This years work

[chummer]

Well the growing season is done as we have had a few frosts now. This is my second year of planting trees and I can see some progress even after last years brutal winter. I took a few pictures this weekend. I planted silky dog wood around my plots. Some didn't get browsed and grew great
Some did get browsed, these two were right next to each other
The ones I did not get trimmed around avoided the browse


These are two of the nine large burr oaks I planted last fall. I got them at a commercial nursery sale for $50 each. They were estimated to be 10-12 years old so I am hoping for acorns in the next 5 years. They all made it through last winter after being planted last September. I have 4 planted on this corner of a field. I frost seeded clover into the hay field and sprayed for grass a couple of times. I actually got a good amount of clover to take over.
First attempt at sweet corn. I thought it was a bust but came on late. It was pretty good and we had it for 3 weeks around Labor Day. To the right was sugar beets and winter rye. The beets were a complete fail.
To the left was a sorghum, bean, pea, and sun flower mix. The deer only ate the sunflowers.
This is my largest plot. I am trying to cut in half. I planted mid west crabs in the tubes. I got some tall ninebark but a buck has already shredded three of the five. This is a pinch point in the plot I am trying to close in.
This was my best grower a NY Bonkers 45 from cummins. It put on a good 4' of growth. This is in a 6' cage.

I also found about 10 swamp white oaks I planted unprotected two springs ago. They were growing sideways but looking good. Of the 12 apples I planted this year 9 grew out of the 6' cages. Only two wolf rivers and one Kerr didn't make it.

 

[wklman]

Good stuff chummer. We all lose a few trees here and there. It's part of the game but when you see success in everything else you plant it makes it all worth while.

 

[huntall]

Thanks for sharing, I always like to see what ideas others are trying.

 

[chummer]

This is a plot in the woods with silky dog woods on one end and 6 apple trees on the other.
These are last years pear trees. I planted 8 but they all had severe die back this winter despite being for my zone. 6 of the 8 had their trunks split and everything above the split died off. They all grew back above the graft so hopefully they are still the pears I ordered. They turned into shrubs with several leaders going up and several going out. I am going to cut the horizontal ones and let everything growing up stay. I figure I can prune to one leader down the road. It would be a good problem to have.

 

[sandbur]

Looks good. Did the trunks of the pears split from sunscauld?

 

[chummer]

Looks good. Did the trunks of the pears split from sunscauld?

I think so. The snow pack was almost 5' last year for over a month so that might have had something to do with it. They split 18" from the ground almost to the top of the tree. Around the split the bark was like paper, you could peel it right off. This year I painted all the trees so hopefully it prevents it from happening. With next years trees I will be at almost 40 grafted trees so I need to find out how to get them through winter fast.

 

[chummer]

Great job Chummer. Have you tried staking those over trees yet to get upright growth?

I have not. I found 6 in another spot in the spring that I staked and put left over apple cages on them. They are doing great. These trees I found I had assumed were dead. Where I planted them went under water last November and stayed that way till spring. It stayed wet all summer with all the rain we had I expected them to all be dead. I will try to get some stakes in this year before the snow lays them down again.

 

[chummer]

Some more pics
This is what I am dealing with. I believe this was taken in March. This is hard packed snow, you can walk on top without snow shoes.
This is the hedge row I am trying to fill in. I have midwest crabs in the tubes. On the outside I planted american plums, wolf river in the cage. I tubed 60 crabs siberian and mid west. They were from cold stream nursery. They were smaller than a pencil but all survived and some have out grown the 2.5 foot tubes. The rest are right at the top which is perfect. They won't get browsed this winter and hopefully take of next year.
This was my attempt at hybrid willows. Some grew ok but most still look like this. Any idea if these are still viable?
This is what it is all about. My buddy took this doe in one of the food plots. It was only the second bow kill ever on the property and the first in a plot. I thought it would make a good ad for Labatts, summit, or Kawasaki. Hard to believe colleges as 17 years ago, time is flying by. We only get together a couple times a year, this was a great trip.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Nice work on the property and a doe pic to boot. That's what it's all about. Huntin' with friends makes for good memories and stories to B.S. about in the future! Very cool.

 

[SD51555]

Could you keep us updated on your sorghum and pea plot? I wonder if they won't hit that sorghum after it dries down for the fall. I'm looking to plant a WGF Sorghum and cowpea plot next year myself. I want to see if the deer in my area will utilize sorghum as a late season/winter carb source.

 

[chummer]

Could you keep us updated on your sorghum and pea plot? I wonder if they won't hit that sorghum after it dries down for the fall. I'm looking to plant a WGF Sorghum and cowpea plot next year myself. I want to see if the deer in my area will utilize sorghum as a late season/winter carb source.

I planted almost the same thing last year, they never touched the sorghum and the snow eventually flattened it. I hoped it would be a turkey draw in the spring but it wasn't. The seed heads are a lot bigger this year so maybe they will use it.

 

[scott44]

Great tour and pics! Nice looking place you have there.

 

[Deer Kar]

Some more pics
View attachment 2496 This is what I am dealing with. I believe this was taken in March. This is hard packed snow, you can walk on top without snow shoes.
View attachment 2498 This is the hedge row I am trying to fill in. I have midwest crabs in the tubes. On the outside I planted american plums, wolf river in the cage. I tubed 60 crabs siberian and mid west. They were from cold stream nursery. They were smaller than a pencil but all survived and some have out grown the 2.5 foot tubes. The rest are right at the top which is perfect. They won't get browsed this winter and hopefully take of next year.
View attachment 2499 This was my attempt at hybrid willows. Some grew ok but most still look like this. Any idea if these are still viable?
View attachment 2500 This is what it is all about. My buddy took this doe in one of the food plots. It was only the second bow kill ever on the property and the first in a plot. I thought it would make a good ad for Labatts, summit, or Kawasaki. Hard to believe colleges as 17 years ago, time is flying by. We only get together a couple times a year, this was a great trip.

That is awesome!!! I love working on my hunting land but words can not describe the joy I get from taking some one else out there and having them get one. That is truly what it's all about.

 

[greyphase]

Looks like your hard work is paying off. Thanks for sharing pics of it.

 

[Freeborn]

I planted almost the same thing last year, they never touched the sorghum and the snow eventually flattened it. I hoped it would be a turkey draw in the spring but it wasn't. The seed heads are a lot bigger this year so maybe they will use it.

Nice looking place Chummer. Glad to see you and your college buddy could get together on a hunt.

I tried sorghum at my place and I had the same experience, it grew good even with drought but the deer did not touch the large bronze seed heads.