Post by esshup on Dec 26, 2006 1:17:16 GMT -5
I've got about the exact same sized property. 330' wide by 1500' deep. Over the past few years I've tried a mixture of things, from both Bio-Logic and Whitetail Institute, and this Fall I planted Buck Forage Oats. The ground here is mostly sand, very well drained in some spots, none could be called moist by any means. The deer here haven't hit any type of brassicas (rape) that I've planted, not even after a good frost, so I've given up on that. They hit Extreme for the first year, but not the 2nd. AlfaRack has done well for the past 3 years, and I will be re-seeding this Spring. I tried Buck Forage Oats this year, planting on Labor Day weekend. The deer hit it hard the first 2 months, but it's tapered off now. It still looks like I ran the mower over it.
I've settled on PowerPlant for the Spring/Summer for the plot closest to the house (120' x 250') with re-seeding with Buck Forage Oats on Labor Day weekend again this year. The back Food Plot (90' x 250') will get re-seeded with AlfaRack. The deer keep it mowed down in the Spring and Fall, and it makes a good bugging area for the turkeys in late Spring and Summer. I can hit the AlfaRAck with Poast to keep the grass under control, and if I mow it 2x during the summer it keeps the other weeds at bay.
It took me a year to clear both areas, I did it on the cheap with a chainsaw and lots of sweat. A local contractor wanted some sand that was left over from when the pond was dug, so I traded the sand for him digging out the leftover stumps. I don't have any equipment, so I make do with my John Deere 345 garden tractor. I do have a large lawn roller (2' x 4'), and a 42" wide hydraulic rototiller that fits behind the tractor. I picked up a small disc (single row, 12" dia. discs) to pull behind the tractor too. I picked up a large rotary spreader that holds 175# of fertilizer, and flatten out the ground by pulling a section of chain link fence.
My biggest problem is getting the pH of the soil correct (I spread a ton of lime/acre the first year, and followed that up with 1/2 ton/year after that. Then the next problem is weed control.
I took soil samples to the local co-op for testing the first few years, now I do it every other year. I went with their recommendations on fertilizer too. I can't tell you how many times I filled up that rotary spreader!
I wish that someone nearby had a Plotmaster or something like that, but until then I'll keep on doing it the hard way! I am seeing more deer on the property, although the bucks don't come by during the day after about the 3rd week in October. I didn't see a buck at all last year, although I did have a few scrapes on the property. This year I bought a trail camera and have pics of 7 different bucks that were using the scrapes and food plots. They virtually disappeared once gun season started tho!
I need to rent a backhoe this Spring to move some dirt, so I will take out the stumps that the contractor missed, and dig up some tree roots that are starting to invade one of the plots. If the weather cooperates, I should get some pics.
esshup
I've settled on PowerPlant for the Spring/Summer for the plot closest to the house (120' x 250') with re-seeding with Buck Forage Oats on Labor Day weekend again this year. The back Food Plot (90' x 250') will get re-seeded with AlfaRack. The deer keep it mowed down in the Spring and Fall, and it makes a good bugging area for the turkeys in late Spring and Summer. I can hit the AlfaRAck with Poast to keep the grass under control, and if I mow it 2x during the summer it keeps the other weeds at bay.
It took me a year to clear both areas, I did it on the cheap with a chainsaw and lots of sweat. A local contractor wanted some sand that was left over from when the pond was dug, so I traded the sand for him digging out the leftover stumps. I don't have any equipment, so I make do with my John Deere 345 garden tractor. I do have a large lawn roller (2' x 4'), and a 42" wide hydraulic rototiller that fits behind the tractor. I picked up a small disc (single row, 12" dia. discs) to pull behind the tractor too. I picked up a large rotary spreader that holds 175# of fertilizer, and flatten out the ground by pulling a section of chain link fence.
My biggest problem is getting the pH of the soil correct (I spread a ton of lime/acre the first year, and followed that up with 1/2 ton/year after that. Then the next problem is weed control.
I took soil samples to the local co-op for testing the first few years, now I do it every other year. I went with their recommendations on fertilizer too. I can't tell you how many times I filled up that rotary spreader!
I wish that someone nearby had a Plotmaster or something like that, but until then I'll keep on doing it the hard way! I am seeing more deer on the property, although the bucks don't come by during the day after about the 3rd week in October. I didn't see a buck at all last year, although I did have a few scrapes on the property. This year I bought a trail camera and have pics of 7 different bucks that were using the scrapes and food plots. They virtually disappeared once gun season started tho!
I need to rent a backhoe this Spring to move some dirt, so I will take out the stumps that the contractor missed, and dig up some tree roots that are starting to invade one of the plots. If the weather cooperates, I should get some pics.
esshup