Kooch 80

[Kooch]

No bear tag this year. I've never been that interested. A very good friend is an avid bear hunter. He may hunt my place this year as I tag along. After that, maybe I'll start applying for a tag in the future. As it is, I'm happy to let him hunt my place a bit. He promises to keep his activity to a small portion of the property, one or two bait sites on the periphery away from our primary stand locations.

Unless that buck puts on a lot of antler between now and November, I won't be the one to shoot him. It's a low deer density area. My neighbors and I have agreed to a self-imposed APR. The kids still qualify for doe tags, so they can shoot whatever they'd like. At least that's the plan. "Any deer" my two kids want, and at least four points (on one side) for my wife and I. But, like Mike Tyson says, "Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth." Sometimes plans change. At any rate, if both the kids shoot a deer we'll have more venison than we need.

Honestly, I'll just be happy if the kids get their deer this year. That's my entire goal.

 

[sandbur]

No bear tag this year. I've never been that interested. A very good friend is an avid bear hunter. He may hunt my place this year as I tag along. After that, maybe I'll start applying for a tag in the future. As it is, I'm happy to let him hunt my place a bit. He promises to keep his activity to a small portion of the property, one or two bait sites on the periphery away from our primary stand locations.

Unless that buck puts on a lot of antler between now and November, I won't be the one to shoot him. It's a low deer density area. My neighbors and I have agreed to a self-imposed APR. The kids still qualify for doe tags, so they can shoot whatever they'd like. At least that's the plan. "Any deer" my two kids want, and at least four points (on one side) for my wife and I. But, like Mike Tyson says, "Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth." Sometimes plans change. At any rate, if both the kids shoot a deer we'll have more venison than we need.

Honestly, I'll just be happy if the kids get their deer this year. That's my entire goal.

Great goal and make sure the kids have a good time.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Kooch]

Well, it's not at my hunting property where I just planted brassica and clover the other day. A couple weeks ago I tossed two radish seeds into a tiny nook flower garden at my home. I guess they get about six hours of direct sun a day. I've watered a bit, and thrown down a teaspoon or two of granular Miracle Grow. They keep growing. First time! I literally just pushed them into the dirt with my finger until they were barely covered. Small victories make me happy. I hope they grow like this in my plot. At least up there I've got a soil test and applied lime/fert per recommendations.

 

[Kooch]

Nothing too exciting.

1. Added lexan windows the a box blind. They are held up by half a barrel latch. And they simply slide down to a couple of deck screws to keep them from dropping out of the slot.
2. Some lime and fertilizer we spread.
3. Mess at camp.
4. My son checking out the plot, spraying some Grandpa Rays 4-15-12 seed starter
5. My son in the middle of building a new box blind base.

 

[Kooch]

Here's an update on the two radish I planted in a corner of a tiny little flower garden.

The last photos are from July 9th. I've fertilized once since then with some Miracle Grow. I read the label the other day and it's just 10-10-10. My wife has it for her flowers. I'm sure it costs a little more in the green shaker bottle than a 50LB bag. This is interesting to me since it's caged and gets regular water. I haven't been up to the Kooch80 since July 11th. So, have no idea if anything is growing in the plot. I hope so. I'm hoping the radish up there look as good as these two.

 

[Kooch]

I posted this over in the other thread in the foodplot section. But, I thought I'd cross post here for continuity.

Well, I found a way to sneak up to my place for a few hours today. I have pictures. For my second year on this plot, I think it's looking OK. Last year I had a nice stand ow WR that inexplicably mostly winter killed. It was a tough winter. This year I put as much lime on as I could manage with my ATV spreader and my old bones and will add more nexf year. I did fertilize to soil test recommendations. But, it's all just surface broadcast. It was July 11th when we put a final dose of lime, 200LBS/acre 9-23-23, 200LBS/ Acre Urea. If I knew then that I'd be able to make the trip today, I'd have applied half the urea then, and the rest today since it's supposed to rain tonight and tomorrow. But, hindsight's 20/20.

I spread a mixture of forage rape, kale, radish and PTT at 5LBS/Acre and a clover mixture consisting of Frosty Berseem, Crimson, and Balansa at 10LB/acre. I THOUGHT I'd done a fairly good job keeping things even. But, there are blank spots. I'm unsure if these are areas that didn't germinate or if I missed them. We had some good rain the day after we planted. My plot is prone to standing water, so maybe some of the seed just drowned. There were some areas with standing water when I planted, and I avoided spreading seed on them. So, that explains some of the bare spots.

I mentioned before that there is a lot of mulch trash on the surface from the mulching machine. I didn't get it off before I planted and hoped the small seed would find the soil with a couple good rains. When I first walked the plot, it looked like the areas with the heaviest mulch didn't get any germination. So, I got the rake and started cleaning up some of the trash. I do a little every time I'm up. Then, I noticed quite a few tiny green sprouts under the mulch. I was ripping them out no matter how careful I was, so I just quit. Maybe, just maybe, they will live and find their way through to sunlight. fingers crossed. There are some plants in the thick mulch areas. It's hard to see in the photographs but those brown barren spots are not completely barren with close inspection, just behind, and thin. In September I'll broadcast WR to whatever is still bald. Some of it may be the shade too I guess.

So, here are pictures of 17 days growth.

 

[Kooch]

Some trail cam photos. I have not seen a buck of this class on my place before. Let's hope he (they?) stay. I'm not sure if this is the same buck or not. Also, these geese are fun to see. The coyote, oh well.

 

[Kooch]

Dozer work today. This is a shooting lane / access trail just inside the West border of my property. I’m very pleased. He did this in four hours with a D6.

 

[Kooch]

What would you guys do with this yet this year? It’s just about 20 yards inside the west property line.

 

[H20fwler]

What would you guys do with this yet this year? It’s just about 20 yards inside the west property line.

I would plant a brassica clover mix in it maybe a little chicory mixed in too.

 

[sandbur]

Get clover in. Have you checked pH?

If low pH , try some medium red clover, perhaps alsike, and add some winter rye with just a tad bit of oats. I use about 80% rye and 20% oats.

Turnips/brassica would probably be great up there, but how long until frost?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[sandbur]

Get clover in. Have you checked pH?

If low pH , try some medium red clover, perhaps alsike, and add some winter rye with just a tad bit of oats. I use about 80% rye and 20% oats.

Turnips/brassica would probably be great up there, but how long until frost?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Maybe add pel lime to key areas near stands if you can’t afford or do not have time to lime it all at present.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Kooch]

Thanks. For the input. PH on my central food plot was 5.3 before I started amending. No idea what it is now but I’ll get another test complete next year on that. Soil maps told me it should have been 5.9. But testing proved otherwise.

I imagine this area is the same. But will get a sample for testing next week. The central plot was also extremely phosphorus deficient. So I believe I have some work to do in this area as well. Only a soil test will say for sure. But I’m 100# sure it’ll need lime.

I like the Alsike idea. It’s going to be pretty shady and wet. I know it is supposed to handle wet very well. How about shade?

I already have a brassica clover mix in my central plot and it was growing well. Planted early July. First frost averages mid September around here so it’s late for anything with a bulb. Maybe a little DER. I’ve got some of that I planned to overseed next week in bare spots on the central plot. I’ll overseed rye too.

My concern is puttting a food source literally right next to the property line. The neighbor on that side doesn’t hunt hard, just one guy during bow season. I’ve only seen him once. He has no food plots but a great mixed pasture with loads of spruce clusters in it. But still.

I’m only on year two of this processes and really only know what I read, which is a lot thanks to all of you on forums like this and all the Sturgis books. (I mean I read about this al lot, not that I know a lot)

Koch

 

[sandbur]

I like Steve Bartyllas books and his posts on Facebook.

Most say to plan access routes around the outside. Do you have some sort of plan that includes access that does not attract deer?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[H20fwler]

That sucks that you have to worry about a neighbor being to close, if you don't want deer staying in the lanes plant grass and mow in early fall every year. I'm always trying to plant stuff that deer and wildlife can eat or use luckily I don't have to worry about anyone being to close to the property lines I'm surrounded by ag fields.

 

[Kooch]

I like Steve Bartyllas books and his posts on Facebook.

Most say to plan access routes around the outside. Do you have some sort of plan that includes access that does not attract deer?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

This was it. This is the access route for the West perimeter. I think clover might be fine since it’ll be dormant and covered with snow most years up there by the time gun season rolls around so it shouldn’t be too attractive. Right? We don’t bow hunt. This is right along the outer edge.

I plan to put up a blind near the entrance since it’s perfectly positioned there for then prevailing wind. Hoping to catch them crossing to and from my plot that’s a couple hundred yards away. I realize that once we start traipsing up the trail to access beyond the hunting lane may be done for the season.

I like the idea of clover to help feed them and not be an attraction during the later gun season.

Thoughts?

Honestly initially I was thinking I’d just mow it once or twice a year to simply keep it open. Maybe plant a hardy logging road blend. I plan perpendicular access trails to stands more central to my land at a later date. Can only do so much at a time.

I added a larger image with a little of the surroundings to this post. Removed the old iphone screenshot.

The yellow dotted line is the current long skinny plot. The larger orange areas along that plot are just ideas I have for enlarging the plot in the future. The blue dotted line is a trail I cut in for access on the East side with a chainsaw and a DR mower. I hope I never have to do that again. It took me four weekends. Hiring a dozer is a lot easier. Ignore the deerstand icons. That's just me playing around. There's currently only a single box blind at the South end of the skinny plot. The new trail is in the SW corner. I plan to have him open it up as far as he can. But, this year it's just too wet to go further than he did. If it's not drier next year, I'll have him do some work in the Winter. I could walk through, even maybe get an ATV through, but his D6 would just tear things up too much. Maybe he'd sink. I dunno.

 

[Kooch]

That sucks that you have to worry about a neighbor being to close, if you don't want deer staying in the lanes plant grass and mow in early fall every year. I'm always trying to plant stuff that deer and wildlife can eat or use luckily I don't have to worry about anyone being to close to the property lines I'm surrounded by ag fields.

It’s just one guy and he only hunts now season. But that could change. He probably feels the same way about me cutting this access road in right inside my property line.

I think a hardy grass might be a good plan.

 

[sandbur]

I have seen deer dig for green clover (or alfalfa) through up to 10-12 inches of snow.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Kooch]

I have seen deer dig for green clover (or alfalfa) through up to 10-12 inches of snow.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

So you’re saying don’t put clover there unless I just plan to use it as another plot, and a poorly placed plot at that.

I updated the last Long post with a screenshot from a phone app that shows the layout.

 

[sandbur]

I have seen deer dig for green clover (or alfalfa) through up to 10-12 inches of snow.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

So you’re saying don’t put clover there unless I just plan to use it as another plot, and a poorly placed plot at that.

I updated the last Long post with a screenshot from a phone app that shows the layout.

Do you have a waterhole in the NE corner?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk