Pics Food Plots and Habitat Improvements

Here are a few pics of my food plots and habitat projects around the place. The last one needs a little help but this is only the second year I have planted it. I have a couple of plots of cow peas and one of oats too. I used my tractor a lot from planting to skidding logs, brush hogging and building brush piles.

Larry

Nice job Larry. A nice 2 row cultivator for your tractor would be nice. lol.

Looks good Larry. You said you have cow peas do the deer let them get up to any size? Around here they bite them off as soon as they come up. At our farm 50 miles away they won't touch them until they start putting on peas.
Ron

RbnSC;

Yep, they eat 'em up pretty good. I try to plant enough that some will grow, but we're too far north to get much of a crop. The first year I had a few pods but none since.

Kickinbull;

I have a two-row cultivator that I used the first time. I left more corn than I took out so I thought I better quit while I was ahead. LOL!!!

Larry

Here's a few current shots from plots I planted midsummer last year. Snow sure did leave some nitrogen.

BillyNY;

Is that crimson clover in the last picture? I really like that stuff. Is the other stuff wheat?

Larry

3rd photo down had wheat come up, must have been a winter variety, I had no idea, thought everything I put in was annual. That strip was Plot Spike, green bag from TSC.

The other area was Whitetail Institute No Plow, I'd have to look on the bag, red or crimson clover, not heavy, hut there. I figured I'd replant with something perennial this year, I don't think they were browsing it, maybe after its cut. Made good forage last season, bonus was all the plots were thick with a cover crop left over from last season, this spring, so the weeds were minimal, and it was all weeds prior too.

The corn looks great, I've never tried that in a plot, though many fields are in corn, they don't bother with it until later in the season, unless its sweet corn, they will destroy that, it would never grow even to where yours is at.

In AZ, Game & Fish will arrest anyone who has a food plot for wildlife. It is against the law to feed wildlife of any kind, as it makes the wildlife dependent on people, which is against the natural order of things.

Dick2 in AZ;

How do they tell if it's a food plot or a normal crop? Each state has funny laws. Michigan lists Hungarian partridge as a game bird. They tried introducing them--it was a failure--at least 50-60 years ago. The law is still on the books even though there are no Huns in Michigan unless on a game preserve.

Larry

Its legal here, conditions and environment different though, eastern woodland, meadows, ag land and of course lots of residences in between or abounding ag lands

It is legal to plant forage, its also legal to cut tree branches and leave out, say in the fall or so.

It is illegal to bait them, say using corn, apples, or one of those feeders and I think even a salt lick, none of those are even necessary the way I see it, have no use for that at all.

The forage, they will heavily browse in the late summer into late fall, they will build up some fat for winter and it shows in any that have been taken, meat is very good when finished on grasses or similar forage, now they still browse other things but the whitetail will graze these plots. This helps them with a harsh winter,like the previous one. It can go to adequate food, to nil, get some heavy snow cover and its staghorn sumac bark and those small crab apples, cherry size and any others they can find. Last year in the field adjacent to our place, its well over 20 acres, the corn was replanted, geese decimated it, stunted, he just left that portion and the entire herd in this area congregated around it, whatever was in there, gave them something, so there is benefit, but that winter is still a natural occurrence so between that and coyotes, they could take a big hit, plus this area is hunted, meaning there are stands throughout, the herd is stable and thinned, more so with a harsh winter, coyotes, even this time of year with fawns, are a factor so its balanced with hunting/predation. I lean towards it being a good thing, planting forage given the situation here. The other thing is, they will stay close to houses and browse shrubs/trees, needle bearing types, so they become dependent or used to that, just because we are here. There are not many decent buck around, because others don't selectively harvest, they take anything, I don't, matter of a fact I have not taken a buck in years, just doe with issued permits, don't care about horns anyway, just meat for the freezer and to be made into sausage, franks and nice cuts to enjoy on the grill.