# Amoo's Food Plot Adventure



## Amoo

Copying the initial thread from Food Plot Sticky:

Ok fellas, I'll be doing my first food plots this year on my second season of hunting this land so I'll be looking for some guidance and advice.  I tend to get a little long winded, but as an initial post I feel this is necessary to get the help I'm looking for.  Sorry in advance 

Last year I got permission to hunt the 60 acres located....right next door.  Late last summer (Late September) they timbered the land and came in and took almost all of the pines which weren't right up against the creek/ditch/canal that sits on the property (not planted pines but relatively dense).  There are a few hundred acres of woods around my area and everything outside of that is all farmland minus a few houses spread here and there.  Typical crops in my area are Corn, Cotton and Peanuts.  We have a very healthy deer population (too health according to the farmers  ).  Via trail cams and night hunting nuisance permit scouting I have been able to confirm 5 different mini herds of 6+ deer plus countless different individuals.  The moral of all that I guess is, we have very good deer density.  Back on topic...

So what once was pines and oaks is now oaks and brush, this means my pH is probably pretty acidic.  I haven't had a soil test done yet (that's coming next week before I glyc), but I have had a water test done on my property next door and we are around 5.5.  I'm assuming my soil in there is going to be close to that.

I'm going to be planting what amounts to about half an acre this year in 3 mini kill plots to be expanded next year for year round supplementation (had to rebuild my stand after the existing one blew over last spring , wasn't mine originally so I got a free one for a year).  So far I have bush-hogged the area I plan to plant and will be hitting everything with glyc this week.  I will hit the land with my neighbor's discs probably the end of this month.

Since I had very little idea what I was doing when I set out on this journey, here is what I paid too much for in supplies this year:

Evolved Habitats Clover Crush (http://www.evolved.com/products/clover-crush.html#.U-Xp9GPPAfs) - SOme type of Red and White Perennial Clovers, no idea really.

Evolved Habitats Shot Plot (http://www.evolved.com/products/food-plots/shotplot-2-5lbs.html#.U-XvMGPPAfs) Different types of Brassicas

5# of Iron and Clay Peas

Waiting on Fert/lime for my soil test.

So my first question is, How do I work this stuff? 

If I've got my reading from this site and post correct I need to get the two evolved habitat products in the ground sometime around late Mid-Late September?

Just mix together and spread?

I then let that run it's coarse throughout the winter, then next spring (April time frame I guess?) mow and glyc that and plant the iron and clay peas?

Let the Iron and Clay peas run their coarse next year, then come this time next year repeat that process with hopefully better soil condition and seed at 1/4 of the price I paid this year?

Here's a picture of the land I'm working with since everybody likes pictures.  I'll update when I get some better shots:







Ok in all seriousness here are a few shots from last year:

This is before they took the pines out:





This is after pines removed plus a late night visitor.  Should give you a good idea of the sizes of brush I'm working with:


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## Amoo

Ok so, I've got a couple of shooting lanes cut, but I'm really not happy with the progress so I'm renting a tractor with a bucket so I can do this once and call it a day.  Here's a few shots of the land today.  I've circled the area where the food plots will be.











You can see from the second image, why I decided to bring in the bucket.  There is simply too much medium sized debris which didn't get cleaned up to just bushhog, so I will run the bucket on the front and a bushhog on the back and try things that way.  I'm hoping to end up with about a half of an acre to an acre total of food plot by the time I'm done clearing, but I desperately need a google earth update before I can be sure how much area I have.  Worst case scenario I step if off once I get everything cleared.

I'm taking Canuck's advice and going to hold off on the White Clover and Brassiccas this year.  I took my soil sample down to Dept of Ag today and the lady told me they have been moving pretty fast and I may have results by the weekend.  Worst case scenario beginning of next week.

I'm going to be mixing a few different things.  I found a 5 way seed at my local store with the following seed:

5% Wrens Abruzzi Rye
50% GA Gore Wheat
41% Coker 820 Oats
1% Dixie Crimson Clover
1% Athena Rape

This comes in a 50lbs bag and is the best mix I can find based on my current recommendations without soil test (Which is coming).  The also sell 25lbs bags of iron and clay peas.  I'm thinking of mixing 1 to 1 which would leave me planting  1/3 I&C.  Total cost to me for for 75lbs of the combined was somewhere around $26.

Based on the mix I have and the fact that I am a gun only hunter, I was thinking about trying to have seed in the ground between the second and third week of September based on the rain.  Too early, too late, about right?


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## Amoo

Google Earth Image of the area before it was cleared.  I was able to map out and get distances of two of the plots.  I may or may not add a third, that's still to be decided how I feel once on the tractor.  Right now I'm looking at close to half an acre.


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## shdw633

Don't be afraid to leave some of those lanes just mowed, we have found in the last few years that the bucks will move around a foodplot that has been planted but do not mind crossing a mowed  area or an area that has just been trimmed down.  We will set our bush hog up about a foot or so off the ground and just mow and have killed a couple of bruisers doing that.  Not to take you off topic but you had a couple of pics in there that would fit that situation so I thought I would chime in.


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## huckhgh

Can't wait to follow your progress!

What kind of stand are you using? Do you have a picture of where it's going?

Huck


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## Amoo

shdw633 said:


> Don't be afraid to leave some of those lanes just mowed, we have found in the last few years that the bucks will move around a foodplot that has been planted but do not mind crossing a mowed  area or an area that has just been trimmed down.  We will set our bush hog up about a foot or so off the ground and just mow and have killed a couple of bruisers doing that.  Not to take you off topic but you had a couple of pics in there that would fit that situation so I thought I would chime in.



No worries, I'm the king of off topic and I wouldn't have thought twice about mentioning that.  Thank you for the suggestion.  Once I'm out there with the bucket I will have a much better idea of how much I can get away with knocking down around the stumps and how big of a stump I can get out of the ground.  That's really going to be the determining factor of how much I can feasibly turn into a food plot and how much I will have to just leave as shooting lanes.  Good to know they don't mind traversing them.


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## shdw633

We had an area we called the skeet range which was similar to what you have and what we did was place the stand in the center facing a bottom, we then cut single lanes down to that bottom in the shape of a skeet range, or half wagon wheel and then went along the end of those lanes with one connected foodplot.  What the bucks would do was go around the foodplot and would cross through these lanes as they would be searching to see or smell what was in the foodplot.  What was great is you would catch the buck on one lane and just wait for him to enter the next lane on the skeet range/wagon wheel spoke and that's when you would get your shot.  We would also catch does feeding down on the foodplot as they would enter the ends of these lanes.  If you can't go to the end to connect the lanes with a food plot maybe do every other lane in a foodplot, that way you are not trying to clear a real large area of debris and stumps but just select lanes and you aren't disturbing the area too much as to cause your deer concern.  If you can do something  like that realize that the idea is to get your deer crossing the lanes from one to the other and you catching the deer as they cross one and you are offered your opportunity at harvest when they get to the other.  Also your mix you mentioned will work fine, I use a Pennington Fall blend in my areas typically but this year I think I am going to go with the Buck Forage Oats and then add some wheat, crimson clover, rye and some rape or red top turnips to the mix.  Be sure to throw a lime to sweeten your soil prior to planting, I like a dolomite lime that you can get from Lowes or Home depot, you would have to check with smaller retail hardware stores to see if they carry it.  I would add arrowleaf clover to at least one of your foodplots, this will benefit the deer when time are lean after the season is over.  Hope this helps.


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## Amoo

huckhgh said:


> Can't wait to follow your progress!
> 
> What kind of stand are you using? Do you have a picture of where it's going?
> 
> Huck



I'm sorry Huck, for some reason after I missed your post as I was responding to the previous one and didn't see it until just now.  I have the wood for the base structure and am working on getting it painted.  It's all pressure treated, but even so I'd rather paint it all before I put it together.

The base will be (4) 6x6x12s 2-3 feet into the ground in concrete (I'm a founding member of over-builders anonymous).  I will then use u-hangars with lag bolts and the outer flooring brace will be 4x4s.  I have 4x4x8s but I'm unsure if I want to do a 4x8 structure or an 8x8 structure or a 6x8 structure.  I'm going to decide that here in the next few days.  More then likely it will be a 8x8 box stand with some gnarly - I AM A POTTY MOUTH -- I AM A POTTY MOUTH -- I AM A POTTY MOUTH - bracing.  

I actually was standing where the new stand will go and the toppled stand from last year was directly behind me.  Next time I go out I will snap some pictures of the area.

I've been following your thread as well and we appear to be the plot newbs this year.  We gotta keep each other motivated!


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## Amoo

shdw633 said:


> We had an area we called the skeet range which was similar to what you have and what we did was place the stand in the center facing a bottom, we then cut single lanes down to that bottom in the shape of a skeet range, or half wagon wheel and then went along the end of those lanes with one connected foodplot.  What the bucks would do was go around the foodplot and would cross through these lanes as they would be searching to see or smell what was in the foodplot.  What was great is you would catch the buck on one lane and just wait for him to enter the next lane on the skeet range/wagon wheel spoke and that's when you would get your shot.  We would also catch does feeding down on the foodplot as they would enter the ends of these lanes.  If you can't go to the end to connect the lanes with a food plot maybe do every other lane in a foodplot, that way you are not trying to clear a real large area of debris and stumps but just select lanes and you aren't disturbing the area too much as to cause your deer concern.  If you can do something  like that realize that the idea is to get your deer crossing the lanes from one to the other and you catching the deer as they cross one and you are offered your opportunity at harvest when they get to the other.  Also your mix you mentioned will work fine, I use a Pennington Fall blend in my areas typically but this year I think I am going to go with the Buck Forage Oats and then add some wheat, crimson clover, rye and some rape or red top turnips to the mix.  Be sure to throw a lime to sweeten your soil prior to planting, I like a dolomite lime that you can get from Lowes or Home depot, you would have to check with smaller retail hardware stores to see if they carry it.  I would add arrowleaf clover to at least one of your foodplots, this will benefit the deer when time are lean after the season is over.  Hope this helps.




Totally, thank you for the experience.  Let me broaden our perspective a bit and see if this is similar to what you are talking about.


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## Canuck5

I like your choice of seeds, for a first time plotter!  Your chances of success are good!  The only negative with that blend is you have big seeds and little seeds .... the little seeds, meaning the clover, should not be planted too deep, 1/4" or less ... but the other seeds will germinate fine at that depth!

Some other things to consider .....

1.  Spend a few hours scouting the area and see where your deer are now.  Do you see "sign" like trails, rubs, scrapes, bedding areas ... use that information to your advantage!

2.  Look at your pictures above and realize in 5 years, all those small tree's will be 3 times taller than that, so (if your'e allowed) take some of those out now and paint the stumps with glyphosate to kill them off.  Sweet gums don't serve much purpose

3.  You've a got a clean slate, so to speak! (If you're allowed to)  I'm a poor hunter ... I try to watch everything, everywhere and my eyeballs get worn out, LOL.  With your tractor (if you're allowed), knowing where your deer are and where they travel, pile up some brush/trash, so that you create a funnel.  Force the deer to come from just a couple areas, vs from anywhere .... down your trails!

http://www.northamericanwhitetail.com/tactics/hunting-strategies/huntingtactics_naw_1007_05/

4.  I'm sure Forest Grump and I know Triple C on here have done hinge cutting ... maybe they can chime in.   Just something else to consider

http://www.qdma.com/articles/create-living-thicket-cover-by-hinge-cutting

5.  Make sure you've got good stand placement for the wind .... maybe have a couple locations?  http://www.northamericanwhitetail.com/tactics/deer-behavior/how-mature-bucks-use-the-wind/

Other than that, you'll be fighting a lot of roots and trash, but getting your soil right will benefit you for many years!

Post your soil test results when you get them!


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## Canuck5

I see you've done some scouting already!!!


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## Canuck5

And on your "All clear cut" area, by no means give up on that.  Some of our best hunting has been on clear cuts!


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## Canuck5

Also, ask the property owners if they plan to "spray the property" and if they plan to replant.  That could have a big effect on what you do this year.


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## shdw633

Amoo said:


> Totally, thank you for the experience.  Let me broaden our perspective a bit and see if this is similar to what you are talking about.



You've got the idea!!  Keep your spoke lanes about a tractor to tractor and a half wide and remember that your foodplot is your draw and as Canuck said, don't ignore your clear cut behind you because they will cross it in the daylight so you will want to keep that area off one of your shoulders for glances over.  Also keep your foodplot about 2 to 3 tractor lengths wide as you want the deer traveling up and down it and not get hung up in a large area that they can hide from you and eat all they want.  As I stated you can always make a lane in the spoke a foodplot or come up about a quarter of the way up a lane and make 25 to 50 yards of the lane a foodplot.  One last thing.  Don't mow all the way up to your foodplot, keep 20 or 30 yards as it is now, this will help you blend in and allow you to "look over" into the lanes instead of giving the deer a runway line of sight right to your stand.


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## huckhgh

I hear ya Amoo. I'm more pumped about my food plot than anything else! I usually have my bow dialed in, all my stands prepped and ready to rock by now but this food plotting is addicting! Haha

You've motivated me to do an google map of what my area looks like. I'm working on it and will hopefully have it on my thread in the next hour.

Keep us posted!


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## Amoo

Just think, I gotta get all this work done in the next 3 weeks before my 6 week old born to be a deer blood trackin beagle comes jome,  She should have enough training in her by October to follow a deer line assuming I drop it where it stands,  I might drag it about 75 yards away or so and hide it in a bed abnd see if she can get on the animl.


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## huckhgh

I'll know who to call next year if I can't find one! Haha


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## elfiii

huckhgh said:


> Can't wait to follow your progress!



Same here. Looking forward to seeing some freshly turned dirt covered by white Ag lime. Do turn it in though.


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## Amoo

@Canuck - I appreciate your comments and help.  I am going to respond directly to a few of the things you posted, but had a crappy and discouraging day today and I'd rather answer you when I feel better.

Plot Update:

As mentioned above today, well today sucked.  I was ready to go at the tractor rental place at 730 with my trailer.  Got everything loaded up and brought it home.  I got home and got my neighbor's bushhog hooked up.  Out into the woods I went.

I was widening and adding sight lines for about two hours when I hit a decent size log with the bushhog and sheared the shear pin on the PTO.  No big deal.  I ran up to the hardware store and grabbed a few bolts and a couple different size stainless pins.  I got home and found everything I had was about an inch too short.  So back tot he hardware store to get the right stuff.

I get home and battle with the PTO for about 30 minutes and get it all pinned back up.  Then it decides it doesn't want to expand and go back on the tractor so I had to take it all apart again.  About this time my neighbor showed up on his way to run errands and with a pry bar and 4 pound we were able to get it broken loose.  I tossed all the extra bolts into the back of truck so he would have them if it broke again and he took off.  I take it back into the woods, engage the PTO and immediately that stupid SS pin snapped.  At this point I was pretty - I AM A POTTY MOUTH -- I AM A POTTY MOUTH -- I AM A POTTY MOUTH -- I AM A POTTY MOUTH -- I AM A POTTY MOUTH -- I AM A POTTY MOUTH -.  I took it over to his place and dug through his hardware but he didn't have anything the right size, so I said screw it and just unhooked the bushhog and decided I would just go move some downed branches with the bucket.

So I get back out there and struggle for about 20 minutes trying to move some branches and discover that a bucket on the front of a 45HP tractor is about as worthless as nipples on a boar hog.  AT this point I was really - I AM A POTTY MOUTH -- I AM A POTTY MOUTH -- I AM A POTTY MOUTH -- I AM A POTTY MOUTH -- I AM A POTTY MOUTH -- I AM A POTTY MOUTH - and frustrated, so I took everything home, loaded the tractor back up and went to see if I could rent a bushhog from the place I got the tractor.  I get there and discover....I left my wallet at home.  EEEEEEEEEFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So I unloaded the tractor, brought the key inside, spoke with the salesman and told him I would call him back with my creditcard so I could get the refund for the time I didn't use. ($130 for hour rental, I "used" it about 4.5 and will get a $45 refund.)  So for my $85 I got about 2 hours of work done...

I got home and my wife was headed home so I decided I would take a break and head into town and get some lunch.  While at lunch my body decided to have an anxiety attack (I have a bipolar condition which I take meds for and have found sugar and carbs will trigger attacks.  Most the time I can eat stuff hear and there and get away with it, but today wasn't one of those days.)  After lunch I went home, took some emergency meds and went to bed.

The Plan From Here:

The good news is I do have some shooting lanes cut.  I didn't quite get what I wanted, but I do have some.  My neighbor who farms has told me in the next week there is going to be a big pile of lime laying in the property next door and I am welcome to as much as I need within reason.  I should have my soil test results soon so that will help.  I still have my yard tractor to cut some less dense areas that I was planning on bushhogging.  It works, just takes a little longer as I have to be more careful with downed branches.  I've got a chain saw, loppers, machete...etc.  Basically I can still get some area cleared, it's just going to take a little longer then planned.

I could borrow my neighbors tractor and start using the harrow, but I'm kind of getting tired of tearing up other people's stuff, so I think I'm going to order a Groundhog Max for my ATV as I've heard good things about it and go with that for harrowing everything.

I need to finish up my stand and get it out there as all this work will be for not if I don't have a place to hunt from.  I'm thinking this year I will just be thankful for what I have and go with what I've got and if I decide to expand my plots, I can do that next year when I have more time to prepare.

So tomorrow's plan is:

-Dr's appts 830 am.
-Get home about 11.
-Paint the final sides of the wood I have for the stand.
-Use Sketchup to design plans for the stand.
-Take a ladder out, a measuring tape and marking paint and get the exact spots for the stand.
-Use Auger to sink and concrete legs (If time permits)

On a good note, here's a picture of my pup my friend sent me today.  Her name is going to be Trax and she is 3.5 weeks old here:






For those of you who haven't used Sketchup before it's basically like a free autocad program.  Here's a sketchup I did of a steel stand I built for my 125g SW fish tank.


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## Scrapy

I am really impressed with your graphics package. It helps a lot> How did you learn to do all that? Are you for hire on graphic arts? If so, Please PM Me.


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## Canuck5

Well, sorry to hear about all your troubles!!  But trust me, my Dad always told me those are character building experiences, LOL!

Do what you can .... you don't have to do it all this year ... but what you do, make it so you don't have to do it over.  Start with just one plot.

Good luck and keep us posted!  Good work with Sketchup & you now have cute little helper!!!!!


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## Amoo

Scrapy said:


> I am really impressed with your graphics package. It helps a lot> How did you learn to do all that? Are you for hire on graphic arts? If so, Please PM Me.



Scrapy,

Don't get me wrong, we all like to make a quick buck, but if you can use MS Paint, you can use Sketchup.  It's a free program, I believe by google.  You simply downloaded it and use the ruler to draw a bunch of straight lines.  If you can think of a design well enough to draw it out on paper you can draw it out on Sketchup.  I'd probably be willing to do something for you depending on how extensive you're looking for, but I would highly recommend you trying it yourself first as it really isn't a tough program to use.


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## Amoo

Canuck5 said:


> Well, sorry to hear about all your troubles!!  But trust me, my Dad always told me those are character building experiences, LOL!
> 
> Do what you can .... you don't have to do it all this year ... but what you do, make it so you don't have to do it over.  Start with just one plot.
> 
> Good luck and keep us posted!  Good work with Sketchup & you now have cute little helper!!!!!



Thanks for the encouragement Canuck, and trust me, along with being part of the Overbuilders-Anonymous Club I'm also part of the Do-It Right Once club.  Almost all of my tools are Dewalt/Kobalt/John Deere...etc.  I was really hoping to get everything I wanted done this year, but it doesn't look like it was in the cards.

I'm very excited about the pup and I think she is going to get a ton of work.  I'm on 2 different nuisance permits for local farmers so I'm shooting at deer year round.  There's nothing worse then nailing one at about 2am when it's 75F outside and knowing it won't last until the morning.  Sadly I lost two this year that I was able to find come morning time, hence the decision to get and train a dedicated tracking dog.  I'm hoping by next season she is trained enough that I may be able to offer my services to local hunters, but in the meantime it's all about teaching her and learning myself.


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## Amoo

Canuck5 said:


> I like your choice of seeds, for a first time plotter!  Your chances of success are good!  The only negative with that blend is you have big seeds and little seeds .... the little seeds, meaning the clover, should not be planted too deep, 1/4" or less ... but the other seeds will germinate fine at that depth!
> 
> Some other things to consider .....
> 
> 1.  Spend a few hours scouting the area and see where your deer are now.  Do you see "sign" like trails, rubs, scrapes, bedding areas ... use that information to your advantage!
> 
> Addressed above
> 
> 2.  Look at your pictures above and realize in 5 years, all those small tree's will be 3 times taller than that, so (if your'e allowed) take some of those out now and paint the stumps with glyphosate to kill them off.  Sweet gums don't serve much purpose
> 
> This is part of what I'm trying to accomplish this year.  I want to establish solid shooting lanes for now and in the future.  It's not quite where I want it, but I did get a decent start this season.
> 
> 3.  You've a got a clean slate, so to speak! (If you're allowed to)  I'm a poor hunter ... I try to watch everything, everywhere and my eyeballs get worn out, LOL.  With your tractor (if you're allowed), knowing where your deer are and where they travel, pile up some brush/trash, so that you create a funnel.  Force the deer to come from just a couple areas, vs from anywhere .... down your trails!
> 
> http://www.northamericanwhitetail.com/tactics/hunting-strategies/huntingtactics_naw_1007_05/
> 
> Since I was able to hunt the property last year and spend all of this year scouting it I've learned a lot of the natural deer paths through there.  The whole north side of the property (by the acorns) is a property with a firebreak.  The deer come onto the property from wherever they want in that direction, but they funnel through the trails into the area where I have my plots.  They travel from there and from the NW to a creek that sits on the property.  I've seen them both going towards the creek and coming from the creek so I have a pretty good natural flow path already established.
> 
> 4.  I'm sure Forest Grump and I know Triple C on here have done hinge cutting ... maybe they can chime in.   Just something else to consider
> 
> http://www.qdma.com/articles/create-living-thicket-cover-by-hinge-cutting
> 
> This is a great idea, but there is nothing large enough in the area that would really benefit from a hinge cut.
> 
> 5.  Make sure you've got good stand placement for the wind .... maybe have a couple locations?  http://www.northamericanwhitetail.com/tactics/deer-behavior/how-mature-bucks-use-the-wind/
> 
> Luckily for me, because the deer enter my area from different locations it's a pretty good spot for scent control.  Frequently I'm wind in my face towards the clear cut area during hunting season, but even on days where there is a shift, there is some area where they enter and the wind is in my face.
> 
> Other than that, you'll be fighting a lot of roots and trash, but getting your soil right will benefit you for many years!
> 
> Post your soil test results when you get them!



Answered in red inside quote.


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## Amoo

Canuck5 said:


> And on your "All clear cut" area, by no means give up on that.  Some of our best hunting has been on clear cuts!



I'm actually thinking about planting a few persimmon trees in this area.  I obviously won't see benefits in the next year or two, but after that, if I can get them to grow, it may work out pretty well.


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## Amoo

Canuck5 said:


> Also, ask the property owners if they plan to "spray the property" and if they plan to replant.  That could have a big effect on what you do this year.



So this one is kind of interesting.  The land owner originally bought the property to turn into a dirt bike track for his son....eeeek.  Safe to say that didn't work out.  He did end up clearing some of the pines off of it last year, but that is as far as it's gone.  He's talked about maybe replanting it.  He's talked about maybe doing this or maybe doing that, but the reality is he hasn't done anything.  Basically our deal is, I keep it clean, keep folks out of it and keep an eye on the place, I can use it like it's mine for hunting...etc.

So it's a very fluid situation but also very static, both at the same time.  The guy lives a few hours away and works a few hours away (Hasselhurst I think)so he doesn't even come down to the property very often.  I'm not sure he has been down here since last year.  So basically he may not do anything with it as long as he owns it, or he may come knock on my door tomorrow and tell me never to go in there again (not very likely but could always happen).  For now though all I can do is treat it like it's mine like he told me and do my best to make it a good hunting and feeding area.


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## huckhgh

Sounds like you're joining the blood, sweat and tears club and having to do most of it manually! It is tough but very rewarding.

Actually, I was looking at my spot on google earth last night and think I can add to my plot size next year. I am glad that I started out small this year but if all goes well, I should be able to get my plot to about 1/5-1/4 of an acre next year.

Keep at it!

Oh, and your pup looks like a definite hunter! Haha


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## Canuck5

You've got a good plan!


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## Amoo

Plan B:

Here's what happens when I get frustrated working on a project:






1957 Ford 641 Workman

Also got my soil test results in:

pH - 4.2

Recommendations for Fall Deer Mix Cool Season Grasses with Clover

5tons/acre Lime, 50lbs/acre N, 90lbs/acre P2O5, 90lbs/acre K2O

Recommendations for Fall Deer Mix Brassicas

4.75 tons/acre Lime, 80lbs/acre P2O5, 110lbs/acre K2O


Ok so Lime is easy, I have about half an acre, so I should probably start with about 2 tons of lime this year.

The fertilizer part is a little harder.  What should I go with this year for my 5 way and how much will carry over or will I have to adjust next year going towards more mixed clover and brassicas?


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## huckhgh

That's a sharp tractor!

I can't believe how much lime you are having to put down. Good lord! Haha, I might need to add some more to mine.


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## Canuck5

Nice tractor!

So, you can use this handy dandy little tool to figure out what you need.  Remember that the "numbers" your soil test tell you, are for raising a crop and that isn't exactly what you're doing.  Add to the fact that it is going to take 6 months for your lime to work, not all the fertilizer you put in your soil, is going to be used by your plants, in the first few months.  So, this tool will tell you what you should use, for raising a crop, assuming your ph is above 6.  Do what you can afford, but it never hurts to know the right way to do things.  (not exact, but close enough)

http://aesl.ces.uga.edu/soil/fertcalc/

So fill in your numbers ... 50N, 90P, and 90K

If all you can buy is 10-10-10 fertilizer, you'll need 900 lbs /acre of that or 450 lb for 1/2 acre which is 9 bags x $12.99/bag or $116.91

If you can buy 13-13-13, then you will only need 692 lbs (700) or 350 lbs per 1/2 acre or 7 bags x $13.99/bag or $97.93

If you can buy 19-19-19 then you will only need 473 lbs (500) or 250 lbs per 1/12 acre or 5 bags x ? ..... I don't have a price for that, but you can figure out what will be the most economical for you.  Run the numbers!

But, by all means, get your lime worked into the soil ASAP, especially if it is free!


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## Gadestroyer74

Canuck wouldn't it be better to use peletized lime since it works quicker and doesn't need as much as ag lime per acre. I know fast acting lime / solucal etc works the fastest and is the most expensive . Just a thought


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## Canuck5

In post 19, I think he said that the property owner was going to drop a pile of lime next door and he can use as much as he needed ... so free lime, which will be a little bit of a paint to spread, but it is just a 1/2 acre.

Well, I did some digging and found this.  I guess it really depends on what "quality of AG lime" you can buy vs the "quality of pelletized lime".  I think you'd have to do some research and I am not sure it's spelled out on the lime bag .... but I will be looking for that number.

Solu-Cal ... the only "old" independent study I found on it, showed it didn't perform as advertised .... maybe things have changed.


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## Canuck5

So, if we can buy "high quality" pelletized lime, we probably can use less vs AG lime ... but without the right equipment, pelletized is the way to go!


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## Triple C

Amoo...Enjoying the follow along of your trials and tribulations!  Maybe a little late this year but next year you may want to consider hiring someone with track hoe to remove all your stumps.  Or you could rent one and give it a go yourself.  Makes for quick work of stump removal.  Doesn't have to be a big one either.  A mini-ex will make quick work of those pine stumps.


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## Gadestroyer74

That certainly clears it up ag lime and peletized like take the same time to work. The only alternative would be solucal or fast acting like it appears ?


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## Scrapy

Ag lime can be calcitic CaCO3 or dolomite Mg CaCO3. The calcium carbonate neutralizing value is higher with dolomite but the price is normally about even for the value. The main difference is you also get Magnesium with dolomite.  Which is a necessary nutrient.  The fast acting limes might be burnt to get the dust. The aglimes are coarser and there fore take longer to break down and go to work.  Lime is always smaller than fertilizer particles.  If you have watched a lime truck spread and there is any breeze you probably noticed a dust cloud behind the truck. Going one way or another.  Pelletized lime is pellet size so it spreads more evenly. Like said already, Ag lime might take six months to affect pH. Like already said the affects may last three years. On the other hand, don't expect three years worth of benefit from fast acting lime.

Ideally, if you want fast results and long lasting results it will take applications of both types of limes.  If you are worried about 'overliming' remember that pH is a logarithmic scale and it takes much more Ca Co3 equivalent to got from 6.0 to 6.5 than from 5.0 to 5.5 and that also depends on soil texture and OM. Just to over simplify this thing.


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## Amoo

Triple C said:


> Amoo...Enjoying the follow along of your trials and tribulations!  Maybe a little late this year but next year you may want to consider hiring someone with track hoe to remove all your stumps.  Or you could rent one and give it a go yourself.  Makes for quick work of stump removal.  Doesn't have to be a big one either.  A mini-ex will make quick work of those pine stumps.



Welcome to my madhouse Triple C, sorry it took me a few days to get back to you.  I've had time to read, but not much to respond.  I had access to the trackhoe this year for a rental fee of $300 a day, um NO.  As you said, I believe I'm going to hire somebody to do it next year depending on how this year's results yield.


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## Amoo

Ok folks, update time.

First and most importantly, RAIN, we have rain!!!!! After recording 1/3" over the last 30 days (all last week) the heavens have opened up and blessed us with 1/4" yesterday and 1/2" today.  The bad news is, I didn't get to spray all of the newly cut soil.  The good news is I did begin working it with the discs (Yes I bought discs for the tractor along with my Groundhog Max which I will use for gardening).  I didn't get a picture yet as it rained until about 7:00pm and I spent almost an hour out there before dark with the harrow.  Tomorrow I'm going to throw my first round of Lime down.

Onto Lime.  I've read the great info you guys have been discussing and in absence of my lime delivery (Which btw would be powdered and how the - I AM A POTTY MOUTH -- I AM A POTTY MOUTH -- I AM A POTTY MOUTH -- I AM A POTTY MOUTH - would I spread it?), I decided to purchase 10 40lbs bags of Pelleted Lime from Agri Supply Company in Tifton.  The lime I picked up appears to be dolomite lime as it contains a healthy dose of Calcium and Magnesium and has an Effective Neutralizing Value of 83%.  According to the bag I need 2 passes with my spreader (yes I got a spreader too) at 90% which would be the equivalent of 1 ton per acre.  (I need to check my spreader settings to confirm.)  

The only fertilizer I was able to find was 10-10-10.  I picked up 8 bags of this.  I was looking for 19-19-19, but nobody had a balanced mix higher then Triple 10.  One place I asked the guy said, "No, but I have 9-28-0(Numbers were some balance close to that)"  I was thinking to myself, "Self, I'm looking for a balanced mix and dude is telling me closest he has is not balanced at all?  This guy is supposed to be the expert."  I then asked if he had the Triple 10 and he sold me that...

My current game-plan is as follows.  Please feel free to comment:

Week of 8/18:
Spread half of lime
Spray Glyc on areas unsprayed
Harrow soil until lime mixed

Week of 8/25:
Strart constructing deer stand
Finish constructing deer stand

Week of 9/1:
TRAX WILL BE HERE!!!!! (That's my puppy's name)
Spread Lime prior to hint of first rain
Spread half of Fertilizer
Work it in with Harrow

Week of 9/8:
Spend time working with Trax 

Week of 9/15:
Spend time with Trax
Spread 5-way deer mix at first sign of rain
Harrow it in

Week of 9/22:
Spend time with Trax

Week of 9/29:
Spend time with Trax
Spread I&C Cowpeas
Spread rest of Fertilizer

Week of 10/6:
Spend time with Trax
whew I made it....

Week of 10/13:
Spend very little time with Trax since going on vacation
Yes, we will be gone for the opening day of gun season 
I'll be in my stand at sunrise on 10/19 when we get back


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## Canuck5

I'd say, spread all your lime now and don't worry about much else ... then either go get more pelletized lime or go get the AG lime when it is dropped next door.  Your soil test said that you needed 5 tons/acre or 5000 lbs for your 1/2 acre.  Lime may take 6 months to have it's effect.

Fertilizer just won't work, without increasing the ph of your soil.  You'll have wasted money on the fertilizer, unless you change your ph.  Lime is cheap compared to fertilizer.  Lime is the cheap mans fertilizer!

Do nothing else, until all your lime is spread and worked into the soil.  Top priority.  Don't spread your fertilizer till you're ready to spread your seed.  Don't pass "go" and don't collect $200!  LOL


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## Canuck5

Your ph was 4.2 ....... Just want Amoo to succeed!


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## Crakajak

Go ahead and spread all the lime and turn it into the soil.
in 2 weeks turn again if you want to..( it will help with wed control)
Spread fert and turn into the soil,smooth and plant all the same weekend. Late Sept/early Oct.
Your  ICP need to be planted 1/2-1" deep.
The 5 way mix I am not sure of.


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## Amoo

Sounds good guys, thanks for the advice.  Took the spreader out today and broadcast the entire ton of Lime I had down these two strips.  I think I will be able to afford to go get about 10-15 more bags this year before it's time to put seed down.  

I borrowed my neighbors peanut rake (looks like a hay rake to me) and started raking the ground with that some.  These will be the two main lanes I concentrate on this season.  I figure if I can get things knocked out and growing in these lanes this season I will have a pretty good idea of a game-plan for a more full scale approach next year.  For now here is where I'm at.  Still going to need to Spray and hit it with the discs and hay rake quite a few more times.  This crap was thick, slowly but surely though I'm making progress.  The remainder of my evening I will enjoy some Goldschlager and 7up 







Canuck, If I can get an area of these two lanes can you help me figure out how much lime I will need in total this season?

Looks like I have a perimeter of 186 yards.  Making this into two rectangles I would get 56 x 10 and 8 x 40.  This gives me 880 square yards which calculates to .18 acres.


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## Amoo

Actually if my math is correct I just need to take my 5 tons per acre and multiply that by .18, which gives me .9 which would mean for this little bit I would need almost exactly 1 ton of lime, which is what I have down so far.  I do think I will go pick up 10 more bags to be safe and to ensure good spread, but I think I'm there already assuming this stuff works into the ground in the next month.  Good news is I hear thunder.  Bad news is that hasn't meant a - I AM A POTTY MOUTH -- I AM A POTTY MOUTH -- I AM A POTTY MOUTH -- I AM A POTTY MOUTH - in the last few months, threatens almost daily.

Math Check?


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## Canuck5

Your calculations are good!  .18 acres x 10,000 lbs  = 1800 lbs!  So you had more than 10 bags of lime?


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## Amoo

Oh sh-Potty Mouth!, a ton is 2Klbs..herp derp.  So I still need 10 more bags.


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## Canuck5

And those are 40 lb bags?  Just do what you can and maybe add more acreage next year.  You're doing quite a bit more than lots of people will do!


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## Core Lokt

Don't plant your winter plot to early or by Dec you will have a tall. pretty non palatable plot with little usage. Plant it mid Oct if you can. 

you get an A+++ for all of the effort you are putting in


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## Amoo

Canuck5 said:


> And those are 40 lb bags?  Just do what you can and maybe add more acreage next year.  You're doing quite a bit more than lots of people will do!



Yes, they are 40lb bags but we're rounding them off this season


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## OmenHonkey

Amoo said:


> Yes, they are 40lb bags but we're rounding them off this season



I love "rounding" at times too. I plan to be at my farm that's near Gladys "the old liquor store" It's gonna be scorcher this weekend!!! Keep hydrated Amoo!!! Great job on your plot by the way!!


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## Canuck5

Amoo said:


> Yes, they are 40lb bags but we're rounding them off this season



You're doing good and everything you're doing is making the soil better than what it is now.  Once you get your ph at 6.5 or so, you'll be able to plant whatever you want, but right now, your premixed bag of:

5% Wrens Abruzzi Rye
50% GA Gore Wheat
41% Coker 820 Oats
1% Dixie Crimson Clover
1% Athena Rape

Will tolerate a slightly more acidic soil, which will get you thru this first year.  But still, not a bad (cost effective) mix at all, for a 1/2 acre plot or less!  Because of the small clover and rape seeds, you'll just not want to plant too deep, but you're more than a month away from worrying about that.


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## Amoo

OmenHonkey said:


> I love "rounding" at times too. I plan to be at my farm that's near Gladys "the old liquor store" It's gonna be scorcher this weekend!!! Keep hydrated Amoo!!! Great job on your plot by the way!!



Welcome to my madhouse OmenHonkey.  My wife and I are the ones who took over for Dr. Clayton.  Also you're not joking about staying hydrated, we've had less rain here in Alapaha, then you guys have had in Ocilla.


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## Amoo

Thanks for the kind words everybody.  Just trying to do my part.  I kill so many deer a year on the farmers land I have permits on, that if I can get these established and going well maybe just maybe I can keep them out of the fields and not have to live by the "It's brown it's down" theory you go by when deer are tearing up somebody's livelihood.

So as usual, good new/bad news time, which one you guys want first?

Ok good news it is.  Good news is my neighbor stopped by with his backhoe as he had a little bit of free time between fields he was working.  He asked if I needed anything cleared out in the woods and I told him it would be a "Potty-Mouth" Godsend.  He rode out there behind me and I got him to remove 5 stumps from my shooting lanes.

Time for the bad news now.  As we were digging out the stumps we discovered I'm dealing with about a 3-4" thick root mat laying on top of all of my good dirt.  We called and talked to a guy with a bobcat with a root rake and that would cost me about $400-500 to have it all removed.  To be honest, I've put so much money in upfront this year I think I'm going to pass and consider it next season.  From the talking I did with my farmer buddy he said I should still be able to get my seed to come up this year, but if I want to have a seriously productive food plot going forward I'm pretty much going to need to do this.

In the meantime I went and picked up some steel and I'm going to try to construct my own Root drag.  I saw a link for these on somebody else's thread on here:  Full Diamond Harrow Spike.  I'm going to try to weld these to my frame and construct my frame into two rows of these spikes.  If that doesn't get the job done I may try to weld a few of these Danish Tine Sweep and see if this will break things up enough for what I need.  So I guess in a way I'm going to be building my own multipurpose cultivator and see if that has enough power to rip up these roots.  All of these options are much cheaper then what I will need to spend to have somebody do it for me, plus when I'm done I'll have a tool to show for it.


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## Canuck5

Also, keep using your tractor and disc harrow to chop up what's there.  Any of us who have broken new ground to plant a food plot know what you're going thru.  If the wheat/oats and rye get on or in the ground between that root mass, they will grow!  

Chopped up roots will help any raking you plan to do.


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## OmenHonkey

Amoo,  I'm gonna PM you my number. I have a small spring tooth plow your tractor can handle and you can use it if you want to!!! Ya'll have helped work my cows in the past!!! We've met just been awhile.


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## Amoo

Shot you a PM back OmenHonkey.  That mix-up was a good chuckle.

Today I accomplished, mostly nothing, are you crazy it was over 100 degrees outside.  Ok that isn't completely true.  I ran to Lowes in Tifton to get some supplies my wife needs for working on the flower beds this weekend (I think she's nuts, but I'll be out in the woods digging holes so who am I to judge?).  While there I discovered they carry the same exact bags of Pelleted Lime I bought at ASC and it was about 20 cents per bag cheaper.  Even more then that if you bought 24+ bags.  I held firm on my initial statement and only got 10 more bags, I figured lifting that out of the truck along with 20 bags of top soil for the misses was going to be enough work for one day in this weather....I was right.


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## Amoo

It's been over 100 degrees here the last few days so NO progress has been made.  But as I type this I look outside and see the most important part of food plotting:


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## Amoo

Man this 85-90 degree weather feels great after the week or so of 100+ we have had, back to the grind, no more being lazy in the house.  My neighbor with the backhoe called and told me he had something over at the tractor shelter for me to come take a look at that might be of use to my little project here.  So I ride over there and got out and he walks me over to one almost exactly like this but a little heavier:






I look at him for a second and ask him, "A landscape rake, huh?  You think it has enough a-double-crooked to break through my root mat?"  He gives me one of those Cheshire smiles only a seasoned farmer can give and says to me, "Now Rob, it may take you a quite a few passes, but if you run this thing over it enough you're going to shred that mat and either rip it right out of the ground, or chop it up enough to kill it."

I learned a long time ago when a good farmer gives you advice about working land you better either remember it or take notes and put it someplace you can find it later.

_Off Topic Side story, skip this if you don't wanna hear my rambling:

When this same neighbor stopped by my house the other day with his backhoe he was telling me all about the 601 Ford Tractor he used to have just like mine.  He told me it was one of the best tractors he's ever had, still to this day.  He said the only problem he ever had with it was every now and then it would go to acting like it wasn't getting any fuel.  He's reach around with a wrench and tap the carburetor (unstick the float) and off she would go again until next time it stuck.

I figured this was another one of those farmer tales and probably unique to his specific tractor, nothing a good carb cleaning couldn't have fixed right?  So here I am today puttering around in the woods and suddenly my tractor starts acting funny.  RPMs are all over the place and it starts acting like it's not getting any gas.  I toss it in neutral and hop off, start checking this and that and everything seems in order.  Out of ideas I think back to our little conversation and figure, heck why not.  I look around for a stick and give the carb a good love tap.  RPM comes right up where it should be and I never had another lick of trouble out of her the rest of the day._ 

I spent about 2 hours with the field rake today cleaning sticks and root mat out of my food plots and the difference before and after was night and day.  Here's a picture of current progress on one of the lanes:






Where things currently sit I'll probably spend another hour one day with the discs harrowing it and then possible one more hour with the landscape rake.  I didn't really rip the root mat out of the soil as much as I turned it into it and chopped it up in to tons and tons of pieces.  I did rip out a good bit, but the majority was shredded.

I know it's still not barren dirt which would be ideal, but the good news is there is dirt everywhere now and I am pretty confident that if my seed has a germination rate of say 85% I can probably get about 75% of what I put down to come up, God willing with the rain.  All in all I think I'm right on track this year to have a very successful food plot.

Tomorrow's plan is to put my legs in the ground and in concrete for my deer condo and if I feel like it may spread my last ton (rounded ton  ) of lime down and harrow it in.

In the midst of everything else going on today I replaced the muffler on my 4 wheeler and discovered the rear master cylinder needs a rebuild.  Not too shabby for a day's work.


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## Canuck5

Looks good!


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## huckhgh

Looks good! The weeds are starting come up in my plot now, so I'm going to spray it again this weekend.


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## Amoo

Mini-update:

If you guys look at some of my pictures and remember back to some things I have said, my hunting land was timbered for pines last year.  As you can see there are still plenty of pines left and part of that reason is because the ground was too wet last year.  Well two days ago they showed up to finish the job and in my opinions, it's perfect timing.

I had really good hunting last year after they finished cutting and they said they should only be here at most through the end of next week.  I'll take a picture of my new backdrop in the next day or so, but this should really open things up a bit beyond where I have my food plots and all of the new cutting led to good results last year.  Time will tell, but I'm not seeing this as a bad thing.


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## Crakajak

Amoo said:


> Mini-update:
> 
> If you guys look at some of my pictures and remember back to some things I have said, my hunting land was timbered for pines last year.  As you can see there are still plenty of pines left and part of that reason is because the ground was too wet last year.  Well two days ago they showed up to finish the job and in my opinions, it's perfect timing.
> 
> I had really good hunting last year after they finished cutting and they said they should only be here at most through the end of next week.  I'll take a picture of my new backdrop in the next day or so, but this should really open things up a bit beyond where I have my food plots and all of the new cutting led to good results last year.  Time will tell, but I'm not seeing this as a bad thing.



If they have a dozier with a front bucket with teeth you could talk them into running it over your food plots to loosen up the root mat.


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## Amoo

Two and a Half inches of rain yesterday.  Let me repeat that in case you missed it.  TWO AND A HALF INCHES OF RAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!  That's more then our total rainfall for at least the last 60 days for sure, possibly longer.

I went out this morning and ran the rake through the soil a few times, then decided to go spread my last "ton" of lime.  As usual, nothing goes smoothly.  My bags of lime got partially wet from the rain.  I dumped them all in the spreader and crossed my fingers hoping it would work.  Nope, had to spread it all by hand.  I guess the good news is I know none got wasted outside the plot.

Basically I'm done until it's time to seed and fertilize.  The rest of my time will be spent working on my stand trying to get it ready in time.  The timber trucks have another two days according to one of the guys, so once they get out of there I'll get some pics, but overall I can't complain about what I think I have.


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## Amoo

Almost forgot, gotta spend time with this thing as well:


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## elfiii

The roots are a multi-year process. Every time you run your discs over them you're doing good. Next year you might run a subsoiler through the plot several times. That will help loosen up those stubborn roots that go deep.

Ask me how I know this.


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## Amoo

Another inch of rain in the forecast with more on the way.  Sooo tempting to plant early.


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## Amoo

So the work is done for now.  We'll see if there are any other surprises in store this season.  Back to the plotting and stand work.  

As I went out two days ago I discovered a surprise left for me by the guys who did the clearing.  I spent a lot of time last year and this year out bsing with them, bringing them cold drinks from the house...etc.  I had talked to them about my food plot work and how I was planning to expand things next year.  When I got out there after they had left I found some new areas they cleared for me (including root mat) and setup as food plot areas.  Karma.  Here's an overview of what thing look like followed by pictures of the areas.






Light Green coming off trail:





Light Green wrapping around to original plots:





Mess I will utilize next year:





Stand progress from yesterday before putting second two legs in concrete:





Ok so I know better but I couldn't help myself.  I had all this unexpected perfectly good plot area just dropped in my lap so I figured I would be silly not to use it.  I dropped 100# of lime on it and threw down some seed.  I used my 5# of I&C Peas I had originally bought for the first light green area and I used my bag of shot plot for the wrap around light green area.

I'm still going to be holding off a few weeks on getting my two original plots planted, but I figured I already had the supplies, and it didn't cost me anything to try things out, knowing going in that my success rate in that area probably won't be too good.

Today I'm headed to Lowes to grab some more wood to work on the stand some more, hoping to finish things up by the end of next week at the latest.


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## Amoo

We've had about 8.5" of rain this week.  Going to be checking the forecast and planting at hint of first rain next week.  I'll be putting the floor in my stand tomorrow, I'll take a picture of that.  In the meantime, found this guy today.






That's my neighbor holding him up.  He freezes them and gives them to a guy that wraps archery type stuff in snake skin.  I don't do snakes and if you can tell, he's missing about 4-6" where his neck and head would be.  12 Gauge with bird shot from about 10 yards was responsible for that.  Doesn't help that I may have actually shot him 4 times...    He was somewhere around 4-4.5' before the "incident".  14 rattles.


----------



## Amoo

Forecasts are telling me next week is our best chance of rain for the next few weeks.  Looking like I may put my seed down this weekend.


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## Amoo

Ok let's see, first things first, stand update:






Forestry was out this week to cut a new firebreak.  Guy brought with him a dosser and a 3000lb harrow.  Of coarse I took advantage of this situation and asked the guy if he wouldn't mind running the harrow over my plots and clearing the new area for me (Pink Above Photo).  Below are some shots of how things look from standing on top of the stand.











New lane in the below picture is the lane the loggers cut me (Light Green Above Photo).  View is actually a little better than it looks on camera.





Below is a closeup shot of the area harrowed out by the forestry guy.





Looked at my forecast and it told me rain for the next 3-4 days.  I took advantage of this and after I got some stand bracing done today I spread seed in my plots.  My timing couldn't have been better as it was raining on me as I was driving out of the woods.  In total we only got 3/10ths, but we've got more in the forecast.

So rundown is as follows:





- Pink Area only got 5 way + I&C Peas
- Yellow Area got recommended Lime and Fert plus 5 way + I&C Pease
- Green Area got a few bags of lime and sparse fert plus shot plot mix + original I&C Peas
- New Lane where white line is between yellow and pink only got 5 way + I&C Peas.

I still have over half a bag of both types of seed left so I don't feel I was wasting my time putting things down in the new areas.  It either comes up or it doesn't.  It will certainly be interesting to see the difference between the areas I followed recommendations vs area with a little help vs fresh area with just seed.


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## Canuck5

Keep us posted with pics!  You're on your way!


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## Amoo

Got the first wall up.  Was going to work on a little bit more, but thunder was rolling in and I decided I didn't want to be on top of an uncovered stand with battery powered tools in the rain.  Also ran out of 2.5" decking screws so I need to go get some more, but won't have an opportunity until Wednesday.






Also took a look over my seed I planted on Friday and everything is starting to sprout.  I'll take a picture of the progress at the 1 week point this coming Friday.


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## Gadestroyer74

Really enjoy reading your post and seeing your  pics good work keep me coming


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## Triple C

Continuing to enjoy the ride-along Amoo!  Good luck getting that stand completed.


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## BriarPatch99

Amoo... see if you can find one of these "type" plows to borrow ... a two disc helped us to clear up over a 100 acres of new ground ... it will cut the roots up and make it easier to rake up the roots... 



We used one just like the top photo Ferguson #64   http://www.yesterdaystractors.com/cgi-bin/viewit.cgi?bd=ferg&th=100319


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## Amoo

Thank you for the words of encouragement guys.  It's really nice to pop on every few days and find encouraging comments.  Especially when it's 90 some degrees out and you know you need to go get some work done.

Gadestroyer74 I'm sorry I didn't welcome you to the thread the first time you popped in.  I believe I got caught up in the discussion and simply didn't realize a new combatant had arrived on the battlefield   So on that note, welcome.

Briarpatch welcome to my madhouse.  I greatly appreciate the suggestion.  I believe that is simply called a two disc plow.  My farmer neighbor originally informed me that it would be the best option if I could find somebody that had one, but I was unable to so I had to do without.  Basically he said it would roll the root mat to the side and I would have to just keep going over it in the same direction gradually moving more and more over.

Sadly I have no update as of yet today as I just got back from the Taxi and the store picking up more screws.  Fear not though as I do have some good news to report.  Since I've started working on this project and more and more of my neighbors find out about what I'm doing, my list of available equipment keeps growing and growing.  So far I've been able to locate a box blade, a seeder/cultipacker and a cultivator that has the spade shaped tines on it like the one I was considering building.

It's obviously too late this year to use these things as I have all of my plots prepped and planted, but come spring it's game on.

QUESTION FOR YOU GUYS:

Okay so year 1 review, soil sample taken, plots limed and fert, seed planted.

So What's Next?

I know hunt and kill deer etc etc, but I mean beyond that.  I want to get a few of these plots planted with perennial clover this spring I guess?  I also need a plan for my "annual plots" for what I will be growing throughout the year.  Any advice you guys can give to get me headed in the right direction for planning ahead would be much appreciated.


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## Gadestroyer74

You can still over seed your clover now for your perennials . Clover mainly puts on roots now with vary little top,growth. They really come in the spring. All you need to do is seed it before a rain no need in doing anything else the rain will take care of that.


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## Crakajak

You will need to plan on what to plant for the spring/summer as perennial clovers tend to do better if planted in the fall in S Ga..
Weed control is always a big part of food plots.
If you own the land I would plan on which  fruit trees/ hardmast trees to plant for the wildlife.
I am always looking for a better/easier/more cost effective way to do food plots. I hate wasting money on something that I don't need to.


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## Amoo

Gadestroyer74 said:


> You can still over seed your clover now for your perennials . Clover mainly puts on roots now with vary little top,growth. They really come in the spring. All you need to do is seed it before a rain no need in doing anything else the rain will take care of that.



This sounds like a great plan of action for next season, but I'm about 90% confident my soil pH isn't to the point it needs to be to start trying to establish my clover plots yet and I'm about out of play funds to put any more into it until.

I was thinking something along the lines of:

- Run soil sample again in the spring to see where I'm at.  
- Add lime to areas I didn't lime this year plus top off areas I did.
- Plant something I can let grow and will help the soil as it dies (peanuts maybe?).
- Prep fall plots
- Soil Sample
- Plant Fall plots and add perennial clover to plots I plan on having it?


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## Amoo

Crakajak said:


> You will need to plan on what to plant for the spring/summer as perennial clovers tend to do better if planted in the fall in S Ga..
> Weed control is always a big part of food plots.
> If you own the land I would plan on which  fruit trees/ hardmast trees to plant for the wildlife.
> I am always looking for a better/easier/more cost effective way to do food plots. I hate wasting money on something that I don't need to.



Sadly I do not own the land so outside of maybe 4 trees (will need permission even for those) I don't have a ton of options.


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## BriarPatch99

We owned one of the two disc Ferguson, but my dad loaned it out and sadly his memory started failing(AZH) ... so somebody else has a plow now!  I know where a six disc(close spaced disc) is ... unless it has grown legs also...


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## Gadestroyer74

Plant some oats and wheat in them this year and plow them under in the spring as green manure add lime then and replant in buckwheat let goto seed bush hog it should re seed itself then plow under before it goes back to seed as green manure crop then plant your clover next fall .


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## Amoo

Gadestroyer74 said:


> Plant some oats and wheat in them this year and plow them under in the spring as green manure add lime then and replant in buckwheat let goto seed bush hog it should re seed itself then plow under before it goes back to seed as green manure crop then plant your clover next fall .



Absolutely what I was looking for, thank you.  My fall plot is heavy oats and wheat with a few odds and ins mixed in, but 90% of my seed is wheat/oat.

Looks like I need to start doing some research on buckwheat.


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## Amoo

Just a couple of update photos I ran out and snapped today, didn't have any time to work on stand yet.


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## OmenHonkey

Nothing like progress!!! Your spot is looking great!!!! I will get in touch with you about coming to farm with me soon!!


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## Gadestroyer74

Good job ! Love seeing them pics of dirt tractors plots and stands


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## Canuck5

Looking good!  As mentioned above perennial clovers prefer to be planted in the fall, plus you are going to want to wait till your lime has had a chance to do it's job.  A ph of around 6.5 would be nice.

Fast forwarding 12 months, the changes you are going to see will be pretty amazing.  All the tree's and brush will be a lot taller and add a lot more shade to your plots.

On some of my 1/4 acre food plots that we have planted for years, are going to be converted over to perennial clover plots, since it will be a little more tolerant of shade.

Just keep an eye on what changes your property goes through!


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## Amoo

Few updates according to the trail cam:
















We had 1.75 inches of rain last night and I went out and pulled my card and checked things this morning.  Everything is super wet with a few standing water spots, but I'm hoping everything was/is up high enough that it will be okay.  I'll get two week pictures up later this week.


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## Gadestroyer74

That's looking good bud ! That water won't hurt you a bit you really should see some growth in the next week or so


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## Amoo

Friday update.  First two photos are of the usual spots.  Main areas that were limed and fertilized.  Last picture is of the final spot that was clear that I just put seed down.


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## BriarPatch99

Amoo ... found a plow that will work up your plots ....


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## Gadestroyer74

That's what you call  a turning plow,


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## Marshall R

Looking good.  Got some greens coming in for them.... If you plant , they will come.  

Marshall


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## Amoo

Briarpatch just go ahead and pay those guys in advance and send them my way.  Basically exactly what I need.

Thanks Marshall, it's coming along.

Well guys sadly we had some phone/camera CensoredCensoredCensoredCensoredCensored which caused some of my pictures to not come out, like not even recorded on my camera....odd.

Here's one of the good ones I got.  I took this from on top of the stand yesterday as I was getting wall 2 and 3 up.  ran to the lumber yard and got the lumber to finish the last side and roof support.  Hopefully I don't fail as hard this next week and can get you guys a few better shots.


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## Gadestroyer74

It's a coming along


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## Amoo

Ok Lads and Gents, final update before gun opener this coming weekend.  As a reminder I'm on vacation until Saturday night  but will be in my stand Sunday morning.

I've started seeing some minor yellowing of my crops in the areas that were doing well and came up nice and green.  We have rain in the forecast for tomorrow so I went ahead and spread the remainder of my fertilizer.  

Some of my areas I lost simply because I didn't get to work them and they didn't drain off and got too wet.  Everything I spent major time and effort on is doing well.  I also went ahead and spread some more I&C peas over a few bare areas in the plots I have left, I figured I have 4 gallon size bags left full of seeds, no reason to save them all for next year.

Without further ado here's the final preseason pictures and final, finished minus one panel deer stand .


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## Canuck5

Bring on the deer!!  Nice shooting house!


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## elfiii

Great looking shooting house!

The yellowing is likely wet roots and lack of nitrogen. It still looks good for your first stab. Come cool weather they will find it and come.


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## BriarPatch99

Looks like you are ready to put one on the ground ... I really like that condo!


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## Amoo

elfiii said:


> Great looking shooting house!
> 
> The yellowing is likely wet roots and lack of nitrogen. It still looks good for your first stab. Come cool weather they will find it and come.



So I had a long response almost finished, but my dumb tablet ate it so I'm just going to hit key points.

Some spots could be wet roots.

PH should be between 5.5-6

Put fertilizer down a week before planting

Put more fretilier Sunday

Were getting enough rain just getting too much too quickly.  Probably getting another 2 inches+ today

Hoping if it's just nutrients I've got enough down to keep thing good through season

As you said though year 1 so all a learning experience


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## Amoo

Thanks to everybody for the compliments on the condo, it was a lot of work.  I would guess I have about $500 into it.  All I have left is to build stairs but the ladder will suffice this year


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## Triple C

Amoo...Been traveling for a couple of weeks so not to active on the forum.  Just finished catching up on your thread.  The shooting house looks fantastic!  Congrats on your progress on the plotting journey.  Been fun reading your trials and tribulations.  Bet it pays off for you this year.


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## Amoo

Well boys I'm home and it looks and sounds like my work paid off.  Neighbor came and sat my stand this morning.  Saw a nice 6 points with a doe in trail about 9am this morning.  According to scout look peak activity was 845-1200 so it was right on.

I'll get a few pictures while I'm up here, but man I can't be happier considering what I started with.  I'll respond more to folks later and opload some pics.


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## Marshall R

Just caught up on the thread.  Looking very good.  Lets see some after the shot pictures now.

Marshall


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## Amoo

Welcome home Marshall, glad to still have you along.  I really enjoy seeing all of the familiar faces pop in and say hello from time to time.  Glad everybody is enjoying the progress.

I can say that it appears the fertilizer I put down before leaving really greened things up.  We got that nice timely rain on Tuesday/Wednesday when the storms rolled through which I'm sure helped soak it in.

So as promised, onto a few pictures.  As promised, here's what I sat down to today:












Panoramic:






As you can see I had that one last piece of tin to put up, which got taken care of pretty quickly.  As I sat there I thought to myself, you know what, there is no reason to not have CensoredCensoredCensoredCensoredCensoredCensored sight lines.  It was still only 1pm and I knew I would blow my chances of seeing anything this afternoon but I figured screw it.  So I ran home and grabbed the loppers and a hand saw and turned the above panoramic into this panoramic:






I figure after my morning sit tomorrow I'm going to take the tractor out with the bushog on the highest setting and mow down some of the high brush spots that are left.  Don't want to make things too uncomfortable for the deer, but I really should be able to see all of my areas a little bit better.  Here's an idea of where I'm trying to see:


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## Amoo

Couple of new pictures, these were taken either Thursday or Friday last week.


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## Amoo

Well boys, got on the board this evening.  3 does walked out into the area I have marked in the picture.  They were working their way towards my plot, browsing as they moved.  I took the smallest one, and I would place her at 2.5 years and 85 lbs.  Shot was about 200 yards and exactly in the area I want to expand my plots into next year.  

For those not following the live from the tree threads, I didn't go out this evening with any plan to really kill anything.  I went out at 4:30, it was 85 degrees out and wind was soft but all over the place.  I went out to get my camera in prep for this weekend and figured I'd sit till dark then grab the camera on my way out.  Drove the 4 wheeler right up to the stand, had to get down mid set to take care of nature, basically broke all the "rules".  Funny how things work out sometimes.

Looking forward to buck hunting this weekend as the cool weather rolls in and our rut is supposed to be kicking off.


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## Canuck5

Good job!!


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## OmenHonkey

Congrats on the great looking plots and the kill Rob!!!


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## Amoo

Thanks Canuck and Tim.

As usual our forecast changes daily and it looks like we may get a sprinkle this Thursday, which should bring in my weekend cold front and hopefully kick off our Rut (Tim you seeing any rutting yet?).  As such, my Shot plot plants are up and doing okay, but I feel they could be doing better.  With rain scheduled for Thursday, I think I'm going to take out my remaining bag of fertilizer and spread it over that area.

I need to go do my part tomorrow and help ensure Michelle Nunn doesn't end up in office, but I should be free tomorrow afternoon to get that knocked out.


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## Amoo

OK boys time for some expert help.  My foodplot looks decent considering all I went through this year, but something isn't right.  It appears all of my cowpeas are dead.

I don't think they got eaten, it looks like they may have just been strangled out by the rye in my mixture.

If you guys look back at the pictures there were clearly quite a few pea plants that came up, got good and green and got a good 6-8 leaves on them.  Now as I walk my plot all I can see are 6" long blades of ryegrass.  There are a few super small spot where it looks like they browned out and died but not many.

Coldest we got was 38 one night, most other nights around 40.

As a reference my "shotplot" plot and ryegrass looks amazing, but I see very few peas anymore and no signs of wheat.

Any ideas?


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## Canuck5

Your cowpeas were bit by the frost    They just can't tolerate any cold.  Whatever of mine, the deer didn't eat, are gone too.


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