On Friday UPS brought my long awaited parts from www.shoupparts.com. I needed new gauge wheel arms due to mine being worn completely out. I also got Precision Corn meters. I didn't even ask what the total price was due to fear of heart failure over the phone. I figure I broke $1000 on the parts. I am going to update the closing wheels and arm next month. I forgot to mention I have a JD 7100 Maxemerge planter. I went this route for simplicity. You can hook it to the tractor and load on the trailer for completing additional food plots at other locations. I checked with my seed supplier and looks like corn might be a hair cheaper this year. CLEARFIELD Sunflowers are still in the $200 range with BEYOND around $550 a gallon.
This is my interpretation of what constitutes planting a great dove field. Just follow my easy steps and get ready to do some banging. Remember that the field should get better each and every year.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Sunday, February 13, 2011
PLANTER TIME!!
If you don't own one get one. They are on the cheap for a 4 row or 2 row planter. Chances are you can use it for deer food plots as well. You need a corn planter. Plate type or finger pickup is what you are shooting for in a planter. No-Till Drills are not going to give you the heads you need due to the narrow rows. If you can somehow make the rows 30" to 40" then you can use a no-till. I still suggest getting a corn planter. I bought my first planter for $400 and dumped about $600 in it to fix it up including a ton of extra plates. I have some pics of it before I went to work on it. If you can find a JD 7000 series then get it. They are the best and parts are easy to come by these days. My old JD 494A was a great planter, but I recently upgraded to a JD 7100 mainly because the 7100 is a 3 point hitch instead of a pull behind. I have a couple of farms at different locations and the 3 point works out better for me. I would recommend the 494A to anyone due to ease of use and it plants excellent stands.
You will want to widen out the rows to at least 36". The reason is that sunflowers need to spread out a little and this allows for larger head sizes. My seeding rate was about 20,000 to 23,000 seeds per acre planted. I usually make passes in the field and pull up short enough to make two full passes at each end of the row perpendicular to what I have already planted.
I am currently working on rebuliding my 7100 now. I will post some pics of it as the work continues. The pics on this post are the 494A prior to my rebuild.
Link for planting plates for a plate type planter
http://www.lincolnagproducts.com/
Link for parts on JD 7000 Series planters:
http://www.shoupparts.com/
Pictures:
http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii301/MathieuPoag/SL730141.jpg
http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii301/MathieuPoag/SL730171.jpg
http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii301/MathieuPoag/SL730235.jpg
http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii301/MathieuPoag/SL730236.jpg
http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii301/MathieuPoag/SL730189.jpg
You will want to widen out the rows to at least 36". The reason is that sunflowers need to spread out a little and this allows for larger head sizes. My seeding rate was about 20,000 to 23,000 seeds per acre planted. I usually make passes in the field and pull up short enough to make two full passes at each end of the row perpendicular to what I have already planted.
I am currently working on rebuliding my 7100 now. I will post some pics of it as the work continues. The pics on this post are the 494A prior to my rebuild.
Link for planting plates for a plate type planter
http://www.lincolnagproducts.com/
Link for parts on JD 7000 Series planters:
http://www.shoupparts.com/
Pictures:
http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii301/MathieuPoag/SL730141.jpg
http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii301/MathieuPoag/SL730171.jpg
http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii301/MathieuPoag/SL730235.jpg
http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii301/MathieuPoag/SL730236.jpg
http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii301/MathieuPoag/SL730189.jpg
Herbicide - Because WEEDS are the enemy in your field.
This will be your most important and probably the biggest expense for your dove field. Sit down for a minute and ponder what I am about to tell you. A lot of chemicals are tied into the price of oil. So with oil going up so are herbicides. I will provide a link to help you pick what chemicals will best suit your needs. I will also show you which herbicides I use.
http://www.uaex.edu/Other_Areas/publications/PDF/FSA-2150.pdf
This publication is great for those that choose sunflowers. I spoke with the author and he is on his A game for dove hunting fields.
I usually start out by burning down the field with a Glyphosphate product. Don't freak out about the Gly. It is simply Round Up , but a heck of a lot cheaper than the brand name. The main ingredient in Round Up is Glyphosphate. You need to run about 2 quarts per acre on my initial burn down application 8 to 10 days prior to planting. If this is the first time planting your field I would suggest doing this twice with about 30 days apart. This knocks out the major weeds right off the bat. Remember that a clean field under your sunflowers is the key!!!!
After your initial burndown you will want to start thinking about "Pre" and "Post" Emergence applications of herbicide. Don't get freaked out about the different chemicals. I stick with 2 basics plus the BEYOND. Your "Pre" is going to be DUAL and your "Post" is going to be Spartan 4f. I use 1.33 pints of DUAL and 14oz of Spartan 4f per acre. My sprayer shoots 40 gallons to the acre. The math on this part is crucial. Over application is illegal and bad for the soil. Make sure to follow the applicable laws per your state on this part. Know what your sprayer sprays per acre and the rest is easy math. Here is my example based on a 40 gallon spray per acre.
200 gallon tank / 40 gallons sprayed per acre = 5 acres
5 x 1.33 pints on the DUAL
5 x 4ozs on the Spartan
Above is for 5 acres. For 10 acres I just double it.
Both of these go in the tank together and are safe to use together. I usually wear a breathing mask and long clothing both on filling the tank and spraying. Don't forget to add a SURFACTANT. It is a chemical binder. It is dirt cheap and usually half a gallon does the trick. Make sure to mix it in the tank via an agitator if your sprayer is equipped.
A couple of notes:
Don't use your home measuring cup that your wife is measuring milk for the Sunday cake. tomorrow. Herbicides are poisonous and you need to take them seriously. Read the label on each herbicide and double rinse each jug into the sprayer before throwing them away.
The "Pre" and "Post" go down immediately after planting. Don't do it the next day or next week. It will smoke your plants. These chemicals will help keep the field weed free under your plants until the sunflowers get big enough to shade out the weeds. This is a must for a clean dove field.
CLEARFIELD Sunflowers are unique in the fact that they have a special chemical that you can spray that kills the weeds in the field after your sunflowers have sprouted. This chemical is called BEYOND and is pricey to say the least. If money is no object by all means us it. The results are sensational. BEYOND is applied after the plants emerge. Make sure you cleaned/washed out your sprayer before you put this in the tank. The label gives the recommended dosage per acre. I think I paid $795 for one gallon. One gallon does 32 acres. That breaks the cost down a little for me. However, this is expensive and rotary hoeing is an option for those inclined to keep their costs down.
If you are not going to use CLEARFIELD sunflowers save the money and find a hybrid variety that you can plant. It will be much cheaper to use another variety that is not a CLEARFIELD variety. Me, I am sticking with CLEARFIELD because it works and I have 2 more years of BEYOND locked in the closet at home.
http://www.uaex.edu/Other_Areas/publications/PDF/FSA-2150.pdf
This publication is great for those that choose sunflowers. I spoke with the author and he is on his A game for dove hunting fields.
I usually start out by burning down the field with a Glyphosphate product. Don't freak out about the Gly. It is simply Round Up , but a heck of a lot cheaper than the brand name. The main ingredient in Round Up is Glyphosphate. You need to run about 2 quarts per acre on my initial burn down application 8 to 10 days prior to planting. If this is the first time planting your field I would suggest doing this twice with about 30 days apart. This knocks out the major weeds right off the bat. Remember that a clean field under your sunflowers is the key!!!!
After your initial burndown you will want to start thinking about "Pre" and "Post" Emergence applications of herbicide. Don't get freaked out about the different chemicals. I stick with 2 basics plus the BEYOND. Your "Pre" is going to be DUAL and your "Post" is going to be Spartan 4f. I use 1.33 pints of DUAL and 14oz of Spartan 4f per acre. My sprayer shoots 40 gallons to the acre. The math on this part is crucial. Over application is illegal and bad for the soil. Make sure to follow the applicable laws per your state on this part. Know what your sprayer sprays per acre and the rest is easy math. Here is my example based on a 40 gallon spray per acre.
200 gallon tank / 40 gallons sprayed per acre = 5 acres
5 x 1.33 pints on the DUAL
5 x 4ozs on the Spartan
Above is for 5 acres. For 10 acres I just double it.
Both of these go in the tank together and are safe to use together. I usually wear a breathing mask and long clothing both on filling the tank and spraying. Don't forget to add a SURFACTANT. It is a chemical binder. It is dirt cheap and usually half a gallon does the trick. Make sure to mix it in the tank via an agitator if your sprayer is equipped.
A couple of notes:
Don't use your home measuring cup that your wife is measuring milk for the Sunday cake. tomorrow. Herbicides are poisonous and you need to take them seriously. Read the label on each herbicide and double rinse each jug into the sprayer before throwing them away.
The "Pre" and "Post" go down immediately after planting. Don't do it the next day or next week. It will smoke your plants. These chemicals will help keep the field weed free under your plants until the sunflowers get big enough to shade out the weeds. This is a must for a clean dove field.
CLEARFIELD Sunflowers are unique in the fact that they have a special chemical that you can spray that kills the weeds in the field after your sunflowers have sprouted. This chemical is called BEYOND and is pricey to say the least. If money is no object by all means us it. The results are sensational. BEYOND is applied after the plants emerge. Make sure you cleaned/washed out your sprayer before you put this in the tank. The label gives the recommended dosage per acre. I think I paid $795 for one gallon. One gallon does 32 acres. That breaks the cost down a little for me. However, this is expensive and rotary hoeing is an option for those inclined to keep their costs down.
If you are not going to use CLEARFIELD sunflowers save the money and find a hybrid variety that you can plant. It will be much cheaper to use another variety that is not a CLEARFIELD variety. Me, I am sticking with CLEARFIELD because it works and I have 2 more years of BEYOND locked in the closet at home.
What to plant?????
This is the million dollar question every year for me. I will break down each of the grain and seed varieties I have tried over the years. Some were successful and others failures. I cannot say that the failures were due to the seed or just a bad year. All in all you will see what my favorite planting is below.
Wheat
This is a tried and true planting that is cheap and easy. The only draw back is you are going to have to plant it in the fall to get a yield in the summer of the next year. Your herbicides are cheap and you don't really need a restricted use license for wheat. I had a couple of really decent hunts over wheat and would definitely recommend it to the novice hunter. The only real issue is weeds in your wheat field. Don't broadcast the wheat in the fall. Drill it with a no-till drill. You can rent them from CO-OP.
Grain Sorghum
I used it last year and had a pathetic hunt. I have read a tremendous amount of literature on the Internet that suggests sorghum is a great crop for doves. It could of been a lousy year for me or mother nature had the birds flying elsewhere.
Millet
I have used it in the past with mixed results. I feel that the stem makes the seed a little hard to find for the doves. Once I combine my millet the seeds seem to disappear. I have argued this case with my Dad who insists millet is the best seed for doves. It is your call. Millet is somewhat expensive and not my cup of tea.
Sunflowers
This is my seed of choice. I used it 2 years ago and had the best dove hunt ever. The pro's out weight he con's to me on sunflowers. The seed is expensive (i.e.$200) per bag. One bag gets you about 10 to 11 acres so all in all not too bad. The key hear is to get the right kind of seed. I know the Internet tells you to get the peredovik variety due to the small seeds. Don't do it! I repeat, don't do it! Get the CLEARFIELD variety. It is resistant to a certain herbicide called BEYOND. In lay mans terms it is like a Round Up Ready Sunflower. Just don't use Round Up on it. The plant is genetically breed to be resistant to the BEYOND herbicide while everything else in the field gets smoked. This is crucial in all dove fields and will be covered more in my herbicide section.
Sunflowers draw the birds like deer does corn. We had over 5 hunts on the same field with excellent results including limiting out 4 times. This is the dove magnet. If you have the money to afford the seed, chemicals, and fertilizer then your in business.
In conclusion you can see what I am sticking with in my dove field. I will probably rotate crops every year between corn and sunflowers to keep the weeds from getting resistant to the herbicide. Corn works well for doves. Especially late in the season when it gets cooler. Those Yankee doves migrating down love a corn field.
In the pic above notice the power lines and the dirt beneath the sunflowers.
Wheat
This is a tried and true planting that is cheap and easy. The only draw back is you are going to have to plant it in the fall to get a yield in the summer of the next year. Your herbicides are cheap and you don't really need a restricted use license for wheat. I had a couple of really decent hunts over wheat and would definitely recommend it to the novice hunter. The only real issue is weeds in your wheat field. Don't broadcast the wheat in the fall. Drill it with a no-till drill. You can rent them from CO-OP.
Grain Sorghum
I used it last year and had a pathetic hunt. I have read a tremendous amount of literature on the Internet that suggests sorghum is a great crop for doves. It could of been a lousy year for me or mother nature had the birds flying elsewhere.
Millet
I have used it in the past with mixed results. I feel that the stem makes the seed a little hard to find for the doves. Once I combine my millet the seeds seem to disappear. I have argued this case with my Dad who insists millet is the best seed for doves. It is your call. Millet is somewhat expensive and not my cup of tea.
Sunflowers
This is my seed of choice. I used it 2 years ago and had the best dove hunt ever. The pro's out weight he con's to me on sunflowers. The seed is expensive (i.e.$200) per bag. One bag gets you about 10 to 11 acres so all in all not too bad. The key hear is to get the right kind of seed. I know the Internet tells you to get the peredovik variety due to the small seeds. Don't do it! I repeat, don't do it! Get the CLEARFIELD variety. It is resistant to a certain herbicide called BEYOND. In lay mans terms it is like a Round Up Ready Sunflower. Just don't use Round Up on it. The plant is genetically breed to be resistant to the BEYOND herbicide while everything else in the field gets smoked. This is crucial in all dove fields and will be covered more in my herbicide section.
Sunflowers draw the birds like deer does corn. We had over 5 hunts on the same field with excellent results including limiting out 4 times. This is the dove magnet. If you have the money to afford the seed, chemicals, and fertilizer then your in business.
In conclusion you can see what I am sticking with in my dove field. I will probably rotate crops every year between corn and sunflowers to keep the weeds from getting resistant to the herbicide. Corn works well for doves. Especially late in the season when it gets cooler. Those Yankee doves migrating down love a corn field.
The Field
Your dove field needs to be a minumum of 3 acres to really accomplish a decent hunt. I prefer at least 10 due to the deer population in Tennessee usually demolish sunflower plants prior to them heading out.
It is always preferred to have gravel and water nearby the field. I would suggest a couple of miles at the furthest. If you have a pond on the farm then perfect. Get yourself a load of "screenings" from the local quarry and have them spread it near the field. Doves are like most brid species and require the grit to grind the seeds in the gizzards. They will often fly between the field and the water/gravel during the day.
A roosting area that is not hunted is also a plus. If you don't have the land then don't worry. They will find a place to loaf during the heat of the day. I have some pine trees that hold a lot of doves during the day next to the field.
Try to find a flat field that is open with the fewest trees in the field as possible. One or two could be a plus if you don't have any lines stretching across the field. Remember that you will need some cover for your hunters. I usually drop a few round bales of hay throughout the field. Your local farmer might have some old useless bales he needs gone and would probably drop them off for you. Make sure to invite him to the hunt. You never know because he might have a barrel burner hunt at his place. Sometimes I plant some corn in the field and leave it standing for cover. It just depends on my mood when I plant.
It is always preferred to have gravel and water nearby the field. I would suggest a couple of miles at the furthest. If you have a pond on the farm then perfect. Get yourself a load of "screenings" from the local quarry and have them spread it near the field. Doves are like most brid species and require the grit to grind the seeds in the gizzards. They will often fly between the field and the water/gravel during the day.
A roosting area that is not hunted is also a plus. If you don't have the land then don't worry. They will find a place to loaf during the heat of the day. I have some pine trees that hold a lot of doves during the day next to the field.
Try to find a flat field that is open with the fewest trees in the field as possible. One or two could be a plus if you don't have any lines stretching across the field. Remember that you will need some cover for your hunters. I usually drop a few round bales of hay throughout the field. Your local farmer might have some old useless bales he needs gone and would probably drop them off for you. Make sure to invite him to the hunt. You never know because he might have a barrel burner hunt at his place. Sometimes I plant some corn in the field and leave it standing for cover. It just depends on my mood when I plant.
Introduction to dove field management
I have read many articles throughout the Internet on how to put in a successful dove field. There are a few articles that I feel provide great relevance to the novice. I will add them to the blog soon. I will try to keep this blog simple and straight to the point. I am going to document from start to finish the way I plant and manipulate crops in my dove field.
The first thing you should do is sit down and grab a pen and pencil. Knowledge is key to getting the habitat right before the first seed hits the ground. Doves re migratory by nature and usually you won't have the opportunity to bang away at the same groups next year. They have a mortality rate somewhere upwards of 70%. I am not saying you cannot get a few local birds to hang around throughout the year. These local birds help draw other doves to the field. Remember this part.
Just like deer you need to have a supplemental feed program going from February 15th up to August 1st. That means you need to toss out a couple bags of sunflower seed out twice per month in a designated area close to the field. This will cost you about $30 a month and well worth it. Make sure you place the seed where you can till it under by the 1st of August. The law makes it clear in Tennessee that grain has to be removed 10 days prior to any hunting. I do it on the 1st of August to make sure we are 100% legal. Don't chump this part and just lightly disk it into the ground. Either get it up or mold board plow it under well.
I hope this blog helps you enjoy one of the great hunting pastimes. So save a little money and arrange for some help and you will find yourself getting some trigger time come September.
The first thing you should do is sit down and grab a pen and pencil. Knowledge is key to getting the habitat right before the first seed hits the ground. Doves re migratory by nature and usually you won't have the opportunity to bang away at the same groups next year. They have a mortality rate somewhere upwards of 70%. I am not saying you cannot get a few local birds to hang around throughout the year. These local birds help draw other doves to the field. Remember this part.
Just like deer you need to have a supplemental feed program going from February 15th up to August 1st. That means you need to toss out a couple bags of sunflower seed out twice per month in a designated area close to the field. This will cost you about $30 a month and well worth it. Make sure you place the seed where you can till it under by the 1st of August. The law makes it clear in Tennessee that grain has to be removed 10 days prior to any hunting. I do it on the 1st of August to make sure we are 100% legal. Don't chump this part and just lightly disk it into the ground. Either get it up or mold board plow it under well.
I hope this blog helps you enjoy one of the great hunting pastimes. So save a little money and arrange for some help and you will find yourself getting some trigger time come September.
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