Food plots for wildlife; youth turkey hunting weekend
Seeds and plants fill the local stores, and while we are all interested in what new blight-resistant tomatoes are being offered this season, it’s time also to think about what you are going to plant in your deer food plot. Full page ads in many of the sporting magazines promote brassicas and clovers as top seed, which can come with a hefty price tag. It’s not uncommon to see a bag of mixed grasses, legumes, and brassicas at $150 for 20 pounds. Lured by the potential for a big buck to be dining in your field, many pay this tidy sum only to be disappointed with the results.
My success varied until I joined the Quality Deer Management Association (www.qdma.com). The membership brought me six issues of their journal, Quality Whitetails, a high quality, well-written, magazine dedicated to the science behind producing quality deer, not just another “how-to” shoot deer mag. From this came my association with members of the NY chapter and my learning curve increased dramatically.
Most years, my four-acre pasture was just a walk-through for deer and turkeys and the rare pheasant. On the recommendation of John Rybinski, President of the NY QDMA chapter, I planted a quarter-acre plot of purple-top turnips. The only thing I did to prepare the soil was to rototill it to a depth of four inches. I over-seeded the area with five pounds of seed from Johnny's Seeds (www.johnnyseeds.com). I spread the seed by a simple Earthway hand spreader I purchased at Canal Street Hardware in Oxford. The first year I had a marvelous crop of turnips and turnip greens. The results were the most deer and turkey I have ever seen in this field in over 20 years. Five pounds of turnip seed cost just $26 with shipping. Indeed, my field was interspersed with weedy plants, but the turnips grew like wildfire.
Mistakes I made that year were simply not doing a soils test and planting too much seed in a small area. The recommended seed rate is one-quarter pound per 1,000 square feet. Basically on a quarter-acre, I doubled the seeding application with the five pounds of seed. Secondly, I never did a soils test to see what nutrients would be required for optimum growth. Soil testing is relatively inexpensive and well worth the investment.
The fall of my first year planting a food plot, I put in half an acre of winter rye grass the first week of September. In no time, I had a carpet of grass that would rival any golf course in the area. That was until the turkey and deer found it. Within a month, my golf course resembled a sandlot. The deer and turkey had eaten over 75 percent of the grass. But rye grass, from McDowell Walker in Afton, was only $15 for a 50-pound bag. So, I fret not about it.
My second year of putting in turnips, I noticed a deficiency in the areas where I did not spread manure. This was really an eye-opener that a soil test was very necessary. I tilled under the remains of the winter rye and planted “Pasture Mix,” acquired through Canal Street Hardware. Pasture mix is a combination of timothy, alsike, and red clovers, also known as T.A.R. I spoke with Ken Ryan down at CSH, and he told me this year’s pricing on the TAR would be $3 per pound, with 18 pounds required per acre. The results were that the deer favored the turnips again, while the turkeys were in the pasture mix.
As I begin year three with my food plots, I sent off three soil plot samples to Dairy One (www.dairyone.com). The packaging and submission sheets I obtained from Cornell Cooperative Extension at 99 North Broad Street in Norwich. The cost of three soils plots tested was $36 plus $7 postage. The tests provide the necessary nutrients recommended. Be sure to tell them you are doing a food plot so you get the correct form. There are several forms, the most common are for vegetable gardens.
A very good article on soils testing can be found at: www.counties.cce.cornell.edu/schenectady/new/pdf/ag%20fact%20sheets/soil/Importance%20of%20Soil%20Testing.pdf
My third plot this year will consist of buckwheat. Similar in costs to turnips, and also obtained from Johnny’s. On a bear hunting trip to northern Maine, I noticed these amber fields, and inquired about what crop this was. Yep, you guessed it, I had never seen fields of buckwheat before. I was told by the outfitter that the deer and moose up there love buckwheat. (Unfortunately for the farmers.) It is a popular all-around seed producing plant that attracts a large number of the wildlife population depending on the area that is grown. Buckwheat grows well in almost any soil and is a great cover crop for building the soil. It is usually planted alone and it produces heavy seeds that shatter easily giving easy access for stalk feeding for smaller birds. Buckwheat can provide good ground coverage for protecting the larger fowl like ducks, turkey, and pheasant. This forage can be planted near water areas for ducks. The stalks will remain after the seed shatters out thus providing additional cover for smaller wildlife. Buckwheat is extremely early maturing with seed yields as fast as 7-10 weeks after emergence. The plant will make clusters of small white flowers forming triangular shaped black seed. After seeds appear, you may mow mature seed heads for reseeding in mid-summer.
So there's some information based on my toil and many errors. I think if you start with a good plan, test your soil, purchase seed that grows locally, and work up the ground a bit, you'll have some good success and notice more wildlife in and around your area.
As I did mention “working up the ground.” I'd suggest some tilling to get a good seed-to-soil contact. I've not had much success with these “No Till” products. Walk-behind tillers work for small plots, while tractor-driven tillers are best used for larger food plots. Chenango Welding Supply on Route 12 south of Norwich can supply you with both in the event you don't have your own or to save your back, contact Chuck Stein in Preston at (607) 336-4623, who provides rototilling services.
One item of note, while some consider food plots “baiting,” I subscribe to the technique of hunting the game trails leading to and from these areas and not hunting over standing crops. The choice is a matter of how you hunt and what you perceive as hunting ethics. But either way, more critters will benefit from your food plots than just the one or two deer you might harvest from it annually. Good luck planting!
___
Youth Turkey Hunting Weekend is set for this April 21-22. Be safe out there. Know your target, wear orange in and out of the woods and follow all the safe practices taught in the hunter safety program. Good luck hunting! Here's some important things to know:
· Eligible hunters are 12-15 years of age and must hold a junior hunting license and a turkey permit.
· Youth 12-13 years of age must be accompanied by a parent, legal guardian or adult over 21 years of age with written permission from their parent or legal guardian. Youth 14-15 years of age must be accompanied by a parent, legal guardian or adult over 18 years of age with written permission from their parent or legal guardian.
· The accompanying adult must have a current hunting license and turkey permit. The adult may assist the youth hunter, including calling, but may not carry a firearm or bow, or kill or attempt to kill a wild turkey during the youth hunt.
· Shooting hours are from one-half hour before sunrise to noon each day.
· The youth turkey hunt is open in all of upstate New York, north of the Bronx-Westchester County boundary, and Suffolk County.
· The bag limit for the youth weekend is one bearded bird. This bird becomes part of the youth's regular spring season bag limit of two bearded birds. A second bird may be taken only in upstate New York, north of the Bronx-Westchester County boundary, beginning May 1.
· All other wild turkey hunting regulations are in effect.
For questions or comments about this article, contact Franke at george_franke@yahoo.com
My success varied until I joined the Quality Deer Management Association (www.qdma.com). The membership brought me six issues of their journal, Quality Whitetails, a high quality, well-written, magazine dedicated to the science behind producing quality deer, not just another “how-to” shoot deer mag. From this came my association with members of the NY chapter and my learning curve increased dramatically.
Most years, my four-acre pasture was just a walk-through for deer and turkeys and the rare pheasant. On the recommendation of John Rybinski, President of the NY QDMA chapter, I planted a quarter-acre plot of purple-top turnips. The only thing I did to prepare the soil was to rototill it to a depth of four inches. I over-seeded the area with five pounds of seed from Johnny's Seeds (www.johnnyseeds.com). I spread the seed by a simple Earthway hand spreader I purchased at Canal Street Hardware in Oxford. The first year I had a marvelous crop of turnips and turnip greens. The results were the most deer and turkey I have ever seen in this field in over 20 years. Five pounds of turnip seed cost just $26 with shipping. Indeed, my field was interspersed with weedy plants, but the turnips grew like wildfire.
Mistakes I made that year were simply not doing a soils test and planting too much seed in a small area. The recommended seed rate is one-quarter pound per 1,000 square feet. Basically on a quarter-acre, I doubled the seeding application with the five pounds of seed. Secondly, I never did a soils test to see what nutrients would be required for optimum growth. Soil testing is relatively inexpensive and well worth the investment.
The fall of my first year planting a food plot, I put in half an acre of winter rye grass the first week of September. In no time, I had a carpet of grass that would rival any golf course in the area. That was until the turkey and deer found it. Within a month, my golf course resembled a sandlot. The deer and turkey had eaten over 75 percent of the grass. But rye grass, from McDowell Walker in Afton, was only $15 for a 50-pound bag. So, I fret not about it.
My second year of putting in turnips, I noticed a deficiency in the areas where I did not spread manure. This was really an eye-opener that a soil test was very necessary. I tilled under the remains of the winter rye and planted “Pasture Mix,” acquired through Canal Street Hardware. Pasture mix is a combination of timothy, alsike, and red clovers, also known as T.A.R. I spoke with Ken Ryan down at CSH, and he told me this year’s pricing on the TAR would be $3 per pound, with 18 pounds required per acre. The results were that the deer favored the turnips again, while the turkeys were in the pasture mix.
As I begin year three with my food plots, I sent off three soil plot samples to Dairy One (www.dairyone.com). The packaging and submission sheets I obtained from Cornell Cooperative Extension at 99 North Broad Street in Norwich. The cost of three soils plots tested was $36 plus $7 postage. The tests provide the necessary nutrients recommended. Be sure to tell them you are doing a food plot so you get the correct form. There are several forms, the most common are for vegetable gardens.
A very good article on soils testing can be found at: www.counties.cce.cornell.edu/schenectady/new/pdf/ag%20fact%20sheets/soil/Importance%20of%20Soil%20Testing.pdf
My third plot this year will consist of buckwheat. Similar in costs to turnips, and also obtained from Johnny’s. On a bear hunting trip to northern Maine, I noticed these amber fields, and inquired about what crop this was. Yep, you guessed it, I had never seen fields of buckwheat before. I was told by the outfitter that the deer and moose up there love buckwheat. (Unfortunately for the farmers.) It is a popular all-around seed producing plant that attracts a large number of the wildlife population depending on the area that is grown. Buckwheat grows well in almost any soil and is a great cover crop for building the soil. It is usually planted alone and it produces heavy seeds that shatter easily giving easy access for stalk feeding for smaller birds. Buckwheat can provide good ground coverage for protecting the larger fowl like ducks, turkey, and pheasant. This forage can be planted near water areas for ducks. The stalks will remain after the seed shatters out thus providing additional cover for smaller wildlife. Buckwheat is extremely early maturing with seed yields as fast as 7-10 weeks after emergence. The plant will make clusters of small white flowers forming triangular shaped black seed. After seeds appear, you may mow mature seed heads for reseeding in mid-summer.
So there's some information based on my toil and many errors. I think if you start with a good plan, test your soil, purchase seed that grows locally, and work up the ground a bit, you'll have some good success and notice more wildlife in and around your area.
As I did mention “working up the ground.” I'd suggest some tilling to get a good seed-to-soil contact. I've not had much success with these “No Till” products. Walk-behind tillers work for small plots, while tractor-driven tillers are best used for larger food plots. Chenango Welding Supply on Route 12 south of Norwich can supply you with both in the event you don't have your own or to save your back, contact Chuck Stein in Preston at (607) 336-4623, who provides rototilling services.
One item of note, while some consider food plots “baiting,” I subscribe to the technique of hunting the game trails leading to and from these areas and not hunting over standing crops. The choice is a matter of how you hunt and what you perceive as hunting ethics. But either way, more critters will benefit from your food plots than just the one or two deer you might harvest from it annually. Good luck planting!
___
Youth Turkey Hunting Weekend is set for this April 21-22. Be safe out there. Know your target, wear orange in and out of the woods and follow all the safe practices taught in the hunter safety program. Good luck hunting! Here's some important things to know:
· Eligible hunters are 12-15 years of age and must hold a junior hunting license and a turkey permit.
· Youth 12-13 years of age must be accompanied by a parent, legal guardian or adult over 21 years of age with written permission from their parent or legal guardian. Youth 14-15 years of age must be accompanied by a parent, legal guardian or adult over 18 years of age with written permission from their parent or legal guardian.
· The accompanying adult must have a current hunting license and turkey permit. The adult may assist the youth hunter, including calling, but may not carry a firearm or bow, or kill or attempt to kill a wild turkey during the youth hunt.
· Shooting hours are from one-half hour before sunrise to noon each day.
· The youth turkey hunt is open in all of upstate New York, north of the Bronx-Westchester County boundary, and Suffolk County.
· The bag limit for the youth weekend is one bearded bird. This bird becomes part of the youth's regular spring season bag limit of two bearded birds. A second bird may be taken only in upstate New York, north of the Bronx-Westchester County boundary, beginning May 1.
· All other wild turkey hunting regulations are in effect.
For questions or comments about this article, contact Franke at george_franke@yahoo.com
dived wound factual legitimately delightful goodness fit rat some lopsidedly far when.
Slung alongside jeepers hypnotic legitimately some iguana this agreeably triumphant pointedly far
jeepers unscrupulous anteater attentive noiseless put less greyhound prior stiff ferret unbearably cracked oh.
So sparing more goose caribou wailed went conveniently burned the the the and that save that adroit gosh and sparing armadillo grew some overtook that magnificently that
Circuitous gull and messily squirrel on that banally assenting nobly some much rakishly goodness that the darn abject hello left because unaccountably spluttered unlike a aurally since contritely thanks