Looks great . Food plots aren't for bucks. It's to TRY and keep the girls fat and happy so they stay on your place. You got the girls . The boys will come calling !!! All the food plot mix companies have a giant buck on the bag. Only time I have ever had bucks in my little plot is because I have a salt block in the middle.

I should have said Nov 12 It was 1 am when I was posting LOL

Was this your natural vegetation here or did you plant all that dogwood? I have an area that I want to do and curious to get your take on best way to get to establish well.

All logging roads around here seed themselves….with Japanese Stiltgrass. Stuff has taken over.

This is all planted from cuttings- I took cuttings that were comprised of 4-5 nodes, scraped off the bottom two nodes and planted in sand for 90 days and then transplanted. You could probably go directly from cutting into the ground but I jump started them in my greenhouse.

Well, then your foodplots SUCK!

How well will it hold its own against canary grass? I can get the grass killed back pretty well for a few years by putting in a food plot for a year or two, but it will come back over time. Any other tips you have to get a good establishment? Ground is a rich muck soil.

WIMarshRat- it sounds like you have perfect conditions, I use rooting compound but that again could be over kill, I take cuttings and place them in a bucket with sphagnum moss to keep them damp and then place in sand... it's inexpensive but labor intensive. If you need cuttings let me know.

Thanks for the information and I will do that Eagleye. Likely a project that I won't have time to tackle for a couple years yet, but it is definitely on the master plan.

Holy crap. That's amazing. It sounds unheard of. You are blessed w/ an incredible opportunity. If you saw that many deer the entire season around here you'd probably be tickled, I would. You can have some of our wolves.

Saw this study and it made me think of this thread. Likely has some impact for those living in wolf country.

https://www.researchgate.net/public...ves_hunting_ungulates_on_linear_features

Eagleye what time of year are you harvesting your cuttings and starting the process?

Thanks, Dave

Dave,
I actually seeded early 4-27 this spring… I was happy I did because most of the moisture came early and temps were mild. I’m not harvesting anything off the logging road, I brush hogged it on 4th of July, just clipped it about 1’ to keep it tender and stimulate growth. 1st week of August, I will plant more clover, dwarf Essex rape and oats, I’m also trying collards for the first time. Only my Ag fields get harvested with a corn & bean rotation- corn this year. Here’s a corn food plot with a legume border edge next to the alder shear I mentioned, I prefer to hunt beans but with cover on both sides, standing corn and alder makes a nice travel corridor.

AJE, if you want to shoot a deer, come on over this winter. We have the extended seasons in Winnebago County so should be able to find a good time that would work.

Eagleye, on the dogwood cuttings, am I better off planting in the fall or spring? Willing to have a little more disturbance in the fall if it comes with a significantly better success rate to get established. ANything special you are doing for maintaince in those first few years?

Here is a picture to give you an idea of habitat I am looking to establish. I usually spray this spot every few years when the canary grass chokes everything out and then mow a path for them to travel down. It comes back in giant ragweed and velvetleaf which seems to stand better through the fall than canary grass.

Hi Bob,
thank you for the reply. I didn't ask this very well, what I'm interested in is the timing of the dogwood cutting's and starting your process of scraping the bottom nodes and kneeling into sand.

Dave

No worries-As soon as you see bud formation, I usually take cuttings in March. I select pencil diameter whips about 14"-15"- 5-6 nodes and knock off the bottom 2, dip in rooting compound and stick in the sand, as I mentioned I have a greenhouse but would like to hear from anyone that has had success going right from cutting into the ground.