Plowing Food Plot with Box Blade

[Bill Barrett]

Very good thread. I followed your customizing the box blade thread. Did you run into any unforseen problems doing that much ground work with it?

 

[3RRL]

Hi Bill,
Thanks for asking...
That boxblade is beefed up so much that it is very, very strong. I have had zero failures of any kind with it. If you read my other thread here
Pushing in Roads and Trails, you will see that I damaged my tractor lower arms but not the boxblade. My 55hp Kama has to weigh between 7,500 to 8,000lbs with FEL, Grapple, boxblade and loaded tires. That was some grueling work from a big machine to expose it to.

The only problem I had is when I got a rock caught between the gear and rack which locked up the system until I cleaned it out. It was that easy to do, but it did happen. I have to enclose the system yet to keep that from happening again. But as I said, it only happened when a rock got between the gears and no damage at all. Adding the re-enforcement behind the scarifiers has really helped because I have not broken another scarifier since doing that. If anything was going to break them, the giant boulders I popped out while doing the trails would have done it.

 

[Bill Barrett]

Thanks for the thread Rob, Pushing in Roads and Trails, I hadn't seen that one yet. Thats good to hear you've had zero problems. I'm in the market for a box blade and tring to get all the ideas I can.
Also I love the wild life pics you posted, we got on the camera web site last nite. We have talked about a camera for some time. I didn't think they would be that reasonable.
Bill

 

[EddieWalker]

Rob,

How did the food plot turn out? Anything new? Did you get any deer feeding in it?

Thanks,
Eddie

 

[3RRL]

Rob,

How did the food plot turn out? Anything new? Did you get any deer feeding in it?

Thanks,
Eddie

Hi Eddie,
The food plot is growing little tiny plants real SLOWLY. After my post a month ago, we had some rain but then the weather turned cold too. So it is growing but really struggling. Here's what we saw over New Year's weekend.





I haven't give up yet though. There has been a lot of animal activity around there. I think they are looking for food. Maybe they've started eating some of the sprouts already? You can also see the watering guzzlers out there. It holds about 30 gallons with several trays in it and the other one is a tin wash tub filled up. It's not needed now, but in the Summer I'm sure will be of interest to the local wildlife. Anyway, we're going up this coming weekend and take another shot of the plot. I hope to see some improvement.

 

[Captinjack]

Hey Rob

Put a wire fence made into a 3 ft. circle or so on your food plot so you will know how much the animals are eating your food. You may be supprised to see that what grows inside the wire is much higher thatn outside the wire.

At my place, the critters have the capability of eating the food plot faster than it grows erroneously making me think that it wasn't growing worth a darn.

 

[EddieWalker]

Rob,

Thanks for the update. Yours did allot better than mine!!! I just did a little one, but the hogs trampled it up so bad in the mud, that there's nothing left.

Are you going to try to do it differently next year?

What about this spring? I've read that spring food plots do more for antler growth than any other time of the year. They also help fawns get fat and healthy!!! Fall food plots are mostly for hunting and getting animals concentrated in one location.

I realy want to try lab-lab next.

Eddie

 

[3RRL]

Captain Jack,
That is a good idea. I never thought them eating the sprouts would make it seem like nothing is happening. Like I said, there's been a lot of activity around so maybe you're right. Now, If I can only remember to bring some wire fence up to the property.
Thanks for the idea.

Eddie,
I think you are correct about antler growth and the Spring food plot giving them nutrition for that. I think the food plot will have met it's end in the Spring. It gets so hot after that everything fries and turns brown. One of my goals is to run water down to the food plot so I can grow a Spring or Summer food plot. I would like it to still be around (healthy) for August, September and October. Those are the deer and bird months I hunt here in my zone.

I will try to grow a Spring/Summer food plot in the same place as this one. I think I'm going to stick with the peas and some fescue as the undergrowth and the wheat and oats ... see how that does in the heat? I was hoping if they like it they'd get used to it and hang around for the hunting season. Not only hunting season, but for observation more than anything. I was thinking of growing a small patch of corn too, and maybe some sunflowers? This will all depend if I can get water down there or not, of course. Otherwise, nothing will grow during those hot months.

 

[3RRL]

Finally!!!
When Larry visited, Loretta and I checked out the food plot and guess what? The peas had sprouted and were growing like crazy.



I am sooo happy that they are growing. Only thing is, neither of us knew what Oats or Wheat looks like, so we will just have to wait until they get bigger. Anyway, I'm glad to see the food plot growing finally. Having pulled 1" poly pipe down to the plot, I'll be able to grow something during the hot Summer too. Get it ready for dove and quail season. I just need to get some rain birds (sprinklers) that will work off a battery operated timer.
That will be cool.

 

[EddieWalker]

Very nice.

Now you need to get your Game Cam set up on it so you can see who's eating it. Pretty soon the deer should be having fawns. That would be an amzing picture if you can get it.

Eddie