Utilization based on game camera survey on this crop choice + evidence of use
Growth Results
This spring we decided to take on a clearing project much deeper into our land than any of our other plots. It was a major effort since it required clearing 3 acres of mature forest with my bulldozer and I also paid a neighbor with an excavator help with the stumps. As any project, it lagged on far longer than I woud have preferred but it was completed in August and we limed, fertilized, and planted immediately. The soil was terrible but to my surprise everything came up pretty good. There were some bare spots but overall it came out great and the deer immediately started to hammer it.
Activity Results
It took about two weeks but the deer were all over this plot as soon as the greens were 10" tall. Activity remained ridiculously high through the winter. Our most aggressive project yeilded our best results to date.
Comments
Hard works pays off. I needed a 3 acre plot on the property since most of my plots are below 1 acre and for Brassicas that's just not enough to get adequate winter nutrition. The plot did have bare spots which we will need to figure out. We think the excavation brought too much subsoil to the surface which replaced our rich topsoil in those spots. This will require careful testing in 2016 and amendments as necessary.
October Photo (Macro)
October Photo (Micro)
Trail Cam Photo
