Bassattackr
5 year old buck +
Keep us posted bwoods, that looks like a great layout! Especially if you can put a foodplot on the top of that ridge field.. 
Bassattackr
5 year old buck +
bwoods - How is your germination looking? Curious what your planting rate was as well. Thanks!
Native Hunter
5 year old buck +
Some of my NWSGs today. Shovel is chest high on me.
Brian662
5 year old buck +
I just joined the forum so I'm getting caught up on some reading from you guys in year's past. Thought I would add some pictures of some switchgrass plantings I've done with varying techniques over the past two years.
This switch was frost seeded for screening along food plots. Was frost seeded at a heavier rate (about 10 lbs/acre) in the spring of 2020 into soybean stubble, this is second year stuff. It varied between 5' to 7' this year in a moderate to severe drought, in SE MN. I mowed several times in the first year, there was moderate foxtail competition. In late March of this year I applied simazine at 2 qt/acre and let the grass do the rest. Turned into a wonderful pure stand. I plan to mow as necessary in the future.
Last winter I converted a 12 acre cut corn field into about 7 acres of switchgrass, 3 acres of food plot, and 2 acres of interspersed diversity plantings. I expect the deer to bed on the edge of the switchgrass and the plantings.
I drilled the CIR switchgrass in last November and sprayed gly and simazine this spring. Before germination this spring the majority of the field looked like a box elder plantation popping through the corn stubble. On three occasions throughout the summer I mowed to about 12" in height and at the last mowing I raised the deck to about 18" in August. Areas where I didn't mow because they were near some of my tree/shrub plantings, the switch grew to 5' tall. I expect it to whole field to be 6-7' next year. Not the best picture, but I realized I only had video of me mowing. Not sure how to post that yet.
This switch was frost seeded for screening along food plots. Was frost seeded at a heavier rate (about 10 lbs/acre) in the spring of 2020 into soybean stubble, this is second year stuff. It varied between 5' to 7' this year in a moderate to severe drought, in SE MN. I mowed several times in the first year, there was moderate foxtail competition. In late March of this year I applied simazine at 2 qt/acre and let the grass do the rest. Turned into a wonderful pure stand. I plan to mow as necessary in the future.
Last winter I converted a 12 acre cut corn field into about 7 acres of switchgrass, 3 acres of food plot, and 2 acres of interspersed diversity plantings. I expect the deer to bed on the edge of the switchgrass and the plantings.
I drilled the CIR switchgrass in last November and sprayed gly and simazine this spring. Before germination this spring the majority of the field looked like a box elder plantation popping through the corn stubble. On three occasions throughout the summer I mowed to about 12" in height and at the last mowing I raised the deck to about 18" in August. Areas where I didn't mow because they were near some of my tree/shrub plantings, the switch grew to 5' tall. I expect it to whole field to be 6-7' next year. Not the best picture, but I realized I only had video of me mowing. Not sure how to post that yet.
Brian662
5 year old buck +
I'm curious if you guys who have established fields of NWSG are mowing corridor trails in them between bedding pockets or food plots to direct deer past your stand locations?
In another post I talked about turning a 8 acre bean field into a CRP type planting and eventually I plan to mow some winding trails about 2 or 3' in width towards my stand locations to direct travel. I'm limited on stand locations to fence row type set ups at this point and they would likely be muzzle loader stands where I can overlook the field but also try to funnel deer to a better vantage point from my stand.
In another post I talked about turning a 8 acre bean field into a CRP type planting and eventually I plan to mow some winding trails about 2 or 3' in width towards my stand locations to direct travel. I'm limited on stand locations to fence row type set ups at this point and they would likely be muzzle loader stands where I can overlook the field but also try to funnel deer to a better vantage point from my stand.
Bill
Administrator
Yes indeed. That works extremely well.
Brian662
5 year old buck +
I was thinking of one of those DR mowers. Anyone have experience with them? They aren't too wide, I don't think.
TreeDaddy
5 year old buck +
Ideal for the job you describe
I have a 13.8HP that is 15 years old
It is a beast of a machine that is ,essentially, a "walk behind" brush mower
bill
River-X
5 year old buck +
I double down on everything TreeDaddy just said. I have one and wouldn’t be without it now. Very tough and dependable.
Every trail i mow in my NWSG quickly has deer tracks in it. They just seem to be curious and a tad lazy I think. I've made all my trails winding and it doesn't matter, they still follow. I also have two mower width trails cut thru my corn field to access my NWSG field and they always follow those paths too. I have very sandy soil so its very easy to see all the tracks.
Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk
Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk
Native Hunter
5 year old buck +
Brian662
5 year old buck +
Are those mowed trails planted with anything, or just volunteer growth after the planting?
Native Hunter
5 year old buck +
Volunteer growth after mowing. Next year the process starts all over again and the lanes don’t even have to be at the same place. The only exception is the path where the does are. I keep that one mowed year round to access my blind from time to time.
The wide spot behind the buck is a hub where I brought the trails together this year. Works like a charm.
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Brian662
5 year old buck +
Some second year switchgrass I was hunting near today. Saw 10 bucks, 2 does, 2 fawns this morning. Had a mature buck with a doe pinned down on a small ridge within the switch/bedding area. He never got closer than 125 yards but got to watch him run several of the bucks off. Was an awesome morning. Trying to figure out how to slide into my blind adjacent to where they were bedding in case she pulls him out into the plot tonight.
Bassattackr
5 year old buck +
How large is that area? Doesn’t look big at all
Brian662
5 year old buck +
The field is about 12 acres with approximately 7 acres of switchgrass. There is 3.5 acres of food plot that winds through it in a linear fashion and the rest are habitat pockets with tree and shrub plantings.
The photo was taken across the field the short way, which is probably 250 yards from tree line to tree line. The long way is probably 800 yards or so.
The photo was taken across the field the short way, which is probably 250 yards from tree line to tree line. The long way is probably 800 yards or so.
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