Food plot dilemma

[Spencie]

We have three 1 acre (appx) food plots. One is in the bottom by the road. Two are on the ridge with a saddle between them....with young apple, pear and persimmon trees along the edges. All 3 are surrounded by clear cut bedding areas. We have had great success growing our food plots. Clover, turnips, chicory and brassica blends have all done great. My concern is that by November the plots have been decimated and use is sporadic. I don't think you can have enough food.

The more I learn about food plots the more confused I get. I can't make up my mind what I want to do for next year. We need something that does will use during the rut so the bucks will cruise through. But I don't know what that is. Chicory has been the best draw but by mid October it's mostly used up. Turnips and brassicas are great too but have about a 2 month period (nov-dec) of limited use, then pick back up. Clover has been a decent draw year round.

My thoughts right now are Clover/chicory blend in half of the top plots and brassicas in other half in the fall. The bottom plot may be in clover/chicory. I have thought about some corn or beans but I don't have any experience with either. I'm open to suggestions.

Then again maybe I will plant it all in fruit trees. I just ordered 2 more orchard ready Kieffer pear trees.

 

[Milo]

Are you late fertilizing like in august early september? we have the same issue. look at tubers that they can paw at later in the year. an acre isn't nearly enough generally. its doesnt take long once it turns to go dormant that you lose a lot of tonnage.

 

[Spencie]

We plant the 2nd week of August. We have no problem growing anything. There just doesn't seem to be enough acreage. Wish we could keep them out until October or find something they don't hit until later.

We have 2 acres of turnips waiting to be eaten right now.

 

[Milo]

We plant the 2nd week of August. We have no problem growing anything. There just doesn't seem to be enough acreage. Wish we could keep them out until October or find something they don't hit until later.

We have 2 acres of turnips waiting to be eaten right now.

this warm weather is killing the turnips getting eaten. we have several small isolated pocket plots and when the deer turn on them there is never enough. maybe even a soybean like Eagle might help some if they let it grow. its a tough time especially if they turn back onto acorns which they have done right now. the reds are getting picked through, you can try to isolate the plot and use an spray to keep them out. there is some cloth fence that you can spray that they dont like.

 

[MK111]

I started planting 3.0 ac. in 2013. I have 1.0 ac. of clover 1.5 ac. of forage oats and .5 ac. of turnips, beets, and radishes.
The deer feed in the clover year round and the green plants are ready for cold weather. Even now the deer hit the clover then move onto the forage oats and other green leafy plants.

If it was me I and only had 1.0 ac. I would plant 100% in deer clover. Matter of fact that's what I doing in 2015 on the other side of my farm for a new food plot.

But remember is that I consider clover as next year's crop. There's not really muck plant tops the 1st year as the plant is putting down a root system then come the falling spring it goes wild in growth. Any way that's how it worked for me and what research I've done on clover.

In 2013 the clover wasn't established yet and the .5 ac. of forage oats only last couple weeks come cold weather. The turnips. beets, radishes never were touched except every green top was eaten off. I only put turnips and radishes out now because I love to eat them. LOL

Good luck.

 

[Milo]

I started planting 3.0 ac. in 2013. I have 1.0 ac. of clover 1.5 ac. of forage oats and .5 ac. of turnips, beets, and radishes.
The deer feed in the clover year round and the green plants are ready for cold weather. Even now the deer hit the clover then move onto the forage oats and other green leafy plants.

If it was me I and only had 1.0 ac. I would plant 100% in deer clover. Matter of fact that's what I doing in 2015 on the other side of my farm for a new food plot.

But remember is that I consider clover as next year's crop. There's not really muck plant tops the 1st year as the plant is putting down a root system then come the falling spring it goes wild in growth. Any way that's how it worked for me and what research I've done on clover.

In 2013 the clover wasn't established yet and the .5 ac. of forage oats only last couple weeks come cold weather. The turnips. beets, radishes never were touched except every green top was eaten off. I only put turnips and radishes out now because I love to eat them. LOL

Good luck.

you sound like my dad frank...send him out to a food plot to bring back some venison and the dang guy brings back all these veggies....rotflmao

 

[Spencie]

If it was me I and only had 1.0 ac. I would plant 100% in deer clover. Matter of fact that's what I doing in 2015 on the other side of my farm for a new food plot.

But remember is that I consider clover as next year's crop. There's not really muck plant tops the 1st year as the plant is putting down a root system then come the falling spring it goes wild in growth. Any way that's how it worked for me and what research I've done on clover.

That's why I'm going to go with a clover/chicory blend and plant in the spring. I may just do all 3 plots with this and put in small turnip plots in the fall. Or do 1 field in beans or corn. Ugh, I don't know what I'm going to do. The only thing I know for sure is they LOVE chicory and corn.

 

[MK111]

I didn't think of a clover-chicory planting. That will give 2 a good 1st year crop then the clover takes over the 2nd yr. I was in a hurry to get some R&D work in when I posted earlier.
I will be planting a clover-chicory or a clover-winter greens in my new plot for 2015.

Yes I love turnips and radishes and so do the kids.

That's why I'm going to go with a clover/chicory blend and plant in the spring. I may just do all 3 plots with this and put in small turnip plots in the fall. Or do 1 field in beans or corn. Ugh, I don't know what I'm going to do. The only thing I know for sure is they LOVE chicory and corn.

 

[jagermeister]

Oats and winter rye... Either separate or mixed. Does really key in on them in October and early November. Easy to plant and they're fairly browse-tolerant in my opinion. You can still mix clover and chicory into them as well.

 

[Spencie]

My Dad showed up on planting day with some oat seeds. We tried them in one corner. They didn't do much but what grew was eaten by the deer. Any specific brand of seed??

 

[jagermeister]

My Dad showed up on planting day with some oat seeds. We tried them in one corner. They didn't do much but what grew was eaten by the deer. Any specific brand of seed??

Buck Forage Oats is the most popular but any cold-hearty oat variety will work. I've planted Jerry oats with success. Just go to your local coop and tell them you want canadian oats and/or winter rye (grain, not rye grass).

 

[Spencie]

I just checked out forage oats on google images...ours did not look like that.

 

[bowhunter1023]

I need to find something free actually eat. Been growing food plots fit for seed brochures and deer don't touch them. Going all cereal grains next year in hopes that works.

 

[Spencie]

I need to find something free actually eat. Been growing food plots fit for seed brochures and deer don't touch them. Going all cereal grains next year in hopes that works.

I have no problem getting them to eat it. Try Frigid Forage seeds.

I'm looking for something that might be more effective in November.

 

[Milo]

Oats do real well by us also but we never really plant them much. Not are why. We may be stuck in our old habits. We do a lot of corn and soybeans. Just a a few fall plots .

 

[hickslawns]

If you go with oats, winter wheat, or similar, do your homework on planting dates. Going off memory, I was thinking we waited until the last week or so in August to plant. Seems they were 10-15" tall and just about right for the deer to take to them by opening weekend. I have been known to work my paths in my woods in late August and plant winter wheat/oats. There are fields around. I have plenty of oaks. What seemed to do well was planting these grains and it helped draw them onto our property. My property is small though. I need all the help I can get.

 

[Spencie]

We do a lot of corn and soybeans.

What are you thoughts on corn and soy beans for food plots? Is it worth the extra effort and money? Any suggestions??

 

[MK111]

If you are in farm country why will the deer come to your corn and beans? In my mind it has to be a special draw of some kind.
A expert I am not by any means but this is what I've seen in the last 2 years.
When deer walk out of the neighbors brush and walk 200 yds. through a field of high quality horse hay non stop and go straight to my WT Inst. clover patch that tells me it's a special draw.
I've had excellent results with WT Inst. clover and Forage Oats the last 2 years and I see no reason to change. I had a very bad 2014 experience with another seed company planting so I'll never go back there. I got a grass that took over and smothered out 1/2 ac. of beets, turnips and radish. That seed company will go un-named.

In the future I will plant only clover and forage oats. I plant turnips and radishes because I love to eat them myself plus the deer eat the tops off in the winter.

Ask me in 5 years how it's working out.

What are you thoughts on corn and soy beans for food plots? Is it worth the extra effort and money? Any suggestions??

 

[Spencie]

The closest crops are about 3/4 of a mile away to the east. I know that property owner. We share many of the same bucks. But each have bucks the other has never seen. So corn and beans may be a viable option. There are no crops for miles in all other directions.

 

[Milo]

What are you thoughts on corn and soy beans for food plots? Is it worth the extra effort and money? Any suggestions??

Where your from they are awesome. They use them as cover also. We also use the corn as a plot screen. The equipment is way more expensive than the seed. Beans you can broadcast and cultipacker and they turn out great when you use innooculant which help the sprout and form roots. Beams are especially deadly on turkeys