What to plant

[CCSAR22]

If you had 10 to 15 acres that used to be planted (years ago) what would you plant to keep turkey and quail on your land?

 

[trad bow]

Clover, begalice , broomesedge, corn and millet.

 

[redneck_billcollector]

Ragweed. Great overhead cover to protect from raptors, lots of bugs for the chicks and the seeds are high protein. Once you plant it, just harrow it after the season in Feb. and it will be back strong in time to become a buffet for both mommas and their babies. The Albany Quail project has been pushing ragweed over row crops for years. Oh yeah, and deer won't touch it.

 

[spring]

Ragweed. Great overhead cover to protect from raptors, lots of bugs for the chicks and the seeds are high protein. Once you plant it, just harrow it after the season in Feb. and it will be back strong in time to become a buffet for both mommas and their babies. The Albany Quail project has been pushing ragweed over row crops for years. Oh yeah, and deer won't touch it.

A great suggestion but I’d modify it a bit. Had Clay Sisson at my farm in October and he recommended harrowing under the ragweed then, saying it had done its thing at that point and now was too sparse to help the birds. I disc every year normally in December, but he suggested I begin earlier and include the ragweed in that. Harrowing it in the fall, he said, would also go ahead and plant the seeds for the coming spring.

 

[spring]

I'd plant chufa for the turkeys and focus more on habitat (nesting, safety, food/bugs) for the quail. I'd then feed the quail year-round by spreading milo into the cover instead of planting a food plot for them. The best quail food plot is from weeds and natural regrowth from burning and disturbing the soil on 2-year cycles. Bugs in the cover is better for young birds, and its safer from predators as well.
The turkeys will like the milo, too.

 

[redneck_billcollector]

I'd plant chufa for the turkeys and focus more on habitat (nesting, safety, food/bugs) for the quail. I'd then feed the quail year-round by spreading milo into the cover instead of planting a food plot for them. The best quail food plot is from weeds and natural regrowth from burning and disturbing the soil on 2-year cycles. Bugs in the cover is better for young birds, and its safer from predators as well.
The turkeys will like the milo, too.

I burn rather regularly and the turkey love it just as my quail do. One thing I had pointed out to me a few years back was that Turkey prefer three year cycle burns because the third year growth is optimal for their nesting. I also go through and plug wiregrass in during the winter time on areas that are open somewhat after a burn the previous year.

 

[redneck_billcollector]

A great suggestion but I’d modify it a bit. Had Clay Sisson at my farm in October and he recommended harrowing under the ragweed then, saying it had done its thing at that point and now was too sparse to help the birds. I disc every year normally in December, but he suggested I begin earlier and include the ragweed in that. Harrowing it in the fall, he said, would also go ahead and plant the seeds for the coming spring.

I have been known to mow a large strip of ragweed in the fall (a couple of acres), dove love it. I then will harrow that strip under at the end of quail season. There is always enough seed to make grow like a weed, pun intended, come spring time.

 

[redneck_billcollector]

As pointed out above, burn....I have a good seed bank of partridge peas, spurred butterfly pea and sensitive briar along with many other legumes that quail and turkey love. Fire scarification of partridge peas leads to a huge crop of them the year after a burn, they are annuals, whereas the spurred butterfly peas, sensitive briar and many other legumes (begger lice aka tick trefoil of numerous varieties, goats rue, etc..etc...) are perennials they comeback great in the year after a burn. I try to rotate my burns so I have some freshly burned areas every year and some areas that escape burning for a couple of years for nesting habitat.