Ok guys I feel kind of dumb to be complaining about deer eating my food plots but I'm at a loss. Here's my problem I planted 2 beautiful plot about an acre each of all rape and clover. They have been in about 2 months now and the deer have ate it to the dirt. It's was over a foot high and now it's just stalks and dirt. So my question is what can I plant to focus the deer on that instead of my late season plots? Like would a rye grass and winter wheat be best?
Imo, if they are pounding clover so hard that it can't keep up you are going to have a hard time finding any plant that will outlast the pressure you are experiencing. Clover can take a real beating and on a well established plot, I haven't ever seen deer completely wipe a plot out. I would stick with the clover. Plant a fall food plot in rye and or wheat, I prefer Rye for it's soil benefits and allopathic characteristics. This will attract the deer all fall as well as improve your soil. Then in late winter/ early spring frost seed Alice, Kopu II and Jumbo Ladino at 5-8 # per acre (I always go heavy). Fertilize at this time as well. Allow the rye to grow as well. Mow the rye just before it "goes to head" and there should be plenty of clover hiding underneath. Continue to mow the clover plot to kill back any weeds and you will have a great plot for up to 5 years or more. It is important to mow clover throughout the year to help fight back the weeds and encourage more growth. If all is done correctly the plot should be beautiful and the deer won't be able to keep up.
As Tim said, Clover provides the most tonage out there to keep up. My only question would be is what type of clover did you plant? A Ladino white clover will give you the most tonage to keep up as good as possible but maybe that would of not even kept up?
What you can do is put fencing around the some of the plot to the let the deer eat the outside stuff and then come deer season, take all the wire off. There is a lot of videos on youtube or growingdeer.tv that show you how to do this. That's what I did this year.
LMAO picking on Pat while he is fishing in Michigan. A scarecrow named Pat-O-Plotter - deer shutter at the thought of walking near the Pat-O-Plotter... Yeah that might do it!
On our property in birnamwood, wi we are under a very tight management program were if we are not going to put it on the wall we do not shoot it!!! This year after taking with my father-in-law "landowner" it is time to start harvesting some of the does. In the last few years only about 5 does have been taken on our land which is 300 acres. We came to the conclusion that this years is going to be a doe management year. Only in moderation tho.....I want to say thank you for the helpful tips. I plan on increasing the size of our big food plots even tho it may be a ill late in the year...just to keep the deer on our tract of land. In up coming years we plan on going really big and putting up fencing and more than doubling the size of existing plot. Again thank you all for the helpful tips and your thoughts......may your shots be short and blood trails be shorter! Scott
Milorganite is the key to your success. Not only does it give a boost of nitrogen but its human feces so for about 3 weeks to a month the deer wont be in it. Works every year for me.
