Mowing Winter Rye, Oats, Barley, & Wheat

[coolbrze0]

I broadcasted a bag of each onto a grassy area at one of my hunting spots about 3 weeks ago. Most of the Rye, Oats, Barley, & Wheat is 5-8" tall now. Just out of curiosity, if I were to mow it down to say 4", would that hurt it? Our temps are between 45 - 70 degrees right now.

 

[OkieKubota]

Are your deer not mowing it for you? I planted my grains mid August and they are only about 4-6” tall but before acorn drop deer were on them and now they are on them mostly after dark...

 

[weekender21]

How big is your plot? I would think the deer would mow it down for you soon. That's assuming other preferred food sources in the area are harvested or start to disappear (acorns).

 

[jsasker007]

You could mow it but if it were mine(which it's not) I would leave it.

 

[KSQ2]

Once they begin hitting it, the last thing on your mind will be mowing it, it'll look like a putting green. Deer hit our bee plot behind the house beginning the third week of October every year. The week before I'm always thinking the clover won't have a chance, then within a couple days the deer show up, only at night for the most part, and put my mind at ease.

 

[Mennoniteman]

I mowed my one August rye planting because it was getting more mature than I preferred. If small grain gets too thick and high in the fall before frost it may collapse upon itself and rot underneath after frost hits. Fall mowing this type of planting is not a problem, but, as the other guys said, don't mow it too short or it gives your deer an opportunity to continue to mow it to nothing, and then you have no growth to carry you through the winter. A balance between these two extremes is what you want to maintain.

 

[coolbrze0]

Thanks for the replies guys. The area is only about 1.5 acres & has fescue, some clover, & japanese stiltgrass that's starting to yellow & die off as of a few weeks ago. Deer #s are pretty low in that area & coupled w/ a bumper crop of acorns there, I think they're just not hammering the Rye, Oats, Barley, & Wheat like they would if the herd #s were better or the acorns scarce. There are no ag fields or other plots for a few miles, but being up in the mountains, the deer #s are lower than down in the farmland a few miles away.

 

[OkieKubota]

Thanks for the replies guys. The area is only about 1.5 acres & has fescue, some clover, & japanese stiltgrass that's starting to yellow & die off as of a few weeks ago. Deer #s are pretty low in that area & coupled w/ a bumper crop of acorns there, I think they're just not hammering the Rye, Oats, Barley, & Wheat like they would if the herd #s were better or the acorns scarce. There are no ag fields or other plots for a few miles, but being up in the mountains, the deer #s are lower than down in the farmland a few miles away.

Say it ain’t so! Deer on acorns instead of plots???