Asking for advice on spring food plot for deer

[WestKYplotter]

Hello everyone, I'm new to the forum. I am looking for advice on what to plant this coming spring for my spring/summer food plot. Right now, I have oats and turnips in this plot, and it has done very well. The land around this plot will be planted in soybeans this spring. Hardwood timber surrounds this plot on 3 sides. I am looking for ideas on what to plant this spring. I am in Western KY and have a disc, rotary tiller, and usually broadcast my small seeds. I do have a 2 row food plot planter also. Thanks so much for any and all ideas.

 

[wbpdeer]

Well you have the equipment you need to get nice plots established. I am a big fan of clover and chicory together. If you do nothing other than put that combination in a small strip around the plot or down one edge you will be giving the deer protein that will help does, fawns and bucks.

Guess I am encourage you to not thing in a singular approach. Soybeans are going to be there so that will draw deer part of the year.

This question will get plenty of feedback from others. How much ground will you put in this plot - one acre, less or more?

 

[dogdoc]

Lots of options. If you want the easy route then a late winter overseeding of red clover in your oat and brassica plot will give you some good late spring/summer forage. If you want to work the ground then a cowpea/sorghum plot will give you some variety over all the soybeans.

 

[MarkDarvin]

It largely depends on what your objectives are.

Peak protein for antler and fawn growing months?
Decent forage with an eye on weed suppression and soil health?
Something that can be double cropped into a fall plot as well?
Early season bow plot?
Late fall early winter carb source?

I've got an eye on all those things for my spring plots. So with that in mind, I'm eyeballing a custom blend of barley, sunflowers, soybeans, red clover, WGF, and pumpkins. I hope it grows crazy fast, because I won't have any options for weed control. I'm hoping the sunflowers get browsed away before they put on seed heads. Hope the barley and WGF are also done growing by end of August. Hopefully, that just leaves a little red clover and soybeans growing, and that'll be enough light for brassicas to get going in the standing crop of barley, WGF, soybeans, and pumpkins.

It's still conceptual at this point, but that's where my head is at.

 

[WestKYplotter]

Well you have the equipment you need to get nice plots established. I am a big fan of clover and chicory together. If you do nothing other than put that combination in a small strip around the plot or down one edge you will be giving the deer protein that will help does, fawns and bucks.

Guess I am encourage you to not thing in a singular approach. Soybeans are going to be there so that will draw deer part of the year.

This question will get plenty of feedback from others. How much ground will you put in this plot - one acre, less or more?

This plot is about 1/2 acre. Possibly just a little bigger, but not much.

 

[WestKYplotter]

It largely depends on what your objectives are.

Peak protein for antler and fawn growing months?
Decent forage with an eye on weed suppression and soil health?
Something that can be double cropped into a fall plot as well?
Early season bow plot?
Late fall early winter carb source?

I've got an eye on all those things for my spring plots. So with that in mind, I'm eyeballing a custom blend of barley, sunflowers, soybeans, red clover, WGF, and pumpkins. I hope it grows crazy fast, because I won't have any options for weed control. I'm hoping the sunflowers get browsed away before they put on seed heads. Hope the barley and WGF are also done growing by end of August. Hopefully, that just leaves a little red clover and soybeans growing, and that'll be enough light for brassicas to get going in the standing crop of barley, WGF, soybeans, and pumpkins.

It's still conceptual at this point, but that's where my head is at.

My apologies for not knowing, but what is WGF?

 

[wbpdeer]

Since it about 1/2 acre I would definitely want a mixture and not a mono-culture. I too don't know what WGF stands for and I looked up the abbreviations we have.

 

[cutman]

WGF Sorghum

http://hancockseed.com/wgf-sorghum-seed-50-lb-bag-172.html

 

[WestKYplotter]

WGF Sorghum

http://hancockseed.com/wgf-sorghum-seed-50-lb-bag-172.html

Thank you.

 

[Smallplot]

If you are going back to a mix of turnips and Oats for next fall I would oversees with a Med red clover. It can compete well with weeds but it can be mowed if absolutely necessary. It will fixate quite a bit of your Nitrogen for the OATS and brassica mix.

I like doc's recommendation on red clover but in food plots I lean towards the Med red as Med red will provide forage and growing plant material all through the summer besides reaching maturity early and going to seed. Just my 2 cents.


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[Native Hunter]

Medium Red Clover mixed with white clover and chicory gets going fast in the spring and feeds all year long. I'm still getting trail camera pics of them eating it well right now in late November. That mix will hold up well in mid summer too.

 

[Smallplot]

This should be a link to a video showing forge oats no till drilled into a plot of Med Red Clover. No additional nutrients were applied.


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[WestKYplotter]

Thanks so much for all of the replies, they've been very helpful. Does everyone like the red clover better than white ladino clover?

 

[Smallplot]

The Med Red Clover is very attractive to deer. Is it more attractive? Hard to say but I usually have very good use of each. While Whites like Ladino and Whitetail Institute do provide a solid choice, they also tend to go summer dormant especially during dry conditions. Med Red usually remains viable and actually has more tonnage available. Both green up early but the med Red establishes quicker than the whites like ladino.

Some whites are less likely to go dormant like Durana but we have to look at cost of establishment and availability. Med Red has about a two or three year life expectancy where the whites can go longer. Med reds are easier to terminate via herbicide where whites can be tough to terminate.

Looking at establishment and life spans. The longer we have something planted in one spot the more likely we will have insect or disease issues. Not to say the stands will fail, but this is a real possibility, but when plant health suffers the dormant period usually lasts longer and the amount of forage is not available for maximum availability.




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[WestKYplotter]

I planted Imperial Whitetail clover for my first food plot about 8 years ago. It lasted for 5 years with a good solid stand. I mowed when the clover would start blooming to 4" regularly. Sprayed for grasses the 4th year. I have since rotated my clover to a different plot, and chose to go with white ladino clover. I seeded the clover in Sep. of this year and started out with a great stand, but the deer are grazing it heavily, and I think I'm going to have to seed again this winter on a freeze. There is still plenty of clover there, just thin in spots.

 

[Smallplot]

It will likely thicken up next year without reseeding. Planting rates that are too thick will impact available forage just as much as planting too thin or drought. Plants have to compete for nutrients, space, and moisture.

 

[dogdoc]

I agree with SP, I doubt you will need to over seed this spring. It should really take off early spring and thicken up. I don't expect any available forage from ladino during the fall that I planted it. First fall it's putting majority of energy into its root system and the following spring it should grow like crazy.

 

[WestKYplotter]

Sounds great fellas. I think y'all have changed my mind! LOL! I think I'll let it ride for this fall and winter and see what the springs holds. Thanks so much for everyone's input. I greatly appreciate it. By the way, should I fertilize this winter?

 

[Smallplot]

By the way, should I fertilize this winter?

If you fertilized when you planted, no. If you did not fertilize when you planted then remember this, "The best time to fertilize was yesterday!"

While clovers are not the nutrient hogs some other plant types are, still it requires nutrients. If your nutrient levels are high enough, you may not need to fertilize but, we still need to consider putting back what is being taken out to avoid nutrient mining. When we apply the common fertilizers made today, key word here is made, we have to not only wait for those nutrients to get into the root zone, but also to break down into usable forms. Your soil health will have a lot to do with how long breakdown takes but I have not seen too many food plots with very healthy soils. Lots of Ag farmers are applying fertilizers based on requirements for the next growing season for a reason, we should take a lesson from their playbook because it is a specialty play that very seldom fails.

One reason to apply early is timing of rains and getting enough rain to move the nutrient into the soil profile, Of course this can be sped up by incorporation of the nutrients but we still have to let nature take it's course in breaking down the applied nutrients into usable forms and for root systems to reach the nutrients. A fall application of Potash in clovers for instance will give almost everyone a nutrient rich environment at spring green up for the plants to grow quickly and possibly out-compete weeds that are not yet established. Also having your new crop start in nutrient rich soil will make each bite consumed by wildlife more beneficial to your animals nutrient wise, will create a plot that is more browse tolerant, and will create a plot that is more resistant to disease.

 

[j-bird]

Spring means food as soon as possible after the snow melts. That to me means fall planted cereal grains the year before or Winter Wheat or Rye. Winter wheat survives the winter in my area so I assume it will survive in yours. Next to green up will be perennial clovers and other perennial legumes like alfalfa.

Summer means a food source that will grow well in the heat and dry. Best thing I know of that I use is RR soybeans. The beans provide a great summertime forage and if they mature they also provide a great fall/winter grain for the deer as well. Soybeans also allow you to overseed small seeds in the fall to add diversity as well.

Now soybeans tend to have issues with browse pressure. Some will say that having other soybeans around you makes planting them "dumb". I live smack in the middle of heavy ag where I am surrounded by 100's of acres of corn and beans every year. I use that to my advantage as I plant my beans in small plots about 2 weeks after the local farmers. All those beans spread the deer out in my area and allow my beans to grow just fine without the need of protection. Then once all those beans or corn is harvested then I have the only standing crop around.....BINGO! Now I have low deer numbers as well so that helps also, but this is what I do. I really like soybeans simply because they provide food over a greater period of time and are easy to spread small seed over in the fall to add further diversity to the same plot.

All just my 2 cents worth.