No Till Dove Plot - Is There Such a Thing?

[simek]

My dad recently have a tank dug, and I was thinking of broadcasting some seed for dove season. Anyone have experience with a no till dove plot?

[JayKen86]

A native seed mix will grow no till, but needs to be seeded in the fall. Sunflowers will grow with very little soil prep, I've had success just scratching the field with a disc and broadcasting seed about the first weekend in may.

[cmeadors]

helianthus annuus is what im planting this yr

[Dale Moser]

The game warden has very specific, and quite frankly overly strict....definitions of "no till planting" where milo and hen scratch are concerned...


......so I've heard.

[texan4ut]

Throw out 50 pound bag of oiled sunflower seeds in late March early April right before a rain if possible and some will come up. Might also throw out 50 pounds of milo too. Just remember if you grow milo you cannot do anything to it during dove season as in cut it and and let it lay on the ground. The term TPWD uses is manipulate feed crops.

[SaltwaterSlick]

Throw out 50 pound bag of oiled sunflower seeds in late March early April right before a rain if possible and some will come up. Might also throw out 50 pounds of milo too. Just remember if you grow milo you cannot do anything to it during dove season as in cut it and and let it lay on the ground. The term TPWD uses is manipulate feed crops.

This is NOT true. For doves you can manipulate the grain (cut it then hunt it). This ban on hunting grain that has been manipulated only applies to waterfowl and cranes.

A very common method for attracting doves is to grow a grain field such as milo, red top cane, sunflowers, etc, then mow it in strips and as the season progresses mow additional strips to keep fresh food on the ground for the birds.

What you cannot do is bring food for the birds into the hunting area and put it on the ground for them. It must GROW in the field/hunting area. IF you do have a field like this that you did for doves, that field cannot be used the whole season for waterfowl. It does not matter when the manipulation occurs, it's still manipulated for the season/year.

[SaltwaterSlick]

best thin in the world to grow for doves is "dove weed" AKA "goat weeds" and it will keep coming back every year without replanting. It also has a good root system that will help control erosion of your pond dam and the area around the water.

[Ironman]

This is NOT true. For doves you can manipulate the grain (cut it then hunt it). This ban on hunting grain that has been manipulated only applies to waterfowl and cranes.

A very common method for attracting doves is to grow a grain field such as milo, red top cane, sunflowers, etc, then mow it in strips and as the season progresses mow additional strips to keep fresh food on the ground for the birds.

What you cannot do is bring food for the birds into the hunting area and put it on the ground for them. It must GROW in the field/hunting area. IF you do have a field like this that you did for doves, that field cannot be used the whole season for waterfowl. It does not matter when the manipulation occurs, it's still manipulated for the season/year.

This is correct.

[westguy76]

This is NOT true. For doves you can manipulate the grain (cut it then hunt it). This ban on hunting grain that has been manipulated only applies to waterfowl and cranes.

A very common method for attracting doves is to grow a grain field such as milo, red top cane, sunflowers, etc, then mow it in strips and as the season progresses mow additional strips to keep fresh food on the ground for the birds.

What you cannot do is bring food for the birds into the hunting area and put it on the ground for them. It must GROW in the field/hunting area. IF you do have a field like this that you did for doves, that field cannot be used the whole season for waterfowl. It does not matter when the manipulation occurs, it's still manipulated for the season/year.

Thanks Slick!

[Kenner97]

Can you plant sunflowers with a grain drill? I think i'm going to try and plant milo and sunflowers this year. We have a pretty heavy duty disc to break up the ground and then was going to drill in some seed and cover with chain drag.

Will this work well?

[Ironman]

If you break up the ground, you won't need to drill the seeds. Just broadcast and cover.

[Mohawkman]

I threw millet out on the worst dirt on my place and it came up. Best dove hunting I have had on my place.

[BrianL]

You are going to have to do it a few hours before a good rain or cover the seeds by dragging something. Otherwise birds will eat it before they germinate. Still a little early but I would look at sunflower(50# bird seed bags) and whole milo from feed store. I would plant these away from dam area and inflow ground, and get grasses started there asap

[Boomerang]

Naturally disturbing the soil breaks compaction allowing the roots to grow better.

Something that will seed out in 60 days is Brown top millet. Cheap and covers a lot of area. Less moisture needed for this variety and matures quicker.

Anything other than native sunflowers or wooly croton the hogs will destroy.