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Post by Sasquatch on Dec 13, 2007 19:09:55 GMT -5
Well, the large pet cow that occupied the pasture portion of my lease last year has passed on, and the landowner is agreeable to planting a food plot. It's a potentially fantastic situation, with at least four acres available to plant, with woods on two sides. the back portion, probably two acres, is out of sight of the house and past an overgrown fence, which makes the deer feel a little better about coming out before dark. The surrounding terrain is hilly and holds a lot of deer. What is the easiest stuff to grow? The hardiest? The most delicious? I know nothing about this stuff. Help!
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Post by huxbux on Dec 13, 2007 20:09:41 GMT -5
I don't know much about planting food plots, but I do know that the Imperial Whitetail Extreme is very easy to grow. We have very sandy soil here, but it's done very well. All I did was break the top 2" with the dozer, and grade flat, seed with a broadcast spreader and run over with a section of chain link fence. I fertilize twice a year with 12-12-12. It's lasted three years now with only one grass eradication treatment. It's probably not the best of the plantings as far as nutrition, but the deer here feed on it regularly and if you have poor soil and are susceptible to drought, it's just the ticket.
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Post by danf on Dec 13, 2007 22:56:23 GMT -5
First question needs to be- what kind of equipment do you have access to; either what you own, can borrow or rent? Do you have operator(s) for the equipment?
Next is access in general- how wide are gates, how tall are openings in woods to get there, etc.
Third is maintenance- a lot of things need to be cut a couple of times a year, can you do that?
If you have the equipment, I consider breaking the 4 acres down into smaller plots that can be more easily managed. What I personally would do is plant an annual corn and soybean rotation, probably an acre of each. I'd then do around a half to a full acre of a fall planting- winter wheat or oats, mixing in turnips and peas. The remainder I'd plant in a perennial mixture of clover, chicory and probably some brassica (rape) and maybe even a little alfalfa thrown in. This last section would need to be mowed 2-3 times per year.
With smaller "plots" within the plot, it's easier to key in on what the deer are actively feeding on, and you can set stands well in advance to give you access to all areas.
Good luck and have fun!
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Post by Sasquatch on Dec 14, 2007 8:25:58 GMT -5
Well, the landowner has a tractor, bush-hog, and a quad. I think he has a disc as well. We can easily get to everything. Looks like things could get interesting.
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Post by chicobrownbear on Dec 14, 2007 10:58:12 GMT -5
Turnips.
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Post by hornharvester on Dec 14, 2007 14:27:45 GMT -5
Depends on when you want the deer in the plot. As Chico said turnips are the easiest to plant and will attract deer into January. I'm hunting my turnip plot right now but haven't seen any doe, only bucks and I filled my buck tag for this year. Evolved Habitat makes Shot Plot and its worked good for me the last 5 years or so. h.h.
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Post by esshup on Dec 14, 2007 23:58:56 GMT -5
Don't forget to test the soil in a few areas to see what you need to add for the plot to succeed (incl. lime).
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Post by mbogo on Dec 27, 2007 15:02:14 GMT -5
My father and I have had good luck with a mixture of chicory and clover the past two years. It has been pretty easy to grow when planted in the fall and works for both deer and turkey. With that much area I would also suggest planting something else like turnips or beets for the winter months.
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Post by Sasquatch on Dec 27, 2007 19:59:11 GMT -5
Thanks for the tips. Keep em' comin!
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Post by kbiddle on Feb 1, 2008 11:23:34 GMT -5
Sasquatch,
Like everyone else has said there are several different options out there... I was faced with similar decision awhile back...
The fist year I went with some Biologic and I have also used some of the imperial product as well...
Here are a couple of the things that I think matters... as others have said a soil sample is probably the best place to start... it is cheap to free... and really gets you some good info in as far as fertilizers needed...
What I really like the best is a blend... be it chicory, alfalfa , clover or whatever... the goal is to keep the deer coming in for as long as possible... and with the right blend this can be spread out over a longer period... or all year for that matter...
Now when you do decide... visit your local co-op and see if they have a simliar seed or can custom make you a blend.. a good way to figure it out is all food plot seeds have a ingredient tag on the side... you can take that to the co-op and they have something simliar or can make you a blend just like it...
It is typically a fraction of the cost, seed much better quality and is generally specific to your area... who knows better what will grow around you than the co-op..
As others have said its allot of work and you may have to use trial and error... but the main thing is stick with it and have fun there is no better feeling than seeing a area you create full of deer...
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Post by steiny on Mar 3, 2008 19:56:46 GMT -5
I had a beautiful stand of turnips several years ago, probably 5 acres, and the deer all but ignored them. Guess they were strange to them, so they didn't eat them. Might work, if you planted them several years in a row, so they'd get them figured out.
Best thing I've found is a good mix of alfalfa and clover. They love it, and all you have to do is mow it a couple times each summer. Buy it from the local elevator, not Gander Mountain and you'll save a ton. Anything with a picture of a big buck on the bag will cost about twice what it's really worth.
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Post by shieldingarrow on Apr 15, 2008 20:45:11 GMT -5
Were can I get my soil tested. I know it is sandy. I have some red clover planted there now.
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