Planting the Dove Field

Finally, the time came to start planting the Dove field.  I gave Johnny a list and some cash a few weeks before, and he kindly went to the seed store to purchase the seed.  There was a poll on this blog for a few weeks asking what I should plant and I believe the Brown Top Millet won out. I actually chose a combination of Brown Top and Proso Millets with Sesame. The idea is that I can start mowing the Brown top Millet in July giving time for Doves to find and get used to feeding in the field.  The Sesame will be ready for the first Dove Season and The Proso should last into the second season.  This gives us September and October to hunt doves.  By the time the field has stopped producing, Quail season will be under way.

My daughter and I left late Saturday evening after a Cub Scout banquet and stayed in camp.  On Sunday, we woke early, got the tractor and began plowing the field one last time.  It was wet, but broke up nice. Johnny arrived with a side by side 4 wheeler and took over the tractor.  He finished the field with as smooth a surface as a tractor can lay.

While he was finishing the plowing, Sydnie and I started laying out the field.  The plan was to plant a couple of areas of each type of seed so the Brown Top Millet mowing would produce nice open areas for the Doves to land next to either Sesame or Proso Millet.  I taught Sydnie how to drive the 4 wheeler and she followed me around the field with stakes and flags.

The planting was easy, we just broadcast the Sesame and Brown Top plots with a walking seeder.  Sydnie followed slowly with the seed.  The Proso wasn’t planted with the rest, I am waiting until June to put it down.  The idea is to have it ready in September and for it to last well into October.

After spreading the seed, Sydnie and I hooked the drag on the 4 wheeler and drug the field for about an hour.  All the seed should have plenty of contact with the soil to aid the germination and growth.  Now it was up to getting the fertilizer down and a little rain.

Back at the camp, Johnny had finished some chores and we discussed plans for planting the rest of the field and the quail plots.  Later we talked about our future plans for the Dove and Quail seasons and our hopes of Doves weaving and coveys rising.  Hopefully, our hard work will pay off in a way that matches our expectations.