A little background on the property... I found out late last year that my wife's cousin has property in the Indianapolis Urban Deer Zone. Basically it means the season starts on September 15th and runs until January 31st, whereas the regular archery season starts on October 1st and runs until, usually, the first Sunday in January. I hunted the spot a couple of times towards the end of January, but the weather wasn't my friend and I didn't see anything. My thinking was that adding a food plot on the property would help draw the deer in more often than they use it now. I know they are on the property, but I don't know how regularly they are there during the day. There is a small creek that cuts through the property and the other side of the creek is pretty thick with honeysuckle and such. I was up there during the fall and saw a scrape line on the north side of the pine grove. The areas I outlined in green are where I was looking at to plant something. I am still new to the whole food plot thing, so I was hoping I could get some suggestions on what to plant. Tending to the plot would be relegated to a weekend here and there as it is close to a two hour drive to get there. I was thinking clover, chicory and maybe some oats, but figured I'd solicit the opinions of those who have more knowledge on the subject than I.
I would go with Buck Forage Oats. We use them on our property and the deer seem to love it. Requires minimum maintance. Might want to till the ground up and put some Lime in the ground to help with the growing process. Other than oats i would probably throw in a blend of clover and brassicas. Clover needs little to no maintance but the brassicas might need to be sprayed with something to keep the weeds from growing up.
How big are the plots going to be? I planted most of my plots this past fall half brassicas (turnips, rape, radish) and the other half in a mix of winter rye, oats and clover. I try to strip plot all of my plots with two different varieties of food. This way if the deer hammer one plot they still have another food source to keep them in the area. Also, brassicas and cereal mixes mature at different times during the season. Just make sure you rotate the two every year. The clover from the cereal mix adds nitrogen to the soil when tilled under for the next brassica planting. Winter rye will stay green all winter long unlike oats that will freeze out.
Also, you can find all of the above at your local co-op or feed store and not have to pay the big prices of buck on the bag seed mixtures. Good luck! It's about as addicting as deer hunting itself
I would do one plot with a good brassica mix that had both rapes and tubers (turnips/radishes), and the other plot I woulld plant cereall grains (rye/wheat/oats). Make sure you have good secure access to your stands. Good luck
Clover and alfalfa are magnets to deer. And honestly I'd plant one in a switchgrass and little blue stem mix. If you don't have bedding area yi u won't get the deer to stay. Especially in urban areas. You make the deer feel secure and safe to move during daylight and you'll be shocked at how many deer will live there. As terry and mark drury told me years ago to do this on my farm. "Ugly it up" is what they said. And I have 10x more deer there living now. Tyler Rector BHOD prostaff
Goose if possible don't be afraid to put some cheap seed in it this spring like buckwheat and/or some oats or wheat type seed. This will get the deer associated with the new food source before you put in a hunting season plot. Just a thought, sometimes lives, jobs or family functions can make this tough for some though.
Not huge, but I can't say for sure. I'd need to measure the area I plan on tilling up. I definitely plan on doing a couple mixes as I understand that deer are browsers and like options. Urban may be a bit misleading. This property is out in the country, but due to the location it is considered part of an urban zone. Yup. I still need to nail down that I can do the plot, but I definitely want to get something in so that I have something growing this summer
I'm a little new to some of the terms used here. What do you mean by "uglying it up?" I have access to about a hundred acres of woods that have woods on three sides and crops on the south side. I seem to have a couple of bedding areas but would like to encourage some more. Thanks
How do alfalfa, clover and brassicas stand up to corn and soybeans if you're in an agricultural area? Or lets say there is an abundance of hay fields surrounding the area. In many instances, I have noticed that in my area, deer will travel up to a mile or so just to eat corn. Getting there, they pass up clover and alfalfa. But at the very same time, when I was in northern Wisconsin one summer, the deer were strictly feeding on alfalfa instead. Anyway, I think structure and concealment is perhaps the most important thing. The deer just need to feel safe when they walk into the field. So like Tyler said, planting switch grass or egyptian wheat around the plot would be a great idea.
Tough to compete with standing corn. Beans seem to be a magnet as well in Nov, Dec. Alfalfa may loose some of its magic after a few freezes, and then brassica will come on strong. Thats what I have noticed in NE Wis. Early bow season (Sept) has the deer piling into the Alfalfa fields, but when Nov rolls around, they are looking elsewhere for food like corn/beans. But the biggest factor would be nearby cover. A small hidden plot.may hold more deer during daylight than a large open standing bean field.
Deer are edge creatured, big picture perfect timber woods are actually not what they prefer. They would rather move about in thick, multiflora rose and other secluded areas such as new timber, cattails, CRP feilds. Alot of hunters now hinge cut...creating more of this.. Sent from my SCH-I510 using Tapatalk 2
