I had full intentions of planting some millet and sunflowers for dove season this year. Late rains and lots of standing water ended those thoughts. So now, I have a co worker with a 6ft bush hog and a 6 ft roto tiller who is willing to mow and prepare a couple of food plots for me this weekend. It's too late for sunflowers to be ready by labor day weekend, so my goal is now a plot for whitetails. This will just be a general food plot, not a "kill plot" per say. It's near a 2 acre pond in an old over grown pasture, with standing hard woods, pines, and ag fields within 75 yards. What would you plant now to have a decent plot for October, November, December? thanks!
For years I have done a mix of Winter rye/Rape/purple top turnip. mix is 60/5/2 lbs/acre planted 7/20 ish. Or do all pumpkins. I do both on 12 acres.
I'm going to work the ground now. Im a newb when it comes to food plots. I'd like to get something in now, maybe put in some winter rye in a few places this fall. I'm not really sure what to plant now, that would work in the fall.
Im basically in the same predicament. I got 2 plots all cleared and ready to go...and it rained. Havnt touched them since May...they just need something planted in them. Ill be tuned in to this thread.
So many options. Start out by determining what the goal of the food plot is. Is it to attract deer to the property year round with limited pressure? Is it to bring deer in during the hunting season and hunt over the plot? If so when during the hunting season? What are the fields surrounding your property planted in? Do you have permission to hunt the ag fields shown in the picture? If you answer those questions I can help you narrow down your search on what I would recommend. Keep in mind there is no "magic bean" and other will have different opinions than I.
The goal? To attract more deer to the area. I probably won't be hunting the plots at all. I have a stand near the SW corner of the pond, but I seldom hunt it. We own the ag fields, so I can hunt there.The ag fields are mostly soybeans this year, the closest corn will be at least 1/4 mile away. This is my primary sunflower patches for dove hunting, but rainy cold weather kept me from planting this year.
I would recommend a mix of white clover. It is a low maintenance crop that will last you for around 5 years. It will stay green and attract deer all the way into January. I would recommend frost seeding in march when most if not all the snow has melted. Fertilize it in the fall and all you will have to do is mow every now and again. Planting anything now can be a gamble. Summer can bring little rain and you may lose whatever you planted. A good nurse crop to loosen up the soil and fight back weeds can be a winter wheat/rye with turnips mix. The turnips will loosen up the soil while providing food in the late season. Rye or wheat will stay green all winter and both are known to have allopathic tendency to help fight back the weeds. They will also provide good food for the deer. Things that stay green all season are always a good thing to plant because, green food is hard to come by late in the season for deer. Plant this mix in august/September.
