Habitat experiments for 2025.

[bigboreblr]

Seeing what you guys are trying new in 2025.

Trying to grow cosmic crisp seedlings and find a good one. Doing a grafting philosophy comparison on 3 galarina trees.

No big foodplot experiments. Just building a sprayer nozzle on a 3 tire drag for no till at camp.

 

[gjs4]

Predominantly chicory plots
Sorghum screening
Varied impromptu hillside water hole attempts
Grafting on pear root stock and CP/BPs
Adding mineral and beef pellets to corn
Cell cam free areas

 

[Ben.MN/WI]

Seeing what you guys are trying new in 2025.

Trying to grow cosmic crisp seedlings and find a good one. Doing a grafting philosophy comparison on 3 galarina trees.

No big foodplot experiments. Just building a sprayer nozzle on a 3 tire drag for no till at camp.

You are planting seeds from a cosmic crisp apple?

I've planted a lot of seeds from apples I've purchased at the store and most of them ended up being crabapple sized fruit. Those free seedlings turned out fine for wildlife, but they weren't anything special for fresh eating. Maybe your luck will be much better than mine, keep us posted.

 

[bigboreblr]

You are planting seeds from a cosmic crisp apple?

I've planted a lot of seeds from apples I've purchased at the store and most of them ended up being crabapple sized fruit. Those free seedlings turned out fine for wildlife, but they weren't anything special for fresh eating. Maybe your luck will be much better than mine, keep us posted.

looking for a good late season wuldlife apple. Might be able to get scion next year. Guy was out of them this year.

I asked for another tree than sweet deer from SLN. The order reciept didnt change. They said they planted 100 sweetango seeds a found a wildlife winner.

I suspected terry from whitetail crabs does the same thing. Read his turkey crab description. Think he found a seedling of adirondack, maybe a crossbreed.

Always thought crossbow is a kerr seedling.

 

[SwampCat]

I have about 2.5 acres that was nwsg. I sprayed it last year, with cleth to thin the grass. Didnt thin it much so I ended up spraying gly to kill it all. Plan on spraying with cleth in march and then shortly after spreading a mix of millets and sorghum on that area and see what it does. NWSG pretty much a bust for wildlife - want to give them a little more variety

 

[Ben.MN/WI]

looking for a good late season wuldlife apple. Might be able to get scion next year. Guy was out of them this year.

I asked for another tree than sweet deer from SLN. The order reciept didnt change. They said they planted 100 sweetango seeds a found a wildlife winner.

I suspected terry from whitetail crabs does the same thing. Read his turkey crab description. Think he found a seedling of adirondack, maybe a crossbreed.

Always thought crossbow is a kerr seedling.

Seedling trees are pretty cool and you never know what you are going to get.

I bought a 10 pack of dolgo seedlings a number of years ago and a few dropped fruit in September like I hoped. A few kept them longer through the fall and one is still holding fruit.

Seedling trees are a great low cost option and you could end up with the next great new apple variety.

 

[matinc]

Honestly I am only planning to do 3.5 acres in throw and crimp in August and go back in early November and clear the leaves from roads trails and fields. Thats 2 trips at 5 hour drive per trip. At this point I have no desire to hunt, for the third straight year. The BS with trail cams just pisses me off to no end.

 

[SD51555]

1. Gonna try to plant up 500+ ROD in a spot under 1/10th of an acre, and hold down all the competing brush. Trying to grow a solid grassy patch of ROD right next to my cabin.

2. Gonna try broadcasting zucchini in my food plots for fall.

3. Got a new design for a raised bed garden to try. Nothing earth shattering, just a combo of not spending money, and using up abundant resources on my land.

4. Gonna try to scrape off all the topsoil and put it back after I bury all my brush and stumps on the new plot.

5. Massive numbers of started pumpkin plants for that plot.

6. Would like to add radishes and other large seeded crops to the fall roll, like beans, sorghum etc.

7. Try sun hemp somewhere.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Stubborn1VT]

I'm planting 2 apples and 2 crabs. Transplanting 2-3 wild seedlings. Topworking 3-4 existing young apples/crabs into more resistant varieties.

Will try a 25 gallon waterhole where there is a seasonal stream. There isn't a real shortage of water around me, but I think it's worth it for free or $20.

Going to try a .33 - .5 acre T&M plot on a permission piece. Mostly clover/chicory. There were a couple decent bucks in there last year.

Replanting a tiny staging plot in the woods at the family farm. pH is bad. It was clover/chicory, but it played out and got taken over by wild strawberry. I'll grind the stumps, level it some with a tractor and box scraper, work in some lime with a chain harrows, and plant clover, chicory, Burnett, a little kale and a rye.

Continue planting ROD cuttings. I put in about 100 for the past 2 springs. Had back to back wet years here in VT, so they did well. Low deer density. I cut bush honeysuckle and use them as a cage for the cuttings. I have a few wet areas and that seems like a good use of that ground.

 

[PatinPA]

Experimenting with some new food plot ideas. Planting hazelnut, elderberry, and hopefully strawberry bush. Going to attempt to transplant some evergreens that I already have growing on my property. I planted 25 norways last year right before an awful drought and lost every single one so I'm hoping some naturally grown trees will have more success. Going to create some new trails to get deer to move more favorably for me.

 

[omicron1792]

I have about 2.5 acres that was nwsg. I sprayed it last year, with cleth to thin the grass. Didnt thin it much so I ended up spraying gly to kill it all. Plan on spraying with cleth in march and then shortly after spreading a mix of millets and sorghum on that area and see what it does. NWSG pretty much a bust for wildlife - want to give them a little more variety

I throw Milo into my native grass stands. Seems to increase use. I’ve thought of throwing crimson clover too which is kind of a native forb.

 

[KY wild]

I throw Milo into my native grass stands. Seems to increase use. I’ve thought of throwing crimson clover too which is kind of a native forb.

My NWSG seems very thick to allow other plants to grow, do you get milo to grow within the thick planting or do you do something to knock it back before throwing it in the grasses? I would like to try something because I also feel my NWSG are under used by wildlife.

 

[SwampCat]

I throw Milo into my native grass stands. Seems to increase use. I’ve thought of throwing crimson clover too which is kind of a native forb.

Do you just throw it out there - top sow? Any fertilizer or does it make a decent head without?

 

[matinc]

SD curious what rod is

 

[rocksnstumps]

Not SD but the usual context is abbreviation for Red Osier Dogwood

 

[RGrizzzz]

I kept some pumpkin seeds out of one of the Halloween pumpkins from the house. I'm going to try to drill them in a strip in the middle of a diverse mix food plot.

I may also disk a narrow strip in the fenced chestnut orchard and plant some sunflowers in it.

 

[SwampCat]

I planted pumpkins two years - not only would the deer not eat them - neither would the pigs

 

[Ben.MN/WI]

I planted pumpkins two years - not only would the deer not eat them - neither would the pigs

It took my deer a while to figure out that pumpkins were food, but they now go crazy for pumpkins.

We get a few pigs every spring and it is interesting to see that some breeds of pigs love pumpkins and some don't. They all like the pumpkin guts with the seeds, but not every pig likes the rinds. Your wild pigs must have a lot of food options if they are that picky.

 

[RGrizzzz]

I planted pumpkins two years - not only would the deer not eat them - neither would the pigs

Weird. Deer in my subdivision will walk onto the doorstep to eat pumpkins. I sprinkled one with granulated garlic and the deer didn't care. It was starting to get to the time of year where food is sparse.

 

[4wanderingeyes]

We have zucchini in our garden, we get a lot from them, I have tossed them into my food plot, but they have only rotted, no deer touched them.