Gatehouse Woods

my buckwheat plot is coming up well, this is behind my house. I found a local guy to weld some angle brackets on an old used roller I have... the plan is to roll this plot in the next two weeks (My next crop mix is up in the air at the moment). This is an absolute first for me rolling crops, I did it last year with a string and board (pretty small scale). This plot happens to be in my backyard and as you can see some 3rd leaf apple trees are mixed amongst this field (ancestral apple varieties).

The buckwheat has kept the grasses at bay, which were taking over my clover plot... my wife and I have agreed not to spray anything in our yard so its purely about cultivating or roller crimping (our well is only 35 ft deep)... more will be learned over this next phase of things, but I plan on adding no synthetics but we will see how that goes.. so I need to keep a smart rotation of crops to gain some credits based upon nutrient availability . The PH and soil fertility were worked right when I bought our house... and the area went from zero deer to many in just a short time, in fact I believe last year I counted 10 unique bucks traveling through this area in a 2 week period... pretty interesting bits of data.
 
Jon - Congratulations on acquiring your first piece of hunting ground! Just seeing your thread for the 1st time. Let the journey of habitat improvements and memory maker moments begin! Looking forward to tagging along on your journey.
 
thanks Ive been trying to add more pictures but the website doesn't seem to like larger files....
 
Oats and pea plot are reaching peak potential at this point.... planted a few wks earlier than I should have since the plan is to roller crimp in 2-3 wks... also got a little practice in with the crimper this wknd, it actually works!!!! Plot pics....IMG_2387.jpgIMG_2388.jpg


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Other interior field, bottom view

IMG_2389.jpg

Top view same plotIMG_2390.jpg


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I’m sure everyone is planting their food plots... I have been busy planning my daughters first bday (family pic, baby Daly, Tristan myself and wife) and in the midst finishing the deck that cost me a million dollars (cant imagine if I had to pay for labor) for the bday party made things more stressful... IMG_2413.jpg58656522669__E990D8E1-812A-4788-ADD5-DB0ECA2C6DA8.jpg58656523487__DC5A49A9-3575-4AAB-8E1D-49A9E7B7D8C6.jpg


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I’ve decided to order box blinds as I don’t have the energy to build anything else this year. I think I’ve settled on the blind mfg and model, just need to pull the trigger. I’m assuming my build cost would be roughly $1k and for a few bucks more I can just buy.


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Nice! What blind did you settle on? I am making arrangements to purchase a few in the next year or two.
 
I’m going with the banks blind, I’m buying a stump 3 and 4 with the vision windows. The 4 seems a bit more roomy for bringing company and my son is showing more interest in hunting with me.


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I like the idea of the roller crimper with buckwheat or rye - will look forward to seeing how it works out for you!
 
So far so good with the crimping. I’m crimping oats and peas today/tomorrow in three other fields. I’ve decided to brush hog half the field and crimp the other to compare. Rain timing seems to be somewhat critical I presume with either method.


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That composite decking is made out of Pharoah's gold!! Nice job on deck and happy Birthday to your daughter
 
That composite decking is made out of Pharoah's gold!! Nice job on deck and happy Birthday to your daughter

Haha you better believe it is I’m almost scared to walk on it ;). I told my family to take off their shoes!


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IMG_2424.jpg

Fall plots are going in this is oats and peas crimped.... I think I timed it pretty well but hard to say for sure, time will tell


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