Sun Flowers - what next?

[SoftCall]

My sun flower field looks great. What do I need to do to prep for the opener? Can I bush hog or do I have to disc down the stalks? Do I need to knock the leaves off...help me out...I have always hunted over those uhhh foodplots.

[SkippyJ]

SC, I had my bush hog just about slappin' the ground when I cut some last week. My rows are spaced enough that I can drive the tractor between them and I keep that dirt fresh turned with no weeds. Ones I cut last week have had doves covering them up. Lot of ringnecks too.

[Wingman]

I mowed 8 rows down each side of my field last week. Mowed 'em once, then came back and mowed 'em again; they really chopped up nicely. Seeds and heads everywhere. I would mow, not disk. I have seen people disk 'em, but seems to me like disking covers up some of the seeds and makes it dang hard to walk out in. My field is planted solid, no strips, so I have plenty of sunflowers to mow and plenty to hide in.

Wingman
ISAIAH 40:31
http://www.fowlmood.com

[Wingman]

What a beautiful sight!

Wingman
ISAIAH 40:31
http://www.fowlmood.com

[SoftCall]

Wingman - is there a specific number of days by law that I have to mow before I hunt the field?

[Wingman]

Not that I know of. Maybe Scott Baker can answer that, but I don't think there is.

Wingman
ISAIAH 40:31
http://www.fowlmood.com

[SB]

There is no minimum number of days that agricultural crop can be manipulated before hunting over it.

[Hammer]

Here is the deal on DOVES and sunflowers:

You can manipulate the crop anyway you want to as long as you dont bait (add salt, seed, etc)...You DO NOT have to disc the crop under...In fact, you dont want to do that since it messes the birds up by removing the food...

I have had the best luck by mowing a couple of strips one way and than cross cutting a couple of strips the other way...Do this every couple of weeks so that you still have some standing sunflowers going into the 3rd season cause the seed stays good on the stalk but molds on the ground plus you need the cover to hunt the late season birds...

Note that it is LEGAL to disc the mowed strips later on in the season and seed wheat in these strips as long as you use a normal seeding rate of 100# per acre and dont come back later and disc under any wheat that sprouts...This is legal because you are doing it for a wildlife food plot (deer)...

VERY IMPORTANT to note that once you manipulate any crop (sunflowers, beans, corn, milo) you CANNOT flood it and hunt ducks over it unless you REMOVE the food at least 10 days prior to hunting...IN other words, disc it ALL under no later than 10 days prior to hunting it...

This does not mean that you cannot hunt normally harvested beans, corn, sunflower, milo etc legally but it you take a bush-hog and simply cut the crops rather than truly harvest them, you would be baiting for ducks (but not for doves- the rules are different) unless you disc it under.

[Delta Duck]

That sure looks pretty!!
Did you broadcast or drill the sunflowers?

[Wingman]

Bean planter-every other hopper-came out to be 40" rows. I applied 12 gallons/acre blend fertilizer and Zorial at planting. Came back and plowed about 3 weeks after sunflower emergence. Knifed in 18 gallons N-sol about a week after that. Got rain for about the first month, then drought, except for about 2" the end of July. Added prayer and sunshine and WALLA! Picture perfect

Wingman
ISAIAH 40:31
http://www.fowlmood.com

[jstanard]

Looks good. I got my spot picked out.

[duckhuntalot]

Wingman, that place anywhere near Ed Cobb's?

[SoftCall]

Wingman, SB, Hammer:

Thanks for the information. That's exactly what I was looking for!

[Wingman]

'Bout 3 miles south of the Cobb field...same stretch of blacktop.

Do you make a dove call, Jason?

Wingman
ISAIAH 40:31
http://www.fowlmood.com

[dedux]

Can you simply leave corn standing, unharvested , then flood for ducks?