Hi all, This will be my first post here. Just found the site yesterday. Great to read all the knowledgeable posts and helpful tone on this site! Forest Hunter, I am also working on a small parcel in the rocky acidic soils of the Catskills mountains. I have had some luck with buckwheat, oats, soft wheat and rye grain as well as annual rye grass. These all do better where I have burned a brush pile. While Catskills forest habitat improvers don't have the deep topsoil found elsewhere, we have forest resources to work with. This time of year, you can do a lot to help the deer by doing some hinge cutting of saplings. If your forest is mature and open in the understory, then making patch cuts can provide browse and cover right away. As for foodplots, I agree strongly with the others who have recommended the use of lime. Not much luck without it. If you don't get time for a soil test before you plant, you could test your soil acidity with a simple pH kit available from a garden supply or hardware store. As a source of seed and food plot advice, you could also talk to http://www.mcdowellwalker.com/ They have a couple of locations in the area. If you get hooked on habitat management, then you'll want to read the resources at the QDMA website as well. The foresters at the Catskill Forest Association are helpful in recommending patch cuts and wildlife shrubs that have a chance to survive in this area. Many species that are listed as invasive in more fertile regions are not invasive in small clearings in a large mature forest. Good luck!
