Here in Minnesota we've had an extremely easy and for the most part snow-less winter, which makes it easy to clear out brush and cut down dead trees for next year's food plots. Where i'm at there is acres upon acres of soybeans, alfalfa, corn, oats so i'm thinking about trying some brassica mixtures just to offer something different for the deer to munch on and be available post harvest season. I'm already getting pumped for next season and wondering if anyone has any input or wants to share their plans for food plots for next season?
I'm in the planning stages, but I have plans to clean up about a 3 acre field, planting soybeans in the center, and putting about a 20-30 ft. buffer of clover all the way around the outside of the beans.
Already clearing couple 1/8 spots for two new ones, bought seed for some spring plantings and we're also going to be frost seeding some switchgrass around a couple and in the edges of a bedding area in the coming weeks. Right now though #1 priority is hinge cutting, hinge cutting and hinge cutting.
I have ALOT of work to do get my first year food plots going. Probably won't get the clearing done till June with planting in August sometime.
I am monitoring one of mine that I planed still. The deer started eating it up around, oh two days after the season ended. I am hoping to keep that one going and plant some other ones. I am in the planning stages and should know about what I am going to do in the next few weeks. I do know I will be transplanting some spruce trees for cover at one of them. I can't wait to see how they go this coming year.
Stick...your property has amazing potential and you have an immense drive to make it all it can be, which sorry to say it bucks is going to spell disaster over the coming years for some of you!
Going to lime and fertilize ours sometime later this week.Might spread a little more whitetop clover in my #1 plot. Probably going to build a shooting house on the #1 some time this summer too.
I actually planted 4 small 9x9 cakes pans the other day just see what it was going to look like. Got some new stuff to put in this year and I'll be planting these new plots as well as the stuff from last year. Total food plot (other than corn) will toal 12 acres this year. My hope is in the next 5 years I want to have 25 acres of food plots. Lots of work, but is absolutely worth the effort. 1. Summer fall mix. Brassicas, turnips, chick peas, oats, rape. Approximately 1 acre hill surrounded by trees. Kids kill field. 2. 2 acre clover field. 3. 2 acre, Whitetail Institute Edge. Very long, narrow draw with mature oaks/walnuts on both sides. Widest spot ~75 yds. 4. 2.5 acre Whitetail Institue Alpharack. Trees on 3 sides with a 50yd funnel leading into it. My wife says I've figured a way to take my love of hunting and extend it from 3 months to 12. Love it all!
I've done the same thing and I've already cleared out the area for my plot. I even got a spot cleared out for an apple tree for this spring. Only a couple more months until I plant part of my food plot.
One plot i'm planning on working up once frost is out is a meadow we have that runs right up to one of our woods. Since the deer around me would rather bed up in tall grass than thick woods, i'm looking to give them a little more bedding area by planting Biologic Whistleback in the area outlined with yellow. The green is going to be Biologic Full Draw. The red is where deer are bedding up, and you probably can't see it on the photo but its where little clusters of pine trees have grown in the grass. Thinking about planting pines in the whistleback to add to the bedding appeal, but i'm also thinking about planting apple trees also like MN_Whitetail is planning. To a deer is an apple tree an apple tree or do they prefer one variety over another?
Had a load of pulverized lime dumped on our main plot back around Christmas time, so we'll be good to go to till under this spring and late summer. Going to re-establish an existing plot that hasn't been updated in a few years, and I have plans for one more additional plot that needs no clearing since it's part of our ground that the farmer leases.
Oh yes, there is no off season. My brother and I are clearing some trees and fencing for about a half acre plot. We went with whitetail institute clover.
