The Massey

[KSQ2]

Here’s two of them from above on the farm.

 

[KSQ2]

Got 6 beavers taken care of last night. Talk about an infestation!

 

[buckdeer1]

Way to go I didn't have many this year

 

[KSQ2]

Way to go I didn't have many this year

I wish I could say that, it’s almost getting to the point that we’re caging new tree plantings for beavers more than deer.

 

[Kurt]

How far from the river do you think is safe from them? Planting oaks and they'll be caged. Seems like outside 30 yards or so and a guy is okay or no? Probably depends on a few factors. Wish I could train mine to eat cedars.

 

[KSQ2]

The only experience I have is the ones on our place, the farthest I’ve seen evidence of them from the creek is about 60 yards. The big ones have no natural predators around us it seems. I know bobcat trappers say they love beavers, but I can’t see a bobcat taking on a 70+ lb beaver.

 

[KSQ2]

Tree planting afternoon 2022. We planted oaks exclusively this year ordered from Wildlife Group. Once again I was very impressed with the condition of the trees. Let’s see if I can remember what we ordered. 28 in all: burr, overcup, pin, swamp chestnut, nutall, and chinkapin. A few pics from the day, planting trees goes a LOT faster now that the girls are older, they’ve turned into pretty good hands. I realize the cages are pretty short, but I’m hoping the weeds will hide the trees well by mid summer. We staked off a little over an acre of crop ground along the waterway south of our big plot, the ag ground will grow a healthy crops of weeds I’m quite sure.
Here’s a few pics from the afternoon:
They aren’t easy to see, but there’s 20 cages out there…







The beavers were hard at work before the reckoning came last week…

 

[George]

nice shed finds, beautiful 8.

G

 

[KSQ2]

These trees are in some primo ground and will have little to no competition. I’m curious how quickly they will grow, IF we can get some decent rain this year. They are a little too close for comfort to the cover for me to feel good about watering them in late summer or early fall, so I’m really hoping for rain this year.

 

[KSQ2]

Thanks George! Hoping he’ll stick around this-coming summer and fall.

 

[Kurt]

Great team there, looks like a really fun day. Anxious to hear which of those does the best for you. Doing Sawtooth and Chinkapin in a few weeks.

 

[Native Hunter]

Those are some great looking roots on those trees. With all that good help you should have a big forest before long.

 

[KSQ2]

Thanks fellas, I’ll keep you posted Kurt. Your oak thread was the inspiration Native. I looked at the packing label and saw I forgot to mention swamp white oak. Some of the sawtoothes from cat last year are off and running it looks like. So I’m hoping to have the best variety of mast around in a decade or so.

 

[KSQ2]

Got the chestnuts Matt sent in pots this evening, there’s also one oak in there. I had only one acorn sink for me when I tested them last fall. It’s from that possible hybrid post oak from OKC, that was producing acorns at 4 years in Grandma and Pa’s old yard. Matt was very generous with the chestnuts, I had a baker’s dozen left over for my brother-in-law and father-in-law.

 

[KSQ2]

Put a dozen elderberry clippings in the ground yesterday evening. They had already budded out, I hope that isn’t a bad thing.

 

[buckdeer1]

I would plant those oaks in 4ft tree pro tubes and then fence for a couple years as they bust out of tubes.I use the same wire to cage fruit trees some, just raise 12-18 inches off the ground and tie off.I tube oaks and fence fruit and chestnuts.Now the water and pin oaks that I am planting around my swamp edge will get tubed and caged to keep the beavers out.Also have red osier coming this week.The bareroot trees I have always bought from Kansas and MO have been good trees

 

[bowhunter14]

Put a dozen elderberry clippings in the ground yesterday evening. They had already budded out, I hope that isn’t a bad thing.
View attachment 23494

I did the same thing not long ago.. seller said they were dormant and when they arrived they had green just like yours. got them in the ground and they seem to be alive. I did a scratch test and everything was green underneath!

 

[KSQ2]

Sprayed the big plot over by the old home place, it might have hurt me more than the grass and cereals. There was quite a bit of fescue in it last fall; still, I’m hoping I didn’t make a mistake.


Is this hairy vetch?

Im not sure what this is technically called, everybody calls it henbit around here, I’m hoping it won’t be a problem for the clover, it’s usually gone by mid May.

Glad we don’t have to put up with hogs, armadillos are bad enough.

The little house plot is gonna need a good dose of clethodim asap. It’s the one that has the cool season grasses running wild. I hope to get it sprayed within the week.

 

[MarkDarvin]

This one looks like vetch to me.

 

[KSQ2]

This one looks like vetch to me.

View attachment 23522

That’s what I was referring to, thanks!