Hey, I have about 5 acres of food plots that i want to plant this year. One area is about 3 acres and the other is 2 acres. I'm not sure what i want to plant in them possibly a couple different things. Maybe something for early bow season and then something that would be better later. I am in central wisconsin, I was hoping I could get some suggestions of things that have worked well. please post any pictures if you have some. Thanks
I'm lazy this year, I'm just planting some throw & grow stuff I here from Justin. If I had ambition I would plant beans in 1 and clover turnip broadleaf stuff in the other.
What did you have in the plots before? What's your pH? Assuming the pH is sufficient, and assuming you don't have anything in the ground yet, beans might be good for your 3 acre plot (bigger is better with beans), but you should plant those soon. I would say possibly plant some ICP (iron clay peas) with some sorghum or even some clover to help prevent overgrazing (the peas can also act as a nurse crop). Till it all under in mid August, and then plant clover and winter rye. The rye will shoot up before the clover, act as a nurse crop to the clover, deer will hit the rye, and then after winter, the clover and rye will come back strong. Mow or till the rye/wheat around May, and your clover plot should be coming in strong with little weed competition that you would normall face during a spring planting.
Yeah i have to send in a soil sample to get my ph. I really don't wanna put beans in, just because i don't think they will make it and its getting late. And we also have a 45 acre bean field about 120 acres away so they will most likely be there early and come into the big hardwoods later in the season. I was thinking just maybe rape and turnips in the 3 acre one and i was going to try some biologic, whitetail institute, buck forage oats, etc..... in the other but i just dont know what. has any1 had luck with a certain kind?
We are planting a mixture of corn and milo again. Milo will be gone in Sept/Oct. Birds just devour it. Corn stays around longer. We also are planting a mixture of turnips and rape that we mix from Welter Seed company. We wanted those deer to have a couple of reasons to be on our property during the colder months. Last spring we planted 5000 trees and NWSG that had 2-3% forbs in them so they have plenty of alfalfa amongst other things. In between each row of trees we broadcasted ladino clover that we keep mowed. Deer love it and I've seen them dig through the snow to get to the clover.
anyone ever try oats, they last all fall.. deer and elk love them late into Nov... very cheap too, I get 1000lbs for 120.00
We planted oat I a couple years ago. It didn't impress me. Deer weren't interested in it. We planted in the spring not in the fall though which could've been the reason why.
No food plots here...but from what I see in our area (many food plots by the outfitters)...nothing beats corn or beans, especially late season if left in late by farmer (or intentionally as food plot)...especially those first couple snows where most food plot mixes get covered up (and acorns)...deer POUND the standing corn & beans.
That was your problem. I watched a show a few years back that the Drury's put out. They "transplanted" their deer from beans to oats in late Sept. Their theory was that if they had beans that were turning brown and then planted oats late. (Late Aug/early Sept) That the deer would hop off the beans and be hitting the oats that were planted in the corner of their bean field near their stand. My big ag field was corn last year, but I planted my oats the Friday of Labor day and my deer were on them all season, right up till they were barely sticking out of the snow in December. They had other choices, but they stayed on the oats. The other benefits are that they are grow just about anywhere and like had been stated above, they are pretty cheap. I didn't even spring for "forage" oats, I just got some from a local farm. I got like 12 bushels for 50 bucks. That plants alot. I know I put down more than I needed and I did like 4 acres with the stuff and had some to spare.
Whatever you do, avoid purchasing brand name food plot mixes. Most of them are pricey, and you can get the same seed for your local ag/feed center for much cheaper. Oats or rye (cereal, not grass) planted in late summer (August/September) would be a good option. The rye has the advantage of having better nitrogen fixation abilities, which is nice for your plot in the spring when it comes back up, goes to head, and is then tilled under for green manure. We've been doing this with our clover plantings for a while now, and we spend little on fertilizer after the plot has been established for a year or so. Here's a good read on rye. Turnips/rape are great choices for late season as well. I planted purple top turnips a few years back, but the deer didn't hit them until after our main seasons ended. They really went to town on them in late Jan through March.
