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Long Term Browse & Forbs #6825081 07/17/17 05:17 PM
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I'm in Southern Menard County, and I've decided to forgo food plots. Instead, I'm considering trying to plant browse / forbs for long term establishment, and hopefully benefit. Has anyone tried this? Successful or not? I'm thinking Coma, Sugar Hackberry, Southwest Bernardia, Texas Kinneywood, Guayacan, Granjeno, Blackbrush, or similar.

Am I a fool? Are any of these 'easy' to plant / establish? Any insight or advise would be VERY welcome. Thanks.

Re: Long Term Browse & Forbs [Re: Woj] #6825458 07/17/17 10:44 PM
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I have no idea what most of the items you refer to are. All I know is that most forb type plants and brush are hard to get started unless protected. Well these plants grow in that area? Also a lot has to do with how much moisture is available when planted. If other sources of food are available at the time of planting you may have some luck and they will leave these plants go until established. Good luck and I hope it works out.

Re: Long Term Browse & Forbs [Re: Woj] #6827143 07/19/17 01:53 PM
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Hog love to root under hackberry trees.

Re: Long Term Browse & Forbs [Re: Woj] #6827198 07/19/17 02:35 PM
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turnips


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Re: Long Term Browse & Forbs [Re: Woj] #6827204 07/19/17 02:40 PM
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Honey suckle- will grow almost anywhere and deer love it.

Re: Long Term Browse & Forbs [Re: Woj] #6827225 07/19/17 02:55 PM
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This single plant allows us to house the number of deer we do as far as food is concerned... its never their first pic for food but when things get dry and scarce it is their lifesafe... your neighbors may hate you though it spreads like a wildfire and grows thick... very hard to get rid of and overtakes any undergrowth https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilex_vomitoria

Re: Long Term Browse & Forbs [Re: Navasot] #6827341 07/19/17 04:18 PM
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Originally Posted By: Navasot
This single plant allows us to house the number of deer we do as far as food is concerned... its never their first pic for food but when things get dry and scarce it is their lifesafe... your neighbors may hate you though it spreads like a wildfire and grows thick... very hard to get rid of and overtakes any undergrowth https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilex_vomitoria


interesting


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Re: Long Term Browse & Forbs [Re: Woj] #6827518 07/19/17 06:27 PM
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Originally Posted By: Woj
I'm in Southern Menard County, and I've decided to forgo food plots. Instead, I'm considering trying to plant browse / forbs for long term establishment, and hopefully benefit. Has anyone tried this? Successful or not? I'm thinking Coma, Sugar Hackberry, Southwest Bernardia, Texas Kinneywood, Guayacan, Granjeno, Blackbrush, or similar.

Am I a fool? Are any of these 'easy' to plant / establish? Any insight or advise would be VERY welcome. Thanks.


I really like the idea of planting additional browse/forbs that are native instead of a food plot. Long-term, they should survive on native rainfall.

Have you talked to a TPWD biologist or your local county ag agent about this?

Re: Long Term Browse & Forbs [Re: tlk] #6827533 07/19/17 06:39 PM
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Originally Posted By: tlk
Originally Posted By: Navasot
This single plant allows us to house the number of deer we do as far as food is concerned... its never their first pic for food but when things get dry and scarce it is their lifesafe... your neighbors may hate you though it spreads like a wildfire and grows thick... very hard to get rid of and overtakes any undergrowth https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilex_vomitoria


interesting


Those and American beautyberry..

Ligustrum sinense will choke out yaupon and they tear the leaves up.

Re: Long Term Browse & Forbs [Re: Woj] #6827610 07/19/17 07:51 PM
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I appreciate the discussion so far. I started here for ideas regarding deer preference, availability, abundance, and protein / nutritional value. I thought everyone here would find it interesting and hopefully useful. I was just trying to see if anyone had ANY experience planting any of these in any large numbers to cover acreage, and what they experienced (good or bad)

TPWD Woody Browse

Re: Long Term Browse & Forbs [Re: ErnestTBass] #6827618 07/19/17 07:53 PM
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I've submitted my forms, and I'm just trying to coordinate a good meeting date with him. They don't work on the weekends, so trying to find a good day during the week.

Re: Long Term Browse & Forbs [Re: Woj] #6828525 07/20/17 01:49 PM
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just what donk said. I dont have any experience with these types of forbes either. But I do plant about 10-20 trees a year and they are a lot of work to get through the first couple of years. protect and water. Good luck and keep us informed.

Re: Long Term Browse & Forbs [Re: huntindude] #6829678 07/21/17 08:48 AM
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keep us updated please


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Re: Long Term Browse & Forbs [Re: Woj] #6829773 07/21/17 12:48 PM
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So: 1. Turnips. Annual, need to sow and plant. I'm not likely to do that any time soon.
2. Honey Suckle. Maybe an option. Still difficult to establish across 10's to 100's of acres because I can
t simply 'broadcast' a ton of seeds and watch some become established, but maybe over a long time.
3. Ligustrum sinense (Chinese Privet). Considered an invasive species.... I'll likely pass
4. Yaupon / Yaupon Holly. Maybe an option. Not a ton of nutritional value for deer, but can sustain them during hard times, and birds like their berries. (do dove like their berries? might be a good side benefit....)

I'll meet with my biologist in the coming months, and see what he has to say. I'm beginning to wonder if this is even feasible. Since it's not a 'typical practice', it might be a very difficult task. BUT....I'm not afraid of difficult or hard work, so i'm going to do something.... just not sure WHAT yet! smile

Re: Long Term Browse & Forbs [Re: Woj] #6829811 07/21/17 01:28 PM
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Most of everything you have listed are considered ideal native deer forage in the mixed brush of south Texas - i'd love to have it in the Rolling Plains. It may be a tough road to acquire those plants, i'm not sure if plant nursery's carry them or not. You might google "South Texas Natives CKWRI"; Forrest Smith who manages that may be able to point you in the right direction. TPWD will most likely recommend you implement management techniques (fire, judicious grazing, mechanical and chemical, manage the deer population the best you can) that will promote your local native forb/brush growth and establishment.
I'm a wildlife biologist consultant and love to manage the native habitat but there are some parts of the state that lack quality native forage...at least to the level of providing the opportunity for deer to express their genetic potential and raise healthy fawns each year. In that case, that is where supplemental feed comes into play. It is working in drought or during a flood, 365 days a year, 24 hours a day. Just my opinion.

Re: Long Term Browse & Forbs [Re: moosehntr] #6831287 07/23/17 02:23 AM
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Originally Posted By: moosehntr
Most of everything you have listed are considered ideal native deer forage in the mixed brush of south Texas - i'd love to have it in the Rolling Plains. It may be a tough road to acquire those plants, i'm not sure if plant nursery's carry them or not. You might google "South Texas Natives CKWRI"; Forrest Smith who manages that may be able to point you in the right direction. TPWD will most likely recommend you implement management techniques (fire, judicious grazing, mechanical and chemical, manage the deer population the best you can) that will promote your local native forb/brush growth and establishment.
I'm a wildlife biologist consultant and love to manage the native habitat but there are some parts of the state that lack quality native forage...at least to the level of providing the opportunity for deer to express their genetic potential and raise healthy fawns each year. In that case, that is where supplemental feed comes into play. It is working in drought or during a flood, 365 days a year, 24 hours a day. Just my opinion.

agree - either plant annually or feed protein


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Re: Long Term Browse & Forbs [Re: Woj] #6832508 07/24/17 05:25 PM
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I realize this may sound like an apostasy to some on here, and that's ok, but...

What if I'm in an area where it is tough to get a food plot to take b/c of low annual rainfall? (This is true where we are - on the Real/Edwards County line, and I assume it is true in southern Menard County for the OP.) Add to that -- what if I don't want to commit to feeding protein heavily long term?

I realize this means the herd will go "up" in wet years and "down" in dry years. But can you still improve your ranch as far as wildlife habitat over the long term by increasing the natural browse/forbs?

Re: Long Term Browse & Forbs [Re: Woj] #6832598 07/24/17 06:57 PM
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Definitely...by increasing the diversity of forbs, browse and grasses you are improving your ranch for a diversity of wildlife species. Once again your tools are mechanical (discing, roller chop, excavator, aerator - depending on what outcome you need), chemical (control invasives that are not beneficial or over-abundant natives or invasives), prescribed fire (a great tool - but all the stars, moons and ground squirrels typically have to align to get it done) and grazing (manage the grazing so that overuse does not occur unless that is the goal; in some cases it is.
There are some native forb and grass mixes you can buy that are likely expensive but would be beneficial...buying beneficial brush/browse may be a little tougher.

Essentially you are trying, via different techniques, to stimulate the native vegetation to grow and flourish...native food plot.

Re: Long Term Browse & Forbs [Re: Woj] #6833851 07/25/17 06:43 PM
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This is exactly what I'm wanting g to do.

1. Improve my ranch as far as wildlife habitat over the long term by increasing the natural browse/forbs.
2. Stimulate the native vegetation to grow and flourish...native food plot.

I'm not looking for a quick fix, I know it will take time (years)....especially on 1,000 acres. But as I'm establishing more and more of the native, high quality vegetation (browse and forbs), I will subsidize with free choice protein.

I'm just trying to gain ideas and best practices to do #1 & #2....

Re: Long Term Browse & Forbs [Re: Woj] #6833875 07/25/17 06:59 PM
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fertilize the native browse you have on the land, protect what you do have, after killing a deer this season, cut into the stomach to see what they prefer in your area and go with that. Increase and make more what you already have. If you have deer already on your property, they already like whats for dinner. Create more edges.
Example: They like poison ivy, put up a cage around the main shoot for protection where the branches are out side the cage for them to browse. Small things like this will help. Good luck

Re: Long Term Browse & Forbs [Re: Woj] #6833909 07/25/17 07:28 PM
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The TPW link showed sagebrush as a plant they like. Western Val Verde County is covered in it and it will usually bloom after a little over an inch of rain. The only time I have seen deer eat it is A) they are starving and B) it is blooming. Blackbrush is pretty good for them and not too hard to find and is a tough plant. Guajillo is pretty good stuff too and if you can get it started it will do alright. Spiney hackberry/Granjeno is excellent also a pretty tough plant. The little yellow berries taste almost like watermelon. Mesquite and Huisache I have only seen eaten when it has beans on it. There are other good plants listed on that page, but it's too many to post. White brush is okay too, you usually find it in water runoff areas (not creeks/arroyos) and when blooming has a pleasant odor to it. Blue sage on the other hand smells like doo doo.

For forbs (basically weeds) hope for a damp hunting season and on into February or so. Forbs will be some of the best natural stuff your deer can eat. One good forb that should be easy to start would be Plantin.

Re: Long Term Browse & Forbs [Re: Woj] #6834540 07/26/17 12:57 PM
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One good forb that should be easy to start would be Plantin.

"Plantin"?

Re: Long Term Browse & Forbs [Re: Woj] #6835160 07/26/17 10:40 PM
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Plantin, a weed that looks almost like a dandelion.

Re: Long Term Browse & Forbs [Re: Woj] #6847705 08/07/17 01:10 AM
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Originally Posted By: Woj
I'm in Southern Menard County, and I've decided to forgo food plots. Instead, I'm considering trying to plant browse / forbs for long term establishment, and hopefully benefit. Has anyone tried this? Successful or not? I'm thinking Coma, Sugar Hackberry, Southwest Bernardia, Texas Kinneywood, Guayacan, Granjeno, Blackbrush, or similar.

Am I a fool? Are any of these 'easy' to plant / establish? Any insight or advise would be VERY welcome. Thanks.


Is that all cedars out there? Chop them all down and plant live oaks, mesquites, persimmons, pecans...

Re: Long Term Browse & Forbs [Re: Woj] #6848971 08/08/17 01:30 AM
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Greenbrier. You don't have to plant it just burn every few years to keep it in check.
Mast producing trees would also be a good idea like oldoak said. Get some burr oaks too and chinkapins if possible.

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