This is what I'm faced with. Our family farm is 365 acres. 180 acres of this is split up between bean and corn fields, with the rest being deep hollows and a few old pastures. After the fields are harvested though we have NO food around for the deer. Thus meaning the deer usually move off to the neighbors which have year round food plots in. There are some deer still using our farm, but numbers go down big time via trail cam photos and sightings. I know this year it is to late, but next year I plan on doing something about it. I am facing a few problems though, but this is what I've got to work with: 1) Parts of the farm was recently logged, so there are some trails that the loggers left. I have thought about clearing these out, and then tilling a select few of these up and planting some kind food plot in these. 2) Grown up cattle pastures. Some of these are pretty nasty, and I wouldn't dare touch them as they offer great bedding area. But there are 2 that have a just a few sticker bushes and short grass next to the ag fields. Both these spots would be fairly small, but I would need to kill everything off before I could get it done. How do I do this? Just shred it all off and then spray it down before tilling? I am completely new to food plots, and these are not anything to serious. I am hoping to buy some ATV equipment if need be. For the seed, I have thought about clover, turnips, and a number of other choices. Just not sure on where to start. I also want something that my dad can sit over during gun season since he is not able to walk the ridges and hollows anymore. These are not nutrition plots, or anything like that. Just giving the deer a little more incentive to maybe hang out after that last corn field is taken out.
If I were you, I'd pay Pops (or whoever harvests the crops) to leave a few acres, standing. You can knock it down with a 4-wheeler, if you'd like to they won't bed in it. It's be cheaper (prolly) and a hell of a lot easier. Also, TOUGH to beat beans and corn for whitetails, turkeys or anything else around here for that matter.
Clover seems to do pretty well in semi shaded areas like your logging roads. The old pastures would be good places to plant some turnips or wheat. They like the green stuff as long as it's growing and wheat will stay green all winter. The turnips get better in the late season too. If the grass in the pasture isn't too tall you can spray it with round up and then disc it up or till it. If it's too tall to start mow it first and let it green up again and then spray it.
White is property line. Red are old pastures (the one to the north is actually an old grown up yard). Yellow are recently logged areas with trails running down each ridge down to the main hollow in that area.
Other than a few sticker bushes, the grass is fairly short. I am pretty certain I can spray it down and then disc it. Another problem though is unless I can talk my uncle or cousin into leaving me some room around the edge, I can't get to these areas with a 4 wheeler after the crops are put in.
Like Willie said, talk somone into or pay them to let some of those field corners stand. Those would make some awesome ambush spots.
If you're looking for a plot that will draw the deer late into the year after the row crops are gone, as John said turnips and winter wheat will stay green late. Some other great cold weather forage are also brassicas, sugar beets, Austrian winter peas, and some kinds of rape. What is also beneficial in the respects of not only being a draw for hunting, these plants that actually sweeten up with cold weather still offer pretty decent protein percentages to help rutted out bucks recover some body mass. Mowing and spraying like John said are also correct, but I would do it in the spring and plant Buckwheat. The buckwheat will actually serve a couple purposes, in that it will have the deer coming around to check things out, it will keep the weeds down from coming back being it's what organic farmers use for weed control, and it will also loosen the soil up some for easier tilling. I would plant your shot/cold forage plot in early August of 2010, and your pops will have a nice green plot to watch over.
clover is the best i have ever seen, around my place i just throw it on top of the ground on or near the last snow of the year.easy and cheap and it comes in year after year. just mow it . as for cover multi flora bushes are prime for bedding areas, a relative of mine has about 2 acres mixed with ceder trees it cannot be walked thru and the deer are like rabbits in it,when the pressure get rough the more deer you have. put that up against any food plot anyday.
As has been said thus far, brassicas, wheat and turnips are all good food sources that will stay green late and draw the deer in even when the mercury starts to drop. Your best bet may be to check your local co-op and have them mix up a blend for you that will stay green late. If you're looking to go more of the commercial direction, Whitetail Institute's Pure Attraction and Winter Greens perform very well during the early and late hunting seasons. We have a bit of experience with the Winter Greens and, if planted on a large enough parcel, will provide excellent tonnage while remaining green and standing 12-18 inches off the ground even in the snow. Regardless of what you plant, I'm sure you'll enjoy the time and effort you put in and the rewards you'll reap from you time put in!
If you want to have something for the deer after the beans and corn are harvested...aside from leaving some standing....I would plant wheat and turnips like JM said. If you plant clover as some mentioned....it won't do as well that time of year.
Thanks for all the advice guys. Right now I am planning on removing all the fallen trees in the logging roads. I have a friend that sells firewood, and he's offered his help and chainsaw. Then I am going to keep them cleared off and this spring plant them in clover. As for the old pastures, I will probably just do them in turnips for now and see how next year goes. I don't want to get to advanced in my first year. Some more questions... Fertilizer for these small areas? Lime? Also, what do I need as far as equipment. I have no problem broadcasting the seed by hand as these are not large plots by any means. I found this at BassPro...http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/s..._104381_375002003_375000000_375002000_375-2-3 It's only 21", which is more than half of what the larger more expensive versions are. Again, my plots will not be large, so I'm not to worried as to how long it may take me to till up these area. I don't really know much about these ATV implements though, as I'm sure there is a much cheaper way to accomplish what my goal is.
Take a soil test for each plot and follow it. That's the best advice anyone can give you. You will probably need lime and you can count on needing fertilizer. I have been doing food plots since the 80's and I have been doing them for others (or teaching them how to do their own) since 1998. If you want any help figureing out the best possible rout for you just PM me and we can talk. It doesn't require expensive equipment and it doesn't have to be complicated to get great results.
