Create eye-catching combinations by repeating the deep red notes in a companion plant. Aug 18, 2006 #31 I would agree with jnrbronc about the bedded deer problem. Just a small piece of your total acreage will serve good as a sanctuary. I have watered my 2-year-old plants only twice since June, and they still look fabulous! Depending on the seed test, the seeding rate may be different than the recommended 5 pounds PLS/acre. I just need something differant to help keep deer on my land. In a garden setting, thin out once the seedlings grow 2 inches (5.1 cm) tall. This is best done by creating a sanctuary. Real World variety switch grass is the same switch grass that we use in our Bedding-In-A-Bag. Jokes. Creating a weed free seed bed is key to establishing switchgrass, and once established, a stand of switchgrass can last a hunter many years. Facebook; Twitter; Tumblr; LinkedIn; MySpace; Email; Go to. It is highly adaptable to a wide range of soils and growing conditions. Deer naturally use prairie for security cover, but to direct deer movements near treestands, we mow paths in the prairie grass where the prairie meets the timber, and the paths lead into food plots. IQDM, Jan 5, 2012. It is best seeded in late winter (February or March) although very late fall/early winter will also work well. You can get very specialized in how you lay out a property, but to keep things simple, here are the basic choices you have to make and methods for creating the habitat. By: Father Habitat. Do deer bed in it much? On your own parcel, this is very easy to do. General Discussion. It is very difficult to spot deer in a thick stand of switchgrass and deer of all ages will use it as a secure bedding area. Planting switchgrass for deer habitat does make some sense, but I have never been a big fan of it. Deer are creatures of habit and may bed in the same location repeatedly. Planting switchgrass for deer bedding areas has become an essential tool that I commonly use for holding those big mature bucks on my property. Fawns are usually left to sleep under camouflage areas for added security. I don't have switchgrass but I do have fields of 6-7' tall goldenrod and other weeds that provide similar cover and the deer rarely use it for bedding. Define the food source and you define where the deer bed. Grazing is generally not recommended the first year, but a vigorous stand can be grazed late in the year if grazing periods are short with at least 30 days of rest provided between grazings. Switchgrass as well as many other NWSG's will take 3 years to reach "fully grown" status... although I have some 2 year old switch grass that is 6' to 7' tall and is pretty much fully grown. Alamo switchgrass seedling emerging in somewhat dry conditions. Politics - non hunting. Natural Deer Cover – Just Do Nothing. For a deer to want to bed in any area, it has to feel safe to the deer. That means you need to try three different types of habitat: switchgrass, shrubs and oak seedlings. They may bed in valleys to avoid extremely windy conditions, etc. Date:01-Sep-16. For example, bucks frequently bed at the end of a ridge on a point. Deer bed in different areas to meet their needs. Stumbled into a worthless deer habitat stand of monoculture switchgrass and found a bed. Option 4 is the establishment based solely on germinable seed. I have land owners next to my land that have slash and clear cuts, and you can see in them good,deer do use them a little and this helps, but it is still to open. Switchgrass is the earliest maturing of the common native warm-season grasses and it is ready to graze in early summer. Switchgrass Establishment: Switchgrass seed is often dormant and may not germinate unless stratified (exposed to a period of wet chill). I just wonder on small acreages if it is worth dedicating an acre or two to it? 4. Next year they may not need even that. The deer like to come out into my property and bed right in the switchgrass. IQDM, Jan 5, 2012. Messages: 43 Likes Received: 1. They much prefer the brushy/woody cover at my place - especially later in the season. I have 1 small swamp on my land and it is brushey next to it. Mature bucks generally choose beds that provide some sort of advantage over predators. When spring arrives, deer are looking for green growth to help them recover from limited and low-quality winter food. What should the strategy be when hunting deer on farms like this. I have cut bedding spots for the deer to bed,hinge cut trees,cut stumps high. This switchgrass variety is the same switchgrass that we use in our Bedding-In-A-Bag. Switchgrass can be successfully established using several seeding practices. A sanctuary should never be stepped foot on unless it is to recover a wounded animal. Don’t take our word for it, Dare to Compar Natural cover procreates and spreads without the aid of anyone. Even newborn deer are kept in a safe place to sleep or bed by their mothers because of this hunting pressure. Jan 5, 2012 #5 . Deer/Wildlife Politics. homegrownbucks. Typically in mountainous terrain deer bed on slide slopes where the wind swirls so they can detect predators from all angles. Our Real World Switch Grass will get 7’-8’ tall. The seeds are eaten by turkeys, pheasants, quail, doves, and songbirds. Variety and edge are the keys to producing good deer habitat. Cave-n-Rock switchgrass is a perennial, warm season native grass that grows an average of 3-5 feet tall, but in some regions, can reach up to 6 feet tall at maturity. Alamo Switchgrass Seed - Switchgrass, a warm season, vigorous perennial can be found growing throughout the United States. The best time to plant switchgrass is in the winter. I have read a few threads on here that talk about different things that can be done to enhance and add diversity to switchgrass and make it more appealing to bed in. Switchgrass holds up well under heavy snow and provides good fall-winter cover for rabbits and other small mammals, ducks, pheasants, and quail. Please note that “Bedding in a Bag” includes 2.5# each of Big Bluestem and Indian Grass and 2# of switchgrass per acre, This calculates to a total of 35.6 seeds per square foot; broken down by species the figures are 18.4 switchgrass, 7.5 big bluestem and 9.8 Indian grass (seeds per sq/ft). In our side-by-side tests, this switch grass stood better than any other variety we tested including the popular Cave-In-Rock variety. Where a deer beds is key to its survival. A properly Spring-planted switchgrass field can be used as a high quality form of deer bedding cover structure in 15 months or less. Switchgrass enhancement: Depending upon the details of your specific contract, you may be able to enhance some or all of your existing CRP by replanting it to switchgrass. Switchgrass prairies are favored nesting sites for pheasants, quail, greater prairie chickens, and sharp tailed grouse. How do you pattern deer when they can realisticly bed down anywhere in the switchgrass. Homesteading/Home DIY. How would you go about running trail cams for find out where their core area is. Reply; Switchgrass locations? There are few definitive comparisons on whether a seedbed prepared using clean tillage or some form of minimum tillage is the better method for establishing switchgrass. Yes! MN/WI/National Deer Issues. Ex: If you need 21 PLS pounds of switchgrass (3 acres at 7 pounds per acre), multiply 21 by 1.2 for the total number of bulk pounds you should order. Share Thread. Spring and Summer. Previous Thread; Next Thread; Please make a selection first; new « Prev ; 1; Next » Catscratch Legacy member. It grows to a height of 3 to 8 feet tall, depending on the variety. Suburban deer may bed in cemeteries, graze on golf courses, and seek cover on a brushy hillside behind a shopping center. Bedding is more than a time to relax, groom and chew a cud. Farmland deer may bed in woodlots, protect their fawns in cattail marshes, and feed in corn fields. Water the planting bed immediately after broadcasting the seeds, to help them settle. Switchgrass is a great and fast way to create visual barriers for better hunting and for more isolation that deer like. Ive tried runnnig them next to the ditch and usually get 1000 pics of switchgrass and 5 pics of deer. Surrounding pockets of early successional growth with an amount of switchgrass that totals roughly 50% of the acres of your field, can provide all-season cover for many critters, including whitetails. 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