Management thread for sub 500ac land

[toledo]

Today im planting 100 cedar seedlings. Sight blocks along the road and close around my stands. Dibble bar is a must.

https://mdc.mo.gov/trees-plants/tree-seedlings/order-seedlings

Last week I planted switch grass for sight block along fencelines on another property.

Is it too early to start complaining about needing rain?

And live staked a bunch of willow where I don't want ducks to land near my duck blind.

[EastTexun]

Today im planting 100 cedar seedlings. Sight blocks along the road and close around my stands. Dibble bar is a must.

https://mdc.mo.gov/trees-plants/tree-seedlings/order-seedlings

Last week I planted switch grass for sight block along fencelines on another property.

Is it too early to start complaining about needing rain?

And live staked a bunch of willow where I don't want ducks to land near my duck blind.

Every time I see the 2 dibble bars in my shop I shiver a little. Either I take too much time or I just suck at planting with one.

Interesting that you are planting cedar. One of my management goals that I work on each year is cutting as much cedar as I can to alleviate competition with other, more favorable trees. And this is in East Tx, not west.

[KactusKiller]

Today im planting 100 cedar seedlings. Sight blocks along the road and close around my stands. Dibble bar is a must.

https://mdc.mo.gov/trees-plants/tree-seedlings/order-seedlings

Last week I planted switch grass for sight block along fencelines on another property.

Is it too early to start complaining about needing rain?

And live staked a bunch of willow where I don't want ducks to land near my duck blind.

Your busy as well, we are about to push some trees to make our food plots bigger in Oklahoma then plant some screen cover with a mix of hybrid sudan and switchgrass. I am about to do some switch grass and sudan screening on my navarro place as well but waiting for Turner seed to get there Sudan and switch grass seed available for order.

[KactusKiller]

Every time I see the 2 dibble bars in my shop I shiver a little. Either I take too much time or I just suck at planting with one.

Interesting that you are planting cedar. One of my management goals that I work on each year is cutting as much cedar as I can to alleviate competition with other, more favorable trees. And this is in East Tx, not west.

I have some cedar to cut as well but I def like some cedar for screening and stand cover. I haven't purposely planted them either.

[MedicineMan7]

I've been walking out every inch I possibly can over the last couple weeks trying to learn as much as possible during the off season. Found a few sheds along the way during my walks which is always a nice bonus.
As far as work goes, my chainsaw has not left my ranger the last couple weeks either and has been put to use daily working on trimming interior trails and fence lines as well. I've also dove off into a couple spots and worked on some bedding areas in some postoak/blackjack flats where there is essentially zero ground growth of any sort due to the canopy shading everything out. My hope is to increase browse available as well as make a few bedding areas where I want them. Still a long ways to go there!
I did get soil samples pulled a couple weeks ago on all of my plots and just got the results back. Awaiting a little help from a friend in the ag/fertilizer business to help decide which route I'm going to roll with as far as plantings and fertilizer goes.

[KactusKiller]

I have done a little saw work but need to do some more.

[DuramaxDude]

So far to date I have grubbed 60 acres of mesquite and cedar. Raked it up into piles with a dozer and will probably start burning brush piles pretty quick. Tried not to take out anything that was beneficial to deer/turkey/quail. When raking I also bladed a fire break around the perimeter. I attempted to reseed those acres with some key grazing grasses as well as some taller grasses for nest/fawning cover and some forbs for deer and upland birds and even tossed in some four-wing saltbush for fun lol. In that 60ac that was reseeded there were 3 separate 2 acre plots that had a pretty diverse mix of forbs for wildlife that made about 40% of the seed mix. Hopefully that will eventually all germinate and establish and potentially be some perennial type food plots. I am fixing to install a cross fence (4 strand barbwire), a water storage tank, pipeline and water trough. Trees are not very tall in our parts but we still have a fair amount of turkey, so I built some roosts out of 2x4x10s and some 4x4x16s and put some 2x4x8s across limbs in taller trees around the place. I grubbed/raked/cleared out a few areas for smaller food plots also but not a ton of acres there maybe 4.5 or so. I am fixing to plant a dove plot or 2 that hopefully do something. I plan to go back through that 60acres that was grubbed for sure and maybe more areas and hand spray prickly pear next year. I imagine I will continue to put out some grass/forb seed mixes annually until I reach the level of diversity and look I want. That and I will always be touching up mesquite and prickly pear with hand spaying.

[KactusKiller]

That’s some solid work. I’m building several cross fences also to better manage grazing in Navarro. Cutting a lot of cedar in some bedding areas to open the canopy a little more.

[KactusKiller]

Had my girls help me plant some persimmon saplings this weekend.
As you can see I also planted a screen wall around this new food plot that will be about 1.5 ac. Used a mix of Sudan hybrid and Alamo switch grass.





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[KactusKiller]

I decided not to plant spring/summer plots on my Texas place this yr. I went ahead and planted the screen wall so it will be ready for the season.


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[DuramaxDude]

Got some of my brush piles I raked up after grubbing burnt this weekend. Even got a rattle bug that decided to head back to the den and got a little too close.

[DuramaxDude]

Had my girls help me plant some persimmon saplings this weekend.
As you can see I also planted a screen wall around this new food plot that will be about 1.5 ac. Used a mix of Sudan hybrid and Alamo switch grass.





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That should turn out pretty nice!

[PassnItOn]

You are getting it done brother, looking good. Any Kaktus up there

[KactusKiller]

I need to burn some brush piles soon. We really need some rain soon.

[dbaio1]

For us the focus on our smaller place < 1000 acres.
1. Feed - free chioce, timed and planted. As well as hardwood timber mgmt.
2. Habitat management ie: bedding areas and sanctuaries.