I'm getting ready to plant two new food plots both are relatively small about a half an acre a piece and I'm going to plant them in brassicas. I planted some biologic winter bulbs last year and they did well but I want to l know what other people are using and how it's come up for them in the past. I did do a soil sample and have limed and will fertilize when I seed. Thanks in advance!
I personally like a mixture of oats and clover. That seems to do really well for most of the season for me. I will plant some turnips but that is mostly for a late food source for the deer.
any brassica's that are new to the areas deer may get un-noticed the first year. seems like deer may need to (aquire) a taste for them. i've had very good luck with Shot-Plot for about 10 years
Last year I planted Frigid forage Big and Beasty. They ate it down to the dirt then dug up the turnips and radishes. I also like to plant buck forage oats. They seem to love them too and they are easy to plant and maintain. Also remember with the turnips and radishes they love nitrogen. so when you plant it wouldn't be a bad idea to spread some urea to give the plants what they want to produce the maximum tonnage.
I'm not a pure food plot planter. I like to mix in some clover and winter wheat with my brassicas. I think also that brassicas are an acquired taste for deer as the first couple of years that I planted them, the deer hardly touched them.
Frigid forage big and beasty works well, I think I'm going to seed some oats and winter rye with it Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk
Sun and air can bleach nutrients and kill good bacteria. Also adds to erosion. Better to drill if possible.
I had good luck with clover, Essex rape and sugar beets last year. How well it comes up will depend on how much seed to soil contact you get, cultipacking being the key since most food plot seed options only need to be seeded 1/4" deep. I didn't get mine "packed" very well last year so it took about 4 weeks and a good 1" of rain to get it to germinate. Having the ground bare shouldn't hurt much either, but Jeepwillys is right in that your chance for erosion will increase. Mine is sitting bare right now. I like to let the weeds come up so I can get a better kill on everything before I plant in early August. Like any farmer will tell you, get it right to begin with and let mother nature do her thing!
what would be the best way to hunt a food plot like this? by stand or by ground blind? I just planted my first plot in the back of my property and the deer are eating it like crazy already. just not sure how I should hunt it this coming season.
I would more worry about the wind direction, which way are the deer moving at night or in morning. Also how you can get in and out without spooking deer. I prefer tree stand, see more, learn more, and tons more. But figure out how the deer are using it first. Location, Location, Location
I have had very very good luck with Winter Greens from Whitetail Institute. This year I am planting a new brassica mix they have called Ambush. I have high hopes for it. Its main forage is sugar beets, but has oats and a couple other brassicas in it as well.
Thanks for the input guys I did a turnip blend from tecomate that came highly recommended from a guy at my bow shop. I did mix in some buck oats just for a variety. For the other plot I am going to do Big and Beasty with some austrian winter peas, I won't plant that one until the last week in july! Excitement for the upcoming season is building fast!
