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Post by longbeard2372 on Jul 14, 2016 17:43:37 GMT -5
The story starts the day after 2 2014. We managed to get 364 acres of prime northern Potter property to lease. We scouted it and hunted it the first 2 days of rifle and I killed my first 6 pt and the wife killed a doe. But in those 2 days we seen 47 deer and 13 were rack buck. We hunted 2015 season and learned the deer and thier movements. Now we picked some areas, tossed some ideas around, borrowed and bought equiptment to do the job. We picked two areas for plots. The bottom plot is 1 acre. 650 ft long by 35 yds wide and is bordered onits east side by a fence row full of mature maples with plenty of set options. The other plot is due south of the bottom plot on top of the ridge. We call it the upper plot. It is approximately 60yd long and 25 yds wide running east to west. O will try and keep posting pics as the next few months roll on. The upper plot before mowing looking west. After mowing The lower plot before mowing looking south. After mowing We sprayed July 2nd. The upper plot on July 5th looking east. The lower plot on July 12th looking south. The tractor with a one bottom plow and cultivators we picked up for $650 a 1938 allis Chalmers B Here are the bucks we have harvest so far on the property. My 2014 6 pt My 2015 Halloween buck Partners November 6th buck Brother November 7th buck My wifes November 30 buck. Her first ever. Headed up the weekend of the 22 to till , fertilize and plant. I will post as ir evolves
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Post by Dutch on Jul 14, 2016 18:10:47 GMT -5
What are you planting?
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Post by longbeard2372 on Jul 14, 2016 18:29:52 GMT -5
Dutch we are planting Big buck brassica mix from Welter seed its a special blend of purple top turnips,multi crowned pasja,ground hog radish and dwarf essex rape.
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Post by Loggy on Jul 14, 2016 18:32:35 GMT -5
Looking good there LB!! Some beautiful bucks!!!
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Post by Dutch on Jul 14, 2016 18:34:35 GMT -5
Good first crop. The ground hog radishes help break and areate the soil and the deer love them.
Brassicas love lots of nitrogen. 200 lbs of urea per acre helps.
Get the pH up as well or no amount of fertilizer will help the plants.
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Post by longbeard2372 on Jul 14, 2016 18:49:21 GMT -5
Yeah we got 240 lbs of urea and 500 lbs of lime to throw on.
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Post by longbeard2372 on Jul 14, 2016 18:54:28 GMT -5
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Post by cspot on Jul 14, 2016 19:00:26 GMT -5
Very nice!!!
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Post by Dutch on Jul 14, 2016 19:01:38 GMT -5
Did you soil test? Most of those old fields up there will test about 5.5.
Biologic offers an easy soil test service.
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Post by longbeard2372 on Jul 14, 2016 19:18:02 GMT -5
Yeah... We are fortunate tht this old homestead was farmed before growing up to bad. The soil is in pretty good shape for northern Potter. Things were a tad lower then what they should be as one would expect. We got the lime for free so we will use what we got and run with it. We pooled a little money and got the essentials. We have spent $70 on 2.5 gal of roundup, $40 on seed, $650 for tractor and implements, $30 on fuel and I think maybe $50 on urea. Got the lime for free, got it bushhogged for the $30 of fuel. Borrowed a 15 gal pull behind sprayer from a buddy that cost a case of Labatt blue lite. We pulled the spring harrow you see in the upper plot pic out of a old scrap pile on the property. All it needed was 2 bolts for the depth adjusters. So far we have about $860 into it.
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Post by Dutch on Jul 14, 2016 19:54:06 GMT -5
That brassica, given a good rain, will germinate, even with poor soil prep. Its not real fussy.
Rain this year tho, is the problem, as you know.
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Post by bawanajim on Jul 14, 2016 20:09:42 GMT -5
Yeah... We are fortunate tht this old homestead was farmed before growing up to bad. The soil is in pretty good shape for northern Potter. Things were a tad lower then what they should be as one would expect. We got the lime for free so we will use what we got and run with it. We pooled a little money and got the essentials. We have spent $70 on 2.5 gal of roundup, $40 on seed, $650 for tractor and implements, $30 on fuel and I think maybe $50 on urea. Got the lime for free, got it bushhogged for the $30 of fuel. Borrowed a 15 gal pull behind sprayer from a buddy that cost a case of Labatt blue lite. We pulled the spring harrow you see in the upper plot pic out of a old scrap pile on the property. All it needed was 2 bolts for the depth adjusters. So far we have about $860 into it. Those farmers are some real butt holes, stay away from anyone that works the land for a living, they are really ,,,,,,,,,most of them drink on Sundays!
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Post by longbeard2372 on Jul 14, 2016 20:57:33 GMT -5
Yeah... We are fortunate tht this old homestead was farmed before growing up to bad. The soil is in pretty good shape for northern Potter. Things were a tad lower then what they should be as one would expect. We got the lime for free so we will use what we got and run with it. We pooled a little money and got the essentials. We have spent $70 on 2.5 gal of roundup, $40 on seed, $650 for tractor and implements, $30 on fuel and I think maybe $50 on urea. Got the lime for free, got it bushhogged for the $30 of fuel. Borrowed a 15 gal pull behind sprayer from a buddy that cost a case of Labatt blue lite. We pulled the spring harrow you see in the upper plot pic out of a old scrap pile on the property. All it needed was 2 bolts for the depth adjusters. So far we have about $860 into it. Those farmers are some real butt holes, stay away from anyone that works the land for a living, they are really ,,,,,,,,,most of them drink on Sundays! Yeah tell me about it. Worked on a farm all thru middle and high school and a few yrs after amd live on one here in Lancaster now. Lookout come Sunday !!!
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Post by bawanajim on Jul 14, 2016 21:16:45 GMT -5
There is no better feeling than " working the land" seeing that corn pop up in rows is as rewarding as is gets, and up here when the snow is butt deep to tall indians you feel pretty good about getting a few through the year.
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Post by longbeard2372 on Jul 14, 2016 21:30:07 GMT -5
Yeah I tell you I dont know how farmers make it up north. The growing season is so short. The old corn knee high by the 4th of July is sometimes wishful thinking north of rt. 80 and west of rt. 15. Down here in Lancaster its more like head high by the 4th of July. But I tell you I have a ton of chances and places to hunt here in Lancaster county but the draw of northern Potter is way to strong. I may hunt 1-3 days a season in Lancaster. I probably spend a average of 15 -20 days in northern Potter deer hintong every year. People round here wonder why I average 20k miles per year on my truck. BUT ... Its all worth it. Notjing like the north. Its been in my blood since my grand parents moved up there in 1979.
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Post by davet on Jul 14, 2016 21:45:14 GMT -5
Ya know.....it snows north of I-80 early all the time. It was an engineering mistake. If they would have moved I-80 farther north, then the snow would have moved much farther north. Gheeeez!!! Think man think!!!
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Post by longbeard2372 on Jul 15, 2016 5:21:02 GMT -5
Dave it snows early up there esp. North of rt 6 and west of 449 but not as early as yrs ago it seems. My brother and I always took the first week of Nov. Off to bow hunt. We always hunted in lake effect snow all week and often had snow on the ground in the mornings sometimes the 2nd week of the season. But now we are happy to have a dusting the first day of rifle season. Been a few yrs for tht. Ot was pretty much a given 15 yrs ago. Times are changing !
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Post by longbeard2372 on Jul 24, 2016 19:59:43 GMT -5
We got to work on our plots this weekend. Only got the upper plot completed. Took most of the day Saturday to clean up all the weed root base and get down to decent northern Potter county soil. The plot measures about 20 yds wide by 60 or 65 yds wide. We but on 100 lbs of lime and 50 lbs of urea and planted 1.5 lbs of the big buck brassices mix. Plot before tillage Raking it clean with the spring harrow Spreading seed Parting shot as I was leaving the plot at 10:30 this morning. Now to hope for rain. We did not plow this plot. Just drug the harrow over 500 times till we got the weed roots and stalks out and got decently "clean" soil. My brother and I both said if it doeant take we will have the biggest black berries ever. They probably will be the size of oranges. LMBO !!!!
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Post by Dutch on Jul 24, 2016 20:10:56 GMT -5
You can, if you use enough seed, simply kill off a plot and spread the seed into the thatch. If you get a good hard rain, brassica will germinate in the thatch.
Overall, you did a GREAT job! Hope there is rain....
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Post by longbeard2372 on Jul 24, 2016 20:29:51 GMT -5
Thanks Dutch. We thought about that but never reseaarched anymore before that thought. Would you still lime and fertilize at the same rate and would you wait to such seeding within a day of rain? Or could you seed no matter what?
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Post by Dutch on Jul 25, 2016 4:43:30 GMT -5
You can seed no matter what. This year would have been very tough due to the drought up there tho.
Last year I did a "dirty" plot that came in pretty well.
Ten years ago I actually did a demo plot for the PGC where they sprayed a field, no cultivation at all. I came in seeded it into the thatch and fertilized. Came in super. Land manager was impressed.
You do have to seed heavily tho, but it save a heck of a lot of time and fuel.
It also gives those roots from August to the following spring to rot up, making cultivation easier next year.
Also, using the GroundHog radishes in your mix does help aerate and loosen the soil. Plus, the deer LOVE the tops.
P.L. Rohrer in Smoketown has an excellent brassica mix. They also have th groundhog radishes, which I throw in the mix.
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Post by Dutch on Jul 25, 2016 4:49:54 GMT -5
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Post by Dutch on Jul 25, 2016 4:54:37 GMT -5
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Post by Dutch on Jul 25, 2016 5:11:47 GMT -5
Here is a pic of a GroundHog radish from my plot. I dug this one out, IIRC. Main root was down 8 inches, I believe.
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Post by longbeard2372 on Jul 25, 2016 5:20:47 GMT -5
Was that plot a no till thatch planted plot?
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