Author Topic: Anyone doing any Land Management projects (Read 2560 times)

Blue Duck · « **on:** March 11, 2010, 03:35:56 AM »

We have had one of the easiest winters on record here in north Idaho. I have vehicle access to my property that I normally wouldn't have until at least the middle of May. I think Ill have a chance to plant some wildlife food plots early enough for some good moisture for a change. Im clearing and piling brush two months earlier then I ever have been able to befor. Looks like a good year coming up. Anyone else doing any projects or have plans too?

Land_Owner · « **Reply #1 on:** March 12, 2010, 11:07:31 AM »

Made plans last Friday for tomorrow morning. Now it has been raining for almost 24 hours and is, once again, too wet to plow. At least the winter wheat is really growing and the turkeys, deer and hogs are getting their fill.

1sourdough · « **Reply #2 on:** March 21, 2010, 09:49:19 AM »

I ordered some seed the other day. Our soil at the camp is marginal low ph(5.1 where tested). One of the few things that does well is turnips. I ordered that & some 'arrow arum' for the ponds to try out. I have planted wild rice in the past but it never seems to do well in this location. The seed vendor suggested trying this arrow arum in the water for ducks & the muskrats. The muskrat fur prices have been up this winter, time for some rat farming. I also got some mixed seed for marginal soil to try out. I dealt with Kester seeds in Omro, WI.

GeneRector · « **Reply #3 on:** March 21, 2010, 10:16:38 AM »

Howdy! I'm planning to plant some Buckwheat and Milo this Summer and maybe some oats, rye, and wheat in the Fall. These are all pretty inexpensive for my part of the country near East Texas. Of course, the wild hogs will probably root it all up before the deer get to eat any. Always, Gene

Land_Owner · « **Reply #4 on:** March 22, 2010, 12:54:14 AM »

Gene, The hogs in my area will root where I plow faster than lightning. Apparently there are plenty of bugs in there that they want. Or the smell of the new seed is drawing them. Usually after the seeds germinate, I have not had difficulty with hogs rooting in the fields, except now and again and those passing through that all typically get put in the freezer. Good luck this Summer.

Blue Duck · « **Reply #5 on:** April 09, 2010, 05:38:01 AM »

Must be someone working around their property? I am. Im piling and burning. Cutting trails and generally having a great time. I don't (can't) work long and hard like I used to but I keep at it. Hogs huh. Id like to hunt hogs sometime. I guess they can get out of hand and become a problem. I guess Im better off with out them. Been seeing quite a bit of turkey activity. Thats a good thing because the season here opens up on the 15th. Bears should be coming out. but I haven't seen any sign of them yet. The frost has just left out of the ground and Im hoping to do some planting by the end of the month. Thats two months sooner then last year.

Land_Owner · « **Reply #6 on:** April 10, 2010, 10:57:42 AM »

Was out last Friday and that weekend to spray Roundup on the fields. Took the golf cart. It worked great, until we unknowingly pulled a wire loose, then it would not shut off and that was troubling at the time. Fields are browning up nicely. It has not rained all week, so tilling is in order this weekend. I have a line on soy beans and lime too. I guess that qualifies as "working". There are wheat and oats blossoming everywhere. Seeds heads are sprouting and the turkeys should be hitting them soon.

markc · « **Reply #7 on:** May 30, 2010, 04:17:18 PM »

Well, we are re-seeding native grasses on our place. Cattle had ruined the ranch, so while they are gone, at least 2 years, we are re-seeding native grasses. So far I've only put out Little Blue Stem. With the 12" of rain we've had already in 2010, it should come up nicely.

Land_Owner · « **Reply #8 on:** May 31, 2010, 02:45:44 AM »

As evidenced on other threads herein, I have already lost all of my plots to overgrazing deer. they killed all of the newly sprouting soy beans. Costly endeavor, planting for wildlife. They kill it faster than I can grow it.

penrod72 · « **Reply #9 on:** January 29, 2011, 10:52:31 AM »

Had some warm weather in upstate NY after Christmas, so my uncle and I thinned around 4-5 acres of old apple orchard. We focused on the most productive trees from this year as evidenced by the deer tracks/ rooting underneath them. Made some brush piles and cut some aspen that will sucker back nicely iin spring.

We normally do an aspen clearcut each spring of 1/2 to full acre, but we'll have to see how much snow we lose and if it gets back to more manageable temps sometime. My uncle gets busy making maple syrup and I lose half my workforce in february/ march, so I have to hope there's no bud out for awhile.

I'm also planning on ordering 250-500 spruce trees to plan in some of our old field covertype to create mini windbreaks and cover for deer, grouse, rabbits.

Land_Owner · « **Reply #10 on:** January 29, 2011, 11:47:42 PM »

I woulda, coulda, shoulda started 20-years ago to plant fruiting trees so that by now I would have a very viable orchard. As it is, I have watched my friends plant their acorn bearing trees, persimmons, apples, etc. and they have a very-very nice draw to their lands. My plots do well, but recently I was given some local persimmon seeds, which I will nurture, plant, and protect to get me started. Perhaps my boys will continue the practice.

I just replanted 4-acres of Iron and Clay peas overseeded with Grit's rye (never used this Supplier before). It is germinating VERY WELL as the local rains have kept it moist and the freezing temperatures are nearly over. My fingers are still crossed that I don't get a killing frost again on those peas.

keith44 · « **Reply #11 on:** March 16, 2011, 05:50:38 PM »

anybody doing anything with perrinals for food plots?? I know trees right

Im wondering about grasses and seed bearing plants for deer, quail (bob white), and rabbits. I live in western Ky and just purchased 12 acres (9 wooded) and I'm bordered by 12 more acres of woods, and old farm pastures.

FourBee · « **Reply #12 on:** March 16, 2011, 07:56:16 PM »

I started out some years ago to re-establish the BobWhite Quail that used to be so abundant here. I let blackberry briar patches take over some plots of land and allowed the natural grasses to grow, and grew some Milo. After 3 years the I had 4 covey of Quail.

That didn't last long however, as necessity of livestock feed disturbs their habitat.

FourBee · « **Reply #13 on:** March 16, 2011, 08:33:26 PM »

Then I had to deal with land reclamation. This part of the country has been overwhelmed by Natual Gas Drilling Rigs poking holes in the ground. And they got my number and drilled 1/4 mile behind the house. They hit a gusher 6,500ft down. They reclaimed the land very well, but it still had some additional work especially after they laid a 1/2 mile pipeline across the ranch.

FourBee · « **Reply #14 on:** March 16, 2011, 08:41:26 PM »

Once they got the Pad laid for the Rig the big equipment OP's slowed down long enough for me to ask it they'd mind clearing a fencerow that was so growed up in trees, brush, boulders, and gulleys, that a man couldn't hardly walk thru it. They said sure let's take a look. About 45 minutes into it , the track hoe covered the deep gulleys knocked down trees, shoved boulders aside like they were nothing. Then came the dozers and smoothed everything up. Now I can begin thinning the woods from here.

FourBee · « **Reply #15 on:** March 16, 2011, 08:50:08 PM »

Being a little over the hill in age, I'm not in too big of a hurry in tackling the thinning of this woodlot, but I'm making a little progress. The big trees are dying because of an Ice storm, and they need to fall without destroying the trees I want to keep. It's work, but it's fun to me.

FourBee · « **Reply #16 on:** March 16, 2011, 09:09:42 PM »

Finally, clearing all those trees out presents another problem. What to do with all that wood? I 'm thinking of letting some young men come in and take down the trees for firewood.

keith44 · « **Reply #17 on:** March 17, 2011, 05:15:57 AM »

being on a small acreage, I do not foresee any livestock, beyond a pair or three goats, or pigs. All of which would be visitors only, a few month stop over on their way, elsewhere

, in their journey to become meat.

Thanks fourbee

Land_Owner · « **Reply #18 on:** March 17, 2011, 02:34:13 PM »

Quote from: FourBee on March 16, 2011, 09:09:42 PM

Finally, clearing all those trees out presents another problem. What to do with all that wood?

Burn it in a fire pot. Invite your friends, cook wienies and burgers, drink soda and water. Nothing quite as gratifying as sitting around a fire with good friends, laughter, and telling stories. No Sir, nothing better!

BTW, that's a lotta WORK expressed in that wood pile! Nicely done.

keith44 · « **Reply #19 on:** March 17, 2011, 05:55:41 PM »

While my personal preference is for Bratts and a more "adult" cold beverage, I must say that land-owner is on to something there

bbgot · « **Reply #20 on:** July 08, 2011, 08:17:34 AM »

Lots of brush spraying going on at my place here in W. Texas. Mostly mesquite, prickly-pear, and tasajillo. The extreme drought we're under currently makes for excellent kills on the succulent species, but is probably going to lessen the effectiveness on most other species.

keith44 · « **Reply #21 on:** July 08, 2011, 08:34:16 AM »

been too wet to spray here in western Ky, 1 - 3 inches of rain per week I dare not spray for fear of runoff taking the spray to someplace it is not wanted. Hoping for a fairly dry stretch in the fall.

FourBee · « **Reply #22 on:** July 08, 2011, 08:35:58 AM »

I'm having to spray too. Honey Locusts are sprouting up like crazy. How do you get rid of cactus? This species grows close to the ground with large flat ears full of spines. I found a small patch 3 years ago, and scraped the ground clean. Now they are back more than ever .

bbgot · « **Reply #23 on:** July 11, 2011, 08:50:40 AM »

With our species of prickly-pear (Opuntia spp.), Tordon 22k (acitve ingredient- picloram) from Dow is primarily what I use. It works well on a variety of succulent species. There are a couple of others that can be used (Surmount, Vista), though I haven't personally used them.

When spraying prickly-pear, you wet the pads with your mixture. Most of the uptake of the herbicide is through the soil however, so pad spraying just before a little rain will generally work well by washing the chemical into the soil.

There's really no good way to mechanically control most cacti. With prickly-pear and many other species, each pad will root and form a new plant if not removed or burned. One of the most common mistakes I see landowners doing around here is shredding or scraping large prickly-pears. It will come back thicker each and every time they do that.

Chemical treatements, prescribed burning, or a mixture of the two methods are the way to go if you want to control large infestations of prickly-pear.

FourBee · « **Reply #24 on:** July 11, 2011, 01:04:19 PM »

Thanks. I dug up a few plants, and the roots are amazingly shallow. Right now they look like they are dying from the extreme heat we are having.

burntmuch · « **Reply #25 on:** July 11, 2011, 02:06:09 PM »

My land management is small scale compared to you guys, but Ive got a 1/2 acre field right under my treestand

This year I tilled it up & planted sweet corn, plus what ever seeds I had left over from my garden. My feeder pigs helped fertilize it. What ever we dont eat I ll leave standing for the deer. I also got a aspargus bed started, Strawberry patch started. & planted 6 dwarf fruit trees.. I may plant some winter wheat . Just to see how it does. Like I said small scale, But Im getting the most I can out of my 5 acres.

keith44 · « **Reply #26 on:** July 11, 2011, 06:29:01 PM »

Small, maybe, but you are doing it right it sounds like