Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire To mow, or not to mow

We don't know how big the field is... If it's huge burn a third every three years. Keep alternating. Get professional advice on when to burn in your area and listen to them.

I couple years ago similar thing happened to me, 15 acre pasture bordered on the north by the river on the south and west by wooded ridges. I saw more bucks that season in the high grass than any other season. Killed two nice 8 points off the high grass.
I bushhogged in February, the grass was dry, thin, and easy to cut. The first cut of hay in late May was a bumper crop.

I am in the same position again this year and plan on cutting shooting lanes through the high grass and leave the rest till February again.

This. Just cut it.

Killed this (bedded in the high stuff) in a like field that weren't cut.

You might set the mower to cut way high to cut off the blooms of thistle and wild carrots (Queen Ann's Lace) to keep them from seeding, but it may already be too late for that. Mowing them off reduces the amount of food they can store in the roots for for next year's growth. If you have Canadian Thistle, fall is a good time to spray herbicide to kill it, and wait a couple of weeks at least before you mow it. It is stubborn stuff, but the right herbicide will pretty well get rid of it after a couple of years of spraying.

Mowing real high will reduce the chances of munching up rabbits and other critters.

I found that after you mow them off, the damn weeds get smart and bloom and go to seed at a shorter height every time you cut them, unless you cut it very short.

Myron

leave it, PM incoming

It's really only about 5 acres total of pasture. I own 78 acres. 5-6 in "pasture", about 3 in tilled food plots of about an acre each, about 20acres under ankle to knee deep water thanks to the beavers, (but full of ducks and geese) and the rest in successional forest ranging from overgrown dogwood thickets to mature hardwoods. It's really just an old farm that was slowly converting back to nature till I came along. I cut a little firewood and try to leave the mast trees for the critters. There are volunteer apple and pear trees all over the property thanks to the squirrels and deer. This place is more hobby though than anything. My goal is just to benefit the most diverse number of species as I can on my little piece of paradise.


thanks for all the advice!

My lawn grass was 8 inches high when I mowed it yesterday in a driving rain. These 600 mile lawn care commutes are killing me....

The earth worms I smuggled in 15 years ago across two international borders ago are doing fine, tho -they are everywhere on the surface. Getting kinda drowny underground I guess. The robins are happy...

Diversity breeds diversity.

Dang. Thought this was gonna be like the bouncing boob thread.

Dave