CRP grass field - plow it up or leave alone

[ovrszd]

Quail populations in my area have been declining since Pheasants were introduced in the late 70s by Missouri Dept of Conserv. They pushed the quail out and then died off themselves. About the time quail started back Missouri Dept of Conserv introduced Turkeys. They also competed with the quail and populations declined again. They then stabilized at a very low number but you could find a covey if you looked hard enough. Then Missouri Dept of Conserv. introduced Bobcats to reduce the ridiculously high population of Turkeys. Well that pretty much wiped out the remaining Quail coveys. So in a matter of 40 years Missouri Department of Conservation totally jacked up the wildlife population base here. Now we are overran with Deer and Turkeys and not much else. Our tax dollars at work.....

 

[stuckmotor]

We used to have quail and no turkeys now we have turkeys and very few quail. Rising coveys of quail nearly gave me several heart attacks when I was young. They'd probably finish me off now. I much prefer the turkeys.

 

[teejk]

An old margarine commercial used to say "It's not nice to fool with Mother Nature".

But I have to add that we got our wild turkeys from the Show Me state (we traded ruffed grouse that probably had ZERO chance there) back in the mid 70's. Our ruffed grouse population has declined significantly in the southern part of the state where your turkeys have taken over. Nobody admits it but I think there is a definite battle for the same food and the bigger bird with a bigger batch of poults wins.

But several more people enjoy hunting turkeys than they did grouse (grouse hunting is a lot of work and a hunter will probably be bleeding when the day is done).

 

[ovrszd]

We used to have quail and no turkeys now we have turkeys and very few quail. Rising coveys of quail nearly gave me several heart attacks when I was young. They'd probably finish me off now. I much prefer the turkeys.

I know what you mean about the heart attacks!!!

For me, I prefer Quail. Shooting turkeys is like shooting at a school bus, how can you miss. Much more challenging to hit a quail coming up from under your feet!!!

 

[ovrszd]

But I have to add that we got our wild turkeys from the Show Me state (we traded ruffed grouse that probably had ZERO chance there) back in the mid 70's. Our ruffed grouse population has declined significantly in the southern part of the state where your turkeys have taken over. Nobody admits it but I think there is a definite battle for the same food and the bigger bird with a bigger batch of poults wins.

I have saw what I thought was a Grouse 3 times in my life. All three were 20 years or more ago.

Definitely a competition for food. Adult Turkeys will also eat Quail chicks and will raid their nests and bust eggs.

 

[1GB]

Regarding the original question, I definitely wouldn't plow it all up. Maybe put in a small portion of cold season grass for earlier/later grazing each year if necessary, but I'd keep as much of the native grass as you can. I'd also setup a system for rotational grazing to help maximize the land/grass you have for the benefit of both the cattle and the habitat.

As for quail vs pheasants vs turkeys, if you take a step back and see which did best at a certain point in time, you'll find the change in habitat to be the core reason for the change in which species does best. As good habitat becomes more fragmented, species that are most mobile will do better (pheasants, turkeys) than those that aren't. When the habitat quality is reduced, species that are most flexible in their requirements to successfully sustain a population (turkeys) will outperform those that aren't (pheasants).

 

[dave1949]

Five varieties of turkeys, six varieties of quail, and ten varieties of grouse are native to the US. Ringneck pheasants are imports from Asia. Just a factoid. :laughing:

Habitat and available food changes sure decimated the pheasants in NW Ohio back in the 1970's. A weedy, brushy patch near a corn field always seemed to be a good place to find pheasants. They don't mind grown over, slightly marshy areas for cover either.

The field corn was shelled or picked, not cut for chop, and the stalks remained over the winter, so there was always some corn on the ground for feed. In the spring, we would hear the cocks cackling in the winter wheat that was about a foot tall. In late summer they would be in the clover sowed to grow in the wheat stubble. Their diet probably changed seasonally. Insects, new buds, seeds, and grain.

TripleR's tall, thick grass may not be quite right for pheasants. Not sure.

 

[teejk]

I know what you mean about the heart attacks!!!

For me, I prefer Quail. Shooting turkeys is like shooting at a school bus, how can you miss. Much more challenging to hit a quail coming up from under your feet!!!

So you come back to the original question! CRP grass is pretty tall stuff and IMHO not conducive to ground birds. They need to be able to get "up and out" in a hurry. Turkeys being bigger can handle it. Bobwhite/pheasant not so much. I recall stopping at the end of a pheasant push once in 6 inches of grass, chatting for a bit about where to go next...the next step kicked a bird that had been sitting silently for all that time. Lucky for me is that we have a washing machine because I...well...you know...

 

[BHD]

I would leave it, If the grasses are a good mix,
at least around there it will take you three years to raise any kind of real crop on it,
and if the CRP rules were followed the ground is most likely highly erodible, and is better in grass than crop,

I finally had some come out of contract and have just finished fencing it for a pasture, for cattle.

 

[DT86]

Slightly off topic but.... Does anyone know the difference, if there is any, in CRP and CREP land?

We have CREP.