Its a great day in PA
03-10-2009 | 05:28 PM
#52
Typical Buck
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 735
Likes: 0
From: Westmoreland County PA.
RE: Its a great day in PA
ORIGINAL: BTBowhunter
Sproul, did you just put in the Alfalfa this year?
Guys more experienced at this food plot thing than me say that deer sometimes take a while to start utilizing newly planted species even though deer elsewhere seem to love em. I know we planted turnips on our place for the first time this year.They are supposed to turn sweet after good hard freeze but the deer didnt bother withem much till well into January butonce they started, theyflat out mauled em.
This is a guess but ifyour deerarent used to Alfalfa, it may take aseason or two to get em going on it. Deer in the midwest love the stuff but once it frosts hard, they back way off of it and move on the other sources.
Sproul, did you just put in the Alfalfa this year?
Guys more experienced at this food plot thing than me say that deer sometimes take a while to start utilizing newly planted species even though deer elsewhere seem to love em. I know we planted turnips on our place for the first time this year.They are supposed to turn sweet after good hard freeze but the deer didnt bother withem much till well into January butonce they started, theyflat out mauled em.
This is a guess but ifyour deerarent used to Alfalfa, it may take aseason or two to get em going on it. Deer in the midwest love the stuff but once it frosts hard, they back way off of it and move on the other sources.
03-10-2009 | 07:46 PM
#54
Typical Buck
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 735
Likes: 0
From: Westmoreland County PA.
RE: Its a great day in PA
ORIGINAL: bluebird2
How many acres of turnips did you plant?
How many acres of turnips did you plant?
If it is me you are asking,we plantend about 3/4 acre size plot.
03-11-2009 | 02:30 PM
#55
Nontypical Buck
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 1,212
Likes: 0
From: 3c pa
RE: Its a great day in PA
on this nice day i did some walking for about 1 hour ,turned off feeders feed on ground no sign of deer.
didnt put out the bag of beet greens with molases they didnt eat that either didnt see any deer or sheds.
I did see 1 big old rabbit. I am guessing that all my deer went down the mountain where they can eat grass
out of lawns . i will see later i guess
didnt put out the bag of beet greens with molases they didnt eat that either didnt see any deer or sheds.
I did see 1 big old rabbit. I am guessing that all my deer went down the mountain where they can eat grass
out of lawns . i will see later i guess
03-11-2009 | 03:15 PM
#56
Giant Nontypical
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 7,220
Likes: 0
From: SW PA USA
RE: Its a great day in PA
Went out to Dad's place for a little while and swapped a trailcam card. 144 pictures on it! Unfortunately, I'd hadthe flash disabledwhenI had it out during the season and never turned it back on when I moved it after season.Actually got about 20 decent shots. All does and fawns but they all look to be in very good shape
My oldest son is on spring break so I've drafted him into clearing outsome brush from asunny spot in dad's woods so we can create a small food plot where the deer normally stage in the evenings in October
Nother great day in PA!
Maybe I'll get up to camp and plant some alfalfa for the birds this weekend
My oldest son is on spring break so I've drafted him into clearing outsome brush from asunny spot in dad's woods so we can create a small food plot where the deer normally stage in the evenings in October
Nother great day in PA!
Maybe I'll get up to camp and plant some alfalfa for the birds this weekend
03-11-2009 | 03:36 PM
#57
Typical Buck
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 522
Likes: 0
From: PA
RE: Its a great day in PA
Plenty of alfalfa farther down the valley from my camp. Used to be more along that road, but the farmers arehell-bent on corn these days and converted some of those hayfields to a "cash crop". Some of the alfalfa gets baled, but most now is chopped for feeding.
Two farmerskind of got ahead of themselves, since they planted more corn last year than they had storage or marketsfor. Probably over 30 acres still standing when I went back up for a funeral after Christmas.
My 5 acrehayfield is mostly clover, timothy and orchard grass now. Hasn't hadmuch done to it in over 30 years,nary evena drop of cow manure in the past 15 yearsor so, since my cousin sold his dairy herd. Still turns out a few hundred square bales each summer though, or a coupla dozen round balesin a good year. Last year it got round baled early and square baled for the second cutting.
Most of the clover is up high, next to the woods. Right handy for the deer to chomp on in the evenings. If the hay is taken off early enough like it waslast summer, then the "second growth"clover does very well up there.
Two farmerskind of got ahead of themselves, since they planted more corn last year than they had storage or marketsfor. Probably over 30 acres still standing when I went back up for a funeral after Christmas.
My 5 acrehayfield is mostly clover, timothy and orchard grass now. Hasn't hadmuch done to it in over 30 years,nary evena drop of cow manure in the past 15 yearsor so, since my cousin sold his dairy herd. Still turns out a few hundred square bales each summer though, or a coupla dozen round balesin a good year. Last year it got round baled early and square baled for the second cutting.
Most of the clover is up high, next to the woods. Right handy for the deer to chomp on in the evenings. If the hay is taken off early enough like it waslast summer, then the "second growth"clover does very well up there.
03-11-2009 | 03:50 PM
#58
Nontypical Buck
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 3,879
Likes: 0
RE: Its a great day in PA
Plenty of alfalfa farther down the valley from my camp. Used to be more along that road, but the farmers are hell-bent on corn these days and converted some of those hayfields to a "cash crop". Some of the alfalfa gets baled, but most now is chopped for feeding.
Two farmers kind of got ahead of themselves, since they planted more corn last year than they had storage or markets for. Probably over 30 acres still standing when I went back up for a funeral after Christmas.
That corn wasn't harvested because the fields were too wet for the equipment. There was a market for all the corn produced last year.
03-11-2009 | 04:05 PM
#59
Giant Nontypical
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 7,220
Likes: 0
From: SW PA USA
RE: Its a great day in PA
Interesting. Just the other day, a self declared "expert" told me it was impossible to grow alfalfa in 2G
30 acres of corn left standing, Wow! That was an expensive mistake. I don't know what kind of yeilds they get up that way but even at 100 bushel/acre, thats 15k worth of corn left for the deer!
30 acres of corn left standing, Wow! That was an expensive mistake. I don't know what kind of yeilds they get up that way but even at 100 bushel/acre, thats 15k worth of corn left for the deer!
03-11-2009 | 04:11 PM
#60
Giant Nontypical
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 7,220
Likes: 0
From: SW PA USA
RE: Its a great day in PA
ORIGINAL: bluebird2
Is your camp located in 2G or are you just trying to muddle the issue? What is the alfalfa that is baled used for?
That corn wasn't harvested because the fields were too wet for the equipment. There was a market for all the corn produced last year.
Plenty of alfalfa farther down the valley from my camp. Used to be more along that road, but the farmers arehell-bent on corn these days and converted some of those hayfields to a "cash crop". Some of the alfalfa gets baled, but most now is chopped for feeding.
Two farmers kind of got ahead of themselves, since they planted more corn last year than they had storage or markets for. Probably over 30 acres still standing when I went back up for a funeral after Christmas.
That corn wasn't harvested because the fields were too wet for the equipment. There was a market for all the corn produced last year.
