Dove Fields?

[missed mallards]

Looks like Sunflowers are out this year for us. Between the rains, and the drainage, or lack there of, it'll be too wet to get in and get anything in the ground before months end. Have about 500 teal on the place though LOL.

What's the other options?

I'm not a fan of milo as it's never done much good in the spot.

I'm thinking maybe a millet? spray, broadcast, and hope for the best LOL.

To those that weren't able to plant flowers, what's your ideas as to the next option?

Thanks

Tom

[Northbigmuddy]

My neighbor planted some popcorn last year. I may end up having to try this to get some atrazine action. It was pretty neat. You could actually pop the stuff. Obvious point, but interesting none the less. Our season blew so I can't really speak to the efficiency vs sunflower. I am beginning to believe the increased grain acres over cotton has screwed up my area. Used to be easy limits all season long now we are struggling. We are having to jump on em when the conditions are right. Here today gone tomorrow.

I also have heard of growing okra. I would try milo if it wasn't an itch factory.

[cmj84]

i would try a brown top or jap millet an cut strips when the time is right, disk some strips an do some burning an you will have a nice field. one of the best hunts iv been on was a cut bean field with fresh disked dirt strips. water also makes a good legal attraction

[Wingman]

Milo will take longer to mature than sunflowers. Sunflowers take about 100 days. I think milo is a 120 day crop.

I'd go with browntop if you can't get sunflowers planted soon.

And like cmj said, don't underestimate the power of water.

[DanP]

I've never planted it, but if you could get a mixed stand of wooly croton and millet, then throw in some water holes it could get ugly come fall. Might be worth an experiment ...

[Wingman]

The WMA field I planted last year was COVERED in goatweed. I wanted to take a combine over there and cut it.

I am planning to mix croton and partridge pea next year and plant on my levees.

[Tedl10]

50% of our fields are still too wet. We started to pull the trigger today but afraid of the rain expected this weekend to ruin it all. Hope to be planting late next week if at all.

[DanP]

[Wingman]

I think I know that guy. I wanted to do it this year but decided to devote my efforts toward getting my baby switchgrass going.

[jdbuckshot]

i got my sunflowers in the ground yesterday. finally got done with planting corn about 9:30 lastnight, and rain at 1:00am this morning.

should be good, if it doesnt rain to much.

[Wingman]

We dodged the bullet last night. Only got a tenth or two. I'll be dropping seed next week.

[SWAG]

Although time may have passed to have sunflowers ready by opening day, I think these later planted sunflowers still have the potential to be great dove fields. We have seen better concentrations of doves on later fields the last few years due to so much grain being harvested around opening day. This year may be the exception since a lot of grain fields are going to be late too, but you still have the advantage of migrations of birds later in the season. I saw a sunflower field last year in October that looked a lot like the fields we used to have in the 80's. It was covered up with birds and the owner said "yea wish they had been here like that the first season". Why not hunt them now was what I was thinking...hahaha!

[Wingman]

I replanted on May 16 last year and had flowers ready by opening day.

[SWAG]

I have seen people get mature sunflowers in less than 100 days, but it usually a hot summer with little rainfall. If you figure most sunflowers mature in 90-120 days and you want to start mowing them two weeks ahead of the season opener, then you really need 110-130 days. With season opener being Sept 1 (I am guessing it is Sept 1st) then you would need to have sunflowers up by say May 5th which is 119 days from the opener. One could certainly start mowing sunflowers before the entire head dries down because some seed would be hard. May could skim another week off the days needed by doing so. May 15 emergence is certainly going to be cutting it close in getting optimum results on a normal year. I have seen a lot of fields planted the first week of May that do great and people begin mowing them mid-August usually with the help of chemical to insure desiccation. Days to maturity is from emergence date, not planting date; so one should consider it takes 4-7 days for sunflowers to emerge.

Rob, your fields have always looked good. Are you planting peredovick or a hybrid?

[Wingman]

Been planting hybrids the last few years. Couldn't find them this year so I'm planting a F2 hybrid peredovik. I've always targeted May 1-10 for my planting and been fine. If I plant earlier I get blackbirds pulling seed out in early August way before they're ready to mow. Last year my May 16 planting was holding thousands of doves 2-3 weeks before season. I mowed the week before season.