Planted an acre of Monster Raxx Last Heart Beet on Sunday. Scattered rain is in the forecast for this whole week.
Going to subsoil a few plots in a little bit to get some water in better once I plant. Should plant it all labor day weekend.
I'm done as of last week (hopefully). My previous fall planted clover has been sprayed and is booming. Got my LC brassica mix in last week prior to some rain. Checked it this morning, and it's pushing through everywhere. More rain in the forecast this week.
Nope. There will be some residual/volunteers that come up in the brassica plot (already are), but won't get grains in until next fall. I will be expanding next season which is a bit exciting, but they will be experimental plots not to be hunted over (kind of a strange/long story). I just wanted to make sure this plot had multiple fail safes for weather, and it looks like at least my clover stand will be solid. History has shown that deer in my area still hammer ladino even after frosts. It takes quite a few hits before you notice them backing off.
Got one last one in this past weekend in Ohio. Would have been two plots if the trans in the rental didn't take a poop
I got my 3 acre plot carved out of the heavy brush I've been working on. I disked and cultivated/harrowed it over the weekend but planting will have to wait. I'm heading out in the morning to a tall grass prairie school workshop in the morning in Emporia KS and won't be back until late Thursday. I'll take pics of it when I get back.
I know this is an old thread but I figured I'd stick the pictures here so someone could see the progress of a first year food plot. This is my first year clearing this food plot, previous years it was a brier thicket. Well the brassicas/clover plot turned out really nice. Here was the outcome! Needless to say, I can't wait for this off season to extend the food plot and DEFINITELY can't wait to establish this plot for a second year to see how the deer take to it. I have to confess, I enjoy preparing these plots and watching them grow ALMOST as much or more than hunting them!
That plot looks fabulous, good job! I just realized I never posted any pics of the three acre plot I made back in august, lol. I had some issues with emergence in that plot after seeding it. I ended up reseeding it via no-till drill with winter wheat, rye, clover and alfalfa. It does have some winter pea that came in too. I had a fair stand originally but the deer pretty much mowed it off and our early cold weather killed the warm season stuff I had in it so it was way too thin. It's doing okay now and the deer are hitting it hard once again along with the feeder. It should really boom come spring.
That looks like a NICE buck coming from it too! The picture above in my previous post is only my second picture of a decent buck in this plot. Hoping that after hunting season they will familiarize theirselves with it more.
Yeah he's a bruiser, most of the other pics I have of him are after dark. That plot is going to be something special in the years to come. I need to do some more work in it, there are a few spots that hold too much water. Breakout years are generally kind of rough and my time was pretty hurried this year to get the new ones in so it kinda got a lick and a promise, lol. I had a lot of pics of over a dozen deer in that plot earlier but there's not much food on that farm so it is seeing a lot of first year pressure. That feeder makes it about a week even with the plot there.
Haha I heard that. I through down a little corn last weekend in the brassicas plot to see if I could "persuade" some deer to come browse. Hoping to have more pictures the next time I check it. I will say, last week, was the first week there was deer browsing the food plot in daylight. That definitely got me pumped up. This winters project is going to be 1.5x what last years was haha. Going to make this plot bigger so it can take more browsing pressure and give a better hunting opportunity.
Improving habitat for animals we obsess over to hunt gets addicting in and of itself. I have more of these projects than I probably have lifespan to complete and I'm hoping for several more years before I croak, lol. There's never a "perfect" place to stop. It's a lot of fun and very rewarding to know I'm actually doing something other than just killing deer, it makes me feel good. Besides it also does a fair bit to keep deer on property and away from the trigger happy neighbors.
HAHA! My thoughts exactly... Not only attracting and sustaining deer herd health, it helps to learn more about the animals we love to chase. It's an addiction inside an addiction for me! I'll attach my "winter" project below. More like it's going to take me 5 winters to do this "1" project!
That looks like a LOT of work, lol. Looks good though! Are those areas of smaller treetops overgrown fields?
They're about 7 year old clearcuts. If I knew a little more about food plotting 7 years ago, I could had some beautiful food plots. But YES, it is A LOT haha so it's going to turn into a multi-year project. For size reference , our bean field at the bottom left is 20 acres. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
