Alright guys, since this season hasn't gone my way, I'm already planning for next season. I am planning on putting in a food plot and dont know which way to go. Im from Northern Indiana and of course we have corn and beans that the deer eat all the time, but I want something that I can rely on to grow big bucks consistently. I need to know what to plant. I like the thought of turnips, but I'm not sure on their nutrition as far as growing big racks go? Clover is obviously an option, but I'm not sold on the deer choosing clover over delicious corn. What works for you guys?
No seed is going to "grow big racks". Overall larger antlers are affected by 3 things: Genetics, Age and overall health, and in that order. Some deer could live to be 8 and wouldn't even hit Booner...some not even P&Y, but still VERY MUCH A TROPHY. Genetics we can't control. Age we can assist somewhat. Overall health can be assisted in many ways. -Providing security and safety cover; lessons stress and provides safety from pressure. This is overlooked by many and they skip straight to food plots because they're the trendy thing. But proper security cover not only encourages daytime movement, it provides safety from other hunters and predators thus creating less stress and increasing the chance of survival to older age. -Mineral/Vitamin Supplementation; it is true many nutrients and such are absorbed by their natural browsing and digestion of all their food..and to an extent from the water they drink. However, one can supplement this with true mineral products not just high in salt. There are very few on the market that are not just glorified salt licks, Monsterraxx is a good one. HOWEVER KNOW IN INDIANA YOU CANNOT UTILIZE MINERAL LICKS IN SEASON AND 10 DAYS PRIOR. CO ENCOURAGED US THAT IF WE DIG UP THE AFFECTED SOIL WE SHOULD BE GOOD....BUT WE ALSO FENCE THE SECTION OFF IN FIRST WEEK OF SEPTEMBER TO ENSURE NO ILLEGAL HUNTING OCCURS. -Food Plots; are by far the jump to thing for many...which can result in poor placement, design and results. No magic seed is going to produce magical bigger racks. However, proper food consumption throughout the season will help bucks run down recoup from the rut, does be healthier thus having healthier fawns and better milk while nursing...all resulting in healthier deer which should naturally assist in their skeletal and antler development. As for what to plant a lot needs considered. Brassicas are awesome and come late season are huge sources of food for deer and can be POUNDED when standing beans are gone and picked corn fields are bare or corn has rotted. It all depends on location of the plots, surrounding food sources both destination or cash crop fields as well as the state of natural brows in the woods and mass producing trees.
As I stress to all my Insiders and clients...it isn't about beating nearby destination plots of large fields of corn and beans...it's providing a spot safe and secure for them to feed before heading to them at night and after retreating from them in the morning...upping odds of daytime movement. A lot depends on property size and plot sizes and cover/bedding size on your property or around it that would dictate what, how and where I'd plant things.
Ty pretty much nailed it. If you can hinge cut a sanctuary and give those big bucks a place to go and feel safe, it gives them cover and browse and in my opinion the greatest improvement a guy can make on his property. As far as food plots go, this year I planted a winter rye with oats plot and deer have hammered it from early bow season to right now as we speak. We have taken 3 deer off it so far and I have passed many smaller bucks. A small tucked away plot with cover around it can really produce results as long as your access on exit routes are good. Scoot
Scoot...rye/oat combo is a must for us now....the benefit of having some around is that stuff can be planted if a drought zaps plots or growth just doesn't happen for you. We had to overseed our worthless brassica plots at the homestead and even threw some on our clover plots and a week before October 1st. Deer love the stuff. Going to implement a staggered seeding with the stuff next year so always fresh new growth is occurring. Love rye/oats and if space allows should always be used by anyone!
Yep Ty, I absolutely love winter rye, easy to grow, good for soil and gives deer food when its needed most, the winter. Brad, if you wanted you could split your plot into two or three sections and give deer food for all seasons. Just make sure you have food like brassicas, winter rye and oats to cover the late season and winter. I know this might sound stupid but just hinging trees will give deer much needed browse for late season and its easy to do. Jeff Sturgis told me clover is good but deer have so much food spring and summer that a lot of your plots should be focused on late season food. Scoot
THESE WERE ALL SHOT ON MY WORTHLESS BRASSICA PLOTS! Brassicas have nearly ruined my life, I can hardly afford the mounts! lol but what ty said, its all about Food, cover, water and securtiy!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=if85WUqToLI&feature=player_embedded Brad, here is a little vid on hinge cutting and congrats pastor Andrew on your success, that buck you just shot was a great buck. I am actually doing my first sit over my brassica plot tomorrow night in my hay bale blind. Deer are starting to hit it hard also. Scoot
Brad, you can hinge trees for bedding or for funneling deer through a certain area, once the trees are dropped over, deer will eat the tree tops and any new growth that occurs the next year. When I hinge my trees, for bedding areas I go about chin high so deer can go under them and for funneling deer I go about waist high. Trees will live for a few years afterword and grow new shoots deer will eat. It also lets more sunlight in to forest floor to create more growth deer can get at. Ty has some great vids also on hinge cutting. Scoot
I think the main reason brassicas have been so successful for me is there November / December draw, once the crops all come off of fields around us the deer go to the next easiest food sources to find. its easiest for the deer to start to hit the plots. I will say this though, a good mix of oats, wheat and rye are tough to beat. especially if to give it a good dose of fertilizer. that's another thing that makes plots attractive to deer!
The biggest question I would pose is what kind of area are you hunting? I hunt in N. IN every year so I know its a good mixture of crops fields, small woodlots (100 acres or less), some crp fields, creek bottoms, ect. I ask this question bc if you are hunting a 15 acre woodlot surrounded by crop fields and fence rows your going to have a tough time keeping deer without having a sanctuary that's not getting any pressure close by. I own 11 acres, 5 of which is a food plot that the deer love. The ONLY reason it is good is bc its surrounded by 100 acres of crp bedding that doesn't get pressured with a wooded creek line dividing the bedding from my food plot. The other thing about food plots is LOCATION! You could have a killer plot but in the wrong location it doesn't matter, they wont come in until after dark. You have to be able to get into your plot with a good wind and without being caught walking in. Theres a lot of homework in the decision so if you're actually going to go through with it, do it right the first time, Its not cheap!
I have planted turnips for the past 10 years with great results bringing the deer to my property. Now the properties around me have changed owners and the quality of the deer has went down hill rather quickly. This proof of how important age structure is. The other issue could be the issue with WI doing away with "earn-a-buck." Before hunters had to shoot a doe and now they can shoot a buck and doe and receiving another buck tag. What do you think that is going to do? Just since EAB has been gone I can see the numbers of antlerless deer increasing. Bucks won't compete for food when there are way to many does. So as much as age structure, herd management plays a role. For the health of the herd plant a mixture of food. Clover, wheat, oats and rye all put nitrogen into the ground which will help future plantings of brassicas. The key is to find something the deer will eat if you have beans and corn around. This can be a challenge and may take a couple years of planting to get the deer familiarized with the new food(s). good luck
I mainly hunt corn and bean fields and crps. About 100 acres, which 70 is probably farmland. My property is pretty much surrounded by land that isn't hunted. (or isn't SUPPOSED to be hunted) across the river, there is some private ground that I know manage deer well, as far as letting young bucks walk.... The reason I wanted to put in a plot is because I think I'm having trouble keeping deer on the property. The neighbor across the river has many food plots. I see TONS of little immature bucks. TONS. Not many does at all, and not 1 mature buck. Its been this way for the last 2 years. In the summer, I get pictures of big deer but they seem to disappear, which I know is normal. I wanted to put my food plot in about half an acre of a full acre crp field in the middle of some timber. They like to bed in the crp obviously, but the timber around the crp is very thick. So thick, we can hardly walk through it. I'm just not sure what to do.
Sounds like a recipe for success! depends on what kind of equipment you have access to but i would for sure at least give a plot of winter wheat, winter oats, and winter rye mixed together a go next year. plant it the third week of august give it lots of fertilizer and get ready! cause you will be hooked on a new addiction! lol one thing I might be tempted to do if you are plotting in a field is make it long and narrow, like 35 yards wide or so by what ever length you can, have it stretch from a bedding area towards an ag field. That way deer that get up before dark field their way through your plot heading towards the destination feeding field. then it will work vice versa in the morning, they feed right before they lay down to chew there cud for the day! A few thoughts, not sure it would be possible but sounds like fun! tynmiller is a northern Indiana guy, maybe Pm him, he might be near you, and he knows his stuff, at least when it comes to hunting, now if you are talking football he is whacked out! lol
This is exactly what I am planning for the new plot I am wanting to put it. At it's widest, it may be 50 yards, but will probably be no more than 30 all the way out to a large ag field. In a few years hopefully some pear and apple trees will accompany the attraction. I'm starting with a cereal grain mix here, but what's your experience with brassicas in places like this? I'm slightly worried about sunlight..
