Wild Meadow Farm

[shawnv]

The show and tell thread for what goes on around my farm.


Just finished creating a mini-plot with a water hole right where the ridge pinches in. This year I'm trying a mix of high-sugar ryegrass and WTI clover in this location. This spot lies just South of ridge top bedding that runs North-South with hinge cuts full of regen, briars and elderberry. Stand access is from the South away from bumping and deer on entry and exit. Since the ridge runs NNW-SSE, I am able to hunt this spot on a NE-NW and a SW wind if I hop over the plot.

What the ridge regen now looks like in Spring when most mature woods is open. Elderberry has been the leader in filling in the open areas.

 

[shawnv]

Results of the youth hunt and first week on the farm. It's more fun watching Brennan get a bird and he likes turkey hunting more than anything else so I may leave my last two tags on the table and just let him hunt his other seasons out. His youth hunt was pretty exciting, we called in three toms to about 30 yards where I was able to get them to go into full strut and gobble right in front of him and he did the rest. He was pretty excited to say the least.

My bird was a was a quick hunt where I carefully got within 70 yds of his root and had to work him in even with an approaching hen. His double beard was a nice surprise to top it off.

Also took a little time to plant some Norway's, this one is part of a group that is going to provide some better screening along a ridge finger bedding area.

 

[bueller]

It's awesome seeing all these kids experiencing the outdoors. Looking forward to the posts of the updates on your farm.

 

[wiscwhip]

Congrats to the young man! Super job as well, dad! That photo of your bird with the hills in the background looks like it could be a darn painting.

 

[strawhead]

I also like the pic of the "limbhanger". Congrats to the young hunter. We are picking up 600 norway spruce end of week for planting this weekend in northern WI. Look forward to future posts.

 

[scott44]

Congrats to both of you! Great pics.

 

[shawnv]

Ran down to my garlic field to grab a spade and I happened to glance into a thick pocket of trees and brush just off the road and found this gem. Most likely made by one of two B&C bucks that hang around the farm to rip up that high.

This is the main destination/transition plot before the deer have to travel 1/4 mile to get to big ag heading East. Got this field seeded in rye that I'll convert to RW beans late May. The back side is surrounded by apple trees and cover but I will also screen the East edge facing the road with Frigid forage plot screen. I also will include a couple 3ft strips of broadcasted corn for the pheasants and deer to snack on. I will not spay my fields so this will be a good trial to see how this works before over seeding. The plan next year will be to use a shatter resistant non-GMO bean.

 

[shawnv]

A beautiful morning in God's country.

 

[Native Hunter]

Absolutely beautiful pictures! Great turkey - he sure looks happy.

 

[huntall]

Nice ...keep taking the pictures. Looks like good bird ground for sure!

 

[shawnv]

Got some food plot and tree planting work in between Saturday's turkey hunt and the rain.

This plot will be a cereal gain/brassica mix that leads into a patch of beans (overseeded). This happens to be a main crossing spot so I'll have this plot screened from the road and the neighbor's field. Not shown is a few apple trees behind me and then you can see a couple in the middle of the plot. This is just over the ridge from my other bean plot so I don't think they will get wiped out and if they do it will be all cereal grain/brassica. For now I just seeded this with rye and will plant beans and buckwheat (where the fall mix will go) late May.

View from the road. Planted willow cuttings and have norways in behind it. The closest strip will be planted in Plot Screen.

On top of Turkey Ridge. I use to have a main central plot which I'm changing to a long and skinny plot that leads to the other plots heading east. This is going to have a small 4ft. wide strip of boadcasted corn to act as a snack and visual barrier on the right so they won't be looking at the stand. The rest will be a cereal gain mix.

View from the stand.

Transplanted 20 cedars like this on top of Turkey Ridge where I want to create a nice thicket of cedar, white pine and norways.

Cedars from a couple years ago are doing well. My plan in a couple years is to get more golden rod and rag weed growing in this mess.

 

[shawnv]

Got the old bird we've been chasing for a couple years. This bird, "Nemesis" was all my son could talk about sometimes the past year so it capped a perfect spring season. My habitat improvements are making the fastest headway with the birds for sure although it was pretty good for them from the get go.

 

[shawnv]

The change from April to May, West side bedding area.

Around the West waterhole.

 

[shawnv]

The Future Plot area I highlighted on the map is now a reality. The area sets up so well and is very isolated from human activity that I decided to not wait. This means the area designated in plot #4 will be allowed to grow thick as I'm displacing some minor bedding where the new plot is. Moving the plot is going to give me over 2 acres of additional prime bedding and really I can say more more because some underutilized woods will now be used for bedding so I'll end up with a good 5.5 acres of great bedding cover. With me having a small block of woods I view this as a huge win. Besides the plot itself, both ends have very large apple trees for added attraction.

Looking East to where I will have a stand on the far end.

Looking back West to the primary bedding area. To the Left up top is where the bedding area will be expanded.

View from the treeline looking NE. Going to let the regen here continue to thicken up and will probably plant some more shrubs here. Will be planting norway spruce along the fence line next year and will plant plot screen inside of that until the spruce gets tall enough.

Plot narrows here, will probably put a tower stand close to this spot which still allow a shot to the middle of the plot.

 

[Merle Hawggard]

Looks great. I can't wait to see the plot with deer eating out of it.

 

[tinytim]

Looks great! beautiful country, love the pics of the turkey, wish we had them out here

 

[shawnv]

This is looking up from the new food plot area. Question is would you hinge cut the low end of the trees as a visual blockage for deer bedding above in area #4 (see map) or just allow the natural vegetation to fill in? What is growing here will be 4-6ft tall by fall too. What I don't want to happen quite yet is that some deer decide to bed on this lower edge before I create further screening along the plot and I'm not sure that even a low cut blockade won't be used as back cover.

 

[wiscwhip]

I think I would leave it for now shawn. See how the deer react to the new plot before making too many changes. What you are considering can be done at any time, in short order I might add, so it shouldn't be an issue to wait until you see the reaction of the deer to the "new" improvements.

 

[shawnv]

I think I would leave it for now shawn. See how the deer react to the new plot before making too many changes. What you are considering can be done at any time, in short order I might add, so it shouldn't be an issue to wait until you see the reaction of the deer to the "new" improvements.

Good point, it's tough to undo once it's cut.

 

[wiscwhip]

Do the deer have a trail somewhere along the crest of that ridge now? Or do they follow the edge of the wood line?