I know its a bit earlier to start planning for next year especially since the season is just getting ramped up. I'm in central NC and a small piece of property I can hunt has produce several trail cam pics of some nice bucks in the past so I know they are there. This year I planted some small 1/4 plots of turnips, buck wheat, rape and forage peas. The peas dint come up very well I think because they where not deep enough maybe but the buck wheat, rape and turnips came up fine. Deer are browsing it and have stripped the buck wheat to nothing but stalks but that did not happen till about two weeks ago. Next year I plan on planting a about a 1/2 acre clover plot in the spring and then near end of summer plant some oats, winter pea and rye plots and a another small plot of turnips for late season. Should I even bother planting a soybean or pea plot if its less than an acre in size? My idea is to have some sort of forage available year round. I think the other plots will do fine but the bean plot will get smashed before it gets started due to the size. If I can go an acre should I plant it then? I have small equipment like an ATV at disposal now but may be able to borrow a tractor. I also plan on doing a soil test in January after season and apply any needed lime and fertilizer in Feburary time frame so it has time to be absorbed by the soil. Any draw backs to that? My idea is to create a better food source so that the bucks will hang out more instead of just passing through. Thanks for any feedback.
if you hve a decent amount of deer, i think its a waste of time to plant bean unless you have at least 3 acres. try this instead. a 1 acre pumpkin/squash field will be a huge late season draw and lots of food.
It all depends on your deer density & amount of available food currently. Not sure where in central nc you are...but if your deer density is like wake/ Johnston county then I think 2 acres would be a minimum for beans. If you want maximum attraction during hunting season, oats would probably be your best bet. Early radishes, clover, & chicory would be my other choices. Big brassicas like turnips & daikon radishes aren't ideal food plot forage for central nc...It doesn't get cold enough for them to really be attractive until after the season closes. In the mountains they work better. They will grow& look amazing, but deer will not eat them like they will in January& February once it gets cold. From sept-dec in central nc, oats are my go to plot for a fall annual. If you want to go the perennial route, there are other options...imperial extreme works very well in the sandy & clay soil there. Clover is tough to get established really well without a lot of work because soil ph is typically 5.5 or so there...too low for ideal clover plots.
Boonerville, Thank you sir. I am in Chatham/Wake counties and you are dead on what I have seen. There are some nice bucks on the 25 acres I have to hunt but its mostly fields but I think I would see them more if I have more food. There does not seem to be a lot of crop fields around that little area from what I can tell. I figured if I can get them in there and eating year round my odds would go up. Its a central season too which I like but on the property I only use the bow anyhow. Thanks again and I will follow your advice. What minerals are you using currently? I tried a few but things are different between here and southern Virginia it seems.
I like 30-06+ protein. It's a bit more spendy than some but it's good stuff...my second choice would be lucky buck.
You can get a Soy Bean that can withstand a lot of browse pressure, like a group 8 bean. They take a long time to mature so they can grow through browse pressure. Unless of course it's just a tiny plot. Whitetail Thicket soy beans can withstand a lot of browse pressure as well.
Turnips need hard freezes to begin moving sugars but radishes do not, making them attractive early season. Like you said though, the turnips won't attract deer until late season.
That depends on the type of radish. Big groundhog radishes do need frost to sweeten. Those are the ones that a lot of farmers use as cover crops & are in a lot of food plot seed blends. I like mixing early radishes with the later ones to give a full season attractant...but I live far enough north for it to get frosts in late October or early nov.
Hey Craig, all sound advice above. Just thought I'd add to the soybean experience, locally. Our smallest ag bean field in northern Johnston County is 4 acres, and it gets HAMMERED. It's almost to the extend that I'd rather plant rye grain and oats in it, but cash grain supersedes that rule. We all know that our deer are conditioned to soybeans and LOVE their forage early season and pods late season. So if all you have is a half acre up to an acre, and are really wanting to plant them, you could always fence it in until they are big enough to hold browse pressure. Just some food for thought!
Thanks again guys. I will get a soil sample again to see where we are and go from there. It will probably be oats since that is easy to get going and I have limited equipment. I will be moving some plots around though to get closer to entry points. Let the games continue.
burn it off in Febuary. may not need lime since the ash will make it more alkaline. save ya some money I burn off my hay fields every other year for this
