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Post by Bob on Jun 17, 2020 15:43:27 GMT -6
will you mix in some rye too? Maybe try some of SD's awnless winter wheat? Hey now, credit where credit is due. Catscratch was the breakthrough man on winter wheat. Won't be much longer, and that stuff will start showing up in BOB bags and we won't be able to get it cheaper than rye.
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Post by badgerfowl on Jun 17, 2020 15:47:01 GMT -6
Last time we replanted our 5 acre clover the farmer used winter wheat as a cover crop. Plan on doing the same thing later this summer. Free for us as he uses his own seed I believe.
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Post by smsmith on Jun 17, 2020 18:04:13 GMT -6
Nope, don't want to mess around with mowing 6' rye and won't spend the money for awnless w.w. I guess I could nuke the rye with cleth in spring, but I'm wanting as low maintenance plots as possible. Isn’t throwing seed and mowing rye about as low maintenance as gets? Mowing 5-6' rye with a billy goat mower isn't my idea of low maintenance
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Post by batman on Jun 17, 2020 18:07:28 GMT -6
Isn’t throwing seed and mowing rye about as low maintenance as gets? Mowing 5-6' rye with a billy goat mower isn't my idea of low maintenance But if I guy Could do almost all his shit every year in 1 afternoon with a $280 tractor/brush mower rental...
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Post by smsmith on Jun 17, 2020 18:15:38 GMT -6
Mowing 5-6' rye with a billy goat mower isn't my idea of low maintenance But if I guy Could do almost all his shit every year in 1 afternoon with a $280 tractor/brush mower rental... Or I could use what I already have paid for and not spend more money annually. I have nothing against rye. I planted it for years. It's just a PITA to deal with the straw if you let it mature. If I plant rye again, I'll nuke it with cleth when it's young using the sprayer I already own. I'm looking to spend less time and money on plots every year, not more.
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Post by batman on Jun 17, 2020 18:41:22 GMT -6
If they average guy (not Stu) could throw seed and spend $285 every year and complete all his plot work in one afternoon, is that not low maintenance? And how close could it get most guys to their goals.
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Post by smsmith on Jun 17, 2020 18:48:37 GMT -6
I think that will depend on what "average" is. I talked to my north neighbor for awhile at the bar last Sunday. He was asking about a cheap source of prairie grass seed. I asked him if he was looking for bedding cover or what..he said "no, for deer food". I'd say this guy and the crew he hunts with are pretty average when it comes to deer hunting/management.
He's just lacking knowledge. I don't want to sit at the bar and be Cliff Claven, know it all guy. I have offered to help him and his brother on foodplots before, but they aren't much interested in listening. Fine by me.
I don't see guys like that spending $285 plus seed and fertilizer, but maybe I'm wrong.
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Post by batman on Jun 17, 2020 18:56:12 GMT -6
When a product category has shelf space at Runnings, Fleet farm, Bass pro etc it means guys are spending. I think 95% of these guys would see better results with clover/cereal grain one time mow every year than the half baked results they achieve throwing BOB seed at the woods. Most of the food plots I get to look at from guys managing deer are pretty god damn funny.
How much fertilizer do you need for a clover/cereal grain mow plot?
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Post by smsmith on Jun 17, 2020 19:01:11 GMT -6
When a product category has shelf space at Runnings, Fleet farm, Bass pro etc it means guys are spending. I think 95% of these guys would see better results with clover/cereal grain one time mow every year than the half baked results they achieve throwing BOB seed at the woods. Most of the food plots I get to look at from guys managing deer are pretty god damn funny. How much fertilizer do you need for a clover/cereal grain mow plot? I agree FTR...my plots look like shit compared to Art's and many/most others on here. I don't really care. My plots are designed to feed a few deer and keep does around for the rut...which they do. I can watch a little buck eating in my houseplot right now. That plot is doing what I want it to do.
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Post by Sandbur on Jun 18, 2020 5:03:37 GMT -6
When a product category has shelf space at Runnings, Fleet farm, Bass pro etc it means guys are spending. I think 95% of these guys would see better results with clover/cereal grain one time mow every year than the half baked results they achieve throwing BOB seed at the woods. Most of the food plots I get to look at from guys managing deer are pretty god damn funny. How much fertilizer do you need for a clover/cereal grain mow plot? I agree FTR...my plots look like shit compared to Art's and many/most others on here. I don't really care. My plots are designed to feed a few deer and keep does around for the rut...which they do. I can watch a little buck eating in my houseplot right now. That plot is doing what I want it to do. My plots aren’t much to look at and my interest is fading. Thanks to a great neighbor/ renter, I often have corn. Still waiting on the rain today. Occasionally I put some clover seed down and usually some rye. The light soils get tilled before planting. I just don’t see a lot of these hot deer products being used here at home. The northwoods is different. Deer here have acres of irrigated beans, edible beans, alfalfa and clover in the lower parts of the alfalfa fields, as well as corn, and sweet corn that is irrigated and planted on a continual basis in the spring. I didn’t mention apples or crab apples. I wish I had more oaks, but I have a few.
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Post by smsmith on Jun 18, 2020 6:06:59 GMT -6
I agree FTR...my plots look like shit compared to Art's and many/most others on here. I don't really care. My plots are designed to feed a few deer and keep does around for the rut...which they do. I can watch a little buck eating in my houseplot right now. That plot is doing what I want it to do. My plots aren’t much to look at and my interest is fading. Thanks to a great neighbor/ renter, I often have corn. Still waiting on the rain today. Occasionally I put some clover seed down and usually some rye. The light soils get tilled before planting. I just don’t see a lot of these hot deer products being used here at home. The northwoods is different. Deer here have acres of irrigated beans, edible beans, alfalfa and clover in the lower parts of the alfalfa fields, as well as corn, and sweet corn that is irrigated and planted on a continual basis in the spring. I didn’t mention apples or crab apples. I wish I had more oaks, but I have a few. Ya, I was referring to your plots that the neighbor puts in for you. Those plots basically look like little farm fields
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Post by batman on Jun 18, 2020 6:15:14 GMT -6
My plots aren’t much to look at and my interest is fading. Thanks to a great neighbor/ renter, I often have corn. Still waiting on the rain today. Occasionally I put some clover seed down and usually some rye. The light soils get tilled before planting. I just don’t see a lot of these hot deer products being used here at home. The northwoods is different. Deer here have acres of irrigated beans, edible beans, alfalfa and clover in the lower parts of the alfalfa fields, as well as corn, and sweet corn that is irrigated and planted on a continual basis in the spring. I didn’t mention apples or crab apples. I wish I had more oaks, but I have a few. Ya, I was referring to your plots that the neighbor puts in for you. Those plots basically look like little farm fields Thats what I meant as well. Deer prefer to spend the night in large ag or recently logged areas. I think too many guys who plot fail to consider that when the pick where to plant.
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Post by kooch on Jun 18, 2020 6:19:47 GMT -6
About 40 acres was logged this Winter, just to my SE along the road to my place. It’s less than a mile away.
I wonder how this is going to change things in the near term.
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Post by smsmith on Jun 18, 2020 6:26:45 GMT -6
Ya, I was referring to your plots that the neighbor puts in for you. Those plots basically look like little farm fields Thats what I meant as well. Deer prefer to spend the night in large ag or recently logged areas. I think too many guys who plot fail to consider that when the pick where to plant. Deer here have no large ag besides small grains this year. Nothing recently logged for over a mile, except for areas I've dropped/hinged trees. I have beds in my largest orchard every morning. That is mowed clover/grass under the trees. It is right across from a wheat field, but I don't think deer are out browsing on that wheat every night. I haven't seen a deer in that field all spring.
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Post by leexrayshady on Jun 18, 2020 6:58:45 GMT -6
ive kinda had that revelation this year, why am I trying to feed the deer during the summer when they have more than enough on the neighbors crop fields. Need to focus more on the fall plots and timber management, and what ever little food I can provide for winter for birds.
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