Habitat 2002
The following will make a lot more sense if you refer to
this aerial photograph. (The image
is quite large(65k), but it makes it easier to visualize what I'm talking
about.)
This year I'm planning to plant the following food plots:
-
1) 150 x 250 = 37500 (.86 ac) beans
-
2) 100 x 150 = 15000 (.34 ac) winter wheat
-
3) 600 x 100 = 60000 (1.38 ac) corn/milo
-
4) 300 x 90 = 27000 (.62 ac) alfalfa
-
5) 35 x 600 = 21000 (.48 ac) forage sorghum
-
6) 150 x 250 = 37500 (.86 ac) beans
-
7) 125 x 50 = 6250 (.14 ac) winter wheat
-
8) 450 x 300 = 135000 (3.1 ac) alfalfa
-
9) 100 x 300 x 2/3 bands = 30000 (.69 ac) per band corn/milo/beans
-
10) 35 x 600 = 21000 (.48 ac) forage sorghum
All of the seed, with the exception of the alfalfa, will be provided at no
charge through the MDC. I just have to plant it and not harvest it.
The bright blue box in the timber is a 100'x100' clearcut where I'm going to
plant some red, white, and sawtooth oaks. Currently, the timber areas are
mostly ash, hickory, and cedars. I'd like to increase the mast production thus
the oaks.
In addition I plan to plant a wind break in the area labeled 11 to provide cover
for extreme winter weather but mostly to hide the field from the road. Road
hunters and/or poachers and I don't get along very well so I'll try to remove
the temptation.
6/1/02
This spring we have been having rain on such a regular basis that I've been able
to get the plots planted until now. There were a few deviations from the plan.
It turned out that I only had enough Soybean seed to plant plot 1, plots 4 and
6 were not planted, and plot 9 was planted corn and milo.
8/1/02
After having too much rain to get any seed in the ground til 6/1, it then
didn't rain again till around mid July. As a result the beans didn't amount to
much, the few plants that germinated were browsed down to nothing and the plot
was totally over taken by weeds. Without rain the corn looks terrible, about 3'
high with little ears the size of a cigar. The milo is actually looking pretty
good all things considered.
8/20/02
After doing a little research on what to plant for a fall food plot/attractant
I decided to try Buck
Forage Oats rather than winter wheat. I ordered 16
- 50 lb bags (10 for here and 6 for the place in Iowa) which should be good for
8 acres. The oats will be planted in plots 1, 6, and 8. If there is enough seed,
I'll also plant plot 4.
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