Habitat Improvements on your training area
- hi-tailyn
- Rank: 4X Champion
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- Location: Fort Worth, Texas
Habitat Improvements on your training area
What have you done or seen what others have done for habitat improvements on your training areas?
Any success or failure stories?
Any success or failure stories?
Re: Habitat Improvements on your training area
We had to go the wrong direction last year. To keep it under CRP we had to graze cattle on it for a season and beat the crap out of it.
Improvements over all though, we are opening up more irrigation ditches, spreading cattail seed on the wet areas. and creating some nesting shelters. We'll see how it goes.
Improvements over all though, we are opening up more irrigation ditches, spreading cattail seed on the wet areas. and creating some nesting shelters. We'll see how it goes.
Re: Habitat Improvements on your training area
We partnered with the DNR to turn one of their shallow, open water ponds into much more usable duck search water. We sunk trees, will be adding lily pads and bull rush as well as adding landings to send dogs from. It's been a successful partnership. They appreciated the habitat improvement and we have extra space to run dogs.
Re: Habitat Improvements on your training area
Edge feathering,down tree structures and burning. Been very successful.
Mike
Mike
Re: Habitat Improvements on your training area
My dog club has partnered with the DNR to buy prairie seed for the dog training and trial grounds. We've had mixed success. One issue right now is invasives. Crowned vetch and multiflora rose are the two biggest culprits, but there are some others that are present. The little bluestem does seem to be growing well though.
Re: Habitat Improvements on your training area
Blue stem takes 3 yrs to get establishedGrange wrote:My dog club has partnered with the DNR to buy prairie seed for the dog training and trial grounds. We've had mixed success. One issue right now is invasives. Crowned vetch and multiflora rose are the two biggest culprits, but there are some others that are present. The little bluestem does seem to be growing well though.
Re: Habitat Improvements on your training area
We last seeded more than 3 years ago.birdogg42 wrote:Blue stem takes 3 yrs to get establishedGrange wrote:My dog club has partnered with the DNR to buy prairie seed for the dog training and trial grounds. We've had mixed success. One issue right now is invasives. Crowned vetch and multiflora rose are the two biggest culprits, but there are some others that are present. The little bluestem does seem to be growing well though.
Re: Habitat Improvements on your training area
I'm sorry. I misread. I thought u said the blue stem wasn't growing very well.
- hi-tailyn
- Rank: 4X Champion
- Posts: 608
- Joined: Mon Nov 10, 2008 12:26 pm
- Location: Fort Worth, Texas
Re: Habitat Improvements on your training area
Does anyone do food strips or plots to provide winter food and shelter?
I started many years ago with 500 acres on a friends property with 50-80 head of cows and calves that ate the property down to bare dirt. We even found over a hundred golf balls in the pasture that were the tallest thing on the ground.
Ejected the cows and started plowing strips and trying to seed. Very dismal crop production due to waiting till june to plant. Reason was wanted shelter to be for winter/spring and not fall season.
Now 3 yr of plowing and planting. Just plowed another 9 miles of 20' strips and will disc again in 6 wks and seed with some wild life mix.
We hadn't seen wild birds for several years. Now we got 6 or 7 coveys and are doing great.
They are the magic in training of young and old dogs.
Still not having great success with the crop production due to limiting budget. No fertilizer or weed spray.
Any ideas of a crop that would grow in TX w/o treating it like a harvestable crop, but just food and shelter?
I started many years ago with 500 acres on a friends property with 50-80 head of cows and calves that ate the property down to bare dirt. We even found over a hundred golf balls in the pasture that were the tallest thing on the ground.
Ejected the cows and started plowing strips and trying to seed. Very dismal crop production due to waiting till june to plant. Reason was wanted shelter to be for winter/spring and not fall season.
Now 3 yr of plowing and planting. Just plowed another 9 miles of 20' strips and will disc again in 6 wks and seed with some wild life mix.
We hadn't seen wild birds for several years. Now we got 6 or 7 coveys and are doing great.
They are the magic in training of young and old dogs.
Still not having great success with the crop production due to limiting budget. No fertilizer or weed spray.
Any ideas of a crop that would grow in TX w/o treating it like a harvestable crop, but just food and shelter?
Re: Habitat Improvements on your training area
Scott,
Did you see the Ray Sasser article in the outdoors column in the Dallas Morning News sports section? It discusses a hunting reserve over close to Yantis that plants 40 feet wide strips of grain sorghum that provide feed and cover. They have the remainder planted in CRP time cover.
Did you see the Ray Sasser article in the outdoors column in the Dallas Morning News sports section? It discusses a hunting reserve over close to Yantis that plants 40 feet wide strips of grain sorghum that provide feed and cover. They have the remainder planted in CRP time cover.
-
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Re: Habitat Improvements on your training area
Not an expert, but wouldn't a PF or QF biologist be of help for your place?
- hi-tailyn
- Rank: 4X Champion
- Posts: 608
- Joined: Mon Nov 10, 2008 12:26 pm
- Location: Fort Worth, Texas
Re: Habitat Improvements on your training area
Did search, but didn't come up with the article. Any idea on where to look?Tejas wrote:Scott,
Did you see the Ray Sasser article in the outdoors column in the Dallas Morning News sports section? It discusses a hunting reserve over close to Yantis that plants 40 feet wide strips of grain sorghum that provide feed and cover. They have the remainder planted in CRP time cover.
Not my property, but owner will let us do what we want to help habitat. Don't know if QF or Wildlife Biologist would do a report or give ideas if the owner doesn't want to get involved. I will check it out and give a call and might be our answer.Scott Linden wrote:Not an expert, but wouldn't a PF or QF biologist be of help for your place?
Thanks
Re: Habitat Improvements on your training area
It was in the Sunday March 1 Dallas Morning News page 16C. I'll keep it if you can't find it and send it to you.
Re: Habitat Improvements on your training area
I have some property to train on and I keep a johnny house there. The property is open with several strips of trees through it and is mowed several times a year. Does anyone know what I could plant for cover for planted birds. I don't have any equipment and would do it by hand and rely on rain for water. I don't own the land but I am the only one allowed on it and the only use is for training my dogs. I would like to plant seeds in strips and patches in several spots so I can plant birds in different locations. I don't know much about farming or growing things or even where to get seeds. Any recommendations ?
mm
mm
Re: Habitat Improvements on your training area
Ask whoever mows it to stop mowing. Or mow strips in it. If they mow it then your plantings are worthless. Jmo
Mike
Mike
Re: Habitat Improvements on your training area
I live on the edge of the desert. Most of the property is owned by foreign investors. We have nice coveys of valley quail. On good wet years they will be up to 100 strong. I spread a little milo to help them out on drought seasons and during nesting time. I provide 2 watering stations covered by heavy brush. Mother nature does the rest.