Fishin'Rod
Member
The best (non-edge) cover for quail and pheasants on our farm are the numerous thickets of Sand Hill Plums. (These are also know as Chickasaw Plums in other areas.) Our thickets (mots) are surrounded by native grass and native forbs.
I believe we have two problems that are degrading the habitat quality of our thickets.
First, even those these thickets are well-established and decades old, they do not have a canopy that is dense enough to suppress the growth of grass. To my eye, the ground cover between the individual plum trunks is certainly too thick for quail, and probably too thick for pheasants.
I would like to establish a fire break around some of the thickets and then on a high wind day (15 MPH allowable in Kansas) let a fast fire sweep through the target thickets.
The literature says Sand Hill Plum thickets are little affected by ground fires when they have bare soil or minimal cover. Does anyone have experience burning their plums when they are going to be subject to a brief but hot grass fire?
Secondly, our plum thickets are slowly propagating and spreading each year. I need to start disking and mowing the edges. They are basically round in shape and up to 0.1 acres in size. At this size, it is about 40' from the edge to the center and impenetrable to dogs. I would like the dogs to be able to point singles in the thickets.
Our prevailing wind direction is usually from the south in three seasons and from the north in the winter. Therefore, I want to shape our thickets with the long axis in the N-S direction. Does anyone have any recommendation on the optimum width of the thickets? I want them to be wide enough to shelter quail and pheasants, but still able to be hunted.
Thanks, Rod.
I believe we have two problems that are degrading the habitat quality of our thickets.
First, even those these thickets are well-established and decades old, they do not have a canopy that is dense enough to suppress the growth of grass. To my eye, the ground cover between the individual plum trunks is certainly too thick for quail, and probably too thick for pheasants.
I would like to establish a fire break around some of the thickets and then on a high wind day (15 MPH allowable in Kansas) let a fast fire sweep through the target thickets.
The literature says Sand Hill Plum thickets are little affected by ground fires when they have bare soil or minimal cover. Does anyone have experience burning their plums when they are going to be subject to a brief but hot grass fire?
Secondly, our plum thickets are slowly propagating and spreading each year. I need to start disking and mowing the edges. They are basically round in shape and up to 0.1 acres in size. At this size, it is about 40' from the edge to the center and impenetrable to dogs. I would like the dogs to be able to point singles in the thickets.
Our prevailing wind direction is usually from the south in three seasons and from the north in the winter. Therefore, I want to shape our thickets with the long axis in the N-S direction. Does anyone have any recommendation on the optimum width of the thickets? I want them to be wide enough to shelter quail and pheasants, but still able to be hunted.
Thanks, Rod.
