hey all. Ive been creating food plots for a few years now but i was wondering if there were any secrets or advice i could get on food plots. This year i am converting a 2 acre prarie to food plot on top of a ridge and i was wondering what you guys would put in it? Also, what equipment do you guys use? I use a disc and drag from kolpin but im still not getting the results i would like out of my food plots.
The first question is what are your desired results? What have you been planting? Has anything worked? Do you have good soil ph? Are your implements working, you make it sound like they aren't? In short, what is your biggest problem or goal?
Look into Frigid Forage seed blends...the company is from your neck of the woods and could help you a ton with what you want to accomplish. The guys at Frigid Forage, whom I just spoke with this past weekend, emphasize establishing what your goals are and then preparing your plot to be seeded first and foremost...then you can decide what you want to plant based on what is around you and when you plan to do most of your hunting. Also, these guys would be more than happy to talk to you and get you going on the right track. Good luck!
Thanks bowspec! I will definitley check them out. My food plots are just not coming in full..our ph is right on but I think it might be because our food plots are not getting enough sun. They are facing north right now but the new one I plan on putting in is gonna be facing south. We will see if that makes a difference this year. I think it just might
I like planting Round Up Ready beans and corn. Especially in new plots that will have a lot of weed seeds. That way I can come back in a month or so and spray the weeds with Round Up and kill them leaving a clean plot to grow the rest of the season. Gets rid of a lot of competition for water and fertilizer.
I am planting a clover mix from a local garden center. It has a low inert matter. The food plots just arent coming in full. What would you plant?
Really depends on what your purpose is. Hunting plot or food plot. Nutrition or attraction? In my areas, the deer aren't short on food. They might be short on high protein food, but not food in general. I don't try to compete with natural browse or farmers fields. I just want to have the deer when I can shoot them. I also don't want to put in all that effort to not have some sort of crop, so I plant within my boundaries. For example, I don't try to plan alfalfa or even beans in my woods plots at the mountain land. I'd rather have a healthy plot of oats or rye grass than a straggly plot of some high test stuff. I'm big on oats planted in the end of August. By season, they are 6 to 8 inches high and can withstand browsing. In areas near farm crops, they are green when the beans are browning. And in a woods setting, they are moist and palatable when most of the other browse is dry and brown. You aren't gonna compete with acorns, but when they are gone, they are on to the next preferred food source. I also plant a bean/pea/sunflower mix that does well, I plant that in the beginning of August when there is rain in the forecast. Sunflowers are awesome, the just don't last long. Timing them is key. If you aren't willing to spend the money on fertilizer I'd just stick with oats though.
We arent seeing many deer in our area during hunting hours. We see them everywhere at night but not during shooting light. On our 44 acres we have about 15 acres in fields which is either corn or beans. Ive always wanted to try late season oats. Ive heard good results. I guess my overall goal is to maintain more deer on the property and it doesnt matter if the bucks are huge, eventually after quality management they will appear.
Sounds like you have a food source. If I were you I'd be concentrating on bedding. Given, 44 acres isn't much in the way of management, but if you gave the deer 5 acres of thick nasty cover, it would go a long way.
Thats the other part. We have a high canopy with almost no undergrowth because sunlight doesnt reach the forest floor. My ideal forest is one with many oak trees and hardwoods, with thick undergrowth so you cant see too far through the woods, but just far enough.The forester is coming out in mid july to take a look and offer some advice. I really want thick nasty cover but we dont have it yet. I agree that it is a key component.
I would go with a turnup/clover mixture. Use Millorganite to help spread the seed evenly at a rate of 1 lb seed to 4 lb Millorganite. I use this type of mixture whenever I replant because the turnups will come up nice for the late summer all the way into winter and then the clover will come up in the spring. Milloragnite is a lite fertilizer and also will keep the deer out of the plot for the first month or so while the plants start to germinate. After the clover comes up and flowers you mow it normally once every month and half. It will be thick and lush for the next fall or you may choose to till it under and replant. To me you can not get much better mixture for the health of the herd nor can you get a better all around attractant than clover.
What are your opinions on Buck Forage Oats? I am doing some research and they would be great for a harvest plot. I found that you have to buy it in 50lb bags which is around $55. Yikes! Is there a cheaper winter oat that performs just as well for a cheaper price?
cabinkd, If you want some professional help from someone that knows food plotting as good or better than any of the food plot seed companies and has no interest in a sale then PM me. I can probably even have you talking to him yet tonight if you want. He will have you producing food plots like you see on TV in no time.
