Wild life

simi-steading · #41 09/03/14, 03:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MO_cows

Christmas stuff already out at Sam's club today.

Used to be able to count on pork loin in cryovac for around $1.99/lb there. It started going up a few months ago, today it was $2.98.

Most of the beef cuts are more expensive than the lamb now.

Something tells m you had the wrong thread for that post

michael ark · #42 09/03/14, 04:26 PM

3 acres of woods the rest is pasture with woods and food plots.

One pond that hasn't gone dry on me yet.Wanting to make a edible landscape.

MO_cows · #43 09/03/14, 04:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by simi-steading

Something tells m you had the wrong thread for that post

Hmmm, wonder how that happened??

No, really, I meant to do that....for all the tightwad wildlife.

fireweed farm · #44 09/03/14, 09:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by farmerDale

I devote all my land to wildlife. Fields for food, forests for cover, lakes and ponds. Each part of habitat is necessary to retain wildlife.

I leave my land intact to maintain a steady meat supply, provide recreation, hiking, camping opportunities:

Part of the key is diversity of land use. Good diversity means the animals LIVE on your land, not simply use it for only one purpose. A stand of trees without a feed source, or a feed source with no cover, does not allow for animals to live and get all they need from your land. Also, having enough land is a key. A band of moose or herd of elk need more than a few acres to live. So the combination of diversity of habitat and a large enough area of habitat will keep you in meat perpetually. You don't want the wildlife leaving your land to be harvested by a neighbor.

For some reason I thought you were a conventional farmer?
I must have confused you with someone else?
I'm not sure calling pasture, corn or soy etc fields, devoted to wildlife, would be a fair assessment, but that's just me. Something to nibble, for sure.

fireweed farm · #45 09/03/14, 09:47 PM

I leave about 15% to wildlife. Unsprayed hedgerows harbor orchard mason bees and also benefit songbirds in effect reducing insects.
I actually planted some currants and aronia in them for wildlife food.
The pond for waterfowl passing through, so many farms have drained wetlands.
And the far back edge of maybe 1 acre frequently has deer or a bear hanging out in the bush, it's safe hiding for them.

My orchards and critters are well fenced.

farmerDale · #46 09/03/14, 10:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fireweed farm

For some reason I thought you were a conventional farmer?
I must have confused you with someone else?
I'm not sure calling pasture, corn or soy etc fields, devoted to wildlife, would be a fair assessment, but that's just me. Something to nibble, for sure.

Yes, I am a conventional farmer. I don't really get that comment???

I have several hundred acres of forest that are on my land that I leave for cover. Our land surrounds two mile long lakes that are central to my wildlife habitat. Without food, as in field crops, the cover would be nearly worthless. Without water, food and cover are worthless. It all goes together to make superior habitat for the meat animals I harvest on my land.

The moose, the elk, two species of deer, bears, upland birds, waterfowl: Elk and bear and deer and to a lesser extent moose, absolutely rely on my grainland for food. I have had elk beat down a 40 acre piece of oats in a few short days. I have had bears visit my grain bins and open the doors to eat wheat and oats. I have elk that come and eat my hay from the stack in the winter, 40 yards from my bedroom window. I shot my moose as it grazed on canola stubble this past fall. 2000 acres of forests will hold animals, but not at very high densities, because there is limited food resources. 2000 acres of forests, swamps, lakes, fields, treelines: They will hold game, and they will hold a much higher density of game than a simple forest. I counted 8 separate moose tracks on my land the morning I got my cow last fall.

I am a conventional farmer who likes his wildlife, and LOVES to hunt...I am not sure why being a conventional farmer would give the perception that we do not preserve habitat. Most here do just that. We love our wild game...With a few exceptions.

CajunSunshine · #47 09/03/14, 11:43 PM

Here, I AM the wildlife, lol. I've been in the woods/swamps so long, I'm afraid I have gone completely feral... not complaining either!

.

simi-steading · #48 09/04/14, 07:14 AM

I like my wildlife so much, I think a neighbors dog may not be around much longer if its not kept off my property and from chasing and killing my wild rabbits.. It left a dead baby rabbit on my back door step a few nights ago, and just yesterday it was in the woods behind my house chasing another... He's a beagle and you could hear him yipping and chasing it..

I'm REALLY not happy about it.. I keep my dog on a chain and off their property... and because my dog likes to chase deer, and I'm not going to deal with that either.. They say their dog keeps slipping his collar and getting off the chain.. well maybe it needs to be kept inside or something if you can't control it..

bryant · #49 09/04/14, 08:35 AM

I have multiple feed plots for the deer that travel back and forth over our land, of the acreage we have, only 2 are used exclusively for garden, pens and our living space. We practice the old ways, living with the land not on it. This is how we show our respect to mother nature. We do not make our "living" from the land, it sustains us and the animals we have also sustain us. If we want wild meat, we have it available.

am1too · #50 09/04/14, 01:02 PM

I'm really interested in hearing from more people on smaller acreages such as 20 or less. I don't wish to devote all my property to wild life. I do need some for garden and domestic animals. I'm not talking about the party life either.