# Growing Pheasant Cover Around Sloughs



## Dick Monson (Aug 12, 2002)

With the hard winter and deep drifting snow this year there is some talk of developing better pheasant cover in North Dakota. Cattail sloughs seem to provide the best thermal cover on scale but a year like this one fills them up.









A windbreak outside the slough would drop at least a portion of the snow before it filled the cats. Native willows might be a good choice. This one is a beaked willow. It grows from a single base clump. Height apx 10 to 12'.










Another option would be sandbar willow. These spread by root and are a single stalk apx 10' to 12' at maturity. 









Both willows can planted by cuttings shoved into the moist soil on the outside of the slough. They grow fast compaired to other trees and don't drown out easily. The sandbar regenerate quickly if hit by fire.


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## wtrfowl14 (Dec 21, 2007)

Also you add some berry trees just to the outside of the wetland that would provide a more food source for them.


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## blhunter3 (May 5, 2007)

Ever greens are also nice, seen alot of them relaxing in there this winter.


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## Dick Monson (Aug 12, 2002)

Both of you fellows are absolutely right. Some of the advantages of willows is that they are free if you take your own cuttings, you can "plant" large amounts in a short time, they require no ground preperation, and they don't take the dry ground out of crop production. (Which many landowners aren't willing to give.)

How to plant them:
http://www.unce.unr.edu/publications/fi ... fs9709.pdf

Someone asked this question and I don't know the answer. The beaked willow grows branches out parallel to the ground. If you pressed that branch down to the soil and then buried a portion of its length, would it root at that spot and start a new tree? Will try it this spring.


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## Dick Monson (Aug 12, 2002)

Planted the willows today. 30 minutes to cut 100, 30 minutes to plant.

These are beaked willow on the left, sandbar willow on the right.









Will check back in July to see if they made it. Still frost in the ground which was a surprise.


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## bearhunter (Jan 30, 2009)

discarded xmas trees work great for winter cover.the should be propped up against something so the birds can get underneath. use several trees and the birds will like them


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