Goodbye 2019-20 Season

fsentkilr said:
I am going to plant cedars and plums in a waterway that runs across it.
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I'll add my thanks for investing in habitat.

Also, please understand this next question comes from my own ignorance and an understanding that habitat needs are different from one area to another. Why cedar trees? I thought most people considered them unwelcome for a variety of reasons. Every time I look at a potential piece of property my interest declines the more cedar trees I see.
 
Cedars are good for pheasants and quail. They are also easy to establish because and they are hardy. When the weather is bad the birds will flock to the cedar wind breaks. IMO there isn't any cover better for pheasants than cedar windbreaks when the weather is bad.
 
KsHusker said:
- Manhattan KS will someday burn to the ground or parts of it will for their sins and allowing the scourge to grow near the town with no interference.
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Nah. We are flooding out most of the time.

I get what you are saying about cedars though. I see guys around here battling them in their pastures as I go to run my dogs. That's no good.
 
Manhattan is darn near surrounded by a cedar forest. Has to be some of the thickest stands in the state, or anywhere for that matter.
 
Kansan said:
Manhattan is darn near surrounded by a cedar forest. Has to be some of the thickest stands in the state, or anywhere for that matter.
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Whenever Manhattan is (and im sure it will be someday) in the throws of a drought like the SW/SC part of KS saw in 2011-2012 they will wish they got rid of them as they will have essentially surrounded the town with fireworks.
 
fsentkilr said:
Cedars are good for pheasants and quail. They are also easy to establish because and they are hardy. When the weather is bad the birds will flock to the cedar wind breaks. IMO there isn't any cover better for pheasants than cedar windbreaks when the weather is bad.
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There was an article in the spring PF magazine that lead me to believe that new research shows otherwise about treed wind breaks, for pheasants at least. Perhaps I misread or misunderstood it, but it came as a surprise to me.
 
Eastern Red Cedars are the specific type of cedars that are the scourge of pastures and will quickly take over if not aggressively controlled.
 
s.davis said:
There was an article in the spring PF magazine that lead me to believe that new research shows otherwise about treed wind breaks, for pheasants at least. Perhaps I misread or misunderstood it, but it came as a surprise to me.
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sounds like a good topic to raise at PF? those cedars are always loaded with birds during a snowstorm......been that way forever.
 
All I ever hear are the negatives about cedars. But when they started clearing them off all of the CRP areas 10 plus years ago the birds went with them. I will take cedars any day.
 
westksbowhunter said:
All I ever hear are the negatives about cedars. But when they started clearing them off all of the CRP areas 10 plus years ago the birds went with them. I will take cedars any day.
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Cedars in VERY controlled doses are OK - when they are allowed to do what they did in the flint hills, around Pratt in certain areas that folks think you need cedars to keep deer, ALL of NE KS, NC Ks in the smokey hills is becoming choked with them in certain areas and with their maturity will go what little pheasants were left and push the prairie chickens out, Red Hills (though with the wildfire it seems landowners are coming to the realization that they are evil and need to be removed and lo and behold like magic their surface water started showing up again and pastures became healthier again.

Anyways - before they are mature and while they're young their fine - when they get overgrown and too big they are good for nothing but hiding nest robbers and providing hawk perches, sucking up valuable water and many other things.

Cedars do not belong on the grasslands unless it's a small scale habitat project that will be closely managed like what Mike is putting in.
 
fsentkilr said:
Pasture won't qualify for CRP because it doesn't have a farming history which it has to have. The CRP acres will be maxed out. It's not paying as much, but it still pays more than lower quality ground will cash rent for. Plus you don't have to deal with tenants and the government's checks won't bounce. I just bought a quarter of farm ground in Ness County. The CRP rate is about the same as cash renting it. I am going to cash rent it because a good friend of mine farms the quarter next to it. We are however going to put a pollinator plot it, and I am going to plant cedars and plums in a waterway that runs across it.
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That is correct and I wasn't clear when I went back and read. The new land of my father in laws was turned into pasture once he realized crp wasn't an option. Did not want to cash rent it to crop. And being as he has cows it became pasture. It was a project too spraying weeds and seeding it. Some became an alfalfa field that he hays. Mine was already pasture and we were going for the pasture restoration since that was one of the programs offered by MDC. Either way we don't qualify per the soil test

And P.S. Thanks for adding the habitat. I agree cedars in patches and in moderation are good cover. And if the rest of the property is in crops it would be hard for them to get out of control.
 
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That state has a habitat first program. In the past they have assisted with a cost share for native grass restoration, tree removal, planting shrubs, and food plots for quail. Ive had the quail biologist out several times. The green glacier aka eastern red cedar is proving to be a pain. Neighboring property owner is a deer hunter for louisiana and he wants all he can get, while I am burning and cutting on my side of the creek.
 
PheasantWhisperer said:
That is correct and I wasn't clear when I went back and read. The new land of my father in laws was turned into pasture once he realized crp wasn't an option. Did not want to cash rent it to crop. And being as he has cows it became pasture. It was a project too spraying weeds and seeding it. Some became an alfalfa field that he hays. Mine was already pasture and we were going for the pasture restoration since that was one of the programs offered by MDC. Either way we don't qualify per the soil test

And P.S. Thanks for adding the habitat. I agree cedars in patches and in moderation are good cover. And if the rest of the property is in crops it would be hard for them to get out of control.
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I can't believe there are pheasant hunters on here that don't know how good cedar shelterbelts are for pheasants. No place did I say let them take over the whole country but there is no better cover for harsh winter conditions. On the crp, you can get ground in upland bird buffers or pollinator patches that doesn't qualify for general signup. It is a continuous program and you are paid based on soil type. These acres take priority over general signup acres and as long as we haven't hit the cap they are accepted.
 
KsHusker said:
Whenever Manhattan is (and im sure it will be someday) in the throws of a drought like the SW/SC part of KS saw in 2011-2012 they will wish they got rid of them as they will have essentially surrounded the town with fireworks.
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Those fireworks are fantastic!
Although, I can't say that they even have a fireworks show in Manhattan anymore.

Thankfully though, after living here for almost 35+ years, Manhattan hasn't burned to the ground yet! Been flooded out twice in those years, but hasn't burned to the ground yet! (as I jinx the town and doom everyone to a firey death. :) )
 
westksbowhunter said:
All I ever hear are the negatives about cedars. But when they started clearing them off all of the CRP areas 10 plus years ago the birds went with them. I will take cedars any day.
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Yep, the birds love them.
 
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