tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2012091795932325815.post845493295114663648..comments2018-11-29T21:54:37.049-06:00Comments on Watch Out For The Bull: Baling Prairie HayRichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11412944120622315804noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2012091795932325815.post-4348613202923358392014-07-28T20:51:50.680-05:002014-07-28T20:51:50.680-05:00They love bedding down in prairie grass, so much s...They love bedding down in prairie grass, so much so, we never let anyone hunt it without a dog because it was darn near impossible to find the birds after they were shot unless they were dead when they hit. We used to have the best pheasant hunting in all of Iowa but a series of icy winters and wet springs really reduced their numbers. Wet springs are really hard on the chicks surviving. But the last couple years they've been on the rebound again. We had some hard and very big rains this spring so the jury is still out if they got hammered again.<br /><br />I think I've mentioned it to you before but we used to have a lot of quail but it has been nearly a decade since I've seen a covey.Edhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13214319366049620074noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2012091795932325815.post-43274995441901395272014-07-28T13:40:25.064-05:002014-07-28T13:40:25.064-05:00NW OK has a pheasant hunting season and we're ...NW OK has a pheasant hunting season and we're about 4-5 miles outside the boundary of the hunting area. <br /><br />About 6-7 years ago, I started seeing pheasants once in a while near the farm, and I thought that they were moving into the area because more people were growing crops like grain sorghum, soybeans, and a little corn along with more no-till (which is one of the many reasons I switched more towards no-till and growing something besides wheat). As they seemed to move into the area, I was hoping there might eventually be a pheasant hunting season in this area.<br /><br />But for whatever reason, a couple years ago I stopped seeing any pheasants, (although I am seeing more quail and dove lately). <br /><br />In my head, I've always associated pheasants with big corn fields instead of prairie grasses, it would be interesting to leave some grass strips next to a sorghum field to see if the pheasants would show up again.Richhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11412944120622315804noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2012091795932325815.post-16796324869261843142014-07-28T08:20:52.686-05:002014-07-28T08:20:52.686-05:00I love prairie grasses and on my parent's farm...I love prairie grasses and on my parent's farm, we have expended much energy turning little odds and ends of fields into native prairie grass plots with big and little blue stem, Indian grass, and native wild flowers. We also have burnt it regularly which helps improve the stands. Once you get a great stand, it truly is self sustaining because the grasses crowd out the weeds and the amount of organic material left behind every year fertilizes it.<br /><br />The first plot that we turned into native prairie as part of the CRP program was a 40 acre plot that went in back in the early 80's. To this day it is pheasant city and if you take a walk through it from one side to the other and don't kick up at least 50 pheasants, I would voluntarily eat my hat.Edhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13214319366049620074noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2012091795932325815.post-49567481610008719872014-07-27T19:00:38.637-05:002014-07-27T19:00:38.637-05:00It's amazing what a little rain at the right t...It's amazing what a little rain at the right time will do to make everything nice and green.<br /><br />Back in 2011 and 2012, we had months of over 100 degree temperatures, little rain, and the grass was so thin and there were so many weeds in this hay meadow that I wouldn't have baled it if I hadn't been desperate to get some hay baled (of course, baling up those weeds does kinda clean up a field in the following years). Richhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11412944120622315804noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2012091795932325815.post-39395042627212810642014-07-27T07:24:18.141-05:002014-07-27T07:24:18.141-05:00Nice looking field!Nice looking field!Pat, Marcus & Alexishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13097254988446524947noreply@blogger.com