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By:
Mad_Angler
Date:18-Jan-17
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I have access to great land in Kansas. I want to add a food plot. The plot would be about 1 acre.
Mostly, the plot would be for ducks. The land owner loves to duck hunt and this would be a way to repay him.
The area is a manmade pond. The pond is empty and dry in the summer. I'd like to plant something around Sept 1 (I think but don't know). Then, we could flood the pond around Nov 1.
What equipment do I need to get started? Should I rent a tractor and some implements? Can I get somethign that will work with my 4 wheeler?
I figured that I would plant millet in the pond for the ducks. But I figured that I would plant the dry shoreline areas for deer.
Obviously, I don't know anything. How do I get started?
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By:
Scooby-doo
Date:18-Jan-17
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Plant Milo, I am not from Kansas but if you want to draw deer Milo works very well as does a later planting of winter wheat. Scooby
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By:
LINK
Date:18-Jan-17
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Milo or corn. I've seen ducks flock to flooded corn. I think equipment would be determined by the "pond". If it's the type that holds water most of the year and the water table is only a few feet I would think 4 wheeler equipment. Otherwise your likely to sink your tractor even if it looks dry. My brother once tried driving across a dry pond that hadn't held water in 5 years, sunk it to the frame. I think an atv sprayer, something to scratch the surface and broadcast would do the trick.
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Date:18-Jan-17
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always start with a soil test, and tell them what you are planting and goals. Then, the best/cheapest bet is to hire a farmer or friend who has tractors and top end planters/implements. Spraying can be done well with inexpensive ATV sprayers, but that, scouting, and hauling game is where an ATVs usefulness ends. You can also borrow from a friend and/or rent a tractor from am implement dealer by the hour (avg 200-350/day), and a drill(no-till) from an ag coop at a cheap (like 7$/acre) cost to plant. You can do a lot of acreage in a few hours. IMHO ATV implements are junk, and you can/will burn up (literally) your atv/utv in short order, even with very light implements. If you are so disposed, $3000 for a ford 8n, old 2 bottom moldboard plow, a 6' disc harrow, and 8' drag harrow, an old cultipacker, and an old 6-8' grain drill, and 500# cyclone fertilizer spreader will do miracles and total less than the cost of an ATV.
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By:
Brotsky
Date:18-Jan-17
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Make sure it's legal where your buddy lives and not considered baiting to do what you are considering for waterfowl. Laws vary state to state and are different for migratory birds compared to deer, etc.
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By:
Scar Finga
Date:18-Jan-17
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As Rodney Dangerfield said... I was 12 years old, alone in my room, and I got started:) LOL- Sorry I couldn't resist
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By:
DJnKS
Date:18-Jan-17
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Millet, corn and milo are all good options, but you'll have to plant it a lot earlier than the first of September.
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By:
35-Acre
Date:20-Jan-17
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I would caution you on what chemicals you spray in an area that is intended to be a pond. I know that certain weed killers and even fertilizers cause harm to frogs, salamanders and aquatic bugs. I'm not sure how (or if that will) effect ducks.
My guess is that the pond is in a low-lying area and gets run-off nutrients. This would likely mean the soil is in good shape for planting. A soil test would confirm that, but if you don't want to go through that trouble, just plant and see what happens. You likely could plant twice; in the spring and then tear what's in it up on early August and plant again in early September. But that means you need equipment.
You're likely at the easiest part of all of this. The first planting. Depending on what you plant, you will discover that the following year, you need something to brush hog what was planted for deer in order to replant. To avoid that, you could just plant turnips and radishes around the edges of the pond for deer. Deer will eat the tops, dig out the tubers and what doesn't get dug out by the deer will pop out when the soil freezes. This will leave you with something hopefully low maintenance again the following year. Then for whatever you want in the pond, you will likely be able to re-plant in the mud/dirt that was under water as it will likely die off. I think someone mentioned milo and millet as good options for that.
