Surprise food plot area-- What a deal!

Last fall right before gun season a company contracted to tile the farm fields on the lease I have. Not great timing for the last week of bow hunting, but there is a silver lining in most clouds if you look close enough. Last weekend I was out tending my feeder/antler trap and decided to take a ride around the lease to check things out.



Much to my surprise I ran across a ready-made food plot. This area is where the main drain for all the tiles dump into the river. The ground is sandy loam.

I want it to be a kill plot. My plan is to plant clover in it now to get it established and then re- seed it in buck forage oats and turnips come August. This is the first time I have planted in sandy loam. Any advice on what might work best in this soil type will be appreciated

 

Check PH, that soil type can suffer from depleted levels of "sweetness"...not always though, virgin ground depending on what it is may be very good too though. Definitely a clover seed blend planted now won't be thick enough to choke out your oats and brassicas late season. Radishes and Turnips will love the soil type and bulb productions should be good given decent weather conditions and soil conditions (PH and fertilizer wise).

 

Thanks Ty. It will get a PH test and then balance it if needed....

Good to know I am on the right track with what I originally thought might work.

 

How big of a spot is it?

Also, I'd blend chicory in it as well...some deer love that stuff and for whatever reason I've seen bucks hit it more in late October than does...no clue why. Grows well with clover and tolerates some mowings.

 

Close to an acre total.

I may throw in some chicory then

 

I also blend chicory in my clover plot. The deer like it and so do the turkeys.

 

Ah, so this is the spot? Looks nice.
Personally, I'd drop the idea of planting it into other stuff in fall and just plant it into Durana clover and I'm going to throw out something we don't hear about much so it's a little unconventional...Deer vetch. Deer vetch is pricey but it tolerates flooding and wet conditions if you can get it started. It can reseed but it's an annual, it'll fill in the area until the durana takes hold. Throwing in some spring oats or barley wouldn't hurt either. I'd go light on the vetch and the grass.

 

Thanks Covey..

Trying to get a good plan all lined out on this little surprise!

 

BONUS TIME!!!!!!!

That's watching your lemons turn into lemonade for sure. Covey spelled it out nicely.
Soil test and then a clover mix would be my direction.