Replanted CRP

C

Carl Spackler

Member
Question I was thinking about this during opening weekend here in Kansas. When an existing CRP field is replanted how long does it take until the birds resettle it?

My Aunt has some CRP across the road from our place that was re-enrolled then disc'd and replanted this spring. This CRP was always my honey hole where I was guaranteed to flush at least a couple of birds. I hunted it twice over the weekend and did not see one bird despite it being right next to a harvested Milo field. The grasses looked the same as in years past but the ground was still pretty lumpy while walking through it from when it was disc'd this spring.

The birds were still in the area just not in this particular CRP patch where I normally find them.

Do they not like running on the lumpy ground?

It was pretty hot out in NWKS this weekend (70 Degrees), maybe they didn't need the thermal cover and will move back in there once it gets colder?

Just thinking out loud here and wondering what it could be.
 
That sounds more like a "mid contract management" process than actual replanting. Maybe the contract required interseeding with forbs, but ultimately it doesn't really make much difference. It was disced in the spring, and now it "look(s) the same as in years past" except for the uneven ground.

If it was disced in the spring then it probably did not provide adequate cover when nesting started in mid-April. Hens nested elsewhere, and there has been nothing prior to the start of hunting season to push them out of the immediate area where they made their nest and (hopefully) hatched their broods. I would guess that next year it will come back.

I don't think the uneven ground matters much. One of the best fields I've hunted in recent years was a real ankle-turner because of the discing that had been done. Really unpleasant to walk, but loaded with birds.
 
Was there annual weeds this year? I would think the disking would have released a lot of annual weeds from the seed bank that would make ideal habitat.
 
Carl Spackler said:
Question I was thinking about this during opening weekend here in Kansas. When an existing CRP field is replanted how long does it take until the birds resettle it?

My Aunt has some CRP across the road from our place that was re-enrolled then disc'd and replanted this spring. This CRP was always my honey hole where I was guaranteed to flush at least a couple of birds. I hunted it twice over the weekend and did not see one bird despite it being right next to a harvested Milo field. The grasses looked the same as in years past but the ground was still pretty lumpy while walking through it from when it was disc'd this spring.

The birds were still in the area just not in this particular CRP patch where I normally find them.

Do they not like running on the lumpy ground?

It was pretty hot out in NWKS this weekend (70 Degrees), maybe they didn't need the thermal cover and will move back in there once it gets colder?

Just thinking out loud here and wondering what it could be.
Click to expand...

Quick update on this post. I gave a half hearted hunt through this CRP patch over thanksgiving weekend and didn't see anything so I let it be.

In mid January on my last trip of the year I decided to give it another shot and the bird count was back to what I normally see. My guess is the birds moved back into the CRP for cover once it got colder. (Highs were in the 60-70's when I hunted it in november but back to normal highs in the 30-40's in january)
 
With a mild winter, some decent conditions for nesting and for a few weeks during the hatch, your bird population should see a big jump this next year. As mentioned, that first season you just don't have the understory for nesting and it lacks the thermo cover to bury under for winter roosting....same thing happens when crp gets mowed down/baled or even burned under the mid-contract management. Chicks can navigate it much easy after these activities. We only burn a third of our crp in any one year to address this. Bet next season will be better for you.
 
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