food plot equipment

[bowdude]

Been pricing the equipment to go behind a 4 wheeler.  I say good night nurse to that stuff.  What are you other Jack Benny's doing out there for turning up food plots and spraying etc.  Any ideas?

[TexMex]

Try this:

  http://www.wi.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/solutions/wildlife.html

or

 http://www.dgif.state.va.us/habitat/landowners/infosheets/food_plots.html

[bowdude]

Good info for sure, but I guess what I meant was what are you using for equipment that don't cost a months rent or mortgage payment.

[Eric Krewson]

I started with a push mower and a front tine tiller, took all day to make a very small plot.

Next I bought a 7 tine pull behind cultivator for my 4 wheeler, at the time it was $450 delivered to my door. I used it for 20 years and probably planted over 500 acres total with it over the years. If the land was mowed it worked surprisingly well. If there was too much vegetation it would ball up under the tines and stop my 4 wheeler in about 30 yds.

Two years ago I bought a small Kubota tractor with a tiller and bushhog. Should have bought it 20 years ago.

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

check out the plot master by tecomate

 www.midwestfoodplots.com

[non-typical]

Like Eric I started with a mower, tiller and hand broadcast seeder. I've never been impressed with either ATV's (hate the damned things) nor the equipment that is sold for them to work the ground with. For what an ATV costs you can purchase a small used 4X4 tractor along with a brush hog and tiller which will suffice nicely for putting in food plots. There's some good posts on the Missouri Whitetails website under "QDM/Conservation" dealing with what you're talking about. Also of interest is the negative feedback about plotmaster type equipment as far as cost versus durability and the end product plot wise. I always find it interesting that when ATV type equipment is advertised it's shown nicely working up the soil on a piece of ground that has been previously worked up. Ain't much easier work than that. The real test is in breaking new ground and the amount of fuel, wear and tear on equipment and HOURS you end up spending. As a suggetion for a first time plotter you might want to consider having a farmer or someone with larger equipment break the ground up so you can come in with other, smaller equipment to finish it with. That is money well spent in the long run. Bottom line is deer don't give a darn if you're stylish in your approach...the'ye only lookin' for something to eat.

[Brian Halbleib]

Been looking into something to manage my property as well. Going to go the used tractor route in the spring. Everyone I spoke to about ATVs and their attachments had nothing good to say. ATVs are made for riding, tractors are for farming. Makes sense to me.

-Brian
 www.bowyersjournal.com

[bearhair]

How much land are you looking to plant?  I have experimented with frost seeding to increase clover and alfalfa in our sheep pastures with good results.

[Jim Rocole]

Try your local rental stores or archery shops. My Local Rental store has a Antler King Pull behind disc that I rent for the weekend at around $75. I mow the area and then disc it. It works great for small plots. I will be going the used tractor route shortly though because I bought a larger piece of prperty and will need the bigger equipment.

[Talondale]

Another option is to contact your local Ag Extention agent and see if they have a no-disk drill planter for lease.  With these all you do is spray a field with Roundup/herbicide and then come back and use the driller to plant your seed.  You can pull it with a pickup truck.  This doesn't disturb the weed seed bed, which would encourage more weeds to sprout, and gets your seed into the soil.  I'd plant it thick with something that would shade out weeds, like a Roundup-Ready soybean/corn mixture and then hit it again with another spray of roundup at the recommended interval for the first year and then a perinnel mix the following spring/late winter.  

Another idea is to talk to local farmers.  I had my neighbor breakup my land and disc it and seed it for about 3 times what the gas would have cost me and about 1/10th the time.  Now that the ground is established I think my smaller 8N Ford tractor and disc can maintain the plot.

Don't forget to get a soil sample and lime/fertilize according to recommendations.