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Post by steiny on Jul 12, 2011 19:53:40 GMT -5
Put in four plots of soybeans totalling about three acres. They've only been in the ground about a month, and three of the four plots are already mowed down to near nothing by the deer. Guess thats what I get for planting food plots,  ? Anyway, I'm going to just plant another crop of beans right over them, driving across what remains of the beans. Then I'm going to broadcast rape seed into these plots to grow between the beans and hopefully provide a little more forage. I will hand seed the last remaining decent plot with rape, so I don't smash those beans. Also going to plant about three acres of purple top turnips in august to hopefully provide some winter forage. Crazy how they are wiping out these beans. I've got at least 100 acres of beans on adjacent farms surrounding my place, but they destroy these little plots. Guess they like the seclusion amongst the cover. |
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Post by freedomhunter on Jul 13, 2011 6:35:34 GMT -5
we planted one big bean plot last year close to 5 acres, had some left out there late season, but not much. Observed as many as 8 deer in the plot several times. Also had some other plantings in the area that were not beans. So, if you have alot of deer you have to go big on the plot if possible or keep re-planting
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Post by countrystyle56 on Jul 13, 2011 7:10:06 GMT -5
Are you planting these plots to hunt over, or just for a food source for the deer? If they are to hunt over, soybeans aren't that great of a choice. The deer eat the soy beans while they are young. By the time season rolls around, the beans have started to ripen and the deer will move on to something else. Might be better off planting corn or even a clover mix that will produce through the winter.
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Post by steiny on Jul 13, 2011 20:23:55 GMT -5
Was hoping to have some beans around for a winter food source after everything else is gone or frozen. Turns out the beans are getting consumed as summer forage, which isn't all bad either.
Mowed out a +/- 2 acre area to plant turnips this evening. Need to plow, disc, prep and apply round up to kill weeds first.
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Post by freedomhunter on Jul 15, 2011 7:07:35 GMT -5
Are you planting these plots to hunt over, or just for a food source for the deer? If they are to hunt over, soybeans aren't that great of a choice. The deer eat the soy beans while they are young. By the time season rolls around, the beans have started to ripen and the deer will move on to something else. Might be better off planting corn or even a clover mix that will produce through the winter. They go back to any standing beans late esp. if snow on ground, last year was a perfect example (it was awesome), so basically you are wrong |
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Post by countrystyle56 on Jul 15, 2011 7:29:31 GMT -5
Are you planting these plots to hunt over, or just for a food source for the deer? If they are to hunt over, soybeans aren't that great of a choice. The deer eat the soy beans while they are young. By the time season rolls around, the beans have started to ripen and the deer will move on to something else. Might be better off planting corn or even a clover mix that will produce through the winter. They go back to any standing beans late esp. if snow on ground, last year was a perfect example (it was awesome), so basically you are wrong LOL!!!! So you think deer are more attracted to a bean field than a corn field when there is snow on the ground? Hmmmmm. They go back to the beans very late in the season after all other, more preferable, food sources have deminished. So I guess if you want to plant a food plot to attract deer in late Dec. early Jan. plant you some beans. Personally I like one that attracts the doe's in Nov. when the bucks are cruising. So basically, you get way to defensive about other peoples differing opinions! But thanks for letting me know I am wrong! |
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Post by steiny on Jul 17, 2011 16:16:14 GMT -5
Deer will hit standing beans late in the year (muzzleloader season) same as they will hit standing corn. Good November food plots are tricky, because the "green stuff" clovers, forage, etc. may have been frosted on hard and the deer lose interest. I don't generally see them hitting the corn stubble or beans too hard until after season when it gets real cold.
In November, I'd concentrate on BREEDING ACTIVITY,
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Post by countrystyle56 on Jul 17, 2011 17:05:44 GMT -5
Deer will hit standing beans late in the year (muzzleloader season) same as they will hit standing corn. Good November food plots are tricky, because the "green stuff" clovers, forage, etc. may have been frosted on hard and the deer lose interest. I don't generally see them hitting the corn stubble or beans too hard until after season when it gets real cold. In November, I'd concentrate on BREEDING ACTIVITY, So where do you find deer feeding during season? Food sources are a Major factor in breeding activity. You want to hunt a food source during the rut because the cruising bucks are continuously checking them for receptive doe's. Doe's most definately do use food plots throughout the rut. In my opinion, the best food plot for Nov. hunting is a mix of standing corn rows broken up with patches of a white clover, brassica, chickorey mix. Buck oats have done me well in the past too. |
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Post by steiny on Jul 18, 2011 8:31:20 GMT -5
I hunt travel routes in November to catch traveling bucks sniffing around for does. Deer are hitting a wide variety of things at this time; browse, what clover they find that hasn't been frosted on too hard, acorns, picking a little waste grain in fields, etc.
Bucks aren't feeding much, mostly traveling and burning off the fat they put on all summer. I don't find them to be zeroed in on any feed in particular at this time, like they are on the earlier and later.
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Post by trapperdave on Jul 18, 2011 12:04:35 GMT -5
i agree. if your hunting food plots during the rut, youre missing some bucks IMO. they are cruising and checking from downwind much more than out in the open so if youre hunting a fields edge, many bucks may be passing by a hundred yards behind you. Hunt the bottlenecks that force all area bucks thru a small area when they are trolling
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Post by esshup on Jul 23, 2011 9:57:00 GMT -5
I went to a QDMA seminar the 9th of July that had Dr. Grant Woods as the main speaker. We were on a property that had some tremendous deer on it, and no fences.
He had some very good points. He likes planting soybeans for deer, but not the typical "farm" kind that is determinate i.e. sets the bean pods all at once. There is at least one kind that is indeterminate and will set pods and continue to put out new leaves and shoots until it's killed by the cold.
He also said that a deer's body changes in the Fall, and they switch food sources from greens to carbohydrates. So, standing corn is a great late season attractant, providing it still has corn on it. Next year I'm going to plant some, and fence it off with an electric fence. I'll take the fence down around the first of November and see what happens. I don't want the 'coons or squirrels getting to the corn when it's still young.
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Post by duff on Jul 23, 2011 12:19:33 GMT -5
... I'll take the fence down around the first of November and see what happens. I don't want the 'coons or squirrels getting to the corn when it's still young. That will be some tight electric fence to keep coons and squirrels out! Good luck  |
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