The Home 70

[Brian662]

What was the name of the NRCS program you used for the drainage crossing?

It was through the EQIP program and labeled "stream crossing" or "heavy use crossing" program 561 or 575.

My area was deemed to be a wetland which complicates things a little bit, but ultimately the area disturbed just had to be limited in sq footage to fall within the guidelines.

 

[Ben.MN/WI]

That's a great looking place, I can't believe I haven't seen this land tour until now. What CRP program did you go with? I know that some of them allow 10% to be placed into food plots, which make them pretty appealing.

What kind of change did you see as you went from mostly tillable into more CRP? I'm assuming your pheasant numbers increased, but do you hold more deer during the fall with CRP than before? Your place reminds me of my SE MN place that we purchased last year. My long term plan is to convert some of the tillable into CRP, but I wanted to hunt it a couple years as it is first before I make too many changes.

 

[Brian662]

That's a great looking place, I can't believe I haven't seen this land tour until now. What CRP program did you go with? I know that some of them allow 10% to be placed into food plots, which make them pretty appealing.

What kind of change did you see as you went from mostly tillable into more CRP? I'm assuming your pheasant numbers increased, but do you hold more deer during the fall with CRP than before? Your place reminds me of my SE MN place that we purchased last year. My long term plan is to convert some of the tillable into CRP, but I wanted to hunt it a couple years as it is first before I make too many changes.

For a variety of reasons I chose not to enroll my land into a CRP program, it is just planted as though it was in the program. Mostly the reasons are due to the inability for the county employees to get me answers and design my field/layout to my satisfaction. The mixes I planted were CP-2, CP-25, and CP-42.
The flexibility that not having the ~8 acres in, which allowed me to plant shrubs/conifers to my liking, is better than the money they were going to pay me.

I am enrolling ~12.5 acres into CRP on my other property down the road this year, which I'm looking forward to. The money offered was more than the farmer rent and should be better overall habitat than monoculture corn and beans. In that entry I was able to get the 10% food plot, which was a factor in me enrolling.

Yes, the pheasant numbers are doing well. The deer have responded as well to more season long cover. Even with the mild winter last year I had great numbers of deer on my property as well as lots of daylight activity from a particular mature buck that I wasn't able to capitalize on. He's still around, so hopefully it works out this season.

 

[Ben.MN/WI]

The local USDA rep told me that the current CRP average in my county is $230/acre, which is better than I'm getting from rent. I think it would be good to eventually have a good mix of both CRP and cropland on each property, but I haven't determined yet what to plant where.

My long term plan involves taking an acre or two out of production for a shelterbelt on a south facing slope. That should be a big draw in winter for both pheasants and deer.

 

[Brian662]

The local USDA rep told me that the current CRP average in my county is $230/acre, which is better than I'm getting from rent. I think it would be good to eventually have a good mix of both CRP and cropland on each property, but I haven't determined yet what to plant where.

My long term plan involves taking an acre or two out of production for a shelterbelt on a south facing slope. That should be a big draw in winter for both pheasants and deer.

The variability in payment on crop ground can be vast. My home property they offered $160/acre and a few miles down the road they are paying me $300/acre plus incentives. Hard to turn that down.

 

[Ben.MN/WI]

What CRP program do you have for the $300/acre field? I know when I enrolled into CRP at my house the pollinator options paid more, but I'm a little hesitant to go with any plan that requires burning since I don't want to burn down the neighborhood. I went with CP2 I believe, and I'm impressed with it for deer and pheasant cover.

 

[Brian662]

What CRP program do you have for the $300/acre field? I know when I enrolled into CRP at my house the pollinator options paid more, but I'm a little hesitant to go with any plan that requires burning since I don't want to burn down the neighborhood. I went with CP2 I believe, and I'm impressed with it for deer and pheasant cover.

The sign up sheet says "SAFE-MN back forty pheasant habitat"
CP-38E

 

[Ben.MN/WI]

The sign up sheet says "SAFE-MN back forty pheasant habitat"
CP-38E

That's a nice looking program. How long is your contract and do you have to burn or mow the acreage for the maintenance portion?

 

[Brian662]

10 year. Mid term maintenance was burn or mow.

Incentives equated to nearly another year's full payment. I enrolled 12.79 acres.

 

[Brian662]

My view from the blind last evening. Got my brassicas planted about three weeks late and it cost me major tonnage because the rain absolutely stopped after germination. Still plenty of deer around using them, but I'm not sure how long they'll last. I overseeded this week with rye in an attempt to get something else going for spring cover crop. Hopefully they can germinate and get some roots established before winter sets in.

Saw 2 roosters and about 15 deer, five of which were bucks. One 3.5 year old 9 with some promise, the rest were 1.5 year olds. No rutting activity other than I could see a tree branch getting raked for a scrape in the valley but couldn't see who was doing it.

 

[Brian662]

Here's a look back across the property from the east looking west. Need to kill off some more cool season grasses. Goldenrod and young box elder are way better habitat than knee high cool season grasses. Also some buckthorn management in my future.


In about 5 more years when the cedars grow up and the cool season grasses are dead, it should be a mecca.


My buddy's kid had an opportunity at a big one yesterday on this place and couldn't get the blind window open before getting busted at 15 yards

 

[T-Max]

Here's a look back across the property from the east looking west. Need to kill off some more cool season grasses. Goldenrod and young box elder are way better habitat than knee high cool season grasses. Also some buckthorn management in my future.
View attachment 70863

In about 5 more years when the cedars grow up and the cool season grasses are dead, it should be a mecca.


My buddy's kid had an opportunity at a big one yesterday on this place and couldn't get the blind window open before getting busted at 15 yards

#goals


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Bowsnbucks]

View attachment 70103

My view from the blind last evening. Got my brassicas planted about three weeks late and it cost me major tonnage because the rain absolutely stopped after germination. Still plenty of deer around using them, but I'm not sure how long they'll last. I overseeded this week with rye in an attempt to get something else going for spring cover crop. Hopefully they can germinate and get some roots established before winter sets in.

Saw 2 roosters and about 15 deer, five of which were bucks. One 3.5 year old 9 with some promise, the rest were 1.5 year olds. No rutting activity other than I could see a tree branch getting raked for a scrape in the valley but couldn't see who was doing it.

Nice pic! Great looking area. Are those apples on that tree on the right side of the pic - or yellow leaves? Those brushy draws & ravines look like super funnels!

 

[Brian662]

Nice pic! Great looking area. Are those apples on that tree on the right side of the pic - or yellow leaves? Those brushy draws & ravines look like super funnels!

Yellow leaves. If you look closely up against the switchgrass, I planted and caged 8 crabapple trees from Whitetail crabs to sweeten this blind pinch point a bit more. Will be a few years before they put any fruit on.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Yellow leaves. If you look closely up against the switchgrass, I planted and caged 8 crabapple trees from Whitetail crabs to sweeten this blind pinch point a bit more. Will be a few years before they put any fruit on.

Once those trees get going, you'll have a dandy spot!! Nice work.

 

[Badgers80]

Love the diversity you have there

It’s fun seeing feathered visitors at the deer blind! Here’s a group of gals from Saturday.

https://imgur.com/a/QUnGdeC

Have you thought about using clethodim on the brome to release any forbs? Or, are you just waiting for the cedars to take over?

 

[Brian662]

Love the diversity you have there

It’s fun seeing feathered visitors at the deer blind! Here’s a group of gals from Saturday.

https://imgur.com/a/QUnGdeC

Have you thought about using clethodim on the brome to release any forbs? Or, are you just waiting for the cedars to take over?

Thanks, I'm excited about the diversity too, love to watch the upland birds respond. Great clip!

I try to spray gly this time of year when everything else is dormant except the cool season grass. There have been a few studies that showed fall controlled cool season grass termination is much more successful long term than growing season applications.

 

[Howboutthemdawgs]

Thanks, I'm excited about the diversity too, love to watch the upland birds respond. Great clip!

I try to spray gly this time of year when everything else is dormant except the cool season grass. There have been a few studies that showed fall controlled cool season grass termination is much more successful long term than growing season applications.

That’s smart. I think that’s the best plan of attack. I’ve always wanted to do that but I can never find time or the courage to spray in November when things are rocking and rolling

 

[Brian662]

That’s smart. I think that’s the best plan of attack. I’ve always wanted to do that but I can never find time or the courage to spray in November when things are rocking and rolling

Ehh, gun season here screws up November pretty good, I don't think there was much harm in me spraying it yesterday. Supposed to hit some prolonged colder weather later this week, will be interesting to see the level of kill I get this close to winter.

 

[Badgers80]

It was still nice and green yesterday? I have sprayed a couple brome areas this fall and they're brown and out - I'm pretty sure from the spraying, but it being later in the growing season always makes me second guess if it's otherwise naturally dying off.