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Cutting Bulrushes in January

rusty6

rusty6

Well-known Member
Location
East central Sask.
In a normal winter I'd be running the snow blower with the Cockshutt 40. This year we are so below normal on snow that I decided to take the chance to cut down some of the bulrushes that are thriving in the past decade of above normal rainfall. The only chance we get to do this is when the ground is frozen. There is a foot of ice on the sloughs yet I was breaking through occasionally right on the edges where there was enough snow and vegetation to insulate the ground. I quit before getting stuck. Good workout for the 40.
40 and Farm King
 
Probably a good idea, around here it may end up as official wetland. I have to wait for similar conditions to mow this kind of vegetation, freeze or real dry to closer to the water line. Are Bulrushes another name for Cattails?
 
Yes, some call them cat tails but I've always heard the term for them as bulrushes. Might be good pheasant country if we had any here. I think I've seen one in my entire life.
 
I'd have a mega-fine if I did that in my state. They'd have that classified as freshwater wetlands and all kinds of protected habitat.
 
Yes, this was usually great pheasant environment, when we had them in abundance here, you would always flush them out of those areas or similar tall grasses and such, they for the most part disappeared, last pair I saw was 12-13 years back. Prior to that it had been 15 years or more since I saw one. They used to do really well around here and most older hunters remember their abundance, coyotes and fox wiped them out or so it seems.
 
Wow, looks like I really live in the land of the free. We can cut them down to ground level any time we are able. Just don't start digging a trench to drain though or there will be trouble. The drainage issue is getting bigger as time passes and summers get wetter.
 
We have sage plants in California that we are not allowed to cut. The when a fire comes through everyone wonders why the houses get burned down. Some cities are finally coming to their senses, and some plants can be cut around houses. Stan
 
Same thing here, ag and related work is fine along these areas, no permits needed for tillage or mowing, start excavating anywhere within the 100' buffer, its likely going to cost you in fines.
 
A few years ago we didn't get much snow so I went out in February and bush hogged down the cat tails in the little swamp up at my land.
Kind of a creepy feeling driving over the frozen swamp as it kind of bounces under you.
Alas, the cat tails grew up twice as thick the following year.

<Img src="http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h56/Ultradog/4000-2/100_05811.jpg">

<Img src="http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h56/Ultradog/4000-2/100_05861.jpg">
 
Coyotes and foxes have taken out most of the small game around here in central ky. I have to have the chickens locked tight or they are gone. Had a couple roos that didn't like the coop but sure learned fast that if they are out at night it was a death sentence. we can do alot with our water ways here as long as we get a permit.
 
(quoted from post at 09:33:09 01/09/16) Rus, out of curiosity, since the seed is already mature, what's the point? gm
Click to expand...
My theory is that those six foot tall bulrushes form a tremendous snow catcher and will fill up over winter. This just adds more water to an already wet situation. By cutting them down it allows the snow to blow through and hopefully accumulate somewhere that it won't add to the problem. Maybe it is a waste of time and fuel but I'm trying it on a few patches anyway. We have acres and acres of them here.
 
Jerry- I have a skidloader mounted hyd brush cutter...son used it this week in the woods to cut brush, said some ground was too soft under the snow. Said it cut very nicely in this weather. We"ll put the Loegering tracks on and finish the trails.
 
Where are you located Rusty. Live east of Yorkton on Man-Sask border and have about a foot of snow in the fields.
 
(quoted from post at 12:47:16 01/09/16) Where are you located Rusty. Live east of Yorkton on Man-Sask border and have about a foot of snow in the fields.
Click to expand...
I'm an hour and a half West of Yorkton and you can drive in the fields in 2 wheel drive trucks up to this point. Way below normal snow and we really don't need any more.
 
That would have been ok here. We had areal wet fall. Don't need any more moisture. Lots of bull rushes here also.
 
Cat tails here all my life, 72 years, only heard term bullrushes after got on here about 19 years ago, and did not know what they were.
 
Hi Here in Manitoba I don't think I could drive on the sloughs safely. I drove to close to a spot that was wet in the fall by the muck heap at the back of our hog barns today, the tractor went in 2ft nothing much is frozen under the snow . I was lucky i had the bucket on and fwd, as I could push my self out. our land might be dry in the spring if we don't get much more snow. we got about 20 acres more cat tails here than we should have due to wet years. I custom baled 40 acres for a guy at harvest time. got over 60 bales, and he used them to burn tree piles did those piles ever burn to!. Just wish they never cut them full width with a 30 ft swather. Was quite the project getting them in through my 688 NH round baler pickup and keeping the baler from catching fire. The seeds played heck with the rad and filters on the tractor a few times to. But as I said I'd do it, because nobody else would He did give me a lot of custom straw baling. That made up for the aggravation big time when the check came in.
Regards Robert
 
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