My Fall Plots Are IN!

[Letmgrow]

Just over 80 acres. The farmer who rents land from me grew winter wheat he planted last fall after he took the corn off my land. He harvested the wheat 2 weeks ago and last weekend he planted a cover crop which he calls a super food plot.
My farmer rents land in several areas around my home and all his planting is No-Till. His farm is 25 miles from my land and others so to plant conventional would be really expensive moving all the tillage and planting equipment around and require a lot more manpower.
He applied 260# of fertilizer per acre to all 3 of my fields. High in Potash.
This is the custom mix he planted:
Pure Seed Variety Kind Origin
22.15% Dunale Spring Peas OR
21.95% Jerry Spring Oats MN
13.90% VNS Buckwheat WA
08.47% Pearl Millet BD TX
8.13% Sunn Hemp India
7.77% Greenstem Daikon Radish OR
06.88 Browntop Millet GA
05.15% Local Pearl Millet BMR BD TX
2.88% Purple Top Turnip OR
01.49% LDS Early Dove Sunflower CA

I have 3 stands adjacent to these fields. I threw out some additional Red, white and Crimson clover along with my favorite Brassica / turnip seed "Shot Plot" just for good measure within sight of the stands.
The farmer is letting the land rest and has plans to add lime next spring on two of the three plots to boost the PH a bit. He is a good steward to have using my land.
The best part of all is I still get paid for the land lease.
I hope Mother Nature is good to me.
This should compliment the corn, soybean, clover and brassica plots I have already planted.
C'mon Big Boy, your dinner is waiting!
Lynn

 

[Drycreek]

Does he travel ? Texas is not that far !

 

[Mennoniteman]

He sounds like a great guy to have around. He could do my plots too, farmers are the salt of the earth for the most part.
I'm intrigued by that mix, it sounds very much like a summer mix more than a fall plot with the millet, hemp, and sunflowers. Post some pictures and an update in September or October.

 

[Letmgrow]

His main reason is to loosen the soil with this mix which coincides with the No-Till planting method.
Next spring he will come in and plant all the fields with soybean. He's very aware of crop rotation and I have one section of a field which is classified as "Highly Erodeable. Hence he will plant a crop which is not a row crop for a couple years.
The last three years there was corn planted and previous to that Soybean.
This is the third year this farmer has leased the land. The farmer before this one was good also but fell on some hard times and gave the farm up.
Lynn

 

[Letmgrow]

Does he travel ? Texas is not that far !

He might if you pay the transportation costs for a dual rear wheel John Deere 8110 4 WD tractor and a John Deere 1590 15' No till planter plus fuel, lodging and a fair hourly wage from point A to point B and back.
Lynn

 

[Mennoniteman]

He might if you pay the transportation costs for a dual rear wheel John Deere 8110 4 WD tractor and a John Deere 1590 15' No till planter plus fuel, lodging and a fair hourly wage from point A to point B and back.
Lynn

That equipment gives him away; he's a real farmer.

 

[Letmgrow]

You been sneaking around my plots?
That's it! That's the rig.
Lynn

 

[Letmgrow]

Now for the fun part. I've told everyone in my family who hunts on my property we are going out this morning on a rock hunt. While my fields have been picked clean several times there are still a few rocks which seem to pop up after the fields have been worked. Even with the No-Till. This time they look pretty clean but there are a few which need to be picked up and piled. This needs to be done before the tiny plants start emerging.
The rocks can cause havoc to equipment. This isn't so important this year because nothing will be harvested but next year when the fields are replanted they could cause damage to the machinery.
We also use part of the field behind my house as a test strip for our drag race sleds in the winter. The strip is about 100' wide and 1200' long. This needs to be clean so we don't damage any track studs which cost about $3 each times 196 in one sled and 260 in the other sled.
Lynn

 

[Turkish]

Can they not plant beans after a wheat harvest there?

Nm, looked at your location. I imagine not.

 

[Letmgrow]

Can they not plant beans after a wheat harvest there?

Nm, looked at your location. I imagine not.

It would be too late.

 

[bowhunt160bucks]

All the farmers don't do nothing like that and I LOVE IT! My little 22 acre oasis is the hot spot for November thru January.

 

[Letmgrow]

Update. We have been in a near drought since the fields were planted. With just a few sprinkles of rain the growth has been slow. The last few days the rain has been more frequent and the fields are coming to life. The deer and turkeys are taking advantage of the new found food.
I'm finally smiling.

 

[Letmgrow]

I feel as I should report back on how this planting worked out for us.
We saw the largest number of deer we have ever seen on my properties this season. We passed on numerous bucks which in past years would have been harvested knowing from our cameras there were some larger ones lurking about.
I harvested a nice 10 pt. which dressed out at 194# 11/7 and my Grandaughter shot her first deer a nice 8 weighing in at 182# on 11/15. My son took a nice 8 during early muzzleloader season and has passed on several 2 1/2 - 3 1/2 YO bucks waiting for Bull winkle to show himself in legal shooting hours. My wife has passed on a couple bucks also knowing full well they will be trophy sized deer next season if a neighbor doesn't take them. There are always a couple who just don't get it.
We are taking some does knowing our buck to doe ratio is skewed somewhat. Not so many though the bucks won't have playmates when the time comes. Does are our bait. Back in the day when I was seeking the same thing these bucks are I visited places with lots of choices.
I know we aren't going to have the same planting next year. I believe the farmer is planning to plant soybeans. Of course these will be harvested before our deer season gets well underway. Now I'm at the point where I'm looking at options of what if anything I can plant for early to late plots to draw the deer back in. This will all be dependent on weather patterns and conditions after the beans are gone.
There are always beans left behind when the harvest occurs. My problem is the Goose population here which will come in and eat the fields clean.
I also have some plans to increase our bedding areas and am planning to cut some trails into a portion of my property I have left alone for a few years. The deer movement patterns have changed somewhat with new neighbors moving in so I am going to redesign some of my hunting areas.
For example: I have a planting of 1400 Norway Spruce trees I planted in 2009. Each year I have mowed between the rows of trees to keep weed growth and competition at bay. Now the trees have grown enough to where they are beginning to shade out the space between them. I am going to quit mowing around these trees and let nature run it's course and at the same time hopefully create a bedding area bordering my food sources. I have a couple other tricks up my sleeve but I'm not going to reveal too much unless they are successful.
I hope everyone else is enjoying their deer season as much as we are.
Lynn

 

[Mennoniteman]

I feel as I should report back on how this planting worked out for us.
We saw the largest number of deer we have ever seen on my properties this season. We passed on numerous bucks which in past years would have been harvested knowing from our cameras there were some larger ones lurking about.
I harvested a nice 10 pt. which dressed out at 194# 11/7 and my Grandaughter shot her first deer a nice 8 weighing in at 182# on 11/15. My son took a nice 8 during early muzzleloader season and has passed on several 2 1/2 - 3 1/2 YO bucks waiting for Bull winkle to show himself in legal shooting hours. My wife has passed on a couple bucks also knowing full well they will be trophy sized deer next season if a neighbor doesn't take them. There are always a couple who just don't get it.
We are taking some does knowing our buck to doe ratio is skewed somewhat. Not so many though the bucks won't have playmates when the time comes. Does are our bait. Back in the day when I was seeking the same thing these bucks are I visited places with lots of choices.
I know we aren't going to have the same planting next year. I believe the farmer is planning to plant soybeans. Of course these will be harvested before our deer season gets well underway. Now I'm at the point where I'm looking at options of what if anything I can plant for early to late plots to draw the deer back in. This will all be dependent on weather patterns and conditions after the beans are gone.
There are always beans left behind when the harvest occurs. My problem is the Goose population here which will come in and eat the fields clean.
I also have some plans to increase our bedding areas and am planning to cut some trails into a portion of my property I have left alone for a few years. The deer movement patterns have changed somewhat with new neighbors moving in so I am going to redesign some of my hunting areas.
For example: I have a planting of 1400 Norway Spruce trees I planted in 2009. Each year I have mowed between the rows of trees to keep weed growth and competition at bay. Now the trees have grown enough to where they are beginning to shade out the space between them. I am going to quit mowing around these trees and let nature run it's course and at the same time hopefully create a bedding area bordering my food sources. I have a couple other tricks up my sleeve but I'm not going to reveal too much unless they are successful.
I hope everyone else is enjoying their deer season as much as we are.
Lynn

It's great to hear about your successful season and the fall plots. That's a deer primer 101, focusing on food, cover, bedding, and selective harvesting to improve your hunting experiences. Here's to many upcoming successful seasons for you as you continue to improve upon your past successes.

 

[Letmgrow]

I've never been one to depend on luck although a little luck does help and is welcomed at times. I remember an instructor at a GM school telling our class PPPPPP! Prior Planning Prevents Pi$$ Poor Performance. LOL
( Besides, I listen to my friend Chainsaw)
Lynn

 

[Chainsaw]

Am very happy Letmgrow to hear you a great season and it looks like you are on track for a good one next year as well. You had a lot of desperados up there in need of attitude adjustments, guess enough of them got the message to result in good hunting for the whole neighborhood. Looking forward to seeing your new changes next year.

 

[Letmgrow]

A bit of a quirk but it's for the better. I had a better offer on the land leases so I have a new farmer planting my fields. This farmer is actually a fellow who borders my property across the road from my home. He manages a large farm but he is really into food plots and deer management himself. The type of person you'd want for a neighbor. We've been good friends since he moved in about 9 years ago on his own 200 acres. Right after hunting season he had a fellow from the mid west come in and evaluate his land and make suggestions on how to improve the deer hunting. While the fellow was here my friend told him how we work together so they both toured my land and the fellow offered up some ideas which should benefit both my friend and us.
My friend just bought himself a new Genesis 5 No-till seeder so he's anxious to use it. He also told me I could use it anytime I wanted.
The farm leasing my land now is big into cover crops. My friend has a tag off one of the bags of seed which was planted on my lands last fall. He wants to make a couple adjustments but he saw the results last fall so he's basicly going to plant pretty much the same mix.
I may have to move a couple of my elevated blinds.
BTW, I asked my granddaughter a couple nights ago if she was going to shoot a bigger buck this year. She said," Yes Papa but I'm going to shoot my doe first, we have too many you know".