Foodplotting In The Mountains...The Sequel

[dgallow]

Wow, you have some cold temps there in WV, but the ice and snow make the landscape even more beautiful. Enjoy your posts and pictures. Good numbers on all your wildlife, as Billy Currington would say "must be doing something right"

I believe dogghr's place is above 1500' elevation and that is the tipping point for cold or really cold weather in mountain country.

 

[dogghr]

I didn't say a damned word!....this kinda crap is what has frustrated me for the last several years.....so I am ready to be done with custom herds! Would rather have our own herd and take responsibility for our mistakes being 160 miles away and keep the timing of things in our favor...than have to deal with people who have no planning again! Spent the last couple hours of light running the saw and moving slash away from fire breaks....good way to relieve tension!

Good answer. I"m no therapist but I might detect a bit of frustration with your steak on the hoof partner.. And any good therapist help lead a person to develop their own solution to a problem they might be dealing with. I think you gave done just that. Smaller herd of your own, less work, less frustration, more profit. I think you've got this. You can thank me latter ( BTW I love those great midwestern beef steak more than thank you notes).

 

[dogghr]

I believe dogghr's place is above 1500' elevation and that is the tipping point for cold or really cold weather in mountain country.

Yep my house sits at 2700 ft, farm butts 4000, just a foot stool for Geo's Rockies.

 

[dogghr]

Nasyy day here today so do a few pics for those that are bored. Went back out yesterday and did some hinging and bit of a walkabout. checking browse levels. Plant what you will but it is in these wicked months of Jan-March that the deer are so dependant on thermal coverage and natural browse. This is the area I have spoke that I began a Cluster hinge last year. It sits about 100+ yds from my alfalfa field. Would occassionally see deer along this point, but after starting this RandomCluster, I saw deer bedded everytime back here. I jumped 5 as I went here yesterday. I'm standing on one of several beds as I take this pic. I don't find deer bed in this mess, but they bed at its edges based on wind directions. But one great thing of creating this is the browse you put at deer level. I want this opened up with canopy so it thickens with hopefully small tree and GB. I tend to leave the larger trees for mast production and any pine for future thermal planting they will do.



All this sits almost in sight of my alfalfa field. Can't plant alfalfa and clover without constant management including baling? Deer won't feed on alfalfa thru the winter? Bull crap. Exclusion cage shows 6 inches of growth over this browse. Field is littered with deer poop. One of the best moves I've made on this dry ridgetop. Don't accept the ramblings of even some of the experts, but instead if you want to try something outside the box, go for it. You might just find they were wrong from the start.

But here is the delima we are facing in this country. You remember me speaking of cutting some red oak for a wood project I had going and how several of the apparent healthy trees were already diseased within. Here you can see the beginnings of the rot in the dark sections of the lumber. These, as are probably most, are dead trees walking. Oak wilt, blight, gypsy moth have taken their toll for the last 20 years. Across the mountain from me are thousands of acres of prime oak that are dead from gypsy moth. A desert of mature acorn produciing trees. Our forests are in a huge transition and this change may affect our game animals eventually.



Be careful with you hinging. Watch the color of wood the chainsaw throws out, keep and eye on how the tree is moving, and pay attention to the ground beneath your feet, should it begin to move. Hinged is dangerous, more so than notching and dropping huge trees. I actually tripped and fell as I jumped away from this tree. I cut it to show this pic as I knew it was in bad shape. Pay attention to where you place your stands also.



But with death springs life. I was saddened to lose this massive white oak tree that sat near one of my stands, but it will be replaced by the understory, and the rot it brings will give back to the soil. Constant change, never static whether it be your forests, plots, or deer.


So with disaster lingering to happen in my forests, do I become more aggressive in timbering what may soon die? Or do I continue to micro manage for mature and successional growth on my land. Habitat questions that I constantly wrestle with. But you as a land manager, despite knowing the browse potential of new growth, have to stand and admire a huge white oak such as this. What stories could it tell. Where was I , or should I say my parents, when it first began life from the lowly acorn? How many tons of food has it produced for the bear, squirrel, turkey, deer over those many decades? How many new white oaks has it planted as the squirells carried the acorns across my mountains.? Hard to cut such a money making specimen in my mind. But perhaps....


And beneath her lies a mini food plot of variaus plants and the almighty acorn. Maybe Dr. Grant doesn't think much of them, and I believe that's because it makes his hunting more difficult, but that's what makes good hunters. It shouldn't be easy.


And just adjacent to that area, is the best buck hunting area on my property. These finger draws extend to the top ridge at a saddle, which is surrounded by and oak flat and that surrounded by nasty thick thermal cover. I never hunt here however. Why? Because this is my sons hunting area and let him have full reign on it. Lucky guy, I'm envious.



Water holes need not be fancy. This serves purpose. Can see well worn trail beside it. Got tractor stuck for a few minutes making it couple years ago, but tha's another story.

 

[dogghr]

Now thru March, check your browse. If the deer have not eaten past the first nuckel or two, i.e., inch or so, then your native browse is good. If not, then increase browse levels, and/or reduce deer numbers. In the beginning this shrub would have been eaten all the way down. As you can see, now as I have improved browse, it is pretty normal limits.


Lots of talk of EW and screening. I tried that one year, and the cost and effort and results were just not for me. By the time October had ended the wind, ice, and snow had it mostly on the ground. Why not let nature do it for you? Here is 8 foot goldenrod that grew for free. Gave great screening and with all our weather of foot of snow, ice, and 50 mph winds, it still stands. Was a thick screen until late Dec. I just let it grow, and where I don't want it, mow back in late summer, and it stays away. Easy and effective.


And why I fight the land I don't know. Am constantly planting pines to cover this hill with poor results, meanwhile, nature has planted dozens of cedars without my help. None of these were here 6 years ago. Not my favorite pine, but I tire of fighting nature.


I used to have several of these old wooden gates on the farm. All have slowly rotted away except for this one. Kinda miss them. Some poor farmer just trying to make a living and a lot smarter than me on management.


Just last pic, tough little animals. Enjoy your land, and let the plants and animals teach you much. Peace.





I'm the king of my own land
Facing tempests of dust, I'll fight until the end
Creatures of my dreams raise up and dance with me!
Now and forever, I'm your king! Outro by M83

 

[Chainsaw]

Great walkabout and narrative dogghr, enjoyed it very much. Like you I have finally come to the conclusion that the good stuff that grows here wild can be encouraged and the bad stuff can be discouraged. Completely changing what grows naturally however is not in the picture.

I'm very sorry to read about your oak trees.

 

[dgallow]

Ahh....the debates about how much of this or that plant class is needed in the landscape....if you were to ask me, I will tell you 30% of each of the 10 plant classes is needed on the landscape.....correct that adds up to 300%. The reason being that animal needs are on a short term basis while land planning is long term. This long term plan is based upon using solar energy to deliver soil elements and plant nutrients to the animal in the most efficient manner possible. Mature trees are quite good at long term nutrient storage yet spotty or inconsistent delivery of sort term energy delivery to the animal....nutrient turnover is slow. Buds on dormant twigs contain nutrients....but what portion of the twig is energy and what portion woody filler?....IMO the twig is nothing more than filler to slow rate of food passage during lean times or periods of reduced intake....turnover of nutrients in browse similarly as slow as tree. Lb for lb......forbs (leguminous and non-leguminous and immature grass) you will find most useful at performing the cycles mentioned above and feeding the intended target animal.....rather fast rate of nutrient turnover. High quality browse is a confounding statement as during the dormant there is paucity of actively growing leaf or even green leaf! Read your post in KC while reading a book in between vball matches. Snapped a pic of a page from "How Not Go Broke Ranching!" By Walt Davis. At least for me, landscape decisions are much easier made when thinking in terms of water cycle, nutrient cycle and energy flow. So what plants are the deer terds telling you what deer desire in winter?

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[George]

Great post up dogghr.

G

 

[dogghr]

Ahh....the debates about how much of this or that plant class is needed in the landscape....if you were to ask me, I will tell you 30% of each of the 10 plant classes is needed on the landscape.....correct that adds up to 300%. The reason being that animal needs are on a short term basis while land planning is long term. This long term plan is based upon using solar energy to deliver soil elements and plant nutrients to the animal in the most efficient manner possible. Mature trees are quite good at long term nutrient storage yet spotty or inconsistent delivery of sort term energy delivery to the animal....nutrient turnover is slow. Buds on dormant twigs contain nutrients....but what portion of the twig is energy and what portion woody filler?....IMO the twig is nothing more than filler to slow rate of food passage during lean times or periods of reduced intake....turnover of nutrients in browse similarly as slow as tree. Lb for lb......forbs (leguminous and non-leguminous and immature grass) you will find most useful at performing the cycles mentioned above and feeding the intended target animal.....rather fast rate of nutrient turnover. High quality browse is a confounding statement as during the dormant there is paucity of actively growing leaf or even green leaf! Read your post in KC while reading a book in between vball matches. Snapped a pic of a page from "How Not Go Broke Ranching!" By Walt Davis. At least for me, landscape decisions are much easier made when thinking in terms of water cycle, nutrient cycle and energy flow. So what plants are the deer terds telling you what deer desire in winter?

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As usual D, you explain things more clearly than I ever could begin, even as you sit in a gym watching Vball. Good luck with the games this year. I agree, and your point of a variety of browse, some of what even shows green up mid winter, helps support the deer herd. Also what many fail to remember, is the Metabolism of these animals deep into the winter cycle is much less than thru out the rest of the year. And being cud chewers, they use their energy supply to the upmost ability . Thus saving need for food, and energy requirements. We think as humans, in constant need of food, and wildlife functions much different. Their food intake thru the fall months into early winter determines how healthy they are the following year in regards to body mass, fawn production and health, antler development, predator avoidance, etc. Certainly in big woods country, my mast crop is the main determining factor of most of those results. My plots help, but no way, do they really change the overall results of the herd in the county.
Enjoyed the short read of your book. I think if there is one change of thinking over the last several years for most plotters, is the keeping in mind how we affect that transfer of water thru out the year to improve everything from crops, to nutrient transfer, to ease of surviving weather extremes. I would hate to think what my plots would have looked like going into winter with the 3 months of no rain we had. Heat/sun, wind, lack of moisture in one season can have long term affects on our results.
Good news, we have been fortunate, and since late Nov, rains and snows have removed us from the Drought map although just a few dozen miles south, they still are struggling. But like any stress in our lives, it is easy to forget those hard times and become complacent. I hope not. Thanks everyone for reading .
Have a most excellent Deplorable Day.

 

[dgallow]

The majority of available forage in winter is stockpile....either green or senescent....the degree of that varies with latitude mainly...and elevation in your case. The change in animal basal metabolic rate depends on the quality and quantity of forage available. Metabolic rate remains high until conditions for regrowth are essentially negated by winter climate. For example in a mild winter, there may be no change in basal metabolic rate because the forage base regrows adequately. Another example is over feeding supplement in winter to the extent the animal has no reason to lower metabolism....this is a big problem with many commercial cow herds.....the cattle are never 'roughed through' to see who is fit and who is unfit for the environment....instead unfit genetics are masked with feed (provided that animal space requirements for feeding are met....different discussion for a different day).

Have you noticed deer or cattle feed more heavily in the PM of a sunny winter day? Does frost inhibit grazing/browsing? Or does the animal seek green leaves when they are highest in sugar late in the day and before those carbohydrates are transferred to plant roots for dormant storage at night. This is an observation of learned eating behavior during lean times.

To sit and hope that weather patterns are conducive to a consistent sufficient annual hard mast 'cache' to carry through winter during decades when weather extremes fluctuate wildly is not wise wildlife management. Just like the conventional BMP of 60 day deferral for warm season forage and 90 day deferral for cool season forage to stockpile such forage for fall and winter grazing will fail in dry years and is not wise grazing management. When in reality, the best grazing stockpile in a dry year is 'reserve acres' with full growing season recovery.....while during normal rainfall years the practice of 'reserve acres' is deservedly 'shunned'! This is why many times I will state the we want to 'stockpile the whole damned ranch'!

So I will ask you again....how many mast bearing oak trees per acre do you need to support a local deer population increased in density due to food plots and to allow persistence of the oak species? When we arrive at that estimate, then is the time to select crop trees and begin managing the free space between crop trees for an increase in biological succession which gives us a larger number of plant species in the stockpile for improved resistance/resilience to weather related stresses.

Monitoring weather of some sort is always needed when managing for a winter 'cache' or 'stockpile'. More specifically we need to know the length of stockpile growth time based on current conditions and the amount of stockpiled acres needed for the current animal density. The time frame starting on June 20, 2017 (summer solstice) and ending on December 21, 2017 represents the growing period for stockpiles and caches. With each advancing day past 20 June the hours of sunlight for robust plant growth start to decrease until they reach a point on 21 December where the amount of light for plant growth is essentially nil.....dates are roughly the same every year so time is static. In order to manage for reserves and predict the usefulness of those reserves we need to monitor 3 aspects of weather during the time span defined above.....average daily temperature vs the monthly long term average daily temperature, actual monthly rainfall vs the long term average monthly rainfall, and the number of cloudy days relative to sunny days.....this data translates to either below or above average stockpile conditions and stockpile yield. When animal stocking rate or density is known then the acreage of stockpile needed can be calculated. With that data you can predict acorn crop in non-frost pockets and the status of vegetative growth (aka range conditions)!

Sadly, many properties suffer the same ills of management.....a plethora of 'wasted space' where a stockpile of biological succession could be grown given proper disturbance. As example, the vast patches of briers, brambles and thorns which were mown last month were 'wasted space' but can now become a 'biologically diverse stockpile' simply by undertaking a change in management philosophy (ie wildlife needs vast and dense thorn patches vs wildlife benefit more from a biologically diverse stockpile will less thorn composition)! This is also one reason I can be very critical of hinge cutting.....does the practice gain or lose biological succession OVER THE LONG TERM?.....or did our efforts WASTE SPACE OVER THE LONG TERM?

The hardest thing to change in land management is to change how you think about things, but it can be most productive change in management you ever make!



+

 

[dogghr]

The majority of available forage in winter is stockpile....either green or senescent....the degree of that varies with latitude mainly...and elevation in your case. The change in animal basal metabolic rate depends on the quality and quantity of forage available. Metabolic rate remains high until conditions for regrowth are essentially negated by winter climate. For example in a mild winter, there may be no change in basal metabolic rate because the forage base regrows adequately. Another example is over feeding supplement in winter to the extent the animal has no reason to lower metabolism....this is a big problem with many commercial cow herds.....the cattle are never 'roughed through' to see who is fit and who is unfit for the environment....instead unfit genetics are masked with feed (provided that animal space requirements for feeding are met....different discussion for a different day).

Have you noticed deer or cattle feed more heavily in the PM of a sunny winter day? Does frost inhibit grazing/browsing? Or does the animal seek green leaves when they are highest in sugar late in the day and before those carbohydrates are transferred to plant roots for dormant storage at night. This is an observation of learned eating behavior during lean times.

To sit and hope that weather patterns are conducive to a consistent sufficient annual hard mast 'cache' to carry through winter during decades when weather extremes fluctuate wildly is not wise wildlife management. Just like the conventional BMP of 60 day deferral for warm season forage and 90 day deferral for cool season forage to stockpile such forage for fall and winter grazing will fail in dry years and is not wise grazing management. When in reality, the best grazing stockpile in a dry year is 'reserve acres' with full growing season recovery.....while during normal rainfall years the practice of 'reserve acres' is deservedly 'shunned'! This is why many times I will state the we want to 'stockpile the whole damned ranch'!

So I will ask you again....how many mast bearing oak trees per acre do you need to support a local deer population increased in density due to food plots and to allow persistence of the oak species? When we arrive at that estimate, then is the time to select crop trees and begin managing the free space between crop trees for an increase in biological succession which gives us a larger number of plant species in the stockpile for improved resistance/resilience to weather related stresses.

Monitoring weather of some sort is always needed when managing for a winter 'cache' or 'stockpile'. More specifically we need to know the length of stockpile growth time based on current conditions and the amount of stockpiled acres needed for the current animal density. The time frame starting on June 20, 2017 (summer solstice) and ending on December 21, 2017 represents the growing period for stockpiles and caches. With each advancing day past 20 June the hours of sunlight for robust plant growth start to decrease until they reach a point on 21 December where the amount of light for plant growth is essentially nil.....dates are roughly the same every year so time is static. In order to manage for reserves and predict the usefulness of those reserves we need to monitor 3 aspects of weather during the time span defined above.....average daily temperature vs the monthly long term average daily temperature, actual monthly rainfall vs the long term average monthly rainfall, and the number of cloudy days relative to sunny days.....this data translates to either below or above average stockpile conditions and stockpile yield. When animal stocking rate or density is known then the acreage of stockpile needed can be calculated. With that data you can predict acorn crop in non-frost pockets and the status of vegetative growth (aka range conditions)!

Sadly, many properties suffer the same ills of management.....a plethora of 'wasted space' where a stockpile of biological succession could be grown given proper disturbance. As example, the vast patches of briers, brambles and thorns which were mown last month were 'wasted space' but can now become a 'biologically diverse stockpile' simply by undertaking a change in management philosophy (ie wildlife needs vast and dense thorn patches vs wildlife benefit more from a biologically diverse stockpile will less thorn composition)! This is also one reason I can be very critical of hinge cutting.....does the practice gain or lose biological succession OVER THE LONG TERM?.....or did our efforts WASTE SPACE OVER THE LONG TERM?

The hardest thing to change in land management is to change how you think about things, but it can be most productive change in management you ever make!



+

As usual great points. I won't address all but in answer to your one question of how many oak trees needed to support the deer. My short answer, but it gets more complicated, is that I could support easily 5X my density based on just acorn production. And In the past , that has been probably the case. In reality, I need about 3-4 mature oaks/ac to provide ample mast when production is normal. With a mixture of red, white, and chestnut oak, a true mast failure is rare, but does happen. At the end of winter, it can be like walking on marbles thru my forests of the leftover acorns. Now removing the 90% of the timber that I deem not needed is and option. But there are a multitude of animals that are non dependent on an early successional landscape. So I try to have variety of age forest to attract not only the deer, but also the fox, bear, hawk, eagle,turkey, etc. None of these animals are necessarily lovers of the same type of habitat. So a variety, give an attraction to all , of which all contribute to the health of the animal and plant kingdom on a landscape.

And the answer is more complicated in my non ag, cattle and sheep farming country. The food available to the deer is limited to basically corn, and alfalfa planted by farmers. Certainly my plots are an attraction, but in no way provide the tons of food seen in the midwest cropland. That is the delima here and no complaints but does affect how I think thru my actions. Increasing edge whether it be shrubs along my plots and in fallow fields, or my cluster hinging to improve deer level browse of young growth with in the mass of mast producing trees, developes a natural food supply. All this, from plots to browse to mast, provide a variety of year round food that is attractive to deer and others, dependent on their metabolism and need.

While I think food availability can affect deer metabolism levels, it involves many more factors than just that one thing, Their reproductive status, weather conditions, competition, health going into fall/winter, predator numbers ( human or other), available food, and inherent trait of survival, all have an affect of deer metabolism decreasing beginning late fall until spring green up.

Thanks for reading. Headed to farm this afternoon, and maybe I'll come back and change all my thinking. Certainly done that before.

 

[dgallow]

The eastern bison....a short synopsis.
https://joyce-farms.com/blogs/news/adaptive-grazing-so-old-its-new

 

[OkieKubota]

I really like your way of thinking dogg! I am of a mind that it is hard to beat a bunch of hard mast for food in the fall, keeps a bunch of deer safe and lets them get into the older age classes. Fall of 2015 we had an acorn overabundance and the hunting was fair but what I was really excited about was what all made it through the season. Gunshots were down and afterseason camera surveys showed a great abundance of big deer moving into this past fall.

Late summer of 2016 I knew we were in trouble because the mast never formed so we went into fall with no hard mast at all. I had food plots and a couple feeding stations and I killed a really great buck the 2nd day of bow season and saw a bunch more really great bucks right up until our rifle season began. Combination of no mast and a rut that began right around rifle season really took a toll on our mature bucks. Camera surveys everytime I checked were less and less enthusiastic and hearing what the neighbors rent house renter and his brother killed were showing a pattern. We went into the season with 9 mature bucks and came out with 2...one a big mature old 6 point but not much rack and then a nontypical buck that really needs 1 more year. I figured 3.5 this year on him...we have a few young bucks and a couple 2.5 yr olds left because everyone around was feeding and deer were coming into the feeders and the bucks got wacked right and left, even the older ones...

Give me big woods and lots of mast and I will show you an area that can grow some giants...

 

[Elkaddict]

Dog, always enjoy your thought provoking posts and pics. I love winter walkabouts when visibility is so good. I'd be reluctant to cut back to 3 or 4 mature oaks per acre. In my life shit happens....and I'd be bound to wish I'd kept the others. My present plan is to do substantial hinge cuts of 20+ acres every 5-10 years (leaving oaks and apples alone). The less desirable species continue to reproduce to keep diversity but I give the oaks and apples a better chance. Of course...I'm most certain to learn things that will change my mind as the years progress.

 

[Chainsaw]

You make a great point Okie about having easier hunting but less protection to the older bucks when they are hungry. We faced that question many years ago. In our case it was the apples versus the question you addressed at one time yourself regarding the oaks. The question we addressed was If "I continue to release apple trees and there ends up being a couple of thousand scattered throughout the property, won't the deer be more difficult to hunt?."
The answer was of course yes the deer would be much more difficult to connect up with but likely more will survive to older ages. This afternoon I'm marking apple trees near the road--out of sight but very close. While it may draw some of the deer to the road it also will slow some down in their crossing the road. The smarter ones will linger by the apples until dark before crossing the road to head to the large AG fields on the other side.

If my property also had oak trees in volume, I would not be cutting any either except just as you to help other oaks. Luckily for me with only 5 or 6 oaks on the property and apple wood not having a great market it is easy for me to take that stance.

 

[dogghr]

I really like your way of thinking dogg! I am of a mind that it is hard to beat a bunch of hard mast for food in the fall, keeps a bunch of deer safe and lets them get into the older age classes. Fall of 2015 we had an acorn overabundance and the hunting was fair but what I was really excited about was what all made it through the season. Gunshots were down and afterseason camera surveys showed a great abundance of big deer moving into this past fall.

Late summer of 2016 I knew we were in trouble because the mast never formed so we went into fall with no hard mast at all. I had food plots and a couple feeding stations and I killed a really great buck the 2nd day of bow season and saw a bunch more really great bucks right up until our rifle season began. Combination of no mast and a rut that began right around rifle season really took a toll on our mature bucks. Camera surveys everytime I checked were less and less enthusiastic and hearing what the neighbors rent house renter and his brother killed were showing a pattern. We went into the season with 9 mature bucks and came out with 2...one a big mature old 6 point but not much rack and then a nontypical buck that really needs 1 more year. I figured 3.5 this year on him...we have a few young bucks and a couple 2.5 yr olds left because everyone around was feeding and deer were coming into the feeders and the bucks got wacked right and left, even the older ones...

Give me big woods and lots of mast and I will show you an area that can grow some giants...

Yep you said a lot there Okie. Two things, for sure, my best crop of deer from fawning numbers to health of heard including size of racks grown are always dependant on my previous mast production years, regardless if deer are taken or not. The last several have been poor mast and harsh winters following dry summers. As a result, antler growth has been poor to say the least . I've been depressed as to my recent results, but expect much better next year thanks to a heavy hard mast and some mild winter weather.
Another comparison of this is the bow only counties we have. No ag, a mature forest , in very rugged terrain. Yet thanks to abiltiy to escape predators/man, and mature trees producing volumes of mast, many of the book bucks come from this region. If anything has taught me that it is possible to have great bucks in mature woods, then this area has. I pass bucks in this area that I would hunt in a heartbeat on my farm. Different areas, lots of factors, but hard mast is so very critical most years for big woods deer.

You make a great point Okie about having easier hunting but less protection to the older bucks when they are hungry. We faced that question many years ago. In our case it was the apples versus the question you addressed at one time yourself regarding the oaks. The question we addressed was If "I continue to release apple trees and there ends up being a couple of thousand scattered throughout the property, won't the deer be more difficult to hunt?."
The answer was of course yes the deer would be much more difficult to connect up with but likely more will survive to older ages. This afternoon I'm marking apple trees near the road--out of sight but very close. While it may draw some of the deer to the road it also will slow some down in their crossing the road. The smarter ones will linger by the apples until dark before crossing the road to head to the large AG fields on the other side.

If my property also had oak trees in volume, I would not be cutting any either except just as you to help other oaks. Luckily for me with only 5 or 6 oaks on the property and apple wood not having a great market it is easy for me to take that stance.

And this is what these threads teach, that each tract of land is different in what it has to offer in food and weather and pressure, and each person has to evaluate the needs and results he can obtain in the herd and the flora. I imagine I have 100+ mature oak tree / ac. of all ages. So I could cut down to those 3 that I mentioned, and still feed my deer ample mast I think. That is an exageration, but you get my thinking. But I would love to have your apples, and that, I am working towards. You have me excited. Variety. If one thing fails, another may take its place.

 

[dogghr]

Not much to show. Ran hard away from the snow and cold that is here to the beach and golf for a few days. I'm always amazed at the growth in winter down there. And like here, the farmers are smarter. Corn and soy fields were all covered in WR and Crimson clover. Deer should be happy.
Who says clover is worthless come cold? Not the summer growth, but deer will paw thru snow to get this green stuff. Perennial clover make up half my plots, even tho they may be mixed in or overseeded come fall with a variety of seeds of brassica, WR, and WW. Deer will feed on natural browse, hard and soft mast, and the planted field. Variety again. Don't see them ignore any. And get a few warm sunny days mid Jan on my slopes, and it comes out again in force.


This is some clover brassica rye wheat mix thrown in mowed fescue two years ago. Not a thick plot, but beats just a fescue grass year round that the deer mostly ignore. If only I had Gallows cattle for a week or ten.

 

[dogghr]

And this is a rotation of sorts also. Just threw together clovers, brassicas, ww, wr, oats, peas in to the spreader, mixed it up and spread on a gly killed plot. No tubers this year due to late growth from drought.


Some talk of edge feathering adjacent to plots. This was a barren area few years ago, but with some hinging and providing light, and not mowing, it is now a thick mess. You can barely see my popup blind just to the left. Has a little of everything growing.


And last, someone was asking of the High Tensile style fencing and a pic. Here is one at buffalo farm near me. I like the clean look, and easy to repair, and the fact that deer can access it easily at all levels. Of course the idea is that cattle/buffalo do not like to lean against something with nearly no resistance. See most cattle farmers useing this 2/1 over barbed around here. I'm thinkinng of doing it along my main road line this year. Almost looks invisible.


Ok, since the computer has driven me crazy kicking me off this sight for 2 days, I'll end with this. Thanks for reading. Of course most MY fence looks like this....

 

[HB_Hunter]

Enjoyed the pics dogghr. We had a warm spell and some rain. The rye and clover popped up and the deer absolutely hammered it.


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[buckhunter10]

as always, enjoy the pictures, and write ups!