Land Management - It can be trying at times.

[Land_Owner]

Through the threads on this board I have chronicled my land preparation for this hunting season.  Too wet, too dry, no hogs, too many hogs, EXPENSIVE fertilizer, EXPENSIVE seed, late planting under adverse conditions, hog destruction of plots, overseeding, deer observations prior to the season, now - no deer (for me) in season and I have logged over 20 man-days on stand so far.  At least my youngest son Josh got his first deer on the last night of the 5-day Doe Season and I was there to watch and assist.

I have overseeded my plots - again (for the third time), just prior to the recent rains, and it seems that none of the Australian Winter Peas germinated (do they require innoculation to germinate?), but the Wheat, Rye, and Oats are starting to shoot up and green up.  There should be plenty of fertilizer left since the first two seedings didn't "take".

In all though, I am proud to report that I limited out this season on two Tom turkeys and my hunting partner has taken one.  Watching 9 hens and jakes vaccuum up seed between rain storms was "telling" about why there seems to be a lack of germination in the Winter Peas...

[Blue Duck]

I tried to plant some Barasica this fall.  Weather didn't cooperate at all.  Too dry until Oct. then a few days of moisture and a hard frost that stayed around way too long.   Looking forward to next year.

[Land_Owner]

I have "pumped" the seed to the ground only to have the turkeys "vaccuum" it up just as fast.  I have determined that they like the more expensive Australian Winter Pea seed but when that is depleted, they have no compunction against the wheat, rye, and oat (W-R-O) seed.  We have had some "even tempered" rains over the past two weeks and a lot of the W-R-O is germinating.  This morning we saw evidence that deer actually walked over the property last night, something we have not seen for weeks and weeks prior.  Maybe soon our sitting and watching will come to something other than monitoring the length of the grass since yesterday.

[kbush]

Hey Landowner, it's been awile since I ws here.  The AWP's do not require innoculation to germinate, it is only to provide the needed bacteria for nitrogen fixing by the plant.  I would skip that step because they usually do survivie the grazing pressure to begin nitrogen fixation anyway.

[Land_Owner]

kbush...the turkeys got the bulk of the AWP seed anyway.  What they didn't vaccuum up, the hogs rooted up and none of it germinated.  The rye, oats, and wheat though are producing a nice green carpet across the plots that is a delight to sit over, much like a beautiful lawn, but has produced none of the anticipated deer sightings that were expected. 

Such is the deer hunter's predicament.  If I was a Farmer, with a cash crop, I would have deer eating me out of the mortgage money.  When I put it out there for them for free (I just want a sacrifice or three), they don't participate.

Go Figure. 

[deerslayer79]

Hey man,been awhile since I was here,I too have the same deal as you.I had the deer eating my soybeans this year like candy,I even put in clover,cowpea plots but never hardly touched them.I haven't even seen a stickin deer near my winter food plots only at night,pulled a camera yesterday on my best clover,wheat,and turnip plot,had 187 pics.on it,ALL AT NIGHT.haven't hardly seen a deer be it in the woods or field now in about 7 weeks.TOTALLY SUCKS.

[Land_Owner]

Where you been man?  Glad you are back.  This place has been slow...real slow.  I 've really been thinking about when to ask GB to close it down.  Maybe now we can find/make some new threads to keep it going.

I talked to the local game Processor who said through last weekend that only three (3) local deer had been brought to him.  That is SLOW.

I put out a "secret weapon" last Thursday afternoon...a pair of 2.5 pound molasses blocks affixed to trees about 5 feet above the ground.  We shall see whether they make any daylight difference or not.  If we see only does, that won't be all bad.

[deerslayer79]

work,hunting,family,and I had a couple spots removed off my back that is gettin tested for mellanoma,busy,busy.I got a buddy who works for the local feed mill,he keeps me supplied in molasses by the 5gal container full,it works good sprikled on top of some corn in my trough feeders.I got squirrels around here the size of house cats with brownish tainted faces from the molasses on the corn.happy hunting buddy.