The Back 40

9-10-2023.  This is the beginning of an ongoing consultation project to turn this 40 acre property (and a few adjacent lots)  into a wildlife oasis.  We began by walking the property.  Some of our first steps were adding a water hole and putting food plots in two overgrown fields.  Both fields were rough, uneven, and overgrown.   We began by brush hogging and beginning to smooth them out.

We were working feverishly to get seed on the ground because of a very high likelihood of afternoon thunderstorms and a lot of work to do!  Because of this, we simply didn't take pictures.  We  QUICKLY leveled the area as best we could and tilled it up.  Ideally, we would wait a number of days between mowing and tilling to let some of the thatch die off (or spray first) but the weather necessitated we get it all done ASAP.  Literally, seconds after spreading seed the skies opened and it poured and poured at a rate of several inches an hour.

9-17-2023. We designed two sweeping narrow food plots designed to direct deer movement to stay on the property.  Although rain before seeding is ideal, this was a case of too much of a good thing.  We came back a week later to check on it, and although germination was decent, there was clear problems with erosion and some of the seeds washing away.  We designed both food plots to have a back corner that dips into the woods.  This is an ideal zone for deer to feed with cover around and feel safe.  It encourages them to come out of the field at a certain location before dusk. Sort of a staging area.  As you can see in the photo, even after just a week with less than ideal germination, the deer are feeding in the staging area of the plot behind the feeder instead of the actual feeder itself which is full of soy beans.

There's a surprising amount of deer prints in these plots already, and some large ones!  We plan to come back in a couple weeks and overseed the plots one more time with a winter hardy seed mix before a less severe rain.  We have also sent off soil samples to see how crazy we can get on the property.  The sky's the limit on this one!  We will keep this project page updated as we move forward.