August 2010 Updates page 3
6 August
Waterfowl Food Plots
We’re on the final phase of planting feed for the ducks this fall. A tractor and disc would be the method of choice, but with time running out we've been forced to chase fresh mud flats. It’s a nasty job, but well worth the effort if everything falls into place.
Henry A, Blairstown Lake- a view from the south facing the north. The mud was too much for a 4-wheeler, so map master TJ planted 80% of the lake bed with a hand seeder, a tough project.
For now, it appears the millet is on its way.
The finishing touch to square off a shooting pool in front of blind #2.
Henry C, Thompson’s Lake - a view from the southwest corner facing east and north. The lake has not been drained for over two years. The drainage ditches have filled up with a lot of silt, so the drain process has been slow. Fortunately, the four wheeler is able to handle the mud so we'll be able to seed the lake to Japanese millet as fast as the water drains, but it will take several phases to complete. We’re also seeding some buckwheat along the edges to see how the ducks respond.
The Missouri River has been at flood stage all summer and reached highs comparable to the flood of 1993. As a result, the duck marsh in Holt County was not planted. On the up side, all of the fields surrounding the marsh to the east/north and south of the marsh have been planted to corn. The large dam (Little Tarkio Creek) west of the marsh broke on the west side and flooded thousands of acres of cropland. We were very fortunate that the entire ranch did not flood, because it was close. When fall arrives, the corn stubble around the duck marsh should be very attractive to waterfowl in the area.
The photo above is the marsh before it was sprayed last week. They are not going to disc the weeds so we should have plenty of weed seed for the ducks and geese. Again on the up side, we know we'll be ready to go for the opener.
While working our wetlands during the season, 90% of the leases are abandoned by noon. Especially during peak migration, there is good hunting opportunity from noon on.
