Buck Hollow Sporting Goods - click or touch to visit their website Midwest Habitat Company

Recent content by BearCreek

  1. BearCreek

    Converting old pasture to natives

    Burning will not harm cool season grasses, they will come back with a vengeance. Unless the pasture was seeded with warm season grasses, you probably don't have any, its probably pure cool season species. I don't have much advice for converting to NWSG, but if you want an old field with forbs...
  2. BearCreek

    All things scrapes

    I used a hedge branch hanging from the tree I cut it from this year and it got constant action and was eventually torn down. Not sure that the species of wood had anything to do with it (branch was from past season, so scent was likely not an issue). I think the placement of the scrape is the...
  3. BearCreek

    Food plots in CRP/Wetland Reserve

    Will depend on your contract or practice. As an example, my CP22 Riparian Buffer CRP does not allow for food plots.
  4. BearCreek

    Multiflora rose/oriental bittersweet removal?

    The verdict is still out. Many of the bush honeysuckle plants leafed out after being sprayed so I think I will need to see if they leaf out again this spring before reporting the results. The MFR appeared to be toast from my observations last year. I should know in a few months whether my...
  5. BearCreek

    Tree ID in winter

    I have used various apps but they are not incredibly accurate unless the trees are leafed out. Identifying tree species is most difficult when dormant and once you get experience it will be second nature. Try to focus on the buds, stems, and form of tree as opposed to the bark.
  6. BearCreek

    Hickory woodlot

    I have found that hickory hinges quite well, so I definitely implement that technique on many if the location is right. Most of my hickory is shagbark and I tend to leave one every now and then for diversity sake, especially if they are already well established and there is no nearby oak. I have...
  7. BearCreek

    What shrubs are deer candy?

    Seems like deer preference can vary a bit by region as any native shrub I plant with the exception of button bush is browsed heavily. I also like to plant some that have a canopy form to promote ideal nesting cover. Ninebark and arrow wood are good choices, serviceberry also good but a little...
  8. BearCreek

    Chainsaw Advice

    Thanks for all the feedback.
  9. BearCreek

    Hedge

    Mulberry - A lot of these trees (in Illinois) are nonnative white mulberries as opposed to our native red mulberries. They also readily hybridize so its difficult to discern between the two. I'm as anti-invasive/non-native as they come, but mulberry gets a free pass from me. I promote it...
  10. BearCreek

    Chainsaw Advice

    Been running a Stihl MS 261 and really like the saw for just about everything. However, running a single saw can be frustrating with changing chains and dealing with pinching, etc. What would be a good companion saw? I'm just using it for general habitat work: girdling, felling, and some...
  11. BearCreek

    How bad are autumn olive and honeysuckle?

    If the plant is big enough and canopied to the ground, especially on steep slopes, yes, one occasionally has to get down on the ground to get to the base of it. A lot of the terrain here does not allow for the use of machinery to pull honeysuckle (which will have a massive seedbank of BH under...
  12. BearCreek

    MFR and Honey Suckle removal

    There are a lot of studies and literature indicating that you can apply basal bark spray anytime and have an effective kill. I can link if necessary. However, I used basal bark spray and it did not terminate most of the BH in the first growing season. I am questioning whether I failed to cover...
  13. BearCreek

    How bad are autumn olive and honeysuckle?

    Honeysuckle plants are easy to remove or kill, but when you have to remove thousands (some requiring you to lay on the ground and cut), I can assure you they are not easy to remove. That species is causing what will eventually require specific and direct government intervention (beyond EQIP)...
  14. BearCreek

    Changing opinions on the amount of does to shoot…

    I have owned my farm for almost three years and have not taken a doe off it. I'm in west central Illinois, so I should be able to stack my place with deer but I'm still trying to get a feel for my carrying capacity. I've converted 50 acres (farm is 190 acres) of over-grazed pasture to pure...
  15. BearCreek

    Timber Stand Improvment

    The effectiveness of girdling is quite species and timing specific. So much so, that I will prioritize winter TSI by species. For instance, silver maples will start "sapping" incredibly early and seem to tolerate girdling better than about any other tree, so I hit them first and they still...
Top Bottom