I need some advice, please.
I've planted Frigid Forage for years and have mainly planted Big N Beasty in my food plots here in Iowa and have had very good luck with it. I have a property in the Southern Black Hills in SD (about 25 miles south of Custer) and next year would like to plant some plots out there as well, however have a few issues to overcome.
First is that I'm not sure how good the soil is there. There are native grasses that grow fairly well there when there is moisture; I have access to a hose that I could water with a sprinkler where I would put one of the plots, but I would be relying on Mother Nature for water on the other places.
The next issue I have is that I am not going to be able to get a tractor to where I want to have the plots to till it up. The terrain is very steep leading to where I want to plant them. The plots would be on flat ground, but the ground leading to them is definitely not. There are also a lot of (big) rocks so I don't want to ruin a garden tiller. My plan is to get a skid loader with rock teeth on the bucket to the areas, tip the bucket down, lower the bucket and drive backwards and use the teeth to do the best I can to get the soil turned up (after I have killed whatever is growing with roundup prior to doing so). Do you think that will work?
Perhaps my biggest issue is that the property is 500 miles away and we only get out there a couple times a year. I would be applying the roundup when we are out there during Memorial Day and the only time I would have to plant the plots is when we are out there over the 4th of July. I typically plant my Big n Beasty in early August in Iowa.
I would prefer to plant an annual vs. perennial because there are a LOT of deer in the area and I'm afraid that if they can start browsing it starting in the spring when things start to grow & green up that it would be grazed out by the time hunting season arrives. I would be planting it as a plot to bowhunt over during the beginning of the season and archery season starts on Sept. 1 in SD.
With all of that information, what would you recommend that I plant?
I really, really appreciate any help and information that you can provide me!
I've planted Frigid Forage for years and have mainly planted Big N Beasty in my food plots here in Iowa and have had very good luck with it. I have a property in the Southern Black Hills in SD (about 25 miles south of Custer) and next year would like to plant some plots out there as well, however have a few issues to overcome.
First is that I'm not sure how good the soil is there. There are native grasses that grow fairly well there when there is moisture; I have access to a hose that I could water with a sprinkler where I would put one of the plots, but I would be relying on Mother Nature for water on the other places.
The next issue I have is that I am not going to be able to get a tractor to where I want to have the plots to till it up. The terrain is very steep leading to where I want to plant them. The plots would be on flat ground, but the ground leading to them is definitely not. There are also a lot of (big) rocks so I don't want to ruin a garden tiller. My plan is to get a skid loader with rock teeth on the bucket to the areas, tip the bucket down, lower the bucket and drive backwards and use the teeth to do the best I can to get the soil turned up (after I have killed whatever is growing with roundup prior to doing so). Do you think that will work?
Perhaps my biggest issue is that the property is 500 miles away and we only get out there a couple times a year. I would be applying the roundup when we are out there during Memorial Day and the only time I would have to plant the plots is when we are out there over the 4th of July. I typically plant my Big n Beasty in early August in Iowa.
I would prefer to plant an annual vs. perennial because there are a LOT of deer in the area and I'm afraid that if they can start browsing it starting in the spring when things start to grow & green up that it would be grazed out by the time hunting season arrives. I would be planting it as a plot to bowhunt over during the beginning of the season and archery season starts on Sept. 1 in SD.
With all of that information, what would you recommend that I plant?
I really, really appreciate any help and information that you can provide me!
