Native Hunter
Well-Known Member
Great update, and the red clover looks great. That's the way red clover gets hammered here.
J-birds place
- Thread starter j-bird
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Triple C
Well-Known Member
j-bird...Clover is the gift that keeps on giving. This is our 7th year doing food plots on our farm. First few years we were like kids in a candy store and planted every opportunity we had. Once I discovered perineal clovers I've since abandoned spring plantings for summer crops. I do intend to plant our largest field in eagle beans just for the experience of growing them. Thought I would do that this year but didn't get the field cleaned up in time for planting following our recent timber harvest. We have no ag competition anywhere around us. Just woods and cow pastures.
Being somewhat of a student of Paul Knox, the one thing that is ingrained in me from all of his postings was the goal to have the same deer coming to the same plot to fill their bellies everyday of their life. In other words...have something growing year round in our food plots to keep the deer coming in day after day. Down here, perineal clovers serve that purpose. Our plots have a base of mostly white clovers that continue to flourish with all of the rain we've had this year. Since thinning our pines, our understory is a green jungle of growth. But our plots still have deer in them every day coming in for the clover. It costs very little to maintain and is a food plotters work horse.
Being somewhat of a student of Paul Knox, the one thing that is ingrained in me from all of his postings was the goal to have the same deer coming to the same plot to fill their bellies everyday of their life. In other words...have something growing year round in our food plots to keep the deer coming in day after day. Down here, perineal clovers serve that purpose. Our plots have a base of mostly white clovers that continue to flourish with all of the rain we've had this year. Since thinning our pines, our understory is a green jungle of growth. But our plots still have deer in them every day coming in for the clover. It costs very little to maintain and is a food plotters work horse.
j-bird
Well-Known Member
I'm a big fan of perennials myself. I have ladino/chicory plots on all 3 areas of my place. I was just surprised at the red clover that came in as I wasn't expecting it and it has done very well and the deer seem to really like it as well. I tend to essentially have to plant summer annuals (for the fall grains like soybeans and corn) in order to have decent deer activity later in the fall/winter. My deer don't seem too interested in cereal grains and brassica in the fall/winter if there is any corn or soybeans still around (and I am surrounded by big ag fields). So I have to give them what they want or go without seeing many deer. As far as getting deer coming to the same area thru the entire year - I plan my plots to do just that. I have a perennial portion (most have some sort of hard or soft mast tree planted in them as well) as well as an annual portion that tends to be planted in corn or beans and then overseeded with cereal grains and brassica as well. That is about as year round as I can get and it's all in the same plot.area.
j-bird
Well-Known Member
I have just never had red clover as a major component like this before. I have it mixed in with my perennial white clovers and it does fine, but whatever this stuff is, the deer really like. This clover was simply part of a BOB seed mix that I was simply surprised to see this spring as the BOB seed was mostly aimed at brassicas. I really like the affect it has had....so now I need to try to figure out what it is and see how/if it bounces back this next spring. If it does I will leave it alone and make other changes to accommodate. It was just a very pleasant surprise and I am trying to take full advantage of it.
catscratch
Well-Known Member
Pull the trigger and it fires, no different than any other gun. I think of an old saying when buying a gun; "beware the man who has only one gun, he probably knows how to use it". Why not get them a gun that they love to shoot. My experience has been that a high powered bolt guns gets shot just enough to be ready for season. AR platforms get shot all yr long.
Your place is looking great! You have lots of great stuff going on.
j-bird
Well-Known Member
Turns out the red clover that has done so well for me is called "Barduro red clover" and was in the Evolved Harvest Winter PZ mix I planted. Turns out a property thread and documenting things can come in handy! I dug back thru my own posts and found what I had planted and then looked up the mix details on the foodplots sub-forum and there it was!
j-bird
Well-Known Member
My Catscrath oaks are doing well - the ones in the woods where a flop, but I figured as much, all the others have done real well (I need to get them into tree shelters).
I will agree that a gun is a gun and it works the same.... IF I go 308 I'll look real hard at an AR platform. I know I can get a savage package bolt gun set-up with scope for under $500. The AR will be twice that. I also know ripping thru 308 ammo for "fun" won't be cheap either! I need to do some more homework on a 308 AR and see what my options are as well. I know AR platforms also come in other calibers that I can legally deer hunt with as well, but I know with 308 I could use surplus ammo for "fun" shooting to reduce the cost some.
I get another gun my wife is gonna be pissed!
Native Hunter
Well-Known Member
Yep, Barduro is the best I have ever used. I couldn't find any in bulk recently for this fall, so I'm trying a new one - "Gallant."
catscratch
Well-Known Member
Lol. I have a single shot .308 as my hunting rifle (I almost never rifle hunt but my wife got it for me for an anniversary) and I agree 100% that ammo is expensive! Certainly not a plinking gun. My dad has a Savage bolt that we call "The sniper rifle". The scope cost more than the gun and I would venture to guess that it could be shot at just about any distance you wanted to learn to shoot. It's a much better gun than my abilities can handle, I'm the limiting factor when shooting it.
I'm in the same boat as my wife. Probably shouldn't buy a gun for a long time.
I'm in the same boat as my wife. Probably shouldn't buy a gun for a long time.
j-bird
Well-Known Member
My problem with buying guns is I have "top shelf" taste and "shallow" pockets. I either buy a bare bones - purpose only type gun (something I can beat on)....or I go all out and get something really nice. Yep - we don't want to talk about optics.....that's another pile of money at times. I also think 308 as a "sniper rifle" as well and in an AR platform I fear I would loose that ability and not allow all that cartridge has to offer.
j-bird
Well-Known Member
What can I expect from it long term? I did some digging and I see how it's very drought tolerant and the like, but it sounds like it's aimed more at southern locations and I am not sure if it will survive the winter and come back next spring or if I need to be prepared to replant. So far it has done really well and the deer love it. I have never paid much attention to red clovers before as I saw them simply as some diversity in the past. But after seeing what I am seeing now.....I need to rethink that mentality.
Native Hunter
Well-Known Member
You should keep seeing it for maybe 3 years and possibly longer. It will brown out quicker in cold weather than ladino but goes pretty late here.
j-bird
Well-Known Member
Cool - thanks. I was concerned it may be an annual.
Barduro Red is some good stuff...this is a picture of Barduro in my back yard going on its 2nd year. I took the photo this evening and it is growing in almost solid flint rock ridge...
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j-bird
Well-Known Member
That is awesome Okie. I will admit I have not paid much attention to varieties regarding red clovers, but this obviously got my attention. Sometimes somethings just find us..... After doing this for a decade or more I'm stilling learning new things nearly everyday and sites like this and folks like those here help me do that.Barduro Red is some good stuff...this is a picture of Barduro in my back yard going on its 2nd year. I took the photo this evening and it is growing in almost solid flint rock ridge...
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j-bird
Well-Known Member
Got a busy social schedule this weekend (wedding shower, graduation parties and the like - if they didn't have beer and food I wouldn't be going) so I am not sure if I will get out for some pics, so I snapped this today of my MG progress. Everything seems to be going well from what I can tell. Just for documentation sake I also looked up the rain we have gotten this summer because it sure seems like a lot. Indianapolis has had 8.5" of rain in may, 6.5" of rain in June & 4.85" in July (and the month is only 1/2 over). Good news is - I haven't had to water any of my trees!
Familytradition
Active Member
My Catscrath oaks are doing well - the ones in the woods where a flop, but I figured as much, all the others have done real well (I need to get them into tree shelters).
I will agree that a gun is a gun and it works the same.... IF I go 308 I'll look real hard at an AR platform. I know I can get a savage package bolt gun set-up with scope for under $500. The AR will be twice that. I also know ripping thru 308 ammo for "fun" won't be cheap either! I need to do some more homework on a 308 AR and see what my options are as well. I know AR platforms also come in other calibers that I can legally deer hunt with as well, but I know with 308 I could use surplus ammo for "fun" shooting to reduce the cost some.
I get another gun my wife is gonna be pissed!
When I pull the trigger on an Indiana deer rifle, it will
be 308 as well. I like being married as well.
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j-bird
Well-Known Member
Not sure if this will work or not because I'm not real good with the computer/tech stuff....but I thought you all may enjoy a good laugh.
https://www.facebook.com/melissa.de..._t=mentions_comment¬if_id=1500167250122403
Saturday I had social commitments to attend to so I didn't get much done around the house.....However as you can see I made up for it saturday evening! A buddy on mine had a daughter graduate high school so we had to go do our thing. Well one thing led to another and before I knew it I was challenged (bet 5$ actually) to a "long slide" contest on the slip-n-slide. Well, when a man is challenged in public he is prone to do some strange things. My buddy went first and I went second.....as you can see I won by a wide margin. Now keep in mind this was BEFORE the real beer drinking started!!! I have no pride and if you can't laugh at yourself once n a while you have no business laughing at others.
Well I learned the link didn't work so here are some screen captures of the video off my phone....sorry it's blurry.....but maybe that's a good thing!
https://www.facebook.com/melissa.de..._t=mentions_comment¬if_id=1500167250122403
Saturday I had social commitments to attend to so I didn't get much done around the house.....However as you can see I made up for it saturday evening! A buddy on mine had a daughter graduate high school so we had to go do our thing. Well one thing led to another and before I knew it I was challenged (bet 5$ actually) to a "long slide" contest on the slip-n-slide. Well, when a man is challenged in public he is prone to do some strange things. My buddy went first and I went second.....as you can see I won by a wide margin. Now keep in mind this was BEFORE the real beer drinking started!!! I have no pride and if you can't laugh at yourself once n a while you have no business laughing at others.
Well I learned the link didn't work so here are some screen captures of the video off my phone....sorry it's blurry.....but maybe that's a good thing!
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j-bird
Well-Known Member
Well I did get a little work done and checked on a few things as well.
I mowed this area 2 weeks ago and broadcast some clover/chicory into the plot today. I cleared the plot last year, but the seed I spread was annuals and I wanted something perennial in there. This is ground level....decent stream to the left and my bean/corn SW plot on the right and this is in a narrow strip of trees along the creek bank that connects 2 larger pieces of cover. I "think" I have a pic of this plot from the stand from last year.....if I can find it I will add as well. Should be a nice little archery plot OR a plot for catching Mr. Big trying to sneak thru....I saw him last year and wasn't able to seal the deal.....maybe he made it and I see him again this year!
I took a pic of my bean/corn plot in the SW as well. Seems to be doing OK - I will be adding cereal grains and brassica for diversity into this plot shortly.
I also checked my corn/bean plot in the south. The corn is way to heavy so I need to do something about it, but there seems to be plenty of food and the addition of the sunflowers is interesting as well.
I mowed this area 2 weeks ago and broadcast some clover/chicory into the plot today. I cleared the plot last year, but the seed I spread was annuals and I wanted something perennial in there. This is ground level....decent stream to the left and my bean/corn SW plot on the right and this is in a narrow strip of trees along the creek bank that connects 2 larger pieces of cover. I "think" I have a pic of this plot from the stand from last year.....if I can find it I will add as well. Should be a nice little archery plot OR a plot for catching Mr. Big trying to sneak thru....I saw him last year and wasn't able to seal the deal.....maybe he made it and I see him again this year!
I took a pic of my bean/corn plot in the SW as well. Seems to be doing OK - I will be adding cereal grains and brassica for diversity into this plot shortly.
I also checked my corn/bean plot in the south. The corn is way to heavy so I need to do something about it, but there seems to be plenty of food and the addition of the sunflowers is interesting as well.
j-bird
Well-Known Member
Well I got out some today and took some pics of some progress.
My MG project is progressing. All 29 cuttings have sprouted leaves and seem to be doing fine. They really seem to like the heat and humidity we have been having......I have been watering them every other day if it doesn't rain. I have one that's a little "slow" but it's still doing it's thing!
I went out to check on my SW bean/corn plot as well as my SW bow plot to see how things looked as well.
SW bean/corn plot. Deer tracks in the plot. Plots of bare dirt for my brassica/cereal grain addition (about labor day) and the bean in the plot are flowering.
The bow plot has some germination and some of the clover from last season is coming in after the mowing as well. I'm glad I over seeded this plot as it needed it as it had lots of bare spots. I will have a stand overlooking this plot come fall......the stand location is from where I shot my buck last year.
The deer are moving between the bean/corn plot and my bow plot. I mowed a trail to access the bow plot and to mow it and the mower scalped the ground and made a nice "track trap" and it seems to be getting some traffic.
I also took a few pics of just some of the different flowers I noticed while I was out.....not sure what they all are, but just noticed the splashes of color while I was out.
My MG project is progressing. All 29 cuttings have sprouted leaves and seem to be doing fine. They really seem to like the heat and humidity we have been having......I have been watering them every other day if it doesn't rain. I have one that's a little "slow" but it's still doing it's thing!
I went out to check on my SW bean/corn plot as well as my SW bow plot to see how things looked as well.
SW bean/corn plot. Deer tracks in the plot. Plots of bare dirt for my brassica/cereal grain addition (about labor day) and the bean in the plot are flowering.
The bow plot has some germination and some of the clover from last season is coming in after the mowing as well. I'm glad I over seeded this plot as it needed it as it had lots of bare spots. I will have a stand overlooking this plot come fall......the stand location is from where I shot my buck last year.
The deer are moving between the bean/corn plot and my bow plot. I mowed a trail to access the bow plot and to mow it and the mower scalped the ground and made a nice "track trap" and it seems to be getting some traffic.
I also took a few pics of just some of the different flowers I noticed while I was out.....not sure what they all are, but just noticed the splashes of color while I was out.
