Working at the Farm - Took a few I-Phone Pics

Native Hunter said:
This morning was our turkey opener, and my cousin and I doubled on two nice birds. We decided to hunt from my deer box blind, because I had been getting as many pictures there as anywhere else. The morning started with one of the heaviest fogs I've seen in a while. At daylight I could barely see 50 yards in the field. We set up decoys 30 yards from the blind and did some calling every few minutes.

There were some gobbles but none really close. A hen was cutting not far away, but that was the only turkey we heard nearby. Two does came within 30 yards of us and eventually moved on. As the morning went on, we heard one gobble in a new direction, but it was still over 100 yards away. We just kept on calling softly but the bird remained silent. A few minutes before 9 AM we spotted two birds cross one of my deer shooting lanes about 85 yards away, and they eventually worked their way to the field. When they entered the field, they were 75 yards away and one of them gobbled. We got set up, because we knew they could see the decoys at that time. I would make some soft "chirps" with my call and they walked directly to the decoys. When they were 39 yards away we shot and both had our bird.

My bird weighed 24.1 lbs, 11 inch beard, and 1.25 spurs.
His bird weighed 21.2 lbs and had similar other features.
He is on the left in the pic and I am on the right.

View attachment 29592
View attachment 29587
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Nice, congratulations.

G
 
I'm considering making a change next year at my 100-acre farm where I have the 60-acre NWSG prairie, and I would like your opinions on this. My CREP contract has now expired, and I am no longer making any money for growing NWSGs. About 1/2 (or 30 acres) of the prairie is good farmland, and the other half is marginal (slope wise). I have talked to a farmer who is willing to farm the good 30 acres, and I would leave the rest in NWSGs. Below are the details:

1. The crops would be rotated between corn and soybeans. Likely corn the first few years.
2. He is willing to not remove the crops until sometime after our gun season is over (Late November).
3. He carries crop insurance, so even with an unlikely crop failure, I still get paid.
4. This cuts my prairie maintenance in half, and I still have lots of cover (roughly 30 acres and NWSG and 40 acres of trees).
5. My current shooting lanes in the NWSGs change very little. I can leave out whatever I desire, and he is okay with it.
6. I would likely have the only crop fields in the areas that were not harvested by gun season.
7. None of this would affect my tree planting and fruit trees.

I can't see how this should negatively affect my hunting, but I would like to hear other's thoughts. I mow shooting lanes mid-August each year and then stay out until after hunting season. The farmer would be out of there a long time before that and wouldn't be back in until after season was over. Let me know what you think.
 
Native, it sounds like a win-win to me. I’m not a farmer, (nor do I play one on tv), but I can’t see a downside to this. We all know how much deer love corn and beans, so you have more to attract them. Besides that, standing corn is cover too. Beans are somewhat also, although you didn’t specify how long the beans would be there. I’m assuming the beans would be combined (if that’s the right wording) before they shatter.
 
That's a tough one Steve. You have an awesome setup, and it's hard to mess with success like you've had. It seems like what you have now is a hunting setup where you can take advantage of a reliable bed to food transition. I don't know for certain, but it seems like you're in an area that's more food rich than cover, and you have the best cover. Eliminating some of that could spread the deer out more across the landscape. On corn years, it wouldn't be as bad from a holding standpoint because of the food/cover it offers. You'd definitely draw a lot of deer from the surrounding area. I just don't know if they'd increase densities in your cover or not. They may pile in there, and your shooting lanes looking over the remaining cover could be even better than it is now. Or, they could spread out more to the available cover on your neighbors and come to you to feed. That could hurt the predictability patterns you have now. I really don't have a strong leaning either way, but I'd be leery of changing a good thing.
 
Plow it all under and plant in KY Fescue. I’ll come help. Or you could sell 10 ft of your 20 ft deep topsoil to the needy/me. Just trying to help


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Drycreek said:
Native, it sounds like a win-win to me. I’m not a farmer, (nor do I play one on tv), but I can’t see a downside to this. We all know how much deer love corn and beans, so you have more to attract them. Besides that, standing corn is cover too. Beans are somewhat also, although you didn’t specify how long the beans would be there. I’m assuming the beans would be combined (if that’s the right wording) before they shatter.
Click to expand...

Thanks Drycreek. He said he could plant beans late and not harvest them until late November. So, whether corn or beans the harvest would still be late. And, I agree that corn is cover and beans are to some extent.
 
BenAllgood said:
That's a tough one Steve. You have an awesome setup, and it's hard to mess with success like you've had. It seems like what you have now is a hunting setup where you can take advantage of a reliable bed to food transition. I don't know for certain, but it seems like you're in an area that's more food rich than cover, and you have the best cover. Eliminating some of that could spread the deer out more across the landscape. On corn years, it wouldn't be as bad from a holding standpoint because of the food/cover it offers. You'd definitely draw a lot of deer from the surrounding area. I just don't know if they'd increase densities in your cover or not. They may pile in there, and your shooting lanes looking over the remaining cover could be even better than it is now. Or, they could spread out more to the available cover on your neighbors and come to you to feed. That could hurt the predictability patterns you have now. I really don't have a strong leaning either way, but I'd be leery of changing a good thing.
Click to expand...
Good thoughts Ben. Let me know if you have any more ideas on this before next year.
 
It would be tough for me to replace that beautiful native habitat with crops. If you need the extra cash I can certainly understand the desire and wouldn’t hesitate. If the money isn’t all that important, I’d leave it in natives.

That kick ass habitat is what makes your place different and AWESOME!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
weekender21 said:
It would be tough for me to replace that beautiful native habitat with crops. If you need the extra cash I can certainly understand the desire and wouldn’t hesitate. If the money isn’t all that important, I’d leave it in natives.

That kick ass habitat is what makes your place different and AWESOME!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

What would cash rent bring on 30 acres? $1500? We'll start a save Native's natives fund if we have to.

G
 
George said:
What would cash rent bring on 30 acres? $1500? We'll start a save Native's natives fund if we have to.

G
Click to expand...
The cash would be a little more than double that amount, but cash isn’t the main reason I’m considering this. I’m getting older and cutting back on some of the maintenance is desirable. Also, if I had a good relationship with this fellow I could hire him to do maintenance for me on the remaining prairie if I was ever sick or unable to do things myself. Right now I’m just brainstorming a few different ideas.

PS- if I did this it would be nearly flat land, so erosion wouldn’t be a factor.
 
Three more things are happening near me that could change my hunting. Time will tell how much and whether for better or worse:

1. Bordering me on the southeast they cut timber this spring in a 20 acre woods. This will be a grown up jungle soon. I'm not sure if the guy who hunts it will know how to hunt it. It doesn't take much human pressure on 20 acres to keep the good ones from bedding there.

2. Bordering me on the south - the farmer is letting his crop field edges go fallow. It will be heavy cover, but it will be narrow strips not over 40 yards wide. The guy who hunts there is constantly driving an ATV all over the place, so I doubt the good ones will try to bed in it.

3. About 1/2 mile to the southwest on another farm that doesn't join me - they sold out and the new owners are putting in 8 chicken houses. I'm hoping it ends the hunting there, because some of my best future prospects we passed have been killed on that farm.
 
Native Hunter said:
I'm considering making a change next year at my 100-acre farm where I have the 60-acre NWSG prairie, and I would like your opinions on this. My CREP contract has now expired, and I am no longer making any money for growing NWSGs. About 1/2 (or 30 acres) of the prairie is good farmland, and the other half is marginal (slope wise). I have talked to a farmer who is willing to farm the good 30 acres, and I would leave the rest in NWSGs. Below are the details:

1. The crops would be rotated between corn and soybeans. Likely corn the first few years.
2. He is willing to not remove the crops until sometime after our gun season is over (Late November).
3. He carries crop insurance, so even with an unlikely crop failure, I still get paid.
4. This cuts my prairie maintenance in half, and I still have lots of cover (roughly 30 acres and NWSG and 40 acres of trees).
5. My current shooting lanes in the NWSGs change very little. I can leave out whatever I desire, and he is okay with it.
6. I would likely have the only crop fields in the areas that were not harvested by gun season.
7. None of this would affect my tree planting and fruit trees.

I can't see how this should negatively affect my hunting, but I would like to hear other's thoughts. I mow shooting lanes mid-August each year and then stay out until after hunting season. The farmer would be out of there a long time before that and wouldn't be back in until after season was over. Let me know what you think.
Click to expand...
I believe you're thinking right by going with the farming the ground. I do have a question, would the farmer consider you sharecropping it with him as opposed to cash renting? There are advantages to both. I know for a fact cash rent income is social security sheltered, I'm not sure about sharecropping. Sharecropping though has the potential of a significant profit increase, but of course that comes with more investment are risk too. Some farmers aren't willing to sharecrop a smaller acreage, so this might not even be an option.
 
KSQ2 said:
I believe you're thinking right by going with the farming the ground. I do have a question, would the farmer consider you sharecropping it with him as opposed to cash renting? There are advantages to both. I know for a fact cash rent income is social security sheltered, I'm not sure about sharecropping. Sharecropping though has the potential of a significant profit increase, but of course that comes with more investment are risk too. Some farmers aren't willing to sharecrop a smaller acreage, so this might not even be an option.
Click to expand...
Those are some excellent things to consider. I will certainly be researching some before making a deal. Thanks.
 
Does your desire to hunt deer outweigh your desire to cut back on the maintenance? I think it could hurt your deer hunting as the herd patterns will change next year and every year the crops are rotated. Is the best bedding nearby enough to the crop that you can predict their bed to food movement? Is that bedding "better" than the corn? Or would they bed in the corn for the entire month of November? Is their multiple lines of movement from bedding directly to the corn where the deer would enter from 12 different locations? Or a natural pinch point? I'll vote"it depends" on your confidence in the prediction of movements for hunting assuming that's still the priority. Maybe, wade into the potentially amazing farmer relationship and give him 15 acres for trial and place that acreage exactly where you'd like it. You have a link to property map?
 
yukon said:
Does your desire to hunt deer outweigh your desire to cut back on the maintenance? I think it could hurt your deer hunting as the herd patterns will change next year and every year the crops are rotated. Is the best bedding nearby enough to the crop that you can predict their bed to food movement? Is that bedding "better" than the corn? Or would they bed in the corn for the entire month of November? Is their multiple lines of movement from bedding directly to the corn where the deer would enter from 12 different locations? Or a natural pinch point? I'll vote"it depends" on your confidence in the prediction of movements for hunting assuming that's still the priority. Maybe, wade into the potentially amazing farmer relationship and give him 15 acres for trial and place that acreage exactly where you'd like it. You have a link to property map?
Click to expand...
You bring up some good points to consider, and thanks for that. Once I make my decision I may post a map. The way I’m set up for rifle hunting I don’t think anything will change. I do bow hunt occasionally and that could be influenced by my decision.
 
None of us older folk really ever like change, but that being said, I do like change in habitat management, although change keeps a good hunter on their toes, because any and every change in habitat, even a small one,, changes hunting patterns. The hunter who can adapt the quickest gets the big buck.
I say do it, and spend extra time analyzing the little clues in changes in deer movement before you set up to hunt the next season.
 
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