sailinghudson25

No till, no results... You need to rake leaves away, scratch the soil with a garden rake or hoe, and then seed, lightly scratch with lawn rake again, and then roll it down. Clover works well for low light. Clover gets a head start before the tree leaves emerge for the year, and will grow a touch when they're gone. Any trees you can cut toward the south helps. Know antone with a portable tiller? Those mantis units work great. Just an inch or so of tilling makes a huge difference. If it can be done safely, burn those leaves and what branches are around. Ash makes awesome fertilizer and ph increaser. I have 3 folks I get their woodstove ash from. I prefer it over lime.

I do alot of need little plots for friends. Clover cereal grain blend in the fall. August 15th to Sept 15th range for planting. Disc it up, then wait a week, then disc even lighter again to kill fresh weed seeds and not bring up deeper ones. Then plant 80lbs of oats or wheat with maybe 4 or 5 bags of fertilizer per acre, scratch it in an inch or so with the discs or a drag. Then put 6lbs of clover. Ladino if you plan on keeping clover a few years or red clover if you're rotating in a year or two. I do a blend of both red grows quicker, ladino lasts longer. This is per acre. General advice is 2 tons per acre of lime. But, a soil test is better advice. Buckwheat is great on new ground if you're planting again in the fall. Avoid monocrops buy blends until the area is established well. Corn can have clover or soybeans in it too.

Also, don't go nuts with mowing. Wild brushy spots are good. I advise on making 1/2 acre plots more than a few big ones. Also, look up fallow. Just mow a spot, disc it lightly, and let mother nature reseed herself.

What's the 3 acres? Trying to make wild land into fertile crop spit takes time. Lime takes time to adjust ph. Here might be too much clay. It also takes a few mowing and plowing to kill pernenial. Cereal grains, clover, and fast growers like buckwheat are good go break in land. Professional farmers don't plant corn right off. They usually do soybeans, then alfalfa, then corn. And they winter seed with rye. Go simple and hearty, then go for fancier items. Till a bit, then see what you got. Some places only have 3 inches until you get hard clay or shale. If this is the case, disc lightly and put something in with shallower roots. It may take awhile to get good loose soil. Or it may take too much lime to get a healthy deep soil system.

Hoping to find dormant willows for cuttings no such luck in the catskills. My allergies say wereally well into spring.

What did you use to spray the plot? My clovet plot is weed over run. However, I'm trying to sell that place right now. The plot is also my mountainside view. They do make something specifically to kill moss. Doesn't moss mean low ph. Wondering if you could spinkle powdered lime on it during a dry spell to kill it, then redo the bad spots. I've done that a few time with a hand rake or rototiller.

A.) I clean my guns inside and out when I'm done. B.) My guns have been swimming more than once. I also prefer hunting in the rain. C.) If there complicated or delicate. I don't have much confodense in it. Benelli.... I'll take a look at that

They take regular AR uppers I have a 458 socom rock River upper.

Looking for an autoloader for big woods hunting. Was thinking a 458 socom ar15 before the cuomo ban. But now want a more traditional firearm. I currently have a great grouping SKS with peep sight. Basically an autoloader 3030. I'd like to stick with 3006 or 270 win maybe. However, a autoloader shotgun is not out of the picture. I got a ton of 20ga slugs.

I got a 1972 L185 and a 2011 L3200 hydrostatic. Both work great. Somedays I wish I bought more than a 32hp L series, but it has yet to fail me on anything I do. Snowblow, mow, firewood chores, york rake. I don't dig deep where I live in the catskills, but I do have a 2 bottom plow and it works fine too. An old furgeson 2x14. Just brings up too much rocks.....

habitat work?

Leave some limbs..... Give a buck a nice spot or two for a scrape. I've actually planted trees for this purpose. Planting hazelnut trees in the corners of my new food plot site next week.

Looks good. Get those branches out of there. You be surprised how much of a mess it gets. A good quality powerful weed Wacker will mow a 1\2 acre in a little over an hour. I use a stihl fr70.

If you need to get some south light. Maybe wait until fall to cut. Cut down a tree or two right before muzzleloader season. They love those buds. A few days later cut the taller branch down to eating level. Don't worry you spook them for a hour at best.....

Food plots are nice, but there's many other things that add up to a great place to hunt. Hinge cutting, plants shrubs, cutting down mature trees and let the understory take over, creating water holes, creating santuaries for the deer the bed in. Even making ATV trails on the perimeter to make unexpected visitors think twice.

Here's something to read. https://www.cdc.gov/ticks/diseases/

24 to 36 hours is horse crap. You take the 1 day dose anytime a tick give you a welt....... IF a few weeks later your'e not feeling right, go back and take a 1 month dose of antibiotics. Like I said before, the test isn't accurate, it isnt definite, and it doesnt matter if the tick gave you something else....... However, keep in mind antibiotics can be bad for you. I wrecked my gut by killing the good bacteria and letting the bad take over..... Take a probiotic, learn what prebiotics are, and learn the signs of bad bacteria infestations..... It sucks............

I've too sprayed all sort of stuff. They still crawl on me. Also, lyme disease isn't the worst one. Babeosis is another. There is another even worse one than that too, anaplasmosis. Even the lyme disease test is so-so. 70% accurate, and it's not a yes or no it's like a 1-12 concentration. And if you never had lyme, you can show up like a 1-3. they debate what response number is a yes or no too. IF you do get it, it's a battle of attrition. antibiotics alone will not fix it. You need to keep yourself healthy, no one pill will do it. Eat well, make sure you get vitamins and minerals you need. Get enough sun. Get enough rest........ Antibotics is not the end all to it. But, it's needed. You're dealing with an internal infection. The stuff hides where your circulatory and immune system do not get enough circulation....... what I do.... Gave up pheasant hunting. Just get covered.......... not worth it. I stand hunt until a few freezes, then when they're not out, the woods is mine.. I wander all over, but still act like I may get it. Soon as I am done in the woods, I change clothes. I shower. I tuck my socks over my pants. I check myself. Hunters do get it, but it's when you're at home more often. You could be in an infested area, but you need contact where they hang out. A branch or two in open forested areas, no problem. Start walking deer trails or in the high grass, you'll get bombed. There's spots where youll get a dozen ticks just walking 100 yards in grass.

You can compete against corn. You're the spot they come to before it's time for the big meal in the corn field. A few things......... May is not too early, it can be too late. Fall is best. You got some water, but it look like if you dig 20 or 3ft of shallow channel, it'll drain and clear much quicker. No tilling will work, but you need to rake well. When then mean no till, they do not mean do nothing. They just mean you don't need to dig down 6 inches or more to get a seed bed. You still need some sort of seed bed. York rake, a chain drag, back scraping a front loader bucket, or a good mean hand rake will makes tons of things come alive. I did one your size with no equipment except for a weedwacker. And it was in the ADK's on horrible soil. Weedwack the year before, then again in the spring. Applied a dozen bags of lime hand carried almost a 1/2 mile. I raked well before liming. Then I spread fertilizer and seed. It worked just fine. The raking was the key, not so much the roundup. Soil contact is key. In some, but not too deep. I fertilize and lime as required, then rototill, or use a tow behind disc or spring harrow. Straight up clover can work, but sometimes the deer hit it hard. So, I put in some oats, wheat, or winter rye. Another key is to make nearby brushy areas, and some travel routes there. 50 is a ton, I am in a club or two, but myself, I hunt 3-5 acre spots here n there. It might not be too late to get some plants from your local soil and water conservation district plant sale. Call them up though. They do have to pre-order, but usually have some extra shrubs and fruit trees. You look swamp edge. Willows and red dogwood might be a great idea. I also take care of my oak trees where I hunt. Apply 5-10lbs of fertilizer and maybe a 1/2 bag of lime around the canopy edge. Clearance competing trees. Remove grape and poison ivy vines......

I've read numerous times about landscapers buidling raised beds of sort on srhubs and small trees in heavy clay areas. I have done this in the past with good results. I have also had trees fail by digging them in hard clay areas. The root end up rotting. The last round of apple trees I planted 1/2 below and half above. They did alot better. I use peat moss and a small handful of garden fertilizer. I do not lime, because my soil is not too bad 6.5 or so..... I've only had 1 fruit tree survive without being fenced in. They do great, but the deer eat them to death in the winter. I put up 3 sticks, then wrap some string around it maybe 8 or so times. Cheaper than fencing.....

Nice little saw. I'd just make an adapter to fit an existing larger table. If it's too high, just make a small step stool. Blade tension is a factor with the bit walking. Let her do the work, don't push feed it.... As a muzzleloader builder, I am jealous of your find.......... Great tool for rough cutting in stock blanks.

giving wildflower's a shot. Been reading on QDM blogs about whats commonly found in a deer's belly in various areas. Seen Aster's and lupine. Thinking of mixing wild flowers with some crimson clover for a pretty spot...

I usually do not buy deer packaged seeds. The only exception is plotspike forage feast. If I made a beldn myself, I'd put the same stuff in there. I like the same stuff farmer's buy. Winter rye, oats, red clover, or pasture mix for bedding areas, or low maintenance out back seeding. I think alot of food plot mixes are over hyped. Whitetail institute clover..... The blue coated stuff. It's like putting out a huge sign for the birds.... The the ones with the ryegrass..... I'm kind of anti roundup for my food plots. Trying get that stuff out of my plot for years. Had one real rocky spot I put it down,....

Save some time. Talk to state troopers, town highway superintendents, and the DEC foresters and forest rangers about deer. They know where there's better forage, when the car accidents happen too. That's helped me out during the years. If asking farmers, talk to them about late muzzleloading season and small game or predator hunting. Lot better luck getting someone to day yes then regular rifle season. Town parks sometimes offer hunting, but likely you'll need to apply for a permit. State parks can be great hunting, but most are bow hunt only. Far as hunting opportunities, I hunt on the edges of town on small properties. Some weary owners allow bow hunting only. Late season scouting helps in public lands by me. Find where they're walking. The one public spot in NY I know very well, the deer hid in the swamp. Again ask the forest ranger. He gave me that tip and ok'd me putting a stand up in there. Zoom in NYSDEC on topo mode all the way. You get 20ft elevation grid lines on the topo. Go between NYSDEC slim, google maps, and mapquest for overhead pictures. Sometimes you get lucky and they took the picture when the leaves turned, so you got an idea where's confiers, or can guess if theyre oaks or maples. The forester can be real helpful too. He can tell you what trees are in an area. It is his job to know what spots have deer damage to reforestation areas. Fire control folks can be helpful too. Recent years forest fire areas. Good browse areas.

Have you planted trees before. You mentioned a backhoe. Digging them too deep is a bad thing. Worse than too shallow. I made 2 different plots of clover with just scrapping the ground with the loader bucket, if you got some hours left on the rental. Protect them apple trees in the winter. The deer almost always kill unprotected young trees. They eat all the buds. This has the basics. https://www.arborday.org/trees/planting/containerized.cfm