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Post by kooch on Sept 8, 2020 12:19:56 GMT -6
My place is a long way away too. If I actually relocate to SD it'll be another couple hour drive compared to now. The plan is to get my stuff done and to the point where I don't feel like making so much change. Once it's in "maintenance mode" it'll be easier to justify. If I'm just making two or three trips a year outside of actually hunting, it'll be fine I think. Plots of the future will likely be throw and mow rye and clover with a few turnips thrown in. Easy stuff if a guy has the right tools for the job and the ground open. I won't be growing real crops ever.
The long drive does make it feel like I'm actually "going somewhere" though. And once I'm there it is a different world. This makes it a little easier to just disconnect while I'm there. I'm getting attached to my neighbors too.
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Post by jbird on Sept 8, 2020 13:07:59 GMT -6
run a bigger sample of seed thru the plate planter before planting......just because it's clicking doesn't mean the seed is coming thru!
But....you can plant AWP with a corn plate!
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Post by Freeborn on Sept 8, 2020 14:26:53 GMT -6
Life got in the way of my hunting land this year, work primarily but also building my Arizona home.
For 2020:
No matter how much work you put into planting mother nature can make it a failure. My soybeans this year are the worst I have ever had. I planted early and got zero rain the next 4 weeks.
Trees are best planted early as they do grow even if slowly. Time goes by and trees start to produce and provide a sense of satisfaction. If planted correctly trees are improving each year without extra effort by me.
Rushing can cause mistakes, I broke 3 disks off my drill because I was trying to get planting done and should have slowed down.
Many projects are nice to haves and in the big picture won’t change your hunting or enjoyment of your land.
I may edit this after deer hunting, it should be interesting to see how many deer I have without beans and only corn this year.
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Post by wklman on Sept 8, 2020 14:32:27 GMT -6
Do you plan to keep that place long term? When I was 20-30 years younger, a 6 hour drive wasn't a big deal. It is a PITA now. I can understand why you enjoy the big woods experience for deer hunting. I don't know. My biggest driver is that i'd like to get somewhere with more reliable and affordable services like grid power, snow plowing, excavation, rental equipment, farm supplies, and the like. The drive itself isn't hard, but the time it takes can be hard on the cat or diet, having to eat on the road. I'm just kicking around ideas right now. I've got two weeks more vacation to use this year vs last. Maybe it won't be as big a deal now that I can have about as many 3-4 day weekends as I desire this fall. For now, I am thinking about just pulling back on the reigns a little bit and seeing how I like it for a year when everything isn't balls to the walls improvement projects. Why not buy in ottertail, Todd, wadena counties? Lots of everything you need there. |
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Post by wklman on Sept 8, 2020 14:34:21 GMT -6
Roundup is the best way to cleanup a plot without plowing. Just spray, wait a couple weeks, disc, then plant. Easy peasy.
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Post by Foggy on Sept 8, 2020 15:35:46 GMT -6
If you are planning to sell......seems like there is a good market to sell some land these days. Low interest.
As Wink says above.....I'd think you could save 2 hours each way by locating in those counties stated......and have as good or better fishing (in some of those lakes) and better deer hunting and proximity to more stuff in general. I like the pine trees of the north woods too.....but would not want land up on the tundra and in wolf country.
Edit: Plus you pick up a couple of weeks of better weather by not being "too far" north. Also I did note the comment on GRID POWER. (grin)
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Post by nhmountains on Sept 8, 2020 16:08:11 GMT -6
We had one plot that is covered in weeds because it didn’t get sprayed because I was on the injured reserve list. We did learn a lot about building a shooting hut so the next few will go much easier. I’d like 3-4 more on the property.
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Post by Reagan on Sept 8, 2020 17:16:10 GMT -6
I learned throw and mow sucks. Disked one plot last year TnM on the rest. Best result was the one I disked. The other plots eventually grew much later after reseeding.
I did TnM on all plots this year. The better results are on north facing slopes that get more shade. The only good plot I have this year is the clover that is growing in the plot I disked last year. It was mowed and seeded only because the clover is so strong.
I just don’t get enough rain in the late summer for TnM. Putting dirt on seeds helps with the lack of rain.
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Post by Foggy on Sept 8, 2020 17:21:00 GMT -6
I learned throw and mow sucks. Disked one plot last year TnM on the rest. Best result was the one I disked. The other plots eventually grew much later after reseeding. I did TnM on all plots this year. The better results are on north facing slopes that get more shade. The only good plot I have this year is the clover that is growing in the plot I disked last year. It was mowed and seeded only because the clover is so strong. I just don’t get enough rain in the late summer for TnM. Putting dirt on seeds helps with the lack of rain. I've tried minimum tillage and TNM approaches on several occasions. Never get a good result without tillage and some coverage or at least cultipacking the seeds. I have sandy soils.....so for me I gotta do some tillage......or I lose precious growing time and gotta do the job over again. Not worth it to me......your results may vary. Always read the label for yadda yadda.  |
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Post by Sandbur on Sept 8, 2020 17:48:05 GMT -6
Guys, remember this is supposed to be fun.
If you don’t want to do it, just stop.
Keep your camp for hunting and fishing.
You can do both without all of the ‘improvements’.
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Post by Foggy on Sept 8, 2020 17:51:34 GMT -6
Guys, remember this is supposed to be fun. If you don’t want to do it, just stop. Keep your camp for hunting and fishing. You can do both without all of the ‘improvements’. Oh No you dont.......the one with the best turnips wins! . EDIT: FWIW....I pulled my camera cards today and notice in one pic......where I have 1/2 brassica (PTT/DER/GHR) and the other half is beautiful clover.......I had one deer eating in the clover and 3 other deer eating in the brassica. Likely the table turns several times. Still lots of beans being eaten.....and light feeding on the corn. Funny what appeals to these critters at any given time. |
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Post by smsmith on Sept 8, 2020 18:52:57 GMT -6
Guys, remember this is supposed to be fun.If you don’t want to do it, just stop. Keep your camp for hunting and fishing. You can do both without all of the ‘improvements’. Yup. My fun is doing the "improvements" though. I can see the day in the not too distant future where I won't be able to do all that I currently do however. I will likely need to upgrade equipment at some point...or just not do the work. Time will tell which I choose |
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Post by honker on Sept 8, 2020 20:24:46 GMT -6
A few takeaways that I should have known already growing up on a farm, but it took awhile for it to sink in on habitat work
- Planning your day the night before you head up helps a little, but planning the season before is priceless
- Having the right piece of equipment for the project is worth the rental fee or cases of beer to borrow when you don't have it yourself. Saving the wear and tear on your body or the wrong equipment pays off in the long run
- Never express any confidence in your old equipment on this site as it is will immediately go to shit
- Have a backup plan when your original plan goes to shit because of broken equipment or weather
Habitat Specifically
- Cages and Tubes are worth the hassle
- I should have tried Apple Trees and ROD cuttings a few years sooner
- The 3rd growing season of a plot can be worth the first two years of frustration
- If it is in your way, don't be afraid to cut it down or dig it out
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Post by Sandbur on Sept 9, 2020 4:01:03 GMT -6
Guys, remember this is supposed to be fun.If you don’t want to do it, just stop. Keep your camp for hunting and fishing. You can do both without all of the ‘improvements’. Yup. My fun is doing the "improvements" though. I can see the day in the not too distant future where I won't be able to do all that I currently do however. I will likely need to upgrade equipment at some point...or just not do the work. Time will tell which I choose I like doing the improvements also. I used to overload the weekends with work when we had the cabin up north. Always work, work, and never enjoy the time. As most of you know, someone burned the cabin and life is better. This location was about 1.5 hours from home. I mow a spot to park my fish house for a place to camp in deer season. No foodplots, no more apple trees to be planted up there. |
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Post by MN Slick on Sept 9, 2020 7:22:28 GMT -6
1. Once in place ladder stands save a lot of work when it comes time to prep for the season.
2. Fruit trees are a pain from 6 hours away. Too much work for something that isn't going to improve the hunting to any degree.
3. Every task takes twice as long as I estimate.
4. I can count on a drought every year in MO as well as periods of too damn much rain.
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