Foodplotting In The Mountains...The Sequel
- Thread starter dogghr
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dogghr is going to be labeled our new Leopold of the board 
G3 Ranch
Well-Known Member
Not many if any ferns here and they will be reserved to cool areas protected from weather and with deep shade (there are not many small protected areas like that when it is 100F and the SW wind gusting in southern OK). Small pockets of deep shade are necessary for animal health and well being and critter diversity.....not necessarily the whole property as a deep shade which imposes limits on critter diversity as a whole! One is more apt to find prickly pear cacti here, even in timbered areas. Much of that has to do with the effect of climate on plant diversity and complexity and man's 'past best management practice' use of the land which through ignorance of 'unintended consequences' has lead to a current degraded landscape in need of regeneration (yes, you get to deal with the long term mistakes grandpa made). When fire and thinning reduce the number of trees here (a harsh form of ecosystem regeneration), cacti are soon replaced with high seral grasses, native legumes and forbs (that succession depends on grandpa too....if he was lazy/not greedy and didn't clear all timbered areas then consider yourself blessed in native plant potential). The resulting ecosystem shift after fire and thinning results in decrease of flooding in a few years (something you can see without science). You may think that a cacti in a forest is a queer marriage....but if you consider that cacti have photosynthetic pathways different (high efficiency) from other plants and are extremely good at using scant water, then you should ask yourself the simple question of "why the hell is there a desert plant thriving in a temperate hardwood forest in a moderate rainfall zone"? It doesn't make sense now does it? Or maybe it does make sense if we educate ourselves (ie taking steps to avoid the effect of ignorance leading to unintended consequences) about the water cycle. Not hard to figure out that too many trees, can create a desertification effect (desert species present plus frequent flooding followed by frequent drought in the same landscape is your clue) in a temperate region with moderate rainfall. This should further 'turn on a light bulb' if you consider most the SW US deserts consist mainly of wood plants and cacti with sparse grasses, forbs and legumes (were they not healthy range land at one time?). Thus, water as rain is not the limitation here in the temperate moderate rainfall zone...instead undue long term water storage in the wrong plant has made 'soil water availability' the limitation! Savvy? Are we not dealing with a water storage location issue? Nature does indeed provide slow growing plants to uptake and store water (and nutrients) in their tissues for lean times (think of the SW deserts again), then the plant goes dormant during the heat (some temperate hardwood trees are well adapted to this regimen). The tree retains it's share of resources as a 'hoarding effect'. Is that tree water 'available' to other plants?...or is it lost before heat dormancy as transpiration when the plants was trying to cool itself? How does water storage in tree tissue compare to a plant like big bluestem with 14 tons of root mass below ground and those roots leaking water and nutrients to other lesser plants as they pump water from the depths? Do you see what has happened when we regenerate the land with fire and thinning and the native range plants flourish? Soil water storage capacity has increased (effects of root type and depth on water infiltration and soil storage capacity) and because plant water storage has shifted from extremely slow growing nutrient hoarding plants (excess trees) to slow growing high seral grasses which share water to lesser plants. When the water cycle has been properly restored, water storage is readily available for use and water is used more efficiently thus avoiding the boom/bust of frequent flooding/frequent drought ecosystems (desertification).
dogghr
Well-Known Member
Thanks Gator, wind was blowing so hard at times, I almost went swimming couple times. That beaver pond has been there as long as I can remember. One of my fav places.
dogghr is going to be labeled our new Leopold of the board
I don't think so Okie, just the late night ramblings of a crazy man thats been in the mountains too many years.
Thanks for the dialogue. Actually, D, I'm very familiar with cacti and desert type plant flora in eastern woodlands. Sections of the eastern mountains of WV and western mountains of VA, even up into parts of MD and PA, exists an anomaly referred to originally in the late 1800's as the Shale Barrens. These tend to be on the rain shadow/dry eastern side of these particular mountains and have sparse vegetation and includes some cacti type plants found no where else. The southern end of these barrens are actually just 30 miles east of my farm. Very unique and different landscape. I've hunted its slippery slopes since a kid. Eastern Red Cedar is one of the common trees here along with chestnut oak and scrub pine. None of these form a canopy much like the western deserts you mentioned. The oldest know eastern red cedar, which I have seen, lives here, estimated to be 940 yo!!
As for fire, I don't think that is necessarily natures way, but since she abhors a vacumn, then the subsequent growth can be more the native plants than those that man directly or indirectly caused to occur. I do think that mature forest canopy is misunderstood in your comment as it hoarding water. That is perhaps true in todays forests that were unintentionally abused in the early 1900's. These forest were not the bare leaf covered soils we see in woods today, but instead a carpet of various plants, such as mosses and ferns, all growing on a thick pack of humus from thousands of years of accumulation. That carpet was the sponge that retained water and allowed and understory to exist even in a heavy canopy forest. This can be seen in virgin patches of trees that still exist. Our assumption that forests cannot sustain a browsable and healthy under story in mature timber is a misled one. Those same mature woods fed a large population of browsers and grazers from the whitetail, to the bison, to the elk along all the lands east of the Mississippi.
Thanks all that read and comment.
Native Hunter
Well-Known Member
Breathtaking beauty in your pictures and words. Nice way to end a day in order to be recharged for tomorrow!
Thanks my friend!
Thanks my friend!
dogghr
Well-Known Member
Have to admit, some of the popup ads on this forum crack me up. Sure wakes a fellow up. Warm temps here, haven't really had a hard frost yet. Leaves on trees still holding strong. Hunting slow, and even camera pics of bucks are slim. Every pic of deer in woods they are scarfing up the acorns that are falling. Not heavy hard mast, but pretty decent. Has deer and bear scattered everywhere. Besides warm, that dang full moon making deer movements not as concentrated. That's what I'm going with anyway. Doe and non shooter bucks have been plenty when hunting, but no shooters are moving daylight for me.
Since no Sunday hunting here, went down this afternoon and sprayed Cleth on my clover and alfalfa plots. Usually not this late, but no chance to get it done, and with summer temps most this week, should do the trick. Used 16 oz cleth with 8 oz cropoil in 10 gal water/ac. Good news, is the plots doing good after finally a rain. These brassica were planted early Aug, then with no rain were overseeded couple weeks ago. Got good rain from Hurricane 10 days ago. These plots were still brown, and you can see what they did. If this had been bare dirt since early Aug, on this hillside, wouldn't be good. Sprayed, thru seed, and rolled. Deer have stayed in them even when they appeared just a brown dead mess.
Same with bottom field. Second year of planting this old barnyard, poor shale filled dirt. Looks brown, but sea of rye and clovers. Too the right, is a clover, rye, oats, pea mix thrown in on fescue. Has done good, I never sprayed that, just thru seed. Near plot is clover that I sprayed grasses today.
In case you have these holes and wonder what they are, it's skunks rooting for bugs. Since coyote population is low now, I have way too many skunks , possums, and groundhogs. Fields are full of these diggings.
Went up and moved my stand from the dead tree I mentioned. Red oaks are taking a beating here from blight. Not sure how this will all pan out. Reds, typically are more preditable in their mast each year even when whites don't produce. But while up here, acorns dropping like crazy. Stand sits down over this open ridge top about 100 yds in a thicket of new growth. Had deer come in eating nuts while I was hanging stand. How do they know you aren't hunting? I was making enough noise to scare the dead.
Deer and bear feeding on this thicket more than the clover I think. Good bedding for deer and bear since I jump both out of it year round. Upper brassica plot I showed at start, sits in the distant. No hunting for me for next two weeks due to obligations. Hopefully Halloween brings some good temps. Supposedly temps to drop by 20 deg by end of week. Good luck to all.
Since no Sunday hunting here, went down this afternoon and sprayed Cleth on my clover and alfalfa plots. Usually not this late, but no chance to get it done, and with summer temps most this week, should do the trick. Used 16 oz cleth with 8 oz cropoil in 10 gal water/ac. Good news, is the plots doing good after finally a rain. These brassica were planted early Aug, then with no rain were overseeded couple weeks ago. Got good rain from Hurricane 10 days ago. These plots were still brown, and you can see what they did. If this had been bare dirt since early Aug, on this hillside, wouldn't be good. Sprayed, thru seed, and rolled. Deer have stayed in them even when they appeared just a brown dead mess.
Same with bottom field. Second year of planting this old barnyard, poor shale filled dirt. Looks brown, but sea of rye and clovers. Too the right, is a clover, rye, oats, pea mix thrown in on fescue. Has done good, I never sprayed that, just thru seed. Near plot is clover that I sprayed grasses today.
In case you have these holes and wonder what they are, it's skunks rooting for bugs. Since coyote population is low now, I have way too many skunks , possums, and groundhogs. Fields are full of these diggings.
Went up and moved my stand from the dead tree I mentioned. Red oaks are taking a beating here from blight. Not sure how this will all pan out. Reds, typically are more preditable in their mast each year even when whites don't produce. But while up here, acorns dropping like crazy. Stand sits down over this open ridge top about 100 yds in a thicket of new growth. Had deer come in eating nuts while I was hanging stand. How do they know you aren't hunting? I was making enough noise to scare the dead.
Deer and bear feeding on this thicket more than the clover I think. Good bedding for deer and bear since I jump both out of it year round. Upper brassica plot I showed at start, sits in the distant. No hunting for me for next two weeks due to obligations. Hopefully Halloween brings some good temps. Supposedly temps to drop by 20 deg by end of week. Good luck to all.
dogghr
Well-Known Member
Yea I agree
Yea I agree Gator, I told my son to be sure and hunt Fri as the temp drop will be 20 deg with NW wind. They should be moving and his stand sits in the best buck area of the farm. Good luck with your hunts, I'll pick up at Halloweeny.I'm hoping the high temps this week keep everything laid low then the cool front coming thru this coming weekend will have them all over the place. Of course that is all just wishful thinking but I need somethign to get me thru this workday
dogghr
Well-Known Member
Thanks Weasel. I've got pokewees scattered but here at this old cattle barn site it grows really thick. Ugly stuff but birds and mammmals love it. Adjacent to food plot so nice screen. Also near it is a groundhog hole big enough to turn over a tractor. I've tried to kill that hog but thicket gives him great escape. Of course I'm using bow so guess should bring out cannon.
lakngolf
Well-Known Member
I would like a post card with these two please. Beautiful countryside this time of the year!
G3 Ranch
Well-Known Member
Just an update on the LC mix with alfalfa & chicory, the plot overall is doing good, alfalfa & chicory is pretty thin but looks healthy. Things in this plot got setback from armyworms awhile back. I'll prob frost seed some more alfalfa. I'll post a couple pics in a sec.
G3 Ranch
Well-Known Member
dogghr
Well-Known Member
The radish are doing really well.
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Awesome G3. I love the variety. And despite what some think, you can overseed early spring alfalfa and it does well. Hope it gives you a great buck.
My SIL was at farm sat getting my tractor and I was showing him around. Between drought and heavy browse I had to look close to show him alfalfa in this field. They have the clover ,chicory, and alfalfa eaten to an inch despite good acorn crop on ground. I was going to double size of pot this fall but dry weather made me postpone for this year. Congrats
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G3 Ranch
Well-Known Member
Thanks,
I've had a couple nice buck encounters already, stars haven't aligned just yet.
dogghr
Well-Known Member
Few quick pics then serious hunting begins this week.
SIL came up Sat to borrow my tractor for the winter to work a neglected horse farm he and my daughter bought in NC. For those that have never hauled their heavy equipment just a few pointers. Always load with trailer level or slightly uphill, never facing downhill. Keep tractor weight centered over axles of trailer. Chain tractor axles from opposite sides in a cross brace and tighten with snatches either the ratchet, or come along types. Don't skimp on chain size. Pass hook of chain down thru trailer clamp hooks and back up thru which keep them from bouncing free, if something loosens. Strap seperately bucket and mowers. Adjust hitch weight so it is slightly tongue heavy, never tail heavy, unless you want to have a intimate conversation with God going down the highway, which I have had. Check straps 30 min down the road.
At any rate, he made it home and mowed this crap the next day in one field.
Some discussion of peeing and scrapemaking on here. Make scrape. Have licking branch about 5 ft off ground, this one is actually a cut twig ziptied to another limb to get in position.
Pee in scrape.
Let deer do their stuff. Had this and other bucks working this scrape last week in 80 deg temps mid day and hour before dark. I seldom hunt my fields till end of season, but this year.....
Rut starting to kick despite warm temps. Found more scraping activity on ridges than seen for long time for some reason. Some video of chasing but does not interested.
SIL came up Sat to borrow my tractor for the winter to work a neglected horse farm he and my daughter bought in NC. For those that have never hauled their heavy equipment just a few pointers. Always load with trailer level or slightly uphill, never facing downhill. Keep tractor weight centered over axles of trailer. Chain tractor axles from opposite sides in a cross brace and tighten with snatches either the ratchet, or come along types. Don't skimp on chain size. Pass hook of chain down thru trailer clamp hooks and back up thru which keep them from bouncing free, if something loosens. Strap seperately bucket and mowers. Adjust hitch weight so it is slightly tongue heavy, never tail heavy, unless you want to have a intimate conversation with God going down the highway, which I have had. Check straps 30 min down the road.
At any rate, he made it home and mowed this crap the next day in one field.
Some discussion of peeing and scrapemaking on here. Make scrape. Have licking branch about 5 ft off ground, this one is actually a cut twig ziptied to another limb to get in position.
Pee in scrape.
Let deer do their stuff. Had this and other bucks working this scrape last week in 80 deg temps mid day and hour before dark. I seldom hunt my fields till end of season, but this year.....
Rut starting to kick despite warm temps. Found more scraping activity on ridges than seen for long time for some reason. Some video of chasing but does not interested.
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