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Post by sd51555 on Jan 5, 2020 8:14:30 GMT -6
Anyone got any new things they wanna do or try in 2020? I've got a few in the hopper so far. Got a weekend or two of spring chainsaw work on the wishlist yet. If I could just get ten more hours in, I'd hit my goal for flattened acres for the year. The clear cut behind me is only 7 acres (swamp adds to that total as well, so maybe 10) and has been a big part of holding deer just off my place. That isn't gonna be great forever, so I wanna keep on the saw on my place so the next slumberland is ready to go. Also going to try to remember to make an ROD super cage up in the yard somewhere. Plan is to make one big cage (like 5' diameter), cover the ground in black fabric, and punch a few hundred ROD cuttings into it. Then I'd take my leftover unused bucket sawdust and put down enough to keep the sun from contacting that black and cooking my cuttings. If the concept proves successful, I'd strategically place these around the property to serve as a protected seed producer and let the birds haul it around from there. 5 or 6 well placed would be cool to have. Where I've been opening the canopy, I wanna whip up a blend of cover/pollinator species while hopefully not producing desirable food, or that it won't be desirable come hunting season. What's on the list right now is a blend of flax, white sweetclover, and yellow sweetclover. I'd like to see that sweet clover get to 5-6' and fill up with flowers during the summer, and then stand for cover through the fall. Those seeds are all affordable, and don't require big pounds/ac to get coverage.
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Post by Sandbur on Jan 5, 2020 8:29:56 GMT -6
How does sweet clover grow on your soils?
When I see it in the ditches of central Minnesota, it is always on light soils, not on heavier or wet soils.
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Post by Sandbur on Jan 5, 2020 8:31:07 GMT -6
I would try birdsfoot trefoil, but it will be attractive to deer in the fall in most northern areas.
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Post by sd51555 on Jan 5, 2020 8:32:59 GMT -6
How does sweet clover grow on your soils? When I see it in the ditches of central Minnesota, it is always on light soils, not on heavier or wet soils. Couldn't tell ya. I have white and yellow up there already coming up in and along the driveway where it's high and dry. I don't expect it to take hold in my low spots, but where I'm cutting, there are lots of high spots either from contour or old mounds from uprooted trees.
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Post by Sandbur on Jan 5, 2020 8:36:37 GMT -6
I want to tack some different pear varieties on my one pear tree.
Add a Goodland apple and graft a few more like golden russet.
I am also considering building another wooden ladder stand, maybe even an enclosed stand instead. The ladder stand might be the best idea until I get the exact location for box stand pinned down.
Maybe 1.5 acres of soybeans with just a bit of corn in it. Riggs sure had a nice stand like that a few years ago.
Maybe transplant 6-13 small spruce.
Plant my apple seedlings in their final location. Grow some more.
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Post by Catscratch on Jan 5, 2020 8:47:28 GMT -6
Got a few trees ordered from Turkey to plant.
Toying with the idea of building a permanent duck blind in a location that we can drive right up to (my dad loves duck hunting, I'm motivated to have a spot for him when injuries and whatnot gets him down).
Adding some new plots to the place.
Continue to experiment with plots that will benefit quail.
I've been feeding some corn/milo/protein mix for a couple of weeks. This is new to me but I think I'm going to continue until green up to see if it makes a difference in body condition and maybe antler growth. It's doubtful that I'll do enough to see a difference though as I'm cheap and will skimp on rations. But with our easy winters a little may go a long ways in rebounding from the rut.
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Post by chummer16 on Jan 5, 2020 8:48:50 GMT -6
I want to clear .5-1 acre for a late dropping orchard. I have a sweet spot that is close to bedding that I can get to pretty easy with tractor. It would still be out of the way for what I hope is day time feeding. Not sure if I want to clear it completely or just drop everything and plant among the mess. Looking to graft 20 trees this year and plant them here spring 2021
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Post by batman on Jan 5, 2020 9:03:55 GMT -6
Cross my fingers the bleeding is marginal for my captive herd this session. Continue towards a 100% SS, CWD resistant herd. Watching the horns grow is my favorite part.
Plant the new acreage I prepped in clover/rye, and convert my fenced 2.5 acres into winter feed. Thinking half corn and half forage kale. Any hints on best kale to stay upright and above snow in MN winters? Tip toe my way to finding out how many deer (without supplement feed) can live on a 40 with 4 or so acres of plots.
Experiment with more access/exit strategies using tall grasses. I have deer now that will look to see if my truck is at the approach before they hit the feeders. If the truck is there they won't feed.
If the county does not buy my 315 it will be logged as part of a whitetail plan. Bowhunters may bring in recognized experts to develop and implement plans on parts of the property so private landowners can gain knowledge and hands on training on how to mold their lands for better deer hunting. Anybody know if I can donate a high dollar property lease to a 501 and write it off?
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Post by benmnwi on Jan 5, 2020 10:39:22 GMT -6
this spring I will be into year #2 as a farmer and I'll be planting corn for the first time. This is assuming i can get my corn planted to work properly and that's not a guarantee.
Next year if all goes as planned I'll be a CRP farmer instead. The continuous cwd seasons here will drop deer numbers, so I'm working on managing the front half of my mn place for small game- rabbits, pheasants and possibly eventually ducks (but not this year).
To benefit small game I'm dropping bigger trees in this area to get sun down to the good shrubs. Buckthorn will be taken out and sprayed until something else moves in. If the buckthorn patches revert to grasses after multiple blanket sprayings on the sure to come up seedlings that will work too.
I'll keep bugging my forester and if he can't find a logger for my land, I'll spend a day dropping bigger trees to add another bedding area for the deer on the back side of my land.
I'll graft 25 fruit trees this spring, and also maybe try growing rootstock for the first time.
I'm also going to continue on my pumpkin experiments, possibly on a larger scale than last year's 1/2 acre.
At my cabin I'm going to do less habitat work and more fishing. We did that last year and if was much more fun and it didn't hurt our deer hunting. I'll probably plant a dozen apple trees, but that's about it.
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Post by kooch on Jan 5, 2020 11:20:15 GMT -6
I would try birdsfoot trefoil, but it will be attractive to deer in the fall in most northern areas. I did, along with Alsike and Medium Red. I can't wait to see what it does this year. It was pretty sparse this Fall, and patchy. Needs a lot more lime.
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Post by kooch on Jan 5, 2020 11:22:57 GMT -6
I've got big plans. And I've got small plans. Realistically, it'll be a small plan, small change year. We had success hunting this Fall the way it is. I'd like to make a destination plot and start the path to beautiful beans attracting dozens of deer during the late season. But, that's probably not financially realistic this year. So, some shooting lanes by the new box blind, some time with a chainsaw, and working around the shabin is the likely plan.
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Post by wklman on Jan 5, 2020 12:45:56 GMT -6
If i can get food plots in i'll be happy. Food is my biggest shortcoming.
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Post by sd51555 on Jan 5, 2020 12:59:45 GMT -6
Cross my fingers the bleeding is marginal for my captive herd this session. Continue towards a 100% SS, CWD resistant herd. Watching the horns grow is my favorite part. Plant the new acreage I prepped in clover/rye, and convert my fenced 2.5 acres into winter feed. Thinking half corn and half forage kale. Any hints on best kale to stay upright and above snow in MN winters? Tip toe my way to finding out how many deer (without supplement feed) can live on a 40 with 4 or so acres of plots. Experiment with more access/exit strategies using tall grasses. I have deer now that will look to see if my truck is at the approach before they hit the feeders. If the truck is there they won't feed. If the county does not buy my 315 it will be logged as part of a whitetail plan. Bowhunters may bring in recognized experts to develop and implement plans on parts of the property so private landowners can gain knowledge and hands on training on how to mold their lands for better deer hunting. Anybody know if I can donate a high dollar property lease to a 501 and write it off? Donate the entire property to yourself. Take massive tax deduction up front. Take lease income for life. Profit.
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Post by leexrayshady on Jan 5, 2020 13:03:30 GMT -6
Im going to try fill and kill on some of the trees blocking sunlight and adding leafs to my inwoods food plot
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Post by Sandbur on Jan 5, 2020 13:35:05 GMT -6
Im going to try fill and kill on some of the trees blocking sunlight and adding leafs to my inwoods food plot In the HP?
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