Recent content by McFarmer

I might think about a mix of alfalfa and red/white clover. The alfalfa would be something like Matrix and Ladino for the white clover. Some type of bunch grass would work in with it also. Lots of good food for birds in that mix, bugs also. It doesn’t take well to burning if you ever do that...

I count losses towards my daily limit. Makes me feel a better about them. I’ve maybe lost one a year the last few years. I don’t hunt as much as many do of course. I also don’t take shots some folks would, just me.

The flat out straight away shots on pheasants is where steel falls flat, lots of stuff to get through before a vital is hit. That’s a pretty common pheasant shot, not so much on waterfowl from what little hunting I do.

The Japanese Auto five isn’t a copy is it ?

Grass hay, oat hay, wheat hay, alfalfa hay, alfalfa/grass hay, brome hay, mixed hay..you get the idea.

Steel shot has limitations, 15 lost is unacceptable.

Here in NW Iowa I think their survey is pretty much in line with what I’ve seen.

I’ve never thought about that, it is a good point. As a landowner I would look askance at dog with a bunch of weeds in its fur coming to hunt.

Let me check my list of things to worry about….. Nope, not on there.

Many CRP contracts don’t qualify for haying this year, and have in the past. The rules on what can be taken for hay has changed. We took hay off about a third last year, none qualified this year. We are in a severe drought area. Some folks forget about the “Reserve“ in CRP, it isn’t a...

In Iowa the IHAP program allows all normal farming operations on the land. In the past I have raised crops, grazed and hayed land in the program. The program simply gives you the opportunity to be on the land, not what you will find when you get there. Other states are no doubt different.

The penalties for being out of compliance are pretty severe, not worth the risk. It would take some amount of manpower to check every contract, they are spot checked however. You are welcome to roll the dice on the license.

My grandad always said two weeks can be the difference between a hero and a heal.

Several years I have limited myself to one a day.

When I was young ditches and fence rows were the primary hunting spots, no CRP and little state owned land.