Iowa late season deer management? What would be the best way to keep deer in the winter? I have lots of deer all through the rut but once the ruts over they all leave. I am thinking about food plots but don't know what's best to plant?! Any other tips would be helpful as well! Thanks!!
Might want to consider hinge cutting. It creates almost instant sanctuary. It leaves drop trees for bucks to lay against. Makes thick nasty cover, which is perfect for all whitetails. What I do is cut a block and hunt only the edges, and if the wind is cooperating sitting over a plot edging your block is a gold mine. It's the Hotel theory. Give them food and a safe place to sleep and hunt when it's time to mint the pillow
The ground I hunt has a bunch of hedge trees on it also does hinge cutting work still?! And I only have one area that they really bed in the tend to bed on the neighbors.
Turnips/radishes are great late season crops. The bulbs are loaded with energy and you will have deer digging them up once the snow is on the ground. Try planting a turnip and radish plot with oats as a cover crop. That will attract deer in the early season and create a great late season food source.
There is no doubt in the right setting that this is the case. Example: We live in an agricultural area with the main crops being beans and corn. We planted over 1 1/2 acres last year of every kind of brassica you could come up with. We might as well have planted Milorganite. The deer wouldn't look at them. We even planted some of them in bare spots that were in the bean field. No luck. The only thing out of all that we planted that the deer even paid any attention to were the Winter Peas. No luck on the wheat or oats either. At my in-laws. Their place is in town. No agricultural ground within 2 miles, as the crow flies, of there place. We planted the exact same mix at their place as we planted at our place. The deer hammered it every day. So, it is a definite case by case example. Good Luck with which ever way you go. I'm not at all trying to take away from the attractiveness of brassica but they have to be in the right place.
On one of my best properties I have sort of the same problem. We have acorns for the early season but no late season food near. I'm going to plant a fall blend come august and I will be planting Brassica Plus from Arrow seed. Its got a good mid/late season mixture to it. Brassica Plus - Arrow Seed
turnips/radishes/brassicas work best for us in southern Illinois for late season. Standing Soybeans and winter wheat and winter peas are good as well. Its all an experimental process for your area and the nutritional needs of the herd in your area at the time.
