I have been hunting for a very long time. I have never had my own property and have not been able to do any food plots. This year is different. I am really in good with one of the land owners I hunt on and I am able to do a plot on his property. What I would like to do is have one that's good throughout the entire hunting season. I'm guessing a combination of seeds would be my best bet here. I'm guessing soy beans for early season and beets/turnips for late season. What do you all think? Really hoping for good advice and input.
The wooded area is a major bedding area and you can see there are several ag fields. This area here there are major trails everywhere leading back and forth to the fields and bedding areas. This area holds a ton of deer and I'm hoping to use this food plot as a staging area.
Shawn how big is the area that you can plant? If its less than 1 acre then beans will not be ideal as they probably will be mowed before season. You can certainly use them in a mix but by themselves would more than likely be futile unless protected until they mature. I definitely agree on the idea of a mix. the contents of the mix I think would vary based on your geographic location. For example down here I prefer a mix of cereal rye, oats, clover, chicory and a sprinkling of cowpeas for the fall. Farther north you might want to add in some turnips or radish. Ultimately though if you cant plant anything else a mix of clovers and chicory will work great in almost any region. For the clovers you want a good mix of white and red as well as perennial and annual mixes. You can get them at any coop but I personally prefer Antler King Game Changer clover mix and Trophy Clover. The Game Changer is great if the soil pH is not ideal. You could mix those with some Lights Out mix to get a good variety. If you are doing a new plot the radishes and turnips will help to break up the ground as the bulbs grow and will add organic matter to the soil if they are not eaten. Also dont plant the seed to deep. In general you dont want to go much deeper than the width of the seed. Good luck and keep us posted on how things progress.
Thanks for the advice. It is a relatively small area and I have been doing some research. Everything you said is pretty much spot on with my research I've been doing. Now it's just a matter of getting it started and going. I'm here in Ohio. Is there a time that it must be in by before it's too late?
Is it ok to mix the Antler King Game Chamger and Lights Out. If it's alright do I plant the seeds in separate locations within the plot or can I just dump them in my mixer and spread them out that way?
