I have a hunting club in the mountains of southeast Tennessee. We have approximately 500 acres of posted private property consisting of approximately 20-25% fields/powerline R.O.W. and the rest bountiful mast producing hardwoods. The property includes a deep and wide hollow (approx. 600ft D x 500 yds W at its widest on our property) with year round water in a few spring pools down in the hollow even during drought as well as 5 spring fed ponds on farmland on one side of the hollow. Our property borders about 3000 acres of Franklin Forest property, 1000 of which was clearcut 12 yrs ago. Needless to say the 1000 acre clearcut is one huge sanctuary for the deer. Our food plots have in the past totaled about 2 acres and have been restricted to the powerline r.o.w. running through the middle of our property on top of the mountain. We are limited to the amount of area available for food plots due to the topography of the terrain on that right-of-way (mostly steep). Last year I planted a combination of grain sorghum, white clover, and cowpeas as well as several Trophy Rocks situated at the various plots. Needless to say the deer herd was healthy in the fall. We had an unbelievable mast crop of white oak and red oak acorns throughout the woods. The food plots were literally cleaned, down to the dirt, of all the crop planted. I am considering erecting a small (6ft x 6ft) fenced portion with a top on it to better monitor the actual crop growth potential. Is there anything else I can do or a different seed mixture I can plant that would better benefit the health/antler growth of the herd? We, myself and a couple other members have committed to letting yearling bucks walk and harvesting more does in the hope of improving our buck to doe ratio. Any suggestions/advice/information is greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Only thing you can do is plant more area, the acreage of plots you have isn't supporting the number of deer obviously. Shoot as many does as possible to attempt to lower deer numbers, but I don't think you will ever notice a difference...kill one deer and two more will move in and take it's place if your land is a draw for deer. The growth potential baskets are always a good idea to monitor how much the deer are actually eating, but it certainly doesn't have to be as big as 6'x6'... Best of luck, it'll never be perfect just keep at it and hunt the land smart. IMHO I don't even think killing a lot of does is all that beneficial to a hunters chance at a big buck, yes it will help the overall herd slightly, but w the added pressure from killing multiple does, I think a guy could actually do more harm than good
Correction to original post and Thanks Thanks for the reply TEmbry. I am a life member of the North American Hunting Club and posted the same question on their forum and have yet to receive ANY reply. A little disheartening to say the least. Correction to my original post concerning type of seed(s) planted. Last year we planted white clover, iron & clay cowpeas, and Hutcheson soybeans. I realize that high percentages of protein and minerals are crucial to antler development and healthy deer. I am thinking of going with ladino clover instead of white, and curious if there are other plants aside from the cowpeas and soybeans that I can use in the seed combination that are better for my region. The pic in my posts is a deer that was a mainframe 8 with identical split G-2s in 2009 and this pic is from 2010. He's taller, wider, and heavier. Thanks for any more help/suggestions.
Is there any spots you could plant a throw and grow seed mix that is shade tolerant? The trophy rocks though are almost 98% salt, so you are not giving the deer as much mineral as you might think.
There are a few spots that I like to call "honey holes" that are natural terrain funnels on the property where multiple trails intersect and several of those have locations either on or very near where the forest canopy is open enough to allow about 2- 3 hours of direct sunlight daily as well as the shaded residual light that it normally gets. Last year in one of these I planted a "throw and grow" type of plot seed that did well and attracted a lot of deer as evidenced by my cam photos. I have an implement this year that I built using a tiller and an old disc plow that mounts to a 2" ball and the rear cargo rack on a 4 wheeler that does a hell of a job preparing the soil and it can go anywhere the 4 wheeler can. I may try to seek patent on it but thats another thread. We're looking forward to preparing several "shooting plots" in the woods in addition to expanding our existing powerline r.o.w. plots to give us more total area albeit the "shooting plots" will probably be 1500-2000sqft at largest, given the terrain and trees, but should be more than adequate to keep the deer coming back to our property, no doubt. Any ideas on the seed mix type? As I said I am looking at Ladino clover, Hutcheson soybeans and iron&clay cowpeas as our primary seed for the r.o.w. and considering ladino clover, grain rye, and creeping red fecue for the shot plots.
I would plant as many acres as possible and switch from trophy rock to Monster Raxx and get some out there ASAP Frigid Forage makes a Big and Beasty Brassica mix that rocks up here.I'm not sure about down there ? ?
Thanks Pat. I haven't used Monster Raxx before but I'll definitely check it out. Curious as to what the optimal seed mixture would be for southeast Tennessee where I am and the soil type I have on top of the mountain. Its somewhat sandy and drains very quickly so I need something thats drought tolerant and can still thrive.
