Mexican Squealer
Senior Member
If so, what are you going to be planting for next season?
Welcome Guest!
Anybody plant for waterfowl?
- Thread starter Mexican Squealer
- Start date
mizzippi jb
Welcome back.
Gonna plant Corn. 50 lb at the time
Quackmasterofgeorgia
Senior Member
Rice, and jap millet.
Mexican Squealer
Senior Member
It's what's for dinner.... and breakfast..
deast1988
Senior Member
Jap millet
T-N-T
Senior Member
I'm about to build a permanent blind on my pond and get the water out to plant.
Next year will either be epic. Or at least very comfortable hunting.
Next year will either be epic. Or at least very comfortable hunting.
Quackmasterofgeorgia
Senior Member
If you don't fish it. Think about getting a native pond weed in it, you will have a good many divers in it.
T-N-T
Senior Member
We get Woodies every year. Some times I get a few mallards. I have seen a hooded merganser a few times here in low numbers.
I have only ever seen other ducks a few times here and there.
And geese, Canada, every year
Suggestions anyone?
Quackmasterofgeorgia
Senior Member
Millet is the easiest thing to plant, but it is hard to keep the geese out of it when it is young, not to mention the black birds. Rice isn't hard if you can control the water levels. For geese plant winter wheat along the bank. How big is the pond?
across the river
Senior Member
What are they eating now? It is usually easier to expand on what is there rather than trying to go a new direction. A lot of what you can do will be determined by the size of the pond, how deep and uniform the depth is, what control you have over the water level, and whether you are counting on rain war or gave the ability to pump.
Sounds nice. Thumbs up.
T-N-T
Senior Member
Pond is 4 acres or more. But I will only be able to plant about an acre I think. Water levels will be up to rain.... And how well I fight the beavers to keep it low untill I want it flooded.
Depth in the area I will plant will be very similar throughout
Depth in the area I will plant will be very similar throughout
T-N-T
Senior Member
Lately I don't think there is much good vegetation. Lilly pads are about to be work to control. Grasses and such. I need to get out and look and learn. But, I want a real thick bait food.
Duckbuster82
Senior Member
Natural vegitation can out perform planted crop. I would read up on them and go that rout. Something like sago pond weed. Plant the outside edges of hard bank with grasses that produce seed for birds.
across the river
Senior Member
If it is a beaver pond and you want to plant it, Google Clemson leveler and go that rout if you truly want to plant. If it dries up some every year and you just want to work that part you can often just disturb the soil a little and get smartweed to go crazy. You can supplement it some too if needed with seed purchased on line. Lily pads aren't bad at all if you have the right kind. People plant banana water lily specifically for ducks, so if that is what you got I wouldn't get rid of them. If you have birds coming in pretty good throughout the season, you obviously have something they like. You could potentially put a pile of work in to drain the whole thing to plant jab Millet only to have black birds eat it out and end up with less food ( and ducks) than you have now. Just food for thought. I would look at expanding what I have first and then proceed from there. I have seen places where I don't care how much food they had the number of ducks didn't vary a lot, so in some situations a ton of work and a lot more food doesn't equate to more ducks. If you are near a big lake or major river it may very well help to have more food . Like a said earlier there is a lot to consider.
Quackmasterofgeorgia
Senior Member
Sago is an all around pond weed. Wood ducks love it, so do divers, but there are others. Planting pond weeds can get expensive, I would bet there are some beaver ponds with sago in them that you can dig up the tubers. Add wood duck boxes also, it'll boost numbers. Smartweed is great around the edges, but is $16.00/lb. once smartweed is started it's in there, but chances are it's already there. Arrow arum is another native that divers especially can't resist.
Water Swat
Senior Member
We have planted corn, sorghum, millet. And had best luck the millet, and sorghum with corn not near as good.
Mexican Squealer
Senior Member
I plant 40 acres of corn, 30 acres of rice, 8 acres of chufa and 10 acres of chiwapa millet in SC. Nothing compares to corn....assuming you make a crop. Chiwapa millet is great due to stalk strength and durability. It takes longer (120 days) than most millets. Also got a 10 acre pond planted in Banana water Lilly that should get hammered this next season. TNT, if I were planting an acre of dry ground, I would go with Chiwapa or golden millet simply because of their resilience. Keep in mind that you can water seed rice in areas you can't dry out. Jap millet can be water seeded too but I have had better luck with rice.
across the river
Senior Member
I agree with you on the corn, but it can be a pain to get enough to make unless you have the right setup. How does your chuffed do? Had success with it for turkeys but I had to help it up for the turkeys to find it. I had buddy that swore he spanked the divers over chufa, so I tried some years ago with little success, at least compared to what I guess I was expecting.
Mexican Squealer
Senior Member
I plant chufa in the back of nine impoundments. I have a slight slope in my ponds (working on that) so it floods around 4-6 inches. Hitting it with nitrogen seems imperative as far as getting a crop but the ducks do love it. Mine is shallow and appeals to puddle ducks. I have it fenced to keep the hogs off it. True on corn. Costs a lot and can leave you hanging. Magic when it does right though.
Similar threads
