Farm Report

[whubbard]

Oregon county this weekend to do a little food plot work, and have some good and bads to discuss. Cows broke through a fence into a new food plot. (at least I won't have to mow it before the season now.) One plot my father forgot to spray the grass so it's pretty high. Got a few nice pics of an 8 point thats still in velvet and growing. Pics to follow. The other plot is looking great. got some mowed, fence fixed, and new sd card in the trail cam.

[whubbard]

pics

[whubbard]

pics pics

[whubbard]

One more

[ranwin33]

He's going to be a nice deer.

[ranwin33]

Had a good visit with our PLC back in late June.  Gave our NWSG an 8 out of 10.  Got some game cameras set out and an outdoor light setup on our deck.  Other than that really didn't get much accomplished.  Talked with PLC about maybe adding some more NWSG out front of our barn/cabin, with the idea of working our two remaining pastures into something we don't have to worry about getting baled every year.  He's encouraging in that area, so we might add another 2 acres of NWSG to start to cover part of our remaining pastures.
 
My brother went up just this past weekend.  Weather was beautiful for mid-July.  Hay was baled.  Would have liked to have gone but had grand-daughters first birthday to attend.  Game cameras show a nice buck with what appears to be a good spread, although his head is down in mineral lick and tough to get a good visual of rack.  Never do see both sides.  He also reports bucks on mineral lick over dozer trail, but failed to send me those picts.  Hope he get's them up this evening.  Says a couple of 8's, a 10, and one with a deformed club like antler.  Also have picts of doe and twin fawns on new plot.

[whubbard]

hey Ranwin.  Have ya'll been getting bunches of rain in the past two weeks up north?  South east has been getting hammered.  supposed to rain all this week too.

[whubbard]

Ranwin.  Another question, this one on topic.  What does NWsg stand for?  Also we have about 70 acres on our farm in Oregon County that is used for pasture land.  Fescue grass.  I dislike the cows being in it b/c they break through fences to get to my food plots.  They love them.  Anyway, do you have suggestions as to what could take the place of the fescue?  Can't really mow it for hay as there are tons of large rocks all through it.  Would love to have something take it over that is self managable.  No need to mow or have it grazed.  May be fighting a no win battle, but thought I'd ask.  Thanks.

[ranwin33]

We have had good rain all summer up on the farm.  The last two weeks have been probably the driest all year, but still getting some rain.
 
As for NWSG - native warm season grasses.  It take 3 years or so before they get really established, spending the first couple putting roots into the ground.  We are three full years in as of this summer and I'm fairly pleased with the results - remembering we did this with an ATV and ATV disk and without the proper seed spreader.  We had lots of deer in them last fall, and the deer were comfortable enough in them that on the second afternoon of gun season as I drove my ATV to a 10 foot tower stand to resecure a blind, I had a buck walk by no more than 30 feet away and stare at me as I stood on my ATV.  They don't look pretty though for the first couple of years, you have to be prepared for lots of weeds and just let things take there course until the NWSG start to take hold. 
 
I'm saying all this because the NWSG would be a good choice as something that doesn't require a lot of management.  No haying, no grazing.  We will put ours on a 3 year burn schedule.  Missouri Department of Conservation should help you pay for installing them, seeds are not cheap.  70 acres would be a huge amount and fairly costly, but MDC would probably jump on it as they see NWSG as Quail restoration.  They've also been good about allowing us to charge for our time, so we have been able to get most of the materials paid for so out of pocket expenses are small.
 
We plan to try to establish another couple acres this Fall/Winter with a lot less work then before.  Will Roundup plot next trip up, then again in Fall if necessary.  This winter, probably around February or early March will frost seed the NWSG.  The PLC says he has seen others have good results with this method, and it's a whole lot easier than the disking and such we did before.
 
If you could put together 70 acres of NWSG, I'd say you'd have one heck of place to hunt deer.  Especially if you had timber edging it.
 
 
 
 

[whubbard]

Ranwin, wanted to say thanks for all of the great advice.  I got a hold of our areas biologist, brad mckee.  he is coming to meet me on our property friday afternoon.  Have to drive 2 and half hours, miss work and all but.... wouldn't miss this for the world.  I told him about the pasture land and my father and i decided to put half of the pasture in nwsg.  The west side that has timber on three sides.  So 35 acres at first, and see how it goes.  The Biologist seemed really excited and confident that I would be reimbursed some money as well.  I'm so excited for this project to start now.  The thrill I get from watching or harvesting a deer over something that I sweated over, planted, watch grow is amazing.