Egyptian wheat....mowing.....planned grazing
- Thread starter dgallow
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catscratch
Well-Known Member
Do you know what the fur market is like this yr? I've heard that everything is down but haven't checked for myself. I would sure like to see coons at $20+.
Market is down from what I heard earlier this year....surplus in storage the reason. Just try to keep pressure on nest predators each year....not enough money anymore to pay gas bill. Had a guest today....just one medium boar on the line.
We finished efence back in native unit late eve and checked perimeter hard fence. Had to splice two wires....not bad!
First grazing cut will be Savannah and thinned woodland.
Second cut will be all regrowth from March 2016 fire/ thin.
Big blue and Indian coming in on fair weather ditch....nice cool season component too!
Third cut will be an old field, two years post fire and one season of growth since grazing last winter. Often see deer bedded upper slope when temps drop.
Herd will have access to the whole 55 ac for an additional week to get full impact.
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We finished efence back in native unit late eve and checked perimeter hard fence. Had to splice two wires....not bad!
First grazing cut will be Savannah and thinned woodland.
Second cut will be all regrowth from March 2016 fire/ thin.
Big blue and Indian coming in on fair weather ditch....nice cool season component too!
Third cut will be an old field, two years post fire and one season of growth since grazing last winter. Often see deer bedded upper slope when temps drop.
Herd will have access to the whole 55 ac for an additional week to get full impact.
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catscratch
Well-Known Member
I used you cracker box trap system yesterday.
A double on it's first night:
Coyote and coon sets weren't nearly as productive.
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A double on it's first night:
Coyote and coon sets weren't nearly as productive.
Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk
Last edited:
Double header....that is cool! No rats here lately. 1 coon and 4 grinners yesterday. 1 grinner today.
Yesterday's boar was large. We met face to face....literally! Last set of the day.
Found a decent shed today on the line....bladed brow
tine is neat....good mass for a 2-3 yo. Obviously fresh but not a clean shed. Substantial pus and a skull fragment on pedicle....tried to get that in pic. May turn out to be a weird NT or a dud next year.
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Yesterday's boar was large. We met face to face....literally! Last set of the day.
Found a decent shed today on the line....bladed brow
tine is neat....good mass for a 2-3 yo. Obviously fresh but not a clean shed. Substantial pus and a skull fragment on pedicle....tried to get that in pic. May turn out to be a weird NT or a dud next year.
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catscratch
Well-Known Member
I don't like coons face to face. Can get hairy in a hurry.
Caught another mouse in the same set as the double yesterday... in my daily driver
No yotes or coon in those sets this morning, but I did shoot a coyote from the office window. I'm going to claim that he went up wind of my sets and deny that he may have investigated and not got caught.
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Caught another mouse in the same set as the double yesterday... in my daily driver
No yotes or coon in those sets this morning, but I did shoot a coyote from the office window. I'm going to claim that he went up wind of my sets and deny that he may have investigated and not got caught.
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Cat we have room for more ducks of you can spare a few flights. SIL wanted to go so we sat a pond which held a dozen yesterday. Slow morning and did the best we could on the only two flights. Guy sitting next to me had a off day with the gauge or we would have a bag of 6.
The line held 1 each is coon, grinner and skunk. That makes 5, 6 and 1 total for the week. "Momma got caught with both hands in the cookie jar!"....first sow of the season.
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The line held 1 each is coon, grinner and skunk. That makes 5, 6 and 1 total for the week. "Momma got caught with both hands in the cookie jar!"....first sow of the season.
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catscratch
Well-Known Member
You're putting a dent in them! Keep catching the critters.
I sent the ducks your way about a week ago. I hope they got the memo to stop a few days at your place (ducks have great eyesight but I fear they don't take instruction well).
All we have left is eagle's, and they are eating our bass so we've decided to join them.
Had to fight the wind to catch anything.
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I sent the ducks your way about a week ago. I hope they got the memo to stop a few days at your place (ducks have great eyesight but I fear they don't take instruction well).
All we have left is eagle's, and they are eating our bass so we've decided to join them.
Had to fight the wind to catch anything.
Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk
deer patch
Well-Known Member
Is it not a little early for shedding in your area? You are helping the nesting for this spring that's for sure. No ducks here either and usually we have some by now.
Dad and I done some hinging today and burned 3 or 4 tank fulls. I'm going to have to invest in a smaller saw because my arm is killing me.
Dad and I done some hinging today and burned 3 or 4 tank fulls. I'm going to have to invest in a smaller saw because my arm is killing me.
deer patch
Well-Known Member
You get any rain out of the storm that passed thru?
Cat, they either ain't made it yet or flew down to TX. Hunted the next and we got 1 gray duck drake. Fog set in and had a few low flights but they never blinked at our set. Added one more grinner and snapped the line to let it rest a week. Coon are far and few in between.
Patch we got some mist and that was it. Humus in better soils is holding ample moisture and got some regrowth during the warm spell. Cows are making the second hit on that 150 d stockpile from summer....herd spent the first half day mowing fescue and were hitting dormant Bermuda the second day. This is about average fescue regrowth with 56 d recovery....that pic is bottomland too.
Front tire came off rim on tractor so lost a morning in town getting it fixed. Some of that 'nesting cover' has gotten so thick that plant diversity has resorted to a few cool season species underneath. Briers, brambles and honey locust can get soo thick that you lose both cow days and deer days per ac. In fact, there were very few woody species in there that were thornless! This 'soft edge' ain't so damn soft anymore! I've been dropping the mower deck down low to set this stuff back and encourage more diversity.....hitting cut stumps with remedy/diesel. Will likely drag the drill through here in late Feb and plant a diverse cool season mix heavy on oats.....then graze it hard and do a summer mix heavy on EW and pearl millet. The bigger stuff I will have to drop with the saw then mow over it....cut wood for the kids today so had enough of the big saw! Get you one of them top-handles and some full chisel chain....you won't regret it!
Just remember.....when you think your having a bad day.....things could get much worse! I think I've seen it all now!
Patch we got some mist and that was it. Humus in better soils is holding ample moisture and got some regrowth during the warm spell. Cows are making the second hit on that 150 d stockpile from summer....herd spent the first half day mowing fescue and were hitting dormant Bermuda the second day. This is about average fescue regrowth with 56 d recovery....that pic is bottomland too.
Front tire came off rim on tractor so lost a morning in town getting it fixed. Some of that 'nesting cover' has gotten so thick that plant diversity has resorted to a few cool season species underneath. Briers, brambles and honey locust can get soo thick that you lose both cow days and deer days per ac. In fact, there were very few woody species in there that were thornless! This 'soft edge' ain't so damn soft anymore! I've been dropping the mower deck down low to set this stuff back and encourage more diversity.....hitting cut stumps with remedy/diesel. Will likely drag the drill through here in late Feb and plant a diverse cool season mix heavy on oats.....then graze it hard and do a summer mix heavy on EW and pearl millet. The bigger stuff I will have to drop with the saw then mow over it....cut wood for the kids today so had enough of the big saw! Get you one of them top-handles and some full chisel chain....you won't regret it!
Just remember.....when you think your having a bad day.....things could get much worse! I think I've seen it all now!
dogdoc
Well-Known Member
Post rut frustration
How offensive! I may never recover.
catscratch
Well-Known Member
The ducks didn't come back, so they must have flown straight to TX.
From the looks of the pic, you had to mow some pretty thick stuff. Will you get many forbs to pop up in the woody area you mowed?
Had some short yote fur in a sprung trap. I figure it is the little bit of fur that pushes down between the toes. The chain wasn't even pulled tight, trap just setting there sprung in the middle of the set. I hate to miss as he is now educated and I doubt I'm a good enough trapper to get another chance at him.
Coon traps still empty.
Not seeing any varmints at all. One of my boys shot a bird at the edge of our yard almost a week ago. It's still laying there. Very unusual for a free meal to not get scarfed up on the first night, let alone stay there for a week.
That is a neat shed. I hope he turns into some crazy palmated buck next yr for you.
From the looks of the pic, you had to mow some pretty thick stuff. Will you get many forbs to pop up in the woody area you mowed?
Had some short yote fur in a sprung trap. I figure it is the little bit of fur that pushes down between the toes. The chain wasn't even pulled tight, trap just setting there sprung in the middle of the set. I hate to miss as he is now educated and I doubt I'm a good enough trapper to get another chance at him.
Coon traps still empty.
Not seeing any varmints at all. One of my boys shot a bird at the edge of our yard almost a week ago. It's still laying there. Very unusual for a free meal to not get scarfed up on the first night, let alone stay there for a week.
That is a neat shed. I hope he turns into some crazy palmated buck next yr for you.
No telling what will pop up now that sunlight is hitting the soil and the soil is incredibly tilthy...those briers trap many seeds which the floods bring down stream! IF my memory is correct, that brush is regrowth from an 013 or 014 contracted mowing during the growing season. The brush mulches really well which will promote soil fungi. An interesting side note.....there wasn't a green leaf on those tall briers or blackberry....but small patches that I mowed back in August had small green leaves which deer could use.....hard freeze knocks off most green brier leaf here...but not if cut for whatever reason...we may be extending the brier growth curve by late summer mowing.....the problem with summer mowing is you can't see rocks in those briers...that is why I mow in winter. Anyway, I left a swath of brush on each side of the creek bank to help stabilize soil and it's good time of year to add some willow live stakes in cut banks. Found a couple pools which still had good stock water so that is a plus for strip grazing. That is the area where tall guara showed up last year and tickseed sunflower last 2 years....and some forbs which deer hammer but I haven't identified....so plenty diverse....most right now is cool season forbs and odd cool season grasses. To give you an idea of how thick the brush was....there were some huge clumps of big blue and indiangrass and nice fescue which the cows haven't touched in 2 years.....poke weed stalks the size of a baseball bat, 6' tall ironweed and late boneset. Will take a 4 fold approach to this over a couple years and see how it does.....dill cool season mix late winter (fall next year), high density graze in late-May, drill warm season mix both years, high density graze in late summer...need to shift the soil more toward bacteria....broadcast low rate of switch along creek banks and 2 ac flat ground on native side upon spring grazing.....prolly looking at 90+ day recovery periods for both of those paddocks, even though one side is mainly tame pasture...treat both as 'improved' riparian zones. Soil type is Verdigris silt loam.....so it has higher production potential than what you see....these paddocks are narrow 300' and ~3/4 mile long (about 2/3rd Verdigris and 1/3rd really rough Enders Hector. https://soilseries.sc.egov.usda.gov/OSD_Docs/V/VERDIGRIS.html
Again the goal of this is not brush eradication.....instead brush suppression and herbaceous plant diversity increase. The nightmare will be keeping honey locust in check!
Again the goal of this is not brush eradication.....instead brush suppression and herbaceous plant diversity increase. The nightmare will be keeping honey locust in check!
deer patch
Well-Known Member
Ours are still holding. I saw that 8 pt I texted you awhile back three days in a row during our Christmas hunt. I had a lot of time to study him and age him at 4 yr old now.
Deer haven't used plot here at house like they normally do so turned cows into it to graze it down some. Wheat is starting to put on some new growth here but these cold nights this week won't help any.
Is it really drought? Or other caveats of weather and soil which affect plant growth?
We are in severe drought according to drought monitor which is based on departure from 20 yr rainfall averages for each month.
Available plant water is about 90% (~2.5-3") at 16" depth. At 32" depth, soil is much drier due to lack of high rainfall events over last 90 days...that is not a concern until June! Drought monitors do not take into account soil water storage capacity nor SOM levels.
I want you to remember this adage in terms of winter forage growth...."1 day in Sept and Oct is worth 2 days in Nov Dec and Jan!"
In pic above, soil water is ample for growth of winter annuals. Here is a pic of soil temperatures this last week. Soil microbial activity, root uptake of nutrients, photosynthetic capacity and plant growth are suppressed when soil temp is below 50F. This is called the 'dormant season' or 'period of slow plant growth'.
Two other factors are worth mentioning. Angle of sun to earth is least in Dec and growing degree days the shortest. Days are getting longer so that is a good thing come late Feb! Second, clouds reduce photosynthesis. When sun angle is low the more cloudy days you have the slower plant growth and longer plant recovery period after grazing. We had substantial cloud cover the last 30 days. Last year we had ample plant recovery in 70d for a second winter grazing. This year ~120 days will be required unless abnormally warm weather returns.
Do you have drought or do you have a soil potassium deficiency? The two are hard to separate. The best way to create a potash deficiency is to apply only N which spikes plant growth and creates lean times for uptake of other nutrients. That is why I always recommend 1 lb of K20 for every 1 lb of N applied....every time N is applied. Did you know the cow excretes 1.5-2x potassium as she does N? What about deer which consume a higher quality diet than the cow? Do you see the pattern there?
Both pictures below are from the same pasture with 20 days recovery since last grazing. 49 days of recovery is about twice the height but still below the 6-8" height needed for a second grazing.
Growth of rye/triticale on a well drained loam soil. Soil test potash was 330 lb/ac (optimum+) a few years ago. Dormant warm season thatch and full soil cover is a Godsend when it's dry and or cold! Yes, cereal rye and triticale are able to grow when soil is quite cold (down to about 30F)....but that is slow growth and may not supply sufficient regrowth for more than 2 grazings in winter (either with cattle or with deer....with deer can be even slower than with cattle since deer tend to graze plants more severly).
Mixed winter annuals in a long term cattle loafing area.....1000 lb/ac potash. Fastest recovery in winter will occur here....the area can be monitored from the truck seat! That is if deer let it regrow! I don't recommend 1000 lb/ac potash levels in soil.....'optimum plus' on the soil test should suffice!
Google 'potassium plant water relations' and all sorts of articles discussing how low potassium levels accentuate drought can be found. Here is one example with tomato:
https://www.jstor.org/stable/42938634?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents
Contingency plan for the cow is to graze stockpiled native rangeland until late Feb when cool season forages on tame pasture break dormancy and provide ample forage for grazing. Forage in this pic is 280 days of regrowth since last prescribed fire. Note the biomass of stockpiled green as that is what cows will seek first. Keep in mind prescribed fire adds a lot of potassium back to the soil in the form of wood ash....and we never need to apply N to these native soils!
Drought? In June, I will make that decision!
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We are in severe drought according to drought monitor which is based on departure from 20 yr rainfall averages for each month.
Available plant water is about 90% (~2.5-3") at 16" depth. At 32" depth, soil is much drier due to lack of high rainfall events over last 90 days...that is not a concern until June! Drought monitors do not take into account soil water storage capacity nor SOM levels.
I want you to remember this adage in terms of winter forage growth...."1 day in Sept and Oct is worth 2 days in Nov Dec and Jan!"
In pic above, soil water is ample for growth of winter annuals. Here is a pic of soil temperatures this last week. Soil microbial activity, root uptake of nutrients, photosynthetic capacity and plant growth are suppressed when soil temp is below 50F. This is called the 'dormant season' or 'period of slow plant growth'.
Two other factors are worth mentioning. Angle of sun to earth is least in Dec and growing degree days the shortest. Days are getting longer so that is a good thing come late Feb! Second, clouds reduce photosynthesis. When sun angle is low the more cloudy days you have the slower plant growth and longer plant recovery period after grazing. We had substantial cloud cover the last 30 days. Last year we had ample plant recovery in 70d for a second winter grazing. This year ~120 days will be required unless abnormally warm weather returns.
Do you have drought or do you have a soil potassium deficiency? The two are hard to separate. The best way to create a potash deficiency is to apply only N which spikes plant growth and creates lean times for uptake of other nutrients. That is why I always recommend 1 lb of K20 for every 1 lb of N applied....every time N is applied. Did you know the cow excretes 1.5-2x potassium as she does N? What about deer which consume a higher quality diet than the cow? Do you see the pattern there?
Both pictures below are from the same pasture with 20 days recovery since last grazing. 49 days of recovery is about twice the height but still below the 6-8" height needed for a second grazing.
Growth of rye/triticale on a well drained loam soil. Soil test potash was 330 lb/ac (optimum+) a few years ago. Dormant warm season thatch and full soil cover is a Godsend when it's dry and or cold! Yes, cereal rye and triticale are able to grow when soil is quite cold (down to about 30F)....but that is slow growth and may not supply sufficient regrowth for more than 2 grazings in winter (either with cattle or with deer....with deer can be even slower than with cattle since deer tend to graze plants more severly).
Mixed winter annuals in a long term cattle loafing area.....1000 lb/ac potash. Fastest recovery in winter will occur here....the area can be monitored from the truck seat! That is if deer let it regrow! I don't recommend 1000 lb/ac potash levels in soil.....'optimum plus' on the soil test should suffice!
Google 'potassium plant water relations' and all sorts of articles discussing how low potassium levels accentuate drought can be found. Here is one example with tomato:
https://www.jstor.org/stable/42938634?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents
Contingency plan for the cow is to graze stockpiled native rangeland until late Feb when cool season forages on tame pasture break dormancy and provide ample forage for grazing. Forage in this pic is 280 days of regrowth since last prescribed fire. Note the biomass of stockpiled green as that is what cows will seek first. Keep in mind prescribed fire adds a lot of potassium back to the soil in the form of wood ash....and we never need to apply N to these native soils!
Drought? In June, I will make that decision!
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The woes of being a grandpa have arrived. Mid-last week saw birthing of a golf ball sized rhoid.....witch hazel was of little reprieve....a bi-decade visit to the doc brought hydrocortisone cream which actually provides relief....this week started treatment with 35 caliber butt bullets of the same active med. Kinda like buck in pic a couple pages up....this old man is not having the best of days! If you think getting old is rough.....keep in mind it will get worse!
SIL is working off-site in MS....so that is a guarantee the oldest daughter will spend a disproportionate share of time in her mother's nest! And.....she will drag along the hellion of a grandchild we call "Moosifer"...and those eyes which have always melted me to my knees will bat luringly and a heavenly voice will ask, "Daddy, can you help me train 'Moosifer' while I run to the store?" Some things you don't argue about with women...you just say "Yes Ma'am!" then do what is needed! Moosifer's first 'lesson' was to simply stay in the truck bed and watch me clean the chainsaw. Which sounds rather uneventful unless you have a pup unsure of life in one hand and an air hose in the other.....like oil and water they don't mix well! By the end of the lesson both Moosifer and the air wand became good friends with no anxiety in the air! A power walk through the thickest stuff possible was then in order to release the demonic energy from from this hellion grand pup! This ploy worked well and earned the old man a night on the town with his daughter to watch Rogue 1 at the theater....guess I am an official Trekie!Such ploy left grandma to babysit the beast! Being a grandpa involves outwitting the women folk which is fairly easy.....outwitting the grand pups calls for a much larger bag of tricks! Meet Moosifer...another unanticipated pain of old age!
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SIL is working off-site in MS....so that is a guarantee the oldest daughter will spend a disproportionate share of time in her mother's nest! And.....she will drag along the hellion of a grandchild we call "Moosifer"...and those eyes which have always melted me to my knees will bat luringly and a heavenly voice will ask, "Daddy, can you help me train 'Moosifer' while I run to the store?" Some things you don't argue about with women...you just say "Yes Ma'am!" then do what is needed! Moosifer's first 'lesson' was to simply stay in the truck bed and watch me clean the chainsaw. Which sounds rather uneventful unless you have a pup unsure of life in one hand and an air hose in the other.....like oil and water they don't mix well! By the end of the lesson both Moosifer and the air wand became good friends with no anxiety in the air! A power walk through the thickest stuff possible was then in order to release the demonic energy from from this hellion grand pup! This ploy worked well and earned the old man a night on the town with his daughter to watch Rogue 1 at the theater....guess I am an official Trekie!Such ploy left grandma to babysit the beast! Being a grandpa involves outwitting the women folk which is fairly easy.....outwitting the grand pups calls for a much larger bag of tricks! Meet Moosifer...another unanticipated pain of old age!
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