By Glen Wunderlich

They asked Cassanova, man, what you got,

that makes all the women think you’re so hot?

He said, my little secret, boys, believe it or not,

is, I get up early in the morning…Roger Miller – I get up early in the morning

The wisdom of these lyrics haunted me, as I headed out at dawn on my 1948 Ford 8N tractor to hitch up the disk harrow to the 3-point.  Nothing to do with Cassanova mind you; it was the idea of an early start on a food plot project that had almost gotten away from me.  Almost.  My plan was to dodge the pending heat warnings.

By adhering to a policy of reduced weed-killing spray (glyphosate) to a maximum of one application per season, it meant some good, ol’ fashioned tilling of the soil as the primary means of weed control.  There is conflicting advice being circulated relative to spraying non-selective herbicides and typically it involves more spraying than the more ecologically conservative single dose per season.  However, if plants develop strong resistance to chemicals, nothing is gained and that’s the danger.  In fact, much is lost.   With that in mind, I’m on board with the less-is-better approach.

One small site had been disked several times already this season, and as a result, had remained in relatively in good shape.  But, that doesn’t mean the weeds ever stop growing; it just means they’re not as fearsome and defiant as they would be if left to grow all season.  What had sprouted since the last session with the tractor was easily minced into the soil.

With extreme heat forecasted, there would be no better time to work the soil up in another area that had been a brassica plot last season.  In the springtime, the site was too wet.  After that, the heavy, low soil turned to a brick-like surface compliment of the fourth driest June since the year 1900.  The little 6-foot disk wouldn’t have enough weight to penetrate the soil.

We needed rain and just enough had fallen to give me the break I needed.  Fortunately, the weeds didn’t have much green in them and became victim to the repeated churning action of the steel implement.  Additionally, if you have yet to apply necessary lime and fertilizer, get it done before the disking to give it a chance to break down and to be most effective.

Here’s the plan that utilizes only one spray per season – and, it worked perfectly for me last year.  About 10 days before ideal planting time – which is the first to second week in August – make the final pass with the disk and fit the field, as if to plant.  Allow the weeds to sprout for about 10 days; then use that lone spray on young, sprouting plants, thus eliminating them from competition with the food plot seeding to follow.  Because there is no residual effect to the soil from glyphosate, seed can be broadcast or drilled almost immediately.  Without this crucial step timed before planting, weeds will germinate right along with the food plot seed.

The final step after broadcasting seed is to push the seed into the soil with a cultipacker.

Cultipacker

Then, there’s nothing left to do but enjoy the results.

Solicitation makes statements “not supported by science”

GRAND CANYON, Ariz. — The Arizona Game and Fish Department is asking the Sierra Club to retract a fundraising letter that makes false statements about Arizona’s endangered condor population. The department (AZGFD) says untrue claims were made about hazards to condor health in a fundraising letter from Michael Brune, executive director of the Sierra Club. In his June 24 fundraising appeal, Brune claims a link between uranium mining and condor health. Read more

WEST POINT, MS – The late summer/early fall planting season is quickly approaching, and for those that live in the far North, it’s here. Preparing a good seed bed is an important and often underappreciated step of the planting process. The following are tips for better soil preparation for planting seed this season.

It is really tough to prepare a good seed bed when trying to disc or till under massive amounts of green vegetation. A disc or tiller simply can’t work as it is supposed to with the tonnage of grass and weeds in the way. A properly timed, non-selective herbicide application can kill the unwanted weeds and dry them down so equipment can function much more efficiently, saving a lot of tractor/ATV time and fuel.

Many who are unfamiliar with herbicides are afraid of spraying a non-selective herbicide like Roundup® (glyphosate) in fear that it may affect their planting. Glyphosate is a contact only herbicide and has no soil or residual activity. In other words, if it doesn’t touch the green tissue of a living plant it is ineffective. This allows for spraying very close to planting time to help the plot get a jump start on any weeds. The ideal timing for mowing and spraying can take 2-4 weeks before planting to really get good results, so the time to act is now.

Read these tips for good pre-planting herbicide applications:

1. Read the label. The information on the herbicide labels contain great information and will identify what weeds it kills and what the recommended rate is.
2. Spray when grasses or broadleaf weeds are young and thriving. If the field is tall and overgrown, the results will often be less than desirable. If weeds are already tall and mature, mow first and return a few days later to spray the new re-growth, even if it is minimal.
3. For optimal results, use AMS (ammonium sulfate). AMS will increase the effectiveness of the herbicide by helping the weeds readily trans-locate the herbicide to the roots for a good kill.
4. Don’t skimp on water. Many times the correct amount of herbicide is used but not enough water is added to thoroughly spray the field. In a pre-plant burn down, always try and use 15-20 gallons of solution per acre.
5. Know the size of the field so you can apply the appropriate amount of solution. To practice and calibrate the sprayer, find a field and measure it with a GPS or use a range finder to determine the acreage. Fill the spray tank with just water and take note of the speed you travel and the amount of water you apply over the known area. This will eliminate guesswork and yield better spray results.

These tips are courtesy of Mossy Oak GameKeepers. GameKeepers offers consumers the latest information and products for total land and wildlife management. We’ve learned our lessons the hard way and through www.gamekeeperclub.com, GameKeepers magazine and TV series on Pursuit Channel, we share and explore the way of the GameKeeper.

To have your planting questions answered, call 662-494-4326. Read more

 From J.R. Absber…Today’s feature first appeared in The Archery Wire (www.archerywire.com

As wildlife managers in many whitetail-rich states struggle with sinking deer populations and expanding chronic wasting disease zones, an academic study released this week suggests that the escalating number of deer/vehicular accidents in selected Eastern states could be successfully reduced by introducing sustainable numbers of mountain lions to the region.

We swear we’re not making this up!

The study, published online this week in the journal Conservation Letters, ostensibly reflected an academic attempt to quantify the economic and social impact of reintroducing large carnivores into parts of the U.S. where they no longer exist. The student-led project was directed by the University of Washington’s Laura Prugh and initiated as part of a community ecology class she taught in 2014 at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

Utilizing the mountain lion (Puma concolor) as having value in reducing deer-vehicle collisions as a case study, the researchers concluded that within 30 years of the big cats recolonizing the Eastern U.S., the species could thin deer populations and reduce vehicle collisions by 22 percent — each year preventing five human fatalities, 680 injuries and avoiding costs of $50 million.

Again, Archery Wire readers, we swear we’re not making this up!

Forget about the ongoing the highly successful urban deer management efforts taking place through the efforts of bowhunters across much of the same area – not to mention professional game management and state agencies that use scientific data to set harvest numbers and limits to best manage whitetails. Evidently, Ms. Prugh and her associates didn’t take that into consideration.

Nor did the researchers factor-in any collateral mishaps or problems that could possibly occur in suburban and urban communities with high deer/vehicular accidents as part of a 30-year reintroduction of one of the country’s largest are most notorious predators (think pets and toddlers, for beginners).

Instead, the chief researcher painted a rosy picture of cougars roaming the parks and parkways of the Eastern U.S. Read more