Approximately three fourths of this property is currently farmed. To make this the ultimate hunting preserve, we will be planting this tilled soil to permanent cover this spring. We have chosen four separate recipes of grasses and forbs, each to match the particular soil type as well as the moisture holding conditions of each site. These blends of plants will attract birds as well as deer. Because our area has very little "brush", sites that have tall grasses (basin wild rye and tall wheatgrass) will have great attraction for deer. The shorter grasses (western and northern wheatgrass) provide excellent cover and nesting areas for all birds, especially the pheasants. The forbs (sainfoin, alfalfa and burnet) provide lush green grazing during the growing season and seed food source during the winter months.

The soil types on this piece of land vary from wet marshy to upland dry and most everything in between. When this varied of land is planted to these recipes, it will provide a large variety of conditions and vegetation. The objective is to enhance the wildlife habitat on this already sought after hunting ground. It is good now, but it will be unbelievable!

The four recipes are as follows:

• Basin Wildrye
• Tall Wheatgrass

• NewHy Wheatgrass
• Tall Wheatgrass

• NewHy Wheatgrass
• Western Wheatgrass
• Burnet
• Sainfoin

• Northern Wheatgrass
• Alfalfa
• Burnet

Here is a brief description of these plants as taken from Montana Interagency Plant Materials Handbook.

Basin (Giant) Wildrye (Elymus cinereus)
Basin wildrye is a hardy, robust, long-lived, native, perennial bunch-grass with many basal leaves. Its stems are numerous, erect, stiff and stout, usually 3 to 5 feet tall, but can reach a height of 10 feet on good sites. Leaves are firm, flat, up to ¾ inch wide and 20 to 30 inches long. It is valuable for range seedings or adopted sites and for reclamation planting and it provides excellent cover for upland gamebirds.

NewHy Wheatgrass (Elytrigia repens (L.) nevski x Pseudoroegneria spicata (PURSH) A. Love)
NewHy provides a tremendous amount of forage and retains forage quality late in the season. A long-lived, cool season perennial, NewHy is adapted to semiarid areas such as the Intermountain and Northern Great Plains that receive 13-15 inches of precipitation annually. Although NewHy typically begins growth in early spring, its leaves remain greener and more succulent during late summer than other wheatgrasses.

Northern Wheatgrass (Agropyron dasystachyum)
Northern wheatgrass is a native, long-lived, cool-season, drought-tolerant, sod-forming, perennial grass. The root system of northern wheatgrass is made up of a combination of creeping, underground rootstocks, a dense, shallow, fibrous root system (4 to 12 inches) and a few deep roots that penetrate below 2 feet. This combination of roots makes this plant quite drought-tolerant. Although this species is rhizomatous; it does develop small tufts of plants that are 18 to 30 inches tall.

Tall Wheatgrass (Agropyron elongatum)
Tall wheatgrass is a bunchgrass that extends its size by producing tufts on short rootstocks at the edge of mature plants. Long, course, light green, basal leaves surround several leafy stems that are 3 to 7 feet tall. Tall wheatgrass, when not grazed or mowed, will remain erect until after the following year's growth reaches maturity. It affords excellent cover for birds and other wildlife, and like basin wildrye, is sometimes used by ranchers for protection during calving or lambing. Tall wheatgrass is used in wildlife plantings where its tall, persistent, bunchy growth provides nesting sites and cover for upland gamebirds. In wildlife plantings, interrupted drill strips, alternated with lower growing species, provide excellent cover and good hunting.

Western Wheatgrass (Agropyron smithii)
Western wheatgrass is a long-lived, sod-forming perennial. The plant is well adapted to survive drought and to take advantage of light rains that soak only the top surface of the soil. Plant growth is vigorous, with seed heads at a height of 2 to 3 feet and leaves 8 to 12 inches long. The leaf blades do not droop, but are more or less stiff and erect. The leaves are blue-green, and the entire plant is covered with a grayish bloom, which gives it a distinctive coloration.

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa)
Alfalfa is an herbaceous, perennial legume that has often been called the "Queen of the Forages". It is the most important forage crop in the United States. Alfalfa is basically a tap-rooted plant that may penetrate the soil to a depth of 30 feet or more. The established plants are very competitive, and will survive 20 years. The stems grow erect and reach a height of 2 to 3 feet.

Small Burnet (Sanquisorba minor)
Small burnet is a hardy-lived perennial that stays green year around. It is well adapted to sites throughout the Intermountain region. Small burnet is a preferred food plant by game animals, especially in late winter and early spring.

Sainfoin (Onobrychis viciaefolia)
Sainfoin is deep-rooted and very drought-resistant, provided the annual rainfall is 12 inches or over. It yields best on deep, well-drained soils, and will not withstand wet soils or high water tables. Sainfoin begins growth in the spring about the same time as alfalfa, but flowers one to two weeks earlier. Sainfoin is very palatable, and is relished by deer.