re: Planting Millet for Ducks

What would we spray for them worms?

Would the farmers get pissed if we are spraying insecticide all over one of their cuts? Obviously that'd be better asked to the farmer, I guess.

Where is your source stating this would be illegal?

pretty sure you can plant it, but can not manipulate it unless following common ag practices

i read through all the requirements last year... if you are picking up birds or dogs knock it down, it is ok...Running all over the place in a ranger to lay it over - no ok.

Really don't leave anything up to a judgment by a game warden.

I planted mine where I would have a landing area in the middle to put all my decoys without having to cross through the millet

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Kinda off topic but still somewhat to the point, I know some guys up in Monroe that leased a rice field but it was that year (maybe about 4-5 years back) when it rained like crazy during Sept/Oct and the farmer could not get in the field to cut it. The farmer wrote it off and the guys had a field of un-cut rice which was basically off limits since the field did not meet standard ag practice of having to be harvested to be legal. They got all kind of answers on the legality but the overall take was that if you have a field of uncut crop and if one speck of rice hits the water outside of a natural cause, it is a violation. Of course, thousands of birds sat in that field all year.

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How is that outside normal ag practice? If the farmer planted it with every intention of harvest, why as the hunter do you even care when and if he does? That doesn't make any sense to me? You could easily just play dumb, and any good lawyer would get you out of that in a heart beat. Some crops can have a 2 month swing easily. I'd also be curious as to know if the farmer literally can't harvest, what are you as the hunter doing wrong? I don't see how the state could tell you you can't harvest game because the farmer can't harvest their crop.

The main intent of laws like this are so that jokers don't take a bunch of corn or other seed, and just throw it around using the excuse "I was tryin to farm sir". I'm not sure if I've ever heard of someone getting in trouble for hunting over a crop planted and intended to be harvested by a farm.

If the farmer had fully intended to harvest, but was not able due to natural factors hunters most likely would be able to hunt it legally.

That being said a great quote above "don't leave anything up to the judgement of a game warden" is a good motto to live by. You'll find out something's just aren't worth the headache, even if you're sure you have a great lawyer that can get you off.

Our laws here in Texas match up with what jimjackandrose also said, you can plant it but if any of it is disturbed unnaturally, you can get fined big time.

Didn't think you had to harvest it. You can plant corn and flood it up to the ears and hunt ducks over it no?

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scaring up the ducks

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except that harassment of wildlife is also illegal


Here is the law from FWS on the baiting/planting issue

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A normal agricultural planting is undertaken for the purpose of producing a crop. The Fish and Wildlife Service does not make a distinction between agricultural fields planted with the intent to harvest a crop and those planted without such intent so long as the planting is in accordance with recommendations from the Cooperative Extension Service.

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You cannot legally hunt waterfowl over freshly planted wildlife food plots where grain or seed has been distributed, scattered, or exposed because these plots are not normal agricultural plantings or normal soil stabilization practices. Wildlife food plots may be considered a normal agricultural practice, but they do not meet the definition of a normal agricultural planting, harvest, post-harvest manipulation, or a normal soil stabilization practice.

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I'm also trying to figure out the best way to legally do Japanese millet, but in the marsh. Can't find also locally and don't know how I would site prep. One idea mentioned to me was to premix in soil and spread the soil. Don't know if it'll work but might give it a try if I can figure out the right rules to follow.

It's all covered up in vegetation right now. I don't know how to get that soil contact that I know it needs