Continuing the theme of the last couple weeks. I want to see your food plots, and when/what you planted. My 2013 project is all about putting in food and kill plots, and the more i can discuss it the better.
my 2 acre food plot for last season was horable i couldnt wait and put it in a little early and the drought killed almost all of it. some turnips came up and the other day i was lookin for sheds and saw some clover poping threw the dead grass
This picture is from late summer. We planted a 10' thick sorghum boarder around the edge for a barrier in between the plot and the road. Then the middle is planted with big n beasty. It grew in really full and attracted a lot of deer. Unfortunately, most of the deer were in it outside of legal shooting hours. You can't see it, but the plot itself wraps around the cedar trees there making an L shape. Our stand is in another cedar tree towards the center of the L.
Thanks for the pic...looks like it came in full. Do you have alot of trail cam pics in the area of deer? Love the fact that you used sorghum for a border...one of my plots is going to need a border as well.
Yeah, we have 4 cameras out and we get a lot of pictures of deer but for some reason most of the pictures of deer in that plot were at night. I think we're gonna use corn as a boarder next year. The sorghum doesn't take high winds very well at all. It was getting beat up by the wind pretty bad before sandy hit. And then after sandy..... It was basically gone.
~.75 acre plot we've been planting for about 12 years now. This past season, we tried something different. We planted a brassica/clover/chicory/wheat mix in the SPRING, rather than the fall. I had my doubts, and they were realized, but I wanted to try something new. We plowed up half of the plot (other half held over from last years white clover/chicory planting), and planted in the third week of April. Shot a few weeks after planting with some timely rain: June 4th: August (clover/chicory side is burnt out pretty badly): October Morning: Doe taken the first week off the plot: Refer to my trailcam posts in the trailcam forum for pictures of winter activity (starting to pick up) on the plot. Overall, planting that "normal" late summer mix in the spring was a flop. I fought the weeds too much as is to be expected with a spring planting, and I think it was just too long of a time period to make the turnips super palatable to the deer once the frost hit. They're digging them up a little this time of year, but not to the extent they have in years past. The turkeys and deer are hitting the upper half and going after the last few shoots of chicory and clover more than the turnips. Anyways, here's a few pictures I have from the past few years on this plot (mostly has been a rotation of clover/winter wheat and turnips): Clover coming back (we usually plant Ladino) New growth: My 9 point I took off the plot in 2009: My 8 point I took of the plot in 2010 (Turnips and Clover):
Great post Matt. Im realizing that im going to have to plant in the spring and fall, that nothing is the best of both worlds...
Honestly for a beginner who does plan on spring planting on virgin ground I'd recommend buckwheat (throw in some oats or peas too if desired). Pretty much will grow in any condition, obviously better with good rainfall though. Easy to till down once seeds out (leave standing if desired for turkey seasons) and reseed. That should take you into fall plantings. If you know you want a clover plot for more of a year round style plot go with a 3/4 clover, 1/4 chicory and just a dash of oat in the early spring after frost could happen. I say the dash of oats because young oats is a very highly desired green and will hopefully allow the clover and for that matter the chicory to grow just a touch more before getting hit. Other seedings we do in the spring sometimes include: -Sunflower seeds...believe or not these never even reach half a foot typically because the deer devour ours. Other people state their deer don't touch them....to each their own obviously. -Peas/oats I know I listed above but worth noting I'll throw some of these in any spring mix usually if only a light amount. -crimson clover...I do like to plant this more so in the fall, this 1 year and done clover is a favorite for deer at least in my area. As for fall plantings always try to incorporate a turnip or radish as well as a brassica that focus on leaf production not so much bulb production. Brassicas are the ticket for late season....starches will turn to sugar and sweeten right up. Turnips/radishes can take about 2-3 years for the deer to fully understand what these goodies are but once they do.....WATCH OUT. Other Fall seeds we like to utilize: -Winter Wheat and Winter Rye: usually can be found mixed in somewhere on our property even if just merely along our walking paths. -Winter Oats: Buck Forage Oats are the hardiest frost resistant oat we've found and have had good luck with them. -Chicory: deer love it, grows good...just a good seed to use if desired and conditions are right. -Clovers...way too many to list and all have their benefits...great for spots with slightly less light exposure. I'm sure I've forgotten some seeds but that's my quick seed run down. Pastor posts some awesome stuff too and has great brassica mixes. Truth be told though I've grown to be a believer in it's how you design the plot shape wise and how you create security cover around it that will make it the most beneficial for fall hunting seasons. Here's a couple small plot shots from various stages in our woods: All of those trees in the plot have since been top cut a foot off ground and will sucker for more browse food and may be protected for a year to produce small oak "bush like" bushes. (picture below) That opening you see in the back of the following picture is merely 10 yards from my parents driveway! And the road is just 20 yards to the right of the plot...crazy huh!
Before I even finished reading your post I thought of Florida (my Mother lived down in Ocala for several years before passing). A lot of people don't think of Florida as a good Deer hunting area, but it is!!!!
Hope it's okay to link to another site but QDMA really has a great short write up on it HERE It's now incorporated at each place we hunt that we're allowed to do plots. In good conditions it will last 2-3 years making a great companion to clovers, yet providing diversity at the same time which if anyone has read my write ups on my site or for Monsterraxx's blog I feel is crucial especially when large ag fields are in your area.
Oh and Greg, I've fallen in love with it because it grows a deep slender tap root which helps it in drought conditions and ability to be heavily browsed.
I would guess judging it on it's characteristics it'd be in the same ballgame as clover. More tolerate than others if you can get it going, especially due to that taproot. Now I have heard rumors that some deer herds can take a full year or two to really turn on to it...but like they say with brassicas when they do they'll hammer it!
