Are Your Ducks in a Row? 

By: Steve Jordan 

Planting food plots is done in many different ways.  Some very serious food plotters have two or four-row corn planters to plant corn or soybeans, and some also have six to eight foot grain drills for the smaller seeds.    

For years, I have been broadcasting seeds exclusively.  This method can be done by hand by throwing seeds (almost like feeding the chickens on old western movies).  You can also use a hand held crank or electric seed spreader or a pull behind wheel driven one.  For bigger projects, you can hook up a PTO driven spreader to a mid-sized tractor.   

One question I often get when I talk about broadcasting is, “Doesn’t it hurt the seeds when you drive over them while covering and/or culti-packing the seeds?”  The answer is always, “No!”  If you spread the seeds on concrete and run them over a couple of times, I would say you would do some damage.  In the soil, the seeds just press down nicely without getting harmed. 

I also get asked why I don’t use a grain drill for the turnip mixes, alfalfas, and other small seeds since I plant so many food plot acres in central Wisconsin.  The main reason I don’t use a grain drill is that the average food plot is a half acre or less.  One half acre of turnip mix is about a coffee can of seed which would barely cover the bottom of a six foot grain drill, and it just wouldn’t work.  To fill up the grain drill with seeds and plant several different food plots at once is just not practical.  Everyone’s land is different and is ready to be planted at different times.  As expensive as these seeds are, hand spreading seems to be most efficient. 

 

In the spring, when I am planting corn or soybeans for a fall or winter feeding of deer, I go through these steps: 

1. Work up the soil well. 

1. Spread your fertilizer and seeds as uniformly as possible, leaving plenty of room around the seeds to not overcrowd your plants 

1. Then work the seeds and fertilizer in lightly, to an inch or two, with a disk or tiller 

1. Culti-pack or pack soil down the best you can. 

 

For my summer planting of a fall plot, I do it a little differently.  In the past, I have written about planting soybeans every three weeks during the growing season right up through August.  This keeps the deer eating on the young, tasty plants all summer and early fall.  This allows for the older patches to seed out for winter feeding.  Once my window for planting a good turnip mix comes along (mid-July through mid-August), I still have the chance to plant soybeans.  Here’s how I do it: 

1. I work up the ground really good. 

1. Then, I spread fertilizer on the surface along with a light spreading of soybean seeds. 

1. Then, I disk or till to cover up the seeds and fertilizer to approximately 1-2 inches in depth. 

1. Next, I broadcast a good turnip mix over the top. 

1. I culti-pack or pack the soil the best I can. 

The soybeans come up and attract the deer immediately and will keep them coming to the plot daily up until the first frost.  After that, the soybeans die and the turnips thrive. 

When talking about a good turnip mix, variety is the key.  My custom mix consists of three varieties of turnips, two varieties of canola (rape), Swiss chard, two types of sugar beets, kale, two different brassicas, Korean lespedeza, crimson red clover, rutabagas and a forage radish.  A turnip mix with this much variety encourages the deer to graze through the plot picking out different kinds of plants as the fall progresses.  The deer hit this plot a lot earlier than a straight turnip mix.  Now having soybeans coming up with my turnip mix really gets them in the plot early. 

Now let’s move on to row planting.  I am starting to become more of a fan of row planting.  I have a one-row wheel driven planter that hooks up with a three-point hitch and works great.  I like to plant 45-inch wide rows for soybeans.  This leaves plenty of room for a late turnip planting between the rows.  The turnips will have plenty of room and sun to get started.  If you did a good job of weed control all summer, and just have soil showing between the rows, then all you have to do is broadcast a good turnip mix onto the soil.  The first rain will start the growth of these new plants.  Wheat or rye can be broadcast between the rows as another option with good results.  You may want to alternate wheat and turnips every other row. 

Forty-five inch rows planted in a pumped out reservoir in the spring for fall duck hunting works well.  The wide rows allow the ducks to land and take off for a quick escape in the fall when flooded. 

One disadvantage of row planting over broadcasting is in high deer density areas the rows tend to get eaten off clean because there is not enough plants to withstand the grazing.  Broadcasting will hold up better in these areas. 

Diversity and variety of different plants, along with row planting and broadcasting seeds can add to the quality of your food plots.  There is no right or wrong when it comes to broadcasting your seeds or row planting.  You can get your ducks in a row or use the shotgun method.  Do what works best for you and your circumstances.  Both can be very productive.   

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Wild Apple Trees 

By: Lawanda Jungwirth 

Do you remember the story of Johnny Appleseed from grade school?  It is more than just a story; Johnny Appleseed was a real person named John Chapman, born in 1774.  Legend has it that he spent years walking throughout Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, West Virginia and Ontario, Canada randomly dropping apple seeds along the way.  The truth is that he was a knowledgeable nurseryman and a noted conservationist.   

Johnny Appleseed didn’t go around tossing apple seeds everywhere, he went around planting deliberate orchards.  In the early 1800s, frontier law allowed people to claim land by developing a permanent homestead.  One way to make a claim was by planting 50 apple trees.  John Chapman did just that, planting apple seeds in orchards.  Once planted, he put fences around the orchard and left a neighbor to care for it.  He would return every couple years to check each orchard’s progress and when they were producing sufficiently, he sold the land.  By the time of his death at age 70, he had covered 100,000 square miles and owned more than 1,200 acres of land. 

The apples Johnny Appleseed planted were not the sweet eat-out-of-hand apples we look for today.  They were small and tart, called “spitters” because that’s probably what you’d do if you took a bite of one.  The apples he cultivated were mostly pressed to make hard cider and applejack.  Unfortunately, when Prohibition came along in the 1920s, FBI agents took the ax to the majority of Johnny Appleseed’s apple trees.  The last known apple tree to be planted by Johnny is 176 years old and still stands in Nova, Ohio.  However, there are trees that have been grafted from his trees still growing throughout the area of his travels. 

The apples we buy today in the grocery store and the apple tree saplings we obtain from nurseries are not grown from seed.  They are the result of careful grafting of existing apple trees, forming clones that are genetically identical.  Often, they’ve been grafted onto the roots of other types of apple trees to control how large they will grow. 

There are still “wild” apple trees to be found in Wisconsin, along country roads, beside farm fields, at forest edges, along abandoned railroad tracks and in cemeteries.  These apple trees may have grown on their own from seed and the size, flavor, ripening time and color are purely left to chance.  Sometimes these apples aren’t the best tasting, but sometimes they rival the sweetest apples in the produce aisle.  If you come across a wild apple tree, sample the fruit.  If it’s awful, wait a few weeks and try again.  Even though the apples appear ripe at first taste, they may not have been ready for harvest.  

Since wild apple trees haven’t been doused with poison to control for insect pests and diseases, the apples may be wormy or misshapen.  On the other hand, you may come upon a tree that is naturally resistant to insects and diseases and find a tree full of perfect, beautiful apples.  You can always cut the bad parts out of less than perfect apples and use the good parts.  You can’t beat free! 

Wild apples can be used in all the same ways as commercial apples are used.  Pies, cakes, apple slice, apple crisp, apple cake, apple Betty, applesauce, apple jelly, apple chutney, apple cider, apple wine . . . a truly versatile fruit.  Like commercial apples, they can be frozen, canned or dried for long term storage. 

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NEW Open Water Tungsten Jigs

Clam Pro Tackle^TM

Announces New Open Water Tungsten Jigs

Rogers, Minn. (February 15, 2018) –  The secret to catching fish through the ice is out and being embraced by open water anglers. For many years, Clam Pro Tackle has been helping ice anglers achieve success by using the benefits of tungsten in a vertical presentation. With the launch of a new initiative, CPT365, Clam tackle innovators are giving all open water anglers a new deadly weapon for their arsenal— the Drop Tg Tungsten Jig.

The evolution of Clam Pro Tackle continues in the form of the Drop Tg. This industry-first, multi-specie jig brings the many advantages of tungsten to all open water anglers. Bass, walleye, pike and panfish anglers that use vertical tactics will quickly see its benefits… 

Heavier & Denser

• Drop Tg is heavier than lead for the same size. 
• Smaller profile but heavier offers better jig control and sensitivity.
• Punches faster through weeds and cover
• Plummets fast to deep water schools of fish
• 30% smaller in size than the same weight lead jig, offering a smaller profile for pressured or finicky fish
• 1.7x heavier density than lead- Denser tungsten shows up better on graphs and sonar

Helps to Stay Vertical
In deep water and current, Drop Tg jigs keeps line vertical to help keep contact with the bottom and detect more bites. The heavier Drop Tg also keeps curls and kinks out of the line for better bite detection, hook sets and increased hook-up ratios.

Increased Sensitivity
Lead absorbs impact. The harder Tungsten does not, instead transferring the energy of impact with a rock, sand, mud, wood structure, log or a bite on through to the line and ultimately to the angler. The result is more “feel” of your jig as you work it through cover, thus improving the bait presentation, felt bites and a higher hookup rate.

Makes More Noise
Lead absorbs sound. Harder tungsten makes more noise to attract fish when coming in contact with rocks, boulders and other structure. Similar to crayfish crawling on rocks or schooling minnow noise.

Less Resistance
Tungsten is less resistant in the water, which is more efficient. Again, increased sensitivity is the primary benefit.

Environmentally Safe
As a non- toxic hard metal, the Drop Tg is an environmentally safe jig. Being great stewards of the outdoors is critical, and many states have already banned use of lead jigs. Some say “lead is dead”, and it is certainly losing traction with conservation-minded anglers. As an eco-friendly jig, The Drop Tg is the new alternative to lead.

Cleaner Water and Pressued Fish
All of the lakes, rivers and waterways across the United States are getting cleaner by increased water conservation efforts as well as the spreading of invasive species like zebra mussels and rusty crayfish that clean the water. The Drop Tg’s smaller, more compact size is perfect for finesse jigging tactics in clean water, for pressured fish or during cold fronts.

Drop Tg Tungsten Jig 

• Made with environmentally safe 99.7% Pure Tungsten. 
• Mustad Ultra Point, 2x Strong 90 degree Long Shank hook
• Same weight as lead but with a smaller profile and higher sensitivity 
• Welded keeper securely holds soft plastics and live bait
• Available in 1/16 oz., 1/8 oz., 3/16 oz., ¼, and 3/8 oz. sizes

“Anglers used to have find fish by time-consuming casting, drifting or trolling tactics. Now with more advanced electronics, they can ‘hunt’ and find the fish first, THEN fish for them,” explains John Crane, Clam Pro Tackle Developer. “Tournaments are being won by an angler that finds that one giant fish, groups of fish or baitfish, then vertically targets them.  This ‘Vertical Drop System’ or VDS, is a new and evolving tactic — see ‘em, drop to ‘em, and catch ‘em — and Clam Pro Tackle is providing the tool to help it take off. Feel what you’ve been missing with the Drop Tg.”

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Walleye Fly Rig

Kyle Sorensen with OB Outdoors shows you how to tie a walleye fly rig! Catch more fish today!

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Weekly Morning Trail Mix

Trail Mix

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WILD GAME RECIPE OF THE WEEK!

BBQ SMOKED TURKEY WINGS

CLICK HERE FOR PRINTABLE VERSION 

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Spin-n-Glo’s: Invading the Midwest for Walleye 

By Captain Pat Kalmerton 

When fishing the Midwest for walleye there is always a “must have” in every angler’s arsenal.  However, those “must haves” are changing ever so rapidly it is hard to keep up with what is new on the market yet actually works. Sometimes there are those hidden jewels that have been around for years that maybe couldn’t be found in your area, therefore, you would have no idea what they are or if they work.  

I am co-owner of a business, out of Sheboygan, Wisconsin, named Wolf Pack Adventures. We guide salmon fishing charters on Lake Michigan, walleye fishing charters on Lake Winnebago, as well as the Bay of Green Bay, up into the tip of Sturgeon Bay and travel all over the United States chasing the elusive walleye. When your means of survival and putting food on the table for your family depends on putting fish in the boat, we are always looking for the next “must have” lure or technique.  

A few years ago, while I was packing and doing research on Lake Winnebago for a walleye tournament, I was studying the lake maps provided on Lake-Link and reading forums. I ran across a person talking about a lure that had wings that spun at the slowest speeds and did not drop into the rocks, due to its floating body. He was crushing fish on this lure as the bottom walker was dragging through the rocks. He could run these on his extra rods while jigging rock piles.  

This intrigued me to the point that it became an obsession. I was going to find these come, “hell or high water.” The more I talked about them, the more people became intrigued as well. What in the world are these things called? I got on the Lake-Link forum and found out who was talking about them and messaged him. He sent me pictures, told me they were called Spin-n-Glo’s, but I still could not find them. That tournament was over, and then I was doing my research on the Bay of Green Bay for the next upcoming tournament and, again, here is a person talking about these Spin-n-Glo’s.  

BINGO!!! SPIN-N-GLO BY YAKIMA BAIT COMPANY! This is a company from Yakima, Washington that has been around forever. This is a lure people have been crushing fish on out west for years but it just has not come across the plains due to tight lipped secrets. LET THE SECRET BE KNOWN…. THESE THINGS WORK! Spin-n-Glo’s come in bulk bodies and then can be rigged however you wish, or can be purchased pre-rigged with the Bottom Walker or Rufus Special, a blade combo spinner with a tandem hook design, in a variety of colors and sizes. 

I ordered a bunch and started playing. To no surprise, I started catching more money fish, and here is why. When trolling any weeds or rocks, and using bladed meat rigs, you need to be trolling fast enough so that the blade creates enough tension or drag to keep from falling to the bottom and getting gunked up by weeds or hanging up on rocks. With the Spin-n-Glo I can be completely stopped, if I wish, and have no worries. This bait floats, keeping your bait up and off the bottom at all times.  Not only that, but it spins so freely. Let’s say I want to jig an area or rip cast…. this bait can be drug behind also fishing by using a Bottom Walker with desired lead, and your set.  

It runs differently though. When first trying these Spin-n-Glo’s, I used my average lead lengths and it wasn’t as productive as I would have liked. Here is why…. it floats. I shortened my lead to keep my bait in the magic striking area and caught more fish. When running lead core, shorten your lead because your Spin-n-Glo’s will ride up on you.  

 

Do yourself a favor, if you are fishing the Midwest and put some of these in your boat, or better yet, in the water….you will not be disappointed! 

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