Gravel Road
5 year old buck +
No kidding. You would think they are gold plated.
Today we closed on Maple Hill Farm! Habitat Projects
- Thread starter Turkey Creek
- Start date
Turkey Creek
5 year old buck +
Well the seed I planted last week has emerged. Wasnt sure on the plant population with the plates and sprocket settings I had on the planter. Corn is probably a little too dense. Plate holes are too big, it is some tiny corn seed. It is deer plot corn, probably invest in a better seed next year. Beans look good population wise.
Deer are browsing the clover pretty steadily now. You can see a bit of difference inside the exclusion cage. I am thinking that will become more pronounced as the summer wears on unless we hit a drought. The palatability of the other native forbs will decrease.
Father's Day present to myself. I finished setting up this stand site today. These 2 plots come together below this stand and there are a few good oak trees just to the left of this stand in the fence line. Behind the stand is a trail leading out of a bedding area. Hung a licking vine on the trail leading to the fence opening I made. Have a trailcam set on the fence opening, a few photos of a bachelor group of bucks that used that opening on a couple of mornings recently. Still want to put in a water tank where the trail comes out of the thicker timber behind the stand, it will still be somewhat secluded from the plots. I can envision deer coming to the tank as they leaving the bedding area on their way to the plots.... at least that is how it is playing out in my mind. LOL
South view of the same stand. Trail from bedding area comes out about where that odd looking snag tree is in the upper left. Water tank in the shade line on the other side of the grassy area. Makes for about a 25 yard bow shot.
Deer are browsing the clover pretty steadily now. You can see a bit of difference inside the exclusion cage. I am thinking that will become more pronounced as the summer wears on unless we hit a drought. The palatability of the other native forbs will decrease.
Father's Day present to myself. I finished setting up this stand site today. These 2 plots come together below this stand and there are a few good oak trees just to the left of this stand in the fence line. Behind the stand is a trail leading out of a bedding area. Hung a licking vine on the trail leading to the fence opening I made. Have a trailcam set on the fence opening, a few photos of a bachelor group of bucks that used that opening on a couple of mornings recently. Still want to put in a water tank where the trail comes out of the thicker timber behind the stand, it will still be somewhat secluded from the plots. I can envision deer coming to the tank as they leaving the bedding area on their way to the plots.... at least that is how it is playing out in my mind. LOL
South view of the same stand. Trail from bedding area comes out about where that odd looking snag tree is in the upper left. Water tank in the shade line on the other side of the grassy area. Makes for about a 25 yard bow shot.
Turkey Creek
5 year old buck +
Sunflowers 3 rows, milo 3 rows and then beans on up the hill. For the most part the deer have left the sunflowers alone outside the hot wire, beans outside the wire are gone. I assumed that would be the case. I will try to replant them late August if we get any rains then, they wont make pods obviously but will give them something else to browse on until a killing frost.
Beans look better since I got them sprayed with Clethodim last weekend. Foxtail was bad in them. Need a rain.
Found a good deal on a 350 gallon water tank on Craigslist this week. Got it set today and partially filled this afternoon.
Beans look better since I got them sprayed with Clethodim last weekend. Foxtail was bad in them. Need a rain.
Found a good deal on a 350 gallon water tank on Craigslist this week. Got it set today and partially filled this afternoon.
Turkey Creek
5 year old buck +
I did put a branch in there. Probably find one thats a bit more stout in case a young coon or something larger than a squirrel needs a way out. We are going to be too dry unless we get some rain. They will just wipe them out in a matter of days without electric fence around them if they do germinate. My hopes that the first round will be tall enough in a few more weeks that they can handle some browse pressure, then I can shift the electric fence to another plot. Next year I will be better set with electric fence, ran out of budget this year! LOL Some of the bare plots I will throw down some oats and maybe something else. Depends on how much time I have.
Turkey Creek
5 year old buck +
Just a testament to electric 3 wire fences. It can make a difference. Sunflowers within the fenced area.
Sunflowers outside the fenced area.
Poor man's version of the 3 wire fence. Non-electrified, baling twine with a little surveyor's ribbon on it. I think you will have more luck with it if you condition the deer to an electrified version first, which I did. Looks like a deer or two have breached it, which I was a little concerned about only in terms of it they got bold enough to enter it they might start investigating a way over the electrified one. We will see. You can definitely see the difference in the corn.
Sunflowers outside the fenced area.
Poor man's version of the 3 wire fence. Non-electrified, baling twine with a little surveyor's ribbon on it. I think you will have more luck with it if you condition the deer to an electrified version first, which I did. Looks like a deer or two have breached it, which I was a little concerned about only in terms of it they got bold enough to enter it they might start investigating a way over the electrified one. We will see. You can definitely see the difference in the corn.
Turkey Creek
5 year old buck +
Nothing too exciting lately on the habitat scene. This clover plot is looking pretty good considering it was Spring planted and the rainfall has been average at best. Sunflowers are just starting to bloom and the sorghum/milo mix is gaining some height (no pictures of it). Soybeans are looking pretty average inside the e-fence, didnt plant Roundup Ready/ Liberty beans this year so weeds are slowing them down a bit. Deer breached the poor man's baling twine fence and have been browsing those soybeans some, but it does look like they are still decent in spots. I am thinking I will try a test blend of winter peas and oats here in a couple of weeks if it looks like we will get some rain. Acorn crop looks to be light this year compared to the bumper crop last year. Trailcameras have been my nemisis this year. Down to 1 maybe 2 cameras that are still functioning. Hoping Santa is good this year and brings me the start to a Cuddelink system.
Turkey Creek
5 year old buck +
One of my little experiments, a couple of different methods of applying Clethodim on non GMO soybeans. Didnt spray the foreground though as the beans hadnt germinated as well, obviously they grew some though with foxtail controlled. I assume the quail and doves will utilize the foxtail a bit.
Planted some black oil sunflowers and a sorghum wildlife mix to hopefully give the turkeys and quail something to eat this Winter. Sunflowers look good. Sorghum is just starting to head out.
Planted some black oil sunflowers and a sorghum wildlife mix to hopefully give the turkeys and quail something to eat this Winter. Sunflowers look good. Sorghum is just starting to head out.
Turkey Creek
5 year old buck +
I personally think the loss of milo/ sorghum farm acres in the Midwest impacted quail negatively. Not saying it is the only issue affecting quail populations but definitely part of it.
We have more acres of milo this year than I can remember for a long time.I think my SIL planted around 1500 acres this year.Most is early milo and will be cut around sept 1st.I really like to see it in the milk stage during first part of season.Every quail and pheasant will be around those fields
Turkey Creek
5 year old buck +
Finally got another ladder stand up this afternoon, good Lord it was miserable weather to do so! Felt like temp of 105, and no wind to speak of. However, I am running out of time and as we shift into Fall it is hard enough to find time to actually hunt. This is my primary East wind stand. Hard to tell in the photo as this was my worst clover plot from this Spring. Narrow plot ties the stand of timber on the right side to the stand of timber the ladder stand is on the edge of. Deer have a decent trail here between the 2 blocks of timber and I figured a narrow plot would give them somewhere a little easier to walk and with the clover they might be more inclined to walk slowly past the stand. LOL Main south field food plot is in the distance.
Turkey Creek
5 year old buck +
Another tree stand up today.... I really like the mini ladders that attach to the tree and a hang on tree stand. You used to be able to get those mini ladders from Menards for $60. I am sure with inflation that isn't reality anymore. I stocked up a few years ago and have a few still new in the box. I just like the fact they feel secure getting into and out of a stand.
This will eventually be a kill plot. Nothing planted in it this year as I ran out of time. Might hit is with Glyphosate yet this Fall and throw a some oats and clover down on it. This could be a dandy of a spot. It sets about 75 yards from the main plots and is more or less in a big bedding area. Main trail runs right in front of the stand. The stand is in a tree that is half way up a pretty steep hill. I can access the stand from the top of the hill and just a short walk from the back door. Should be a good rut stand.
This will eventually be a kill plot. Nothing planted in it this year as I ran out of time. Might hit is with Glyphosate yet this Fall and throw a some oats and clover down on it. This could be a dandy of a spot. It sets about 75 yards from the main plots and is more or less in a big bedding area. Main trail runs right in front of the stand. The stand is in a tree that is half way up a pretty steep hill. I can access the stand from the top of the hill and just a short walk from the back door. Should be a good rut stand.
Turkey Creek
5 year old buck +
Took down the electric fence yesterday on the main bean plot. I have noticed a deer or 2 occasionally in the bean plot recently, so I knew they were breaching the fence. Enough weeds had grown up to ground it out I am sure. The beans did decent considering the hot and pretty dry summer we have had. There are some pods. Really impressed with the sorghum blend I got from our Game and Fish, I will have to look and see what all is in it. I think there were at least 4 types of sorghum. It is over head high for the most part. I wish it had more shorter stalked milo in it. The seed heads are out of reach of everything right now. We will see how it holds up as the Fall and Winter progresses. Might have to knock some of it down over time to give the turkeys and quail more access to it. The height must serve as a bit of a deterrent to deer wanting to browse the beans next to it as they have barely touched the 2 rows closest to the sorghum. Must be worried about a predator being able to hide in it?
Turkey Creek
5 year old buck +
Finally planted some Brassica and Winter Wheat today. Probably a little late for the Brassica, but I dont feel like the deer will likely eat on the bulb portion that much anyways. Little early for the wheat. However, with the "promise" of rain in the forecast for tomorrow night into Monday I decided it might as well be now. Has not rained in almost a month. It was a absolute dust bath on the tractor, almost no wind so the cloud just hung in the field. Couldn't till everything I wanted to. Made the mistake of letting the Foxtail grow up. No brush hog to mow first, so I tilled the areas that werent the worst with the Foxtail. It would wrap around the tiller like I figured it would. The dark pieces in the one photo are of vegetation that got a little hot under the tiller! Whoops! Once I started to smell burnt vegetation, I knew that wasnt a good idea!
Turkey Creek
5 year old buck +
The deer have been hammering the beans in the main plot now that the fence is down, they have pretty much stripped the leaves off the top half of the plants that are easy picking. Quite a few beans hidden in the weeds that they could eat if they run out of the easy stuff. I am happy with how the beans look considering this summer's growing conditions. I didnt plant GMO beans so I only sprayed Clethodim in some areas just to see how that would work. It controlled the Foxtail obviously in those sprayed areas. I will probably plant GMO beans next year just so I can start knocking back the weed seed bank in the plots. I definitely want to plant more standard height milo next year just to see how the deer use it.
Turkey Creek
5 year old buck +
Well things have been slow in the habitat area for me. Added 130 gallons more water to the tank today and broadcast another 25 lbs of Winter wheat onto areas that I had previously seeded back on 9/9. They currently look just as brown as they do in the picture above. I am guessing maybe 1/2" of rain in the last month. The deer have it all trampled down around the tank, a couple of scrapes adjacent to and close to the tank. They had even been rough housing enough around the tank that they had flipped my big branch out of the tank that allowed the small vermin to escape. There was 1 drowned squirrel in the tank, luckily didnt look as though it had been in there all that long.
