Forums46
Topics537,979
Posts9,731,389
Members87,053
|
Most Online25,604 Feb 12th, 2024
|
|
|
Someone help me with planting native grasses
#8580657
04/18/22 06:10 PM
|
Joined: Dec 2021
Posts: 4
lakelivin
OP
Green Horn
|
OP
Green Horn
Joined: Dec 2021
Posts: 4 |
This is more Outdoors related, and not about Hunting. We've been trying for years to get some wood ducks to call our pond home. We have no intention of hunting them, or trapping them, or doing anything illegal. We simply enjoy looking out of our house and seeing ducks on the pond. Honestly, I'm not even a hunter. I came to this forum through recommendation from a friend. I have put up boxes, researched the TPWD website, and read this; https://tpwd.texas.gov/publications/pwdpubs/media/pwd_bk_w7000_1045.pdf Long story short, I finally have a pair that are nesting. I believe they are nesting in a natural tree cavity (wish they were in my boxes but oh well). Anyways, I want the ducklings to survive. I don't have very good cover areas for them. If you look at this map I drew up you can see where I want the coverage in what I call the "hang out areas". https://ibb.co/Hn3mxF9These areas are two mucky parts of the pond where they like to dabble on stuff and what not. 1 foot deep at max, mucky bottom. Main pond is 16 feet deep. The male is in these spots often, female comes from nest every once in awhile. I believe this is where she will lead her brood once they hatch, and I want the ducklings to have some suitable coverage. We've got coon issues (trapping/relocation in progress) and rat snake issues. As well as coyotes. What native aquatic vegetation can I put back in these two coves to provide some coverage for the ducklings? I'm afraid of just ordering some japanese millet and throwing it out there because of fear of it taking over my pond. Cattails and sedge grasses seem nice as they are already there, but will introducing new plants disrupt anything or make it spread more? How can I prevent this? Thanks guys
|
|
|
Re: Someone help me with planting native grasses
[Re: lakelivin]
#8580680
04/18/22 07:26 PM
|
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 18,555
ducknbass
THF Celebrity
|
THF Celebrity
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 18,555 |
Think predation makes up for close to 85% of ducks dying. There is not a whole lot you can do except kill every turtle raccoon fox coyote predator bird and large fish that you see to help them survive. Nature is a cruel world.
Good luck
|
|
|
Re: Someone help me with planting native grasses
[Re: ducknbass]
#8580686
04/18/22 07:41 PM
|
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 2,919
maximum
Veteran Tracker
|
Veteran Tracker
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 2,919 |
Think predation makes up for close to 85% of ducks dying. There is not a whole lot you can do except kill every turtle raccoon fox coyote predator bird and large fish that you see to help them survive. Nature is a cruel world.
Good luck ^ ^ ^ ^ this ^ ^ ^ ^ Some time ago a state biologist at a WMA I was hunting at was talking to me about how they were trying to re-establish the eastern turkeys, and that the biggest obstacle was the predators eating the eggs and killing the nesting hens and killing the mature birds on the roost. If you want to have a population of any kind of food/prey birds or animals, you'll have to actively kill the predator animals, or bring in someone who can. Carrying them down the road and releasing them is wasting your time. Just me- I'd rather have game birds and wabbits and squirrels and such than a bunch of varmints. The neighbor's livestock thinks so too.
|
|
|
Re: Someone help me with planting native grasses
[Re: maximum]
#8580898
04/19/22 01:39 AM
|
Joined: Dec 2021
Posts: 4
lakelivin
OP
Green Horn
|
OP
Green Horn
Joined: Dec 2021
Posts: 4 |
I am not relocating the raccoons just down the road. I am relocating them to another property some 60 miles away. I am actively erradicating all other predators via .22 and .410.
Any advice on killing off turtles? We do have lots of them, yet it never crossed my mind that they'd snatch a duckling right off the top water.
Thanks
|
|
|
Re: Someone help me with planting native grasses
[Re: lakelivin]
#8580900
04/19/22 01:43 AM
|
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 1,249
stillhntr
Pro Tracker
|
Pro Tracker
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 1,249 |
Use a 22 mag on turtles…kill em all
Hunt Outside Of The Box
|
|
|
Re: Someone help me with planting native grasses
[Re: lakelivin]
#8581084
04/19/22 01:08 PM
|
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 636
Wool E. Booger
Tracker
|
Tracker
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 636 |
Button brush is what wood ducks use for cover more than anything else around water.
|
|
|
Re: Someone help me with planting native grasses
[Re: Wool E. Booger]
#8582553
04/21/22 01:15 PM
|
Joined: Dec 2021
Posts: 4
lakelivin
OP
Green Horn
|
OP
Green Horn
Joined: Dec 2021
Posts: 4 |
|
|
|
Moderated by bigbob_ftw, CCBIRDDOGMAN, Chickenman, Derek, DeRico, Duck_Hunter, hetman, jeh7mmmag, JustWingem, kmon11, kry226, kwrhuntinglab, Payne, pertnear, rifleman, sig226fan (Rguns.com), Superduty, TreeBass, txcornhusker
|