Goosemaster
Well-known member
WWhat you
Cold temps and feeding the birds
- Thread starter remy3424
- Start date
remy3424
Well-known member
Most of the larger cedars (left side of the bigger trees) were planted in 2007. the larger ones on the left of the group (3 rows) are Austrian Pines. You can see some smaller trees to the right, those a mix of conifer, start most of those in 2017, there are coming pretty good now.
I must do better on the food plots. The ones in the CPR are going to limited to add any more I am thinking, but i will inquiry and see what they say about it. I added a food plot in that back corner (it isn't in any program) this last year (where the larger trees can be seen), I will double it this spring...from 6 rows to 12. Will fertilize, it has been a couple years and maybe try a different pre-emergent herbicide.
SDinWI
Active member
One more thing you could think about with the plots - possibly rotating out of Milo for a year to reset the soil. Just thinking it might be that your soil is tired of straight milo?
Or, cover crop with rye in the fall. The rye would add soil nutrients and naturally suppress spring weeds before killing it and planting Milo.
But, that is a time and money commitment again. And you’d want to make sure the rye in the spring gets killed.
Or, cover crop with rye in the fall. The rye would add soil nutrients and naturally suppress spring weeds before killing it and planting Milo.
But, that is a time and money commitment again. And you’d want to make sure the rye in the spring gets killed.
remy3424
Well-known member
A cover crop wouldn't be too practical if you are leaving the primary crop in the field for the winter....but you are thinking like a farmer! Been debating about going back to corn, as what our PF chapter gets is Round-Up ready. The grain sorghum is just so much easier for the birds to get to. I am still considering splitting the 6 row planter, maybe having 2 rows with corn and planting so you would have plots with 4 rows of sorghum on the outside with 4 rows of corn on the inside.
One thing that makes these perpetual food plots more difficult, is that remaining crop residue. There isn't the luxury of having all the old crop ground-up by a combine. With the limited tillage equipment I have access to, it is difficult to get that residue broke-down for a good seed-bed. The planter doesn't have trash-wipers, so it struggles with it. Our tenant no longer owns a disk, or I would have him make a couple passes over it.
remy3424
Well-known member
Don't have a good mower, an old 5 footer, not sure it would last for almost 6 acres. Just a old light-weight disk...will try to add a few hundred pounds to it this year and see if it helps to cut and bury the trash.
Goosemaster
Well-known member
These pheasants love cracked corn, and cracked corn is cheap. 50 lb for eight bucks.
remy3424
Well-known member
Hustled home last night and checked out the corn. There was still a little in all the locations, I put 5 gallons more in all 5 spots, that should get them thought is last coming night of double digits below zero temps. I still have about 25 gallons left, half a barrel. The forecast for next week is awesome, a couple days bumping 50°! Hoping the winter winds down from here.
Goosemaster
Well-known member
I went out few days ago and shoveled the deep snow in the trees, so the pheasants could get don to the berries, and grains and gravel and grit.
cyclonenation10
Well-known member
The real question is, how many birds did you see ???
remy3424
Well-known member
You need to make your way over for a day trip this season. Taking the corn in, I didn't see more than 2 dozen on any of the 3 times I have been in there since Saturday. I am guessing the with the bit of snow we have now and the cold temps, there are even more than during season....guessing there were more than a couple....hundred, then. Built it right and they will populate it! The fist time I went in, there were almost no tracks. I was hoping they would find the corn, as they weren't hanging-out or even passing through there. Now, in the area between the plum thickets and the switchgrass is a 12 row sorghum food plot, the snow is packed-down from the bird traffic. I am still often amazed by the numbers in this parcel.
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