Choosing a Game Crop

[DrRod]

I would be interested in your experience with various game crops. I noticed that Tractor Supply carries a number of clovers et al that require no cultivation -- just spread them around and they should grow.

I'm sure that's true on prepared soil but what if you have a light covering of weeds; or a heavy covering of wees? Will they dominate and spread?

And if you've found one that pushes out Japanese Stilt Grass you're my hero. That stuff is taking over the yard, fields, and forests. I've even considered giving Zoysia grass a try in the yard to see if it will out-compete it.

Thanks

 

[coobie]

Do soil test first then head down to your local farm supply store or co-op verses TSC.

 

[RNeumann]

Unless you have lots of acreage and are already setup to farm this is a gimmick at best! Watched a friend of mine till, fence, plant and grow an acre (that’s right read over 100 hours and thousands of dollars) of ground for the local deer. When he opened the gate it was gone in about 2 days! The labor of love was a waste. He now buys alfalfa round bales and feeds all winter with one of those. Provides a lot more entertainment for far less cost and hassle.

 

[oosik]

From what I've seen with the elk and deer around here. Do as RNeumann says. Buy bales of hay. The farmers around here are ALWAYS grousing about the deer and especially the elk and their round bales. They will eat the very center out of the bale and make it difficult to handle with their bale trucks. The whole successful operation of the bale truck is that the two spikes on the bale arms can hold the center of the round bale and it will feed out like a jelly roll.

With the center gone or weakened it becomes a real problem.

I would set out a few square bales of alfalfa hay & sit back and watch. If you need to sweeten the pot - a couple sacks of whole corn. The deer really liked our corn when we had a garden.

 

[EddieWalker]

Is a game crop something that will attract wildlife? If so, I've never seen anything work better then alfalfa!!! I was told it wont grow here, but now that seems to not be true anymore. Some local people have been able to get a variety that they can grow that they are selling to horse people.

 

[/pine]

I would be interested in your experience with various game crops. I noticed that Tractor Supply carries a number of clovers et al that require no cultivation -- just spread them around and they should grow.

I'm sure that's true on prepared soil but what if you have a light covering of weeds; or a heavy covering of wees? Will they dominate and spread?

And if you've found one that pushes out Japanese Stilt Grass you're my hero. That stuff is taking over the yard, fields, and forests. I've even considered giving Zoysia grass a try in the yard to see if it will out-compete it.

Thanks

If there is a local mom and pop feed store ask what hunters buy the most of...or what does best for them...around here almost all of the guys and gals that work at the feed stores are avid hunters...

 

[Oleozz]

Deer and turkey love buckwheat and is also good for the soil. You need to eliminate the weeds before planting by either spraying or cultivating and than broadcast or till the seeds into the ground.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

You guys want to attract them and I want to keep them out. They come in, eat my tomatoes, browse on Sharn Jean's ornamental sweet potatoes, herbs and flowers, eat my pepper plants, and worst of all, they ate my purple hull peas down to the ground about three years ago; never got a single pea that year. The neighbor puts out corn for them, so they are always around, mostly at night, but can come through the yard any time of day. Big buck was outside our living room window a couple evenings ago, about dusk, eating the Winter grass under the bird feeder.

I have never seen anything like it...the homes here are all on acreages, but it is a residential area none the less. My neighbor's little pan of corn attracts Canadian geese, even had some Mallards in my yard this Summer. Counted 64 turkeys in my yard a couple years ago, and the foxes, raccoons and possums think my compost is a smorgasbord.

 

[TractorGuy]

I bought 3 bags of this stuff from the local feed store. I have about a half bag left over. I also used a couple 40# bags of 12-0-12 fertilizer I bought on clearance at Walmart. I'm all in for less than $100.

I had an acre that wasn't as smooth as I wanted that I ran the disc harrow and landscape rake over to try to get rid of the existing grass and smooth it out some. Another acre adjoined was in okay shape with he same combo of grass. I just ran the harrow over that lightly. I spread the seed and fertilizer over both acres and then ran over all of it with a roller. Not sure what all is coming up but it has sprigs of some sort and some clover showing so far. The side I tore up the grass on is doing a little better than the other but both acres are showing some new growth. The deer are munching but haven't been able to thwart the growth.

 

[oosik]

2Lane - We out here have experience with wild turkeys. In all their ultimate wisdom - USFWS/WSGD - introduced wild turkeys out here about 15 to 18 years ago. You talk about non-native species taking over the world. Those dam things breed and have offspring that would be the envy of any mouse family.

Anyway - they are EVERYWHERE out here now. Be VERY CAREFUL what feed you might put out in your yard. The turkeys might like it. Neighbor down the road started feeding them - about 15 at first. It got up to a tad over 350 wild turkeys every day in her yard and she was going thru two 50 pound bags of feed every week.

It got to the point where she finally figured - it was pretty darned expensive feeding those things and she quit.

Those miserable birds continued to come into her yard and when they found no food - they rototilled her yard like could be done with the finest of 3-point tillers.

You think the hogs do a number in the fields of central Texas - - you should see what a band of wild turkeys can do to your yard.

They completely tilled all the lawns around her house - dug up and ate most all of any of the plantings in her yard. Then the topper - they decided that her porch was a good place to roost and crap. Imagine - 350+ turkeys roosting and crapping on your porch.

She had previously sold her property to Turnbull NWR - so last year she moved to an apartment in town and they tore down her house and outbuildings.

This particular turkey situation became a very serious highway hazard. Her house was setback only about 100 feet from the county road. Anytime you would drive down the county road - past her house - there was ALWAYS the concern of having a vehicle/turkey encounter.

This band of turkeys has since moved on - but they are still out there - looking for somebody else who is foolish enough to feed them.

I have and do take VERY aggressive steps to keep any wild turkeys out of my yard.

For whatever reason the coyote/eagle population in our area has not been able to keep up with the turkey expansion.

They are actively hunted but that also seems to have zero effects on their numbers.

You talk about good intentions turning into a serious mistake - - this is a world topper.