Eastern NC 35

If you want to use up that pine mulch, you're gonna have to really pour the nitrogen on it, and till it. That'll get it going the fastest. I'd also avoid high carbon plot species like grains. If you've made progress on the soil ph, I'd work it up good, plant to a clover mix and let that go for a few years. Oxygen and nitrogen will speed up the eating of your carbon.
 
I honestly planted grains just because I knew they would sprout. My plan was to keep turning it over and planting to break it down, but fertilizer is cheaper! Thanks for the help because I have 3 areas like this that I want to plant.

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I think clearing sight lines into a sanctuary are OK. Not making a lane or openings, but narrow shooting lanes to compliment your stand locations. It don't take much - do it way in advance of hunting season. By hunting season every animal feels safe in their comfort zone.
 
That's what i was thinking, right along the property lines and 1 lane that runs perpendicular to the line. It's really think in that sanctuary, can't walk through it, so still plenty of cover and bedding. Maybe this spring I will clear a lane for a late season stand

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Flooding rain? What the heck is that? Ha.
Congrats on the buck. Your hard work paid off!
 
Markdarvin, the surface of that mulch pile as we call it is pretty rough with lots of pieces of bark still on the top. Do you think a small seed like clover will be able to sprout and maintain in that area? Would a truckload of grass clippings (high nitrogen) also speed up the breakdown like it was a big compost pile?
 
browsed turnips16.jpg If you look close you can see some bare stems. In this section of the plot they would eat the whole leaf, not sure which brassicas they are favoring. In the other section they are nibbling on the tips of the leaves and stopping short of the stem. So far I am the only one eating the golfball sized turnips!
 
coyote16.jpg Caught this guy trying to slip into my clover plot, checking for mr cottontail I guess. My daughter asked why I shot him and then didnt bring him home to eat like a deer. After I explained how many baby rabbits, turkeys, and squirrels this guy could eat she wanted to go yote hunting with dad.
 
I don't think the grass clippings would do much for you without being tilled in. As far as clover goes, if you're concerned about it hitting soil, a light dragging would knock if off any pieces it gets hung up on. If you can't do that, I'd just up your rate a little. Odds are it'll bounce around pretty good and most of it will find soil.
 
So early spring I will try some oats and crimson clover in the mulch pile. Spread oats, drag, spread clover and cultipack. hopefully there is some rye left from this fall that can be mowed over for thatch.
 
Hunted saturday and checked the plots. Going on 4 weeks without any rain and a few of the plots are starting to show. White clover is still doing great, no signs of slowing down except from browsing. Rye and red clover has been browsed the hardest ( long narrow strip) and lack of rain starting to slow it down. Brassicas have not grown any in the last 2 weeks, small ones turning purple. Next year will definitely follow recommended seedings, up the poundages this year and I believe that they are crowded. A few smaller ones have some holes from insect damage so I will have to rotate them to different plot next year. The back plot was the poorest soil so I went straight rye and drought has got it looking very thin and scraggly. I hope with cooler temps it will conserve some water and make it through til spring. I did overseed about 50 lbs of rye to the 1/2 acre and hope birds leave it alone til it can get some rain.
 
Wife wanted to shop so I got to hunt a weekday afternoon. Coldest day time temperature of the year so far, wind was right to hunt my best stand. Got in stand around 330, sunset at 5:15. Condititions felt perfect. Then neighbor to the north shoots, maybe 500 yds away. Then neighbor to the west shoots and shoots again. Light goes away and I never saw a deer. First time I have sat with good weather and not seen a deer. Deer activity should be up with the rut starting, but with few acorns I believe the does have moved off my plots back into the woods for a few days.
 
Hunted 2 mornings this past long weekend. Both days weather was just about perfect. Cold north wind that was best for my stands, just blowing about 20 knots. Saw 2 little bucks checking the plots for does but that was the only action. Checked cards after 2nd hunt and all activity at the plots and shooting lanes is nocturnal. It seems that when crops started looking ragged from drought, the deer disappeared (could be acorns at the same time). Finally got a good soaking rain last night so hopefully the crops will perk up for once the acorns are gone.
 
Yotes are the only animal I will shoot and not eat. I regretted shooting him immediately cause when I shot I heard a deer take off through the thickets. But long term it was the right call.
 
here is the approximate soil profile for my little farm
upload_2016-11-15_12-52-55.png
Ls is liddell silt loam and EM is exum loam
Ls is considered prime farmland according USDA if properly drained and based on the trees and the flooding of the plots this makes sense for this back 2/3rds of the property
All areas Exum loam are considered prime farmland. Based on the tree plantings in this area this soil does appear deeper and richer than the back 2/3. Most of that area is left natural thickets as a road screen.
I did not research AYb2 since it is such as small areas of the farm
 
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So ordered some trees for late winter plantings. Still have some ares to clear to have enough room and light to plants. I am planting in 3 general areas, front, middle and back. For each areas I wanted to make sure I had full season variety of foods, so I have full size oaks, shrub hard mast and soft mast in each plots. Each sections will get a mix of bareroot bur, chinquapin, and sawtooth oaks. The plan is...
Front plot (has no native oaks)
20 bareroot wild plums
15 container Crabapples
25 mix of oaks

Middle plot (few native oaks)
15 container pears
25 bareroot persimmon
25 mix of oaks

Back plot (good amount of oaks, need to be released)
25 chinquapin
25 chestnuts
15 mix of oaks

Most of the them will be planted along north side of trails and surrounding existing food plots. The back area will have a triangle orchard surrounded by thick briars.
 
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