanatic]

Going to want some flowers for sure.

 

[Boll Weevil]

I'm a good bit further south of you with a longer growing season but due to a combination of longer than normal spring flooding and other priorities had a 16ac tillable field turn into a 7ft tall jungle in 4 months without any intervention on my part. The deer beds and trails in there were insane.

Just let it go wild.