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Post by shouldernuke on Feb 9, 2015 17:19:28 GMT -5
Never gonna attempt corn even though I would like to.... to much trouble and expense for the possibility it could get wiped out by a flood. Owned my farm since 2008 and the farm to the north has not been planted in corn during that time. The farm to the east has been planted in corn once and the farm to the south twice. Its usually June before its safe to plant and beans are it...... It is a learning curve .My finding is when the same its not a good year when different with lots of varied edge work deer flood it especially with good food for year round and cold month carbs like corn when none is close by. Good luck
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Post by shouldernuke on Feb 9, 2015 17:19:56 GMT -5
Never gonna attempt corn even though I would like to.... to much trouble and expense for the possibility it could get wiped out by a flood. Owned my farm since 2008 and the farm to the north has not been planted in corn during that time. The farm to the east has been planted in corn once and the farm to the south twice. Its usually June before its safe to plant and beans are it...... I actually use Round up ready corn bought from Rural king and a few bags of Nitrogen heavy fert real cheap and I used a hand push planter after a heavy disc pass and dusting of fert. .Here is my favorite plot and what was arguably the deer's favorite plot on the place . I snapped the pic two seasons ago yes there are deer all over it but hard to see it was a phone pic.
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Post by swilk on Feb 9, 2015 17:21:02 GMT -5
I already have the bedding and sanctuaries that the neighboring farms don't have ..... I'm in the unique situation where I'm not overly concerned with attracting deer or enticing them away from other places. I already have them.....just want to keep them fat and happy through the winters.
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Post by swilk on Feb 9, 2015 17:23:04 GMT -5
You have a planter? Assume you do by the straight rows.....how many row?
I intend to buy a 3pt broadcast spreader and spread at about 1.5x the normal plant rate and then cultipack in......
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Post by shouldernuke on Feb 9, 2015 17:24:47 GMT -5
You have a planter? Assume you do by the straight rows.....how many row? I intend to buy a 3pt broadcast spreader and spread at about 1.5x the normal plant rate and then cultipack in...... I use a string line end to end and the hand row planter with guide bar. I broadcast the green plot,millet , and beans only .Enlist help of one person to move one end of the line and reload the push planter and it goes fast especially when they jump on every other row .
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Post by swilk on Feb 9, 2015 17:25:32 GMT -5
Assuming its true that 80% of a deers diet is natural browse and forage I'm already in good shape during the green months. Tens of thousands of young trees. Grasses. Giant ragweed.
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Post by shouldernuke on Feb 9, 2015 17:32:13 GMT -5
Assuming its true that 80% of a deers diet is natural browse and forage I'm already in good shape during the green months. Tens of thousands of young trees. Grasses. Giant ragweed. I think it varies .The deer here rarely forage naturally when they have all this to eat year round .The most forage they do is in winter here an early spring .When we kill a deer we open the stomach up and to the deer so far they have been full of Alfalfa , clovers ,corn and brassicas or beans . Yep it stinks a bit but its very telling .I think the forage thing depends on what is available in the area .Up here its mostly crops hay and food plot .Our weeds ,shrubs and wild growth is barely touched most years . Its funny we will set and watch acorns fall to the ground all fall and at the same time see deer standing in the fields and plots paying them no attention up here.They dig them up a lot late winter here . Its like anything else with deer its all subjective and situational .FYI my local deer tend to tip the official scales up here over 200 LBS at 3.5 years old gutted and the average doe in the paper is well over 130 -150 LBS field dressed .Only the yearlings and fawns are smallish .I think its all dependent on what is available to them and its what makes them grow and put on weight faster than say southern IN big woods less ag deer .I do notice most springs most of low ground flooding down there when we head to vacation spots in the spring .Seems the fields are always standing some sort of water in April .Up here we get enough rain to wait till late May or even June.
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Post by swilk on Feb 9, 2015 17:39:02 GMT -5
The farmers surrounding me know the floods will come. They put out the crops late and cut them as soon as their ready.
I do have a 5 acre stand of mature oaks that are likely the only such trees in the near area.... pain to get to the area though so I rarely hunt anywhere near them.
Corn is king but beans come in a close second.....last year I could sit and watch 40-60 deer each evening come out into the cut beans and paw through the snow to the stubble.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 16, 2015 15:43:19 GMT -5
Winter/ early Spring is one of the best times to do work on your land. Clearing out places, and cutting trails in winter is much better than doing it right before season.
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Post by ridgerunner on Feb 22, 2015 16:24:06 GMT -5
Nice sounds like a great plan Swilk..I'd say you're on the right track. Looking forward to some big buck pictures in a year or two.
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