Help me make a bird field
- nowicki2005
- Rank: Senior Hunter
- Posts: 141
- Joined: Wed Jun 04, 2008 9:06 am
- Location: Portland, MI
Help me make a bird field
So I finally got some land, a whopping 2.93 acres lol. have of it is my yard and the rest is just overgrown field. I want to plant some kind of grass in a couple of rows so I can plant some birds in it. I plan on having at least a pigeon coop with some homers and made a johnny house for some quail. I live in Michigan. I just want this to be a nice little spot where I can do controlled bird work to refine things a little when needed. The grass I would like to be pretty good cover so that if I release some quail they have something to hold tight in.
Any ideas what would be a some good grass to plant?
I guess my thinking is if you did like a football field looking at it the long way, having four or five rows of some sort of grass the long way.
Any ideas what would be a some good grass to plant?
I guess my thinking is if you did like a football field looking at it the long way, having four or five rows of some sort of grass the long way.
Re: Help me make a bird field
I would let the grass grow natural and cut a couple of strips with a bush hog. That way you can have two clean lanes with grass for cover. It's so much easier with the lanes for dog work. You have the cover to plant your birds and the lanes for you and the to go in and out of. You should have some fun with it!
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- GDF Junkie
- Posts: 3309
- Joined: Fri Jun 20, 2008 11:47 am
- Location: Central DE
Re: Help me make a bird field
Couple of sugestions...
You could till strips and plant lovegrass in rows. It is a bunchgrass that grows up about 12-18" and flops over like a mushroom. Plenty of places to hide a quail and the bunches are big enough to hide a trap behind. It is apparently tough on the digestive system of rabbits, if that matters to you. VERY hardy once established.
You could kill everything in row with a herbicide like Roundup and reseeed with broom straw or another tall bunchgrass. Broomstraw grows about 3 -4ft high and if you plant a strip about 3 or 4' wide, that should be plenty to hide a bird or trap in. Broom straw is fairly good cover but it does not hold up to heavy traffic.
RayG
You could till strips and plant lovegrass in rows. It is a bunchgrass that grows up about 12-18" and flops over like a mushroom. Plenty of places to hide a quail and the bunches are big enough to hide a trap behind. It is apparently tough on the digestive system of rabbits, if that matters to you. VERY hardy once established.
You could kill everything in row with a herbicide like Roundup and reseeed with broom straw or another tall bunchgrass. Broomstraw grows about 3 -4ft high and if you plant a strip about 3 or 4' wide, that should be plenty to hide a bird or trap in. Broom straw is fairly good cover but it does not hold up to heavy traffic.
RayG
- nowicki2005
- Rank: Senior Hunter
- Posts: 141
- Joined: Wed Jun 04, 2008 9:06 am
- Location: Portland, MI
Re: Help me make a bird field
I should note that I am poor lol. I am 25, just bought a house and truck, paying student loans still, and getting engaged soon probably, money is limited.... I don't even have a lawnmower yet
Also, I don't have an exact picture of it, but the field is at the back:
There is a little berm that you see which is the mound system for my septic, but it goes back about a hundred yards past that with that being the type of grass now (what you see in the pic)
Also, I don't have an exact picture of it, but the field is at the back:
There is a little berm that you see which is the mound system for my septic, but it goes back about a hundred yards past that with that being the type of grass now (what you see in the pic)
- llewellinsetter
- Rank: Senior Hunter
- Posts: 130
- Joined: Sat Dec 10, 2011 7:35 pm
- Location: los angeles
Re: Help me make a bird field
Let it grow thats what we did on our 300+ acres its about 200+ hard wood and the rest is just all the wild grasses and stuff its great for dog work, i like to disc some of it every few years but nothing crazy, its amazing what nature will do if you just let it go. I'm building a coop now and i feel your pain on being broke, im 23 with a house and getting engaged soon to. if you need any major help your only an hour and a half from me shoot me a pm ill come out and give you a hand if you need it.
C
C
The great pleasure of a dog is that you may make a fool of yourself with him and not only will he not scold you, but he will make a fool of himself too. ~Samuel Butler
- 4dabirds
- Rank: 5X Champion
- Posts: 889
- Joined: Sun Oct 03, 2010 10:49 am
- Location: Long Island New york
Re: Help me make a bird field
I train sometimes where i work . There is a big field of mowed grass that gets cut twice a year. When it is high it is better but i have trained on it when it is low and just tear up some grass and bury the birds or launchers in the grass the dog does not see it. If you just leave some rows uncut you will be fine. Looks great I wish I had that for a backyard. Thats a million dollar yard on long island !
- PntrRookie
- GDF Junkie
- Posts: 1870
- Joined: Wed Jun 07, 2006 2:41 pm
- Location: SE Wisconsin
Re: Help me make a bird field
ditto...don't overlook the tree lines. When the wind is right use them for planting. Your dog will learn birds are in both grass and tree lines. Nice setup for after work tuneups!4dabirds wrote:If you just leave some rows uncut you will be fine. Looks great I wish I had that for a backyard.
Blair Design http://www.glblair.com/index.html
- pinebrookkennel
- Rank: Senior Hunter
- Posts: 160
- Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 10:26 am
- Location: Nw ohio
Re: Help me make a bird field
Nowicki
Look into your local phes forever chapter. The chapter should have some type of cover crop you are looking to put in. Some chapters even
Have all the equipment to drill it for you. There shouldn't be any cost for the size plot you are looking for.
If you have time, help the chapter when they plant plots this spring and you can get left over seed and fertalizer for free.
Look into your local phes forever chapter. The chapter should have some type of cover crop you are looking to put in. Some chapters even
Have all the equipment to drill it for you. There shouldn't be any cost for the size plot you are looking for.
If you have time, help the chapter when they plant plots this spring and you can get left over seed and fertalizer for free.
Make no distinction between practice and combat !
Miyamoto Musashi.
Knowledge, once gained can never be stolen or repossessed.
Jered
Miyamoto Musashi.
Knowledge, once gained can never be stolen or repossessed.
Jered
- nowicki2005
- Rank: Senior Hunter
- Posts: 141
- Joined: Wed Jun 04, 2008 9:06 am
- Location: Portland, MI
Re: Help me make a bird field
25 years old nowicki and you've got a yard like that? You ain't poor, my friend!
You are going to have a blast with your dog on that property (possibly literally, eh?).
You are going to have a blast with your dog on that property (possibly literally, eh?).
- sniperjon
- Rank: Junior Hunter
- Posts: 89
- Joined: Tue Nov 29, 2011 7:03 pm
- Location: southwick massachusetts
Re: Help me make a bird field
Looks like you got a
Nice deck to shoot some clays ftom
Nice deck to shoot some clays ftom