Dr. Craig Harper - Manage Your Fields for Bigger Bucks and Better Hunting

[BenAllgood]

Yes, there are times when we aren't able to burn as frequently as we would like and some trees get old enough to withstand prescribed fire. We do break out the chainsaws from time to time but that and backpack sprayers are pretty labor intensive. In clear-cuts, we have stumps which makes ATV sprayers impractical.

Late winter is a great time to set back thickets.

 

[gjs4]

Was surprised to hear a podcast w Andre DaQuisto to which he said he was abandoning some planted food plots for what sounded like this method


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[yoderjac]

Was surprised to hear a podcast w Andre DaQuisto to which he said he was abandoning some planted food plots for what sounded like this method


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I'm doing something similar that I call "wildlife openings". The are small fields that I started with a clover base and planted fruit trees in with wide spacing. I then let them go native. Every few years, I knock them back to keep them open before woody plants become too large for my equipment. I don't maintain the fruit trees, Once established, I don't use herbicide because of the fruit trees. I use a combination of a bushhog and disc. The idea is to provide small patched of open habitat with soft mast and native foods.

 

[BenAllgood]

I'm doing something similar that I call "wildlife openings". The are small fields that I started with a clover base and planted fruit trees in with wide spacing. I then let them go native. Every few years, I knock them back to keep them open before woody plants become too large for my equipment. I don't maintain the fruit trees, Once established, I don't use herbicide because of the fruit trees. I use a combination of a bushhog and disc. The idea is to provide small patched of open habitat with soft mast and native foods.

Yes, and you'll also find many of the state and federal agencies use the term "wildlife openings" in programs they do or recommend.

 

[gjs4]

So grasses are exclusively managed with mowing?

Equip in Ohio had me believe “wildlife openings” were just food plots and had never thought of the native possibilities. (A 15watt light bulb slowly illuminates ….,”hmmm”)

I have a couple of gas line ROWs- I wanted to cleth them and let the natives flourish but found some success with using gly (on an attempt to kill for a plot) this yr. One line has about 6-700yards of adjacent BH, Privet, nasties. The gas folks are supposed to mow, never do and I do not have a mower there (myself/yet)

 

[yoderjac]

So grasses are exclusively managed with mowing?

Equip in Ohio had me believe “wildlife openings” were just food plots and had never thought of the native possibilities. (A 15watt light bulb slowly illuminates ….,”hmmm”)

I have a couple of gas line ROWs- I wanted to cleth them and let the natives flourish but found some success with using gly (on an attempt to kill for a plot) this yr. One line has about 6-700yards of adjacent BH, Privet, nasties. The gas folks are supposed to mow, never do and I do not have a mower there (myself/yet)

No, I find that mowing does not manage grasses at all. I do a burndown prior to starting a wildlife opening with gly and then plant perennial clover with a WR cover crop. Once the perennial clover is established and the trees are planted and caged, weeds of all kinds, including grasses infiltrate the clover. Eventually woody plants begin to infiltrate. I use a bushhog to knock everything back and let it desiccate for a bit before using a disc for light soil disturbance. Grasses are always a part of the weed mix. I tend to avoid herbicide application simply because of the risk to the fruit trees. So far, grasses have not dominated. If they become problematic, I may use the ATV spot spraying technique you see in the video. As long as it is a calm day and I'm spot spraying, the risk to the fruit trees is probably low.

I don't find cleth very effective on mature grasses. It seems to work well when grasses are young. I think many think of a wildlife opening as a field. I'm thinking of it as more of just early succession up to the point where woody plants become too large to manage with a bushhog.

Food was a limiting factor when we started our management program. We are on a pine farm and all age classes of pines on it had canopied drying up the native foods. We too have a pipeline ROW that became the main feeding plots for us. We started with a large food plot program to deal with the immediate food issue. Over time, management of the pines with thinning and prescribed burns along with some small clear-cuts kept in early succession with fire had increased our native foods significantly. Over time, I'm reducing our food plot program. I'm turning some of our small food plot into these "wildlife openings" that I described. I will be taking some of our ROW and changing it from feeding plots to more management of herbaceous native foods as shown in Dr. Harper's video.

 

[MoreofMitch10]

For example, let’s say that a dozer man just came in and cleaned up a bunch of ground. Pines, autumn olives, cedars and some other trash. We have a bunch of bare dirt now, would you throw some rye and or red clover down now? Then next year see what comes up? I know I’m going to have to be ready to spray some unwanted species, VIA burn and spraying.

 

[yoderjac]

For example, let’s say that a dozer man just came in and cleaned up a bunch of ground. Pines, autumn olives, cedars and some other trash. We have a bunch of bare dirt now, would you throw some rye and or red clover down now? Then next year see what comes up? I know I’m going to have to be ready to spray some unwanted species, VIA burn and spraying.

Well, in general, it depends on the situation and your soils. For example, if you have heavy clay, heavy equipment like a dozer can compact it. Depending on the skill of the operator, you may have lots a lot of topsoil. If compaction is not an issue, based on your picture, I would throw and cultipack annuals. In my area, I'd use winter rye and crimson clover. The purpose is to get soil coverage and reduce any erosion on the slope. Those annuals will die on their own next year. You can reassess at that point.

 

[Mennoniteman]

Well, in general, it depends on the situation and your soils. For example, if you have heavy clay, heavy equipment like a dozer can compact it. Depending on the skill of the operator, you may have lots a lot of topsoil. If compaction is not an issue, based on your picture, I would throw and cultipack annuals. In my area, I'd use winter rye and crimson clover. The purpose is to get soil coverage and reduce any erosion on the slope. Those annuals will die on their own next year. You can reassess at that point.

I would do the same, but use ladino or white clover instead of crimson

 

[yoderjac]

I would do the same, but use ladino or white clover instead of crimson

The only reason I think an annual clover is a better choice is that I think he wants to manage for native weeds. An annual clover will fix N faster since a perennial needs time to develop the root system. The annuals will die out letting the seed bank provide the weed seed. He can then selectively kill what he doesn't want as per the video. If his intent was to put in a food plot, I would completely agree with you. I'd keep it in clover until it is time for rotation. Generally perennial clover seed is more expensive than annual, but this can vary.

 

[BenAllgood]

For example, let’s say that a dozer man just came in and cleaned up a bunch of ground. Pines, autumn olives, cedars and some other trash. We have a bunch of bare dirt now, would you throw some rye and or red clover down now? Then next year see what comes up? I know I’m going to have to be ready to spray some unwanted species, VIA burn and spraying.

I'd do something just on the erodible areas. And, that would be something that will die out in the winter so at spring greenup, any seeds that were disturbed or came in over the winter, wouldn't have much competition.

 

[Longleaf]

One of my areas of weakness is "weed" identification. This is an area I need to improve in to make strategies like those shown in the video effective.

This was an area many are lacking. There are several really good apps you can put on your phone now that allow you to take a photo and they will give you the common and scientific names as well as some basic info. It's amazing how quickly I pick start remembering different species after looking them up. I prefer the "Seek" app. But there are some other good ones as well like "PictureThis".

Glad to see Dr. Harper's name getting thrown around in here. He's a bit of a legend across the southeast when it comes to this stuff. We like to say, he knows a thing or two because he's seen a thing or two. What always impresses me most about Craig is he is constantly learning and challenging what he thinks he knows. He'll readily admit when he is wrong, or didn't understand a certain aspect of the equation. He's a good guy and readily available if you reach out to him.

 

[yoderjac]

This was an area many are lacking. There are several really good apps you can put on your phone now that allow you to take a photo and they will give you the common and scientific names as well as some basic info. It's amazing how quickly I pick start remembering different species after looking them up. I prefer the "Seek" app. But there are some other good ones as well like "PictureThis".

Glad to see Dr. Harper's name getting thrown around in here. He's a bit of a legend across the southeast when it comes to this stuff. We like to say, he knows a thing or two because he's seen a thing or two. What always impresses me most about Craig is he is constantly learning and challenging what he thinks he knows. He'll readily admit when he is wrong, or didn't understand a certain aspect of the equation. He's a good guy and readily available if you reach out to him.

Thanks, I need to get something like that on my phone.

 

[George]

This was an area many are lacking. There are several really good apps you can put on your phone now that allow you to take a photo and they will give you the common and scientific names as well as some basic info. It's amazing how quickly I pick start remembering different species after looking them up. I prefer the "Seek" app. But there are some other good ones as well like "PictureThis".

Glad to see Dr. Harper's name getting thrown around in here. He's a bit of a legend across the southeast when it comes to this stuff. We like to say, he knows a thing or two because he's seen a thing or two. What always impresses me most about Craig is he is constantly learning and challenging what he thinks he knows. He'll readily admit when he is wrong, or didn't understand a certain aspect of the equation. He's a good guy and readily available if you reach out to him.

I contacted the man through his e-mail at the U years back, it took him about 30 seconds to respond. Jim Bruaker was running his good name down in regards to autumn olive. He clarified what he said at a field study he was at in Michigan and told me that he spends about 80% of his effort/time in the field killing the crap.

G