MN road/ditch hunting??

[metrojoe]

Say Rost - When I was in SD it didn't appear that ditch mowing was a common practice, at least not like in SW Minnesota.

I also like the fact that both ND and SD don't seem to drain every little low wet area. I'm sure it was for economic reasons, but it sure took away a lot of habitat for upland birds and waterfowl.

[BobT]

I guess I don't fully understand what type of ditches we'er talking about or what extent of mowing. If it's a ditch that is not too steep, farmers are probably mowing them for the hay or visibility, at least that's the only reason I see around here. I know of no neighbor that does it for the purpose of curtailing hunting. In fact, I know of no farmer in my immediate area that would probably turn down a hunter that asked for permission. I hunt but I haven't refused anyone that asked. I do say that I get a bit upset with those that don't ask and should they later ask I would likely refuse. But for me that's an issue of common courtesy and respect. It's rare that I see a road ditch mowed without seeing a baler out there in a couple days, at least around here.

Bob

[metrojoe]

boilerguy – Now I’m a yahoo. I find it very interesting that because I live in the metro area I’m deemed as lesser intelligent than people in rural Minnesota, and for the record this isn’t the first time someone from rural Minnesota has questioned my intelligence in fact yesterday I was associated with a group known as nimrods.

So since I’m so uninformed, please enlighten me. Why are a couple feet of grass and weeds growing in the ditch such a menace?

If your offer still stands for ice cream, I’ll bring the kids and the beer.

[The_Duckslayer]

Around Hooterville here a lot fo farmers mow the ditch for the same reason I mow my yard. It looks nicer. If the yard comes up to the ditch would it not look goofy if the ditch were not mowed?

If the yard does not come up to the road, ie the ditches that are out along the fields, they "cut" and bale that area. Like someone said above, pheasants do not survive winters in a ditch.

IMO 5 cars a day or 5,000 cars a day it matters not... safety is safety. Take care and N Joy the Hunt././Jimbo

[First Ice-Mike]

Metrojoe - We burn ditches so the snow doesn't drift and to increase visability. Sometimes a ditch needs to be cleaned because it has filled up the runoff silt from heavy rains during the year. We'll burn the ditch so we can use ditch scrapers to clean it out. It is strictly a safety issue and is good farming practice. Burning ditches has nothing to do with keeping hunters out. Most ditches that get burned are township ditches that you can't leagally hunt anyways without permission. If we got a big snowstorm the road ditch would be one of the worst places for a bird to be - the ditch would fill with snow and the bird would be dead - I think someone else metioned that earlier. Burning road ditches might actually save some birds in the case of a storm. Road ditches are more of an asset in the spring for nesting, not as cover during the hunting season.

FI

[Eric Wettschreck]

Dude, I'm not the one callin anyone a yahoo or nimrod. Go re-read what I wrote. If it's confusing let me splain a little better by saying that is what has been said TOO me, not by me. And if you want ice cream and beer with a local farmer you're going to have to work that out with him.

If you need ditch grass info just read the couple of posts above this one.

[metrojoe]

So they don't mow or burn ditches during the spring or nesting period?

I admit it would be great to have the habitat for hunting, but if it were being preserved at least during the nesting period, even better.

[Rost]

Guys, let's just simmer it down a notch. Metro- I apologize if I offended you in any way. We're all good guys around here that share the same interests.

To answer your question above, ditches cannot be mowed until July 1. So, no the practice typically does not hurt the nesting season.

[Eric Wettschreck]

However, and this is kind of changing the subject a bit, the DNR burns off different areas like WMA's on a regular basis in the spring time. In the long run this is a good thing fellas. Yes, it ruins a couple of nests. Birds will go re-nest somewhere else. What it does is gets rid of a lot of weeds and let's the good grasses grow.

This upsets quite a few fellers until they see the results the following year. Sometimes a nest has to be ruined so 5 more can be built.

[First Ice-Mike]

The ditches will get mowed close to the road late in the spring, usually after the hatch, to again help with visability if the grass is getting too high. I have an uncle that has worked for the county for over 30 years - he hardly ever gets a bird with the mower. He says the hens get out of the way and they mow far enough off the ground that if the chics don't get out of the way the sickle goes right over the top of them. I just really don't think burning and mowing dithes has nearly the effect on the bird population as some people think.

FI

[metrojoe]

boilerguy - My mistake. I apologize. I misread the post as comments you made, not comments made to you.

I can see where tall grass could be an issue as far as visibility is concerned, but does the city, county, township require it? Are there incentives to the land owners to mow the ditch? I’m just trying to understand why the practice is so prolific in Minnesota.

Thanks for the info First Ice.

Sorry Rost, I'll try to mind my P's and Q's.

[BobT]

Funny you should mention that, boilerguy. Just last week I emailed the DNR questioning if it would be beneficial for me to burn some of my grasslands since they haven't been done in the 15 years that I have been here and there is a lot of tangled, matted grass. I also asked if it was better to burn in fall or spring. I was told the fall is best because it allows the grasses to get an earlier start in the spring and choke out broadleafs. I was also told it was better for controlling woody plants. I was also told it was better to do it in the fall because it is less likely to cause harm to nesting birds. In fact, there was no point made to suggest that spring was better than fall. So why does the DNR always do their burning in the spring after they have imposed burning bans on the rest of us and after the nesting birds have established rather than before they have?

Seems a bit of a double-standard to me.

Bob

[Eric Wettschreck]

I agree the fall is better. Kinda like spraying the lawn in the fall for dandlions will do more good than in the spring. I don't have an answer for the reasons for spring burning in your neck of MN.

In our area they do it mostly in the spring because of the reduced chance of spreading wildfires. The local DNR fellas come to the fire dept mutual aid meeting and chat with the local fire dept officers. In the springtime the areas they burn are still "squishy wet" and an uncontrolled spread is less likely. As far as I know that's the only reason they burn in the spring.

[Eric Wettschreck]

Yes, some counties and townships require ditches be mowed. A lot of the reasoning behind this is weed control. Understand the lay of the land here. In any given section it could be 85% farm land and 15% house/road/waterway/etc. Farmers pay HUGE $$$$ on weed control in the field. If landowners do not mow them the county/township will come in and spray them which is even worse for the birds. Plus, yes, huge grass in the ditch is a safety concern for being able to see and it's a drag having bambi hide in the grass waiting for a car to jump in front of.

I believe, but am not certian, it's county by county and not state wide.

[Dotch]

One possible reason for not burning in the fall in the core areas anyway is that they can provide large amount of winter cover. Native prairie grasses and forbs stand up well to the snow. In this area anyway, that's where we'll see the bulk of the overwintering pheasants. Pheasants will re-nest into July if they have to and with a spring burn, regrowth will generate for fall cover over the course of the summer.

[A-body]

I've attended a few burn training sessions with PF. Burning is done for a number of reasons, and when they burn depends on what they want accomplished. Spring burning is more prevelant than fall, probably because of time constraints. Lac Qui Parle burns most all of there property at some time or another on a 5 year cycle. They have too much going on in the fall to worry about burning, so their land gets burned in the spring. The DNR or USFW never burn everything all at once, to maintain at least some cover. By the way, a part of the US Refuge was just burned a couple of weeks ago near Carver MN.

On ditch burning, I think some guys do it "Because we've always done it this way" No other reason, except they want it to look nice when it greens up in the spring. It's a waste of good habitat.

Gary

[brittman]

Hunters would have a fit if WMAs were burned in the fall