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Oat plots?

Rutin

Rutin

Senior Member
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Ina Duck Blind
This year i am going to be planting clover, oats, and RR soybeans..... I finally got permission in this little honey hole of an area to plant..... This is a south facing plot so sun is not and issue and there is about 10 acres to work with.

Ive been researching alot on Oats and its amazing how many people DONT use them, and how reliable and cheap they actually are. I can buy 50lbs for around $10 at the local feed mill, which is about 1/3 the cost and 10x the amount you buy from name brand stuff with a deer on it.

Does anyone else use oats?

Before mowing
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one side
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other side
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small time operation
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Missed a spot.. lol.. Just kidding. Oats huh.. Sounds interesting. I don;t see why not... Keep up updated with pics on how it goes. Put up one of those round screen things to let us see how high it would have gotten.
 
That's gonna be a dynamite plot, Rutin! Deer absolutely LOVE oats... ever hear of Buck Forage Oats?... they are killer, but like you said, it's a lot cheaper to go with generic oats from the local mill. Another thing you may want to consider is mixing some Winter Rye (cereal rye, not rye grass) into this plot. Rye tends to stay greener, therefore more palatable, a little bit longer than oats... so by mixing the two together it ensures that there's longer time frame of attraction in the plot.

Last fall I planted three plots... a blend of 45% canadian oats, 45% winter rye, 5% red clover, and 5% ladino clover. The deer tore up the oats and rye in the fall and early spring. Meanwhile, the clover was establishing its root system and now the clover is blowing up, providing high protein forage all summer long. In the fall, I'll probably till the clover under and do it all over again. Clover is a legume, which is a nitrogen-fixer, so tilling clover back into the soil is a cheap method of soil fertilization.

I'm no food plot expert by any means... I'm still relatively new to it and am learning as best I can. If you want some more info on oats and other plots, send Darron a PM... he's pretty knowledgeable on food-plotting for wildlife.
 
Awesome info thanks.... yea I have some jumbo ladino I could always mix in and rye is cheap as well so I may pick some up. I will def post pics once I turn the ground over and plant it. I will throw a couple tomatoe cages out in the mix to see actual growth without deer consumption. Its funny you bring up missing certain spots..... I like to leave small saplings and briar patches to use as land marks from my stand so im not guess or using my rangefinder, plus the sapling turn into little rub posts.
 
Rutin said:
Awesome info thanks.... yea I have some jumbo ladino I could always mix in and rye is cheap as well so I may pick some up. I will def post pics once I turn the ground over and plant it. I will throw a couple tomatoe cages out in the mix to see actual growth without deer consumption. Its funny you bring up missing certain spots..... I like to leave small saplings and briar patches to use as land marks from my stand so im not guess or using my rangefinder, plus the sapling turn into little rub posts.
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That's a hell of a good idea, man... I'll have to try that!
 
Looking good Rutin. Hope it works out well for you. I have a property I hunt with a couple patches similar to yours. Just a bit wider. There are two like this with an overgrown fence row (overgrown as in about 30-40yds overgrown lol) in between the two. The bucks love to cruise these edges with all the cover.

I should edit this. The area these are in are pretty secluded fields therefore offering great cover from the road although open areas. Gives them some sense of security.
 
Deer love oats, however, no matter what oats you plant after a couple hard freezes they are toast. This usually happens right during prime time (November). To counter this, add winter rye to your oats as well as clover. The oats will serve as a great early season draw and then the rye will stay green and palatable all winter long through the spring. Here's what I plant (all pounds per acre)

Winter rye- 50#
Oats (regular feed oats work fine)- 100#
Field Peas- 40#
Red clover -8-12# or white clover 4-6#

*Plant from mid-August through September 1.*

I have planted this mix for the past five yrs and the deer love it. A guy from Iowa I talk to over the internet shared this mix to me and I have planted it every year in one of my plots. If the above mix does not get used, you don't have any deer. I rotate this and brassicas every year. I have three food plots on my farm. Two of which I rotate with the above mix and brassicas every year and one I leave in clover and simply frost seed every year in March.

I planted the above mix last year in one of my more secluded plots and at one time I counded 9 different deer feeding in the 1/4 acre plot. The 140" buck I shot this year ran a doe out of this plot under my stand.
 
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In addition, 10 acres is one heck of a food plot. You might want to think about breaking it up into two sections.

2-3 acres of the oat/rye mix

2-3 acres of brassicas

Allow the other sections to grow up as cover. Plant 4-6 acres in the middle of the field. That's what I would do.
 
Excellent knowledge you are sharing with us Darron. Thank you. I am hoping to get the tractor to the farm this week if at all possible. We have a ton of trees to move so we can get the corn planted still, but it is pretty stinking late for corn at this point.
 
Planting corn after June 15 is tough. Just know your yields with likely suffer. Beans on the other hand can be planted through the end of June.

I would love to plant corn but I don't have enough food plot acreage to do it. Most of my food plots fall in the area of 1/8th of an acre up to about 3/4 acre. I personally like the smaller plots. It seems like they get more use during hunting hours.

In addition, IMO, when planting corn and/or beans one needs at minimum 3 acres. Deer and other wildlife can wipe out corn and beans very quick. For those with smaller food plots like myself, try planting clovers and cereal grains. They can take heavy grazing unlike corn and beans.

Fall is a great time to establish clovers. This is why I incorporate clover with my grain mix above. It allows the clover to build a root system while the oats and rye act as a cover crop. In the spring the clover takes off.

The peas in the mix are simply candy to the deer. Deer will lap up the peas very quickly.
 
Yea this area is easly 5 acres just in that little cubbie hole... I am going to plant at least 3 in beans but was curious about plant oats throughout the rest. Im thinking an oat/rye/clover plots is the way to go at this point for the excess.
 
I have read darron's post's the last couple of years and have decided this fall I'm gonna give his recipe a go. I started spraying my old clover/weed plot in April. It looks like a dessert up there now, lol. Can't wait till August to get it started. I have tried spring clover in the past and the weeds seem to always win.
 
I plant oats on 2 small feed plots at home , both are less than 1 acre each

But I wait till late July to mid Aug
As I want it to be ready for mid to late Oct
I found if I planted it in late Apr - early May

It would fully dry by late July

Maybe this late in June will work

But normal oats planted late May to now will machure in 50 -60 days ( ready to harvest )
Plant in Late July or Aug will take 75 days

I plant 50 lb Oats and 50 lb of winter rye per acre
And put on 40 - 50 lb of Nitrogen

John
 
lung buster said:
I have read darron's post's the last couple of years and have decided this fall I'm gonna give his recipe a go. I started spraying my old clover/weed plot in April. It looks like a dessert up there now, lol. Can't wait till August to get it started. I have tried spring clover in the past and the weeds seem to always win.
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Planting clover in the spring is a nightmare in my opinion. I tried it once (my first year food plotting) and told myself I would never do that again. Fall planted clover is much less hassles and worries. The rye actually gives off chemicals that prevents some weeds from growing. Come spring you have a clover plot with very few weeds. Just make sure not to plant the rye too thick (50-60# per acre is plenty). You don't even have to mow the rye down. It will break off on its own.
 
Johnch said:
I plant oats on 2 small feed plots at home , both are less than 1 acre each

But I wait till late July to mid Aug
As I want it to be ready for mid to late Oct
I found if I planted it in late Apr - early May

It would fully dry by late July

Maybe this late in June will work

But normal oats planted late May to now will machure in 50 -60 days ( ready to harvest )
Plant in Late July or Aug will take 75 days

I plant 50 lb Oats and 50 lb of winter rye per acre
And put on 40 - 50 lb of Nitrogen

John
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I would recommend planting oats and/or rye around mid-August through 9/1. I usually take the bow opener and count back 30-45 days. This way come the bow opener the grains are anywhere from 3-6" tall, not 12"+. Once the grains reach about 10-12" they become less attractive to deer. If time is an issue and you can't get them in the ground mid-late August, try doing it the first week or so of August but do not fertilize. July planting IMO is a no no. The only thing I plant in July are brassicas and I usually do that around mid-July.

I also never fertilize my grains with heavy doses of N. They grow fast enough as it is without any extra help, let alone 60-80# of N. If one feels the need to fertilize put down something for the clover that is low in N (6-24-24).

That's the one thing I like about oats and rye. They will grow just about anywhere no matter how bad the ph is. If your ph is not great use a red clover instead of white clover. I like alta-swede mammoth red. If you are wanting to turn the plot into a perennial white clover try alice white clover.
 
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lung buster said:
I have read darron's post's the last couple of years and have decided this fall I'm gonna give his recipe a go. I started spraying my old clover/weed plot in April. It looks like a dessert up there now, lol. Can't wait till August to get it started. I have tried spring clover in the past and the weeds seem to always win.
Click to expand...

I used Darron's recipe last fall in three different plots, minus the field peas, and they were all very successful IMO. The deer hit them hard and all through the hunting season, thanks to the winter rye. Now this spring, the oats and rye have been mowed down, and the clover is flourishing.
 
Darron-

I appreciate you sharing your information with us. I copied all your posts and sent them to my buddy. He is all sorts of bummed right now that neither of our work schedules allowed us to get in to plant the corn. I am hoping to get the tractor out again this week as last week fizzled out on me. If we can at least get the ground turned and something planted, we are moving forward. This is our second season on the property and we can only do so much each year. Your information has been extremely insightful and I hope to apply some of your ideas and experiences into our food plots this year. Thanks again for taking the time to share your experiences and knowledge with us on TOO!
 
Went down today to check on my food plots....

I recently mowed my fall planted rye/oat/clover plot back in late May. The clover, as I expected, is flourishing in the 3/4 acre plot. I have a nice blanket of alice white clover, mammoth red clover and alsike clover with very few weeds. My other plot was a failed brassica planting due to drought so I overseeded it with rye and the same clover mix as above in late August last year. Once again the clover is shin tall, thick and weed free. My trails, although somewhat shaded, are also flourishing with the above white clover mix. The deer are literally knee deep in clover! I put down a low N fertilizer about two-three weeks ago of 6-23-23 and it really gave it a boost. From what I saw today I think I am going to strip plot my larger 3/4 acre plot. Leave one half in clover and till the other half and plant brassicas next month. Then in my other 1/4 acre plot till up and replant my rye/oat/clover mix. Leave my frost seeded clover plot and plant my gasline plot in rye no till overseed method. This fall deer will have a nice mix of turnips, rape, red clover, white clover, oats, rye, peas and radishes to munch on! Sounds like a plan!

Neighbor said she is seeing 6-8 deer every night feeding in one of my plots that can be seen partially from the road (that will change with a recent planting of hybrid willows that grow up to 6' in a year). Not that she would ever bother them, but if she can see them others can see them as well. I planted the hyrbrid willows as a road screen. She also informed me I have recently inherited a 4-wheeling problem. Looks like the sheriff will be getting a call soon:smiley_depressive: The joys of land ownership!

I put my cameras out over two mineral sites on each ends of the property. I look forward to seeing what is visiting them.
 
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