Browse resistant brassicas?

Robertesq1

Robertesq1

Member
My food plots were eaten to the dirt. We are talking 10-12 acres worth of turnips and radishes. The only plot that seemed to withstand the deer browsing was clover. I had to last minute plant some winter rye and wheat... which has not yet popped and may never do so :( Any suggestions for a browse resistant crop? Something that can get chewed and nibbled and keep growing? I will be spraying and then no tilling with my new Kasco Eco Drill next spring :)
 
For a fall planting your best bet is cereal grains. You obviously have a high deer population.
 
Don't say where you are located but as said, probably need to free up the trigger finger. A combo plot of clovers, grains and brassica may be a better choice to reduce browse on single type plant. And my guess is natural browse may be too low, so improvement of that would help. I do bet that is aggravating tho to watch it go so quick. Hungry little devils.
 
LC mix is a blend of rye grain, oats, daikon radishes, red clover (or an annual clover), and winter peas.
 
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You say 10 to 12 acres......how many acres do you hunt/control? 10 acres over 50 is one thing 10 acres over 1,000 is quite different.

What habitat types and other deer food is available? Do you have sufficient browse and other food available to the deer?

Typically you plant more food or have fewer mouths, but it can also depend on the plot size and the like. Large plots tend to produce better and discourage daytime deer activity vs small plots where the plants fight for sun and nutrients and get more deer traffic. So that may or may not help as well.

Best browse plant for deer is perennial clover in my opinion. If you want a fall annual then brassica and cereal grains are your best bet. IF the brassica are a variety to produce bulbs and IF they get a chance to grow bulbs, the deer will be back to eat the bulbs once the tops are gone.
 
j-bird said:
You say 10 to 12 acres......how many acres do you hunt/control? 10 acres over 50 is one thing 10 acres over 1,000 is quite different.

What habitat types and other deer food is available? Do you have sufficient browse and other food available to the deer?

Typically you plant more food or have fewer mouths, but it can also depend on the plot size and the like. Large plots tend to produce better and discourage daytime deer activity vs small plots where the plants fight for sun and nutrients and get more deer traffic. So that may or may not help as well.

Best browse plant for deer is perennial clover in my opinion. If you want a fall annual then brassica and cereal grains are your best bet. IF the brassica are a variety to produce bulbs and IF they get a chance to grow bulbs, the deer will be back to eat the bulbs once the tops are gone.
Click to expand...

Natural browse status is a huge issue with high numbers. Even with 17 acres of plots, I think the most important thing we've done is 23 acres of hinge cuts. Put tons of browse within reach, took pressure off of existing struggling browse, provided much need cover, and took pressure off plots. Answering your question, I think the LC grain/brassica rotation (or modification thereof) are most efficient. You are likely not far from us, happy to compare notes in more detail.
 
We did what Elkaddict said and he is right on ...and we did a woods burn BEFORE hinge cutting ...it is awesome ...but here is a direct answer to your question

I have tried lots of things and the one plant that WILL in our area ..stay up with the browse and that is forage type soybeans ...further ...I have tried non roundup ready types of forage based soybeans with disaster in that the chemicals that are "friendly" to non roundup ready forage soybeans to fight grass and weeds are sky high $$ and some only come in very large packaging ....The end results are that the Eagle soybean ...a roundup ready forage type soybean though half again higher in cost than a non roundup bean ultimately costs less per acre

Understand that the regular rowcrop type soybean that is roundup ready costs slightly less than a non roundup forage bean ...BUT the regular rowcrop soybean just cannot stand browse ...the Eagle bean will not only stay green longer than a rowcrop bean but will regrow and regrow to at least attempt to recover from browse ..also know that the Eagle bean as well as ALL forage bean are as their name implies are designed to produce bulk forage (read:deer food) and to build beans as a secondary mission ,,and last ...as with any soybean plant ...a hard frost or freeze and it is over for any bean ...and radish and several other fall deer attractants.

I do not know where you are located but if you can grow soybeans in your area ...but I have had success with planting a border(20+') of Eagle forage beans around the perimeter of my food plots and then strip rowcrop roundup ready soybeans and Eagle beans using a short maturity rowcrop soybean so that you can go into them early fall and broadcast the LC mix ...you will not be able to broadcast the LC mix into the heavy mass that the Eagle bean will have in place at the time you need to get your LC brasicas planted ..some folks mix a bit of corn in with their Eagles as the forage beans like to climb using the stalks

Good luck and a safe season to you and all

Bear
 
j-bird said:
You say 10 to 12 acres......how many acres do you hunt/control? 10 acres over 50 is one thing 10 acres over 1,000 is quite different.

What habitat types and other deer food is available? Do you have sufficient browse and other food available to the deer?

Typically you plant more food or have fewer mouths, but it can also depend on the plot size and the like. Large plots tend to produce better and discourage daytime deer activity vs small plots where the plants fight for sun and nutrients and get more deer traffic. So that may or may not help as well.

Best browse plant for deer is perennial clover in my opinion. If you want a fall annual then brassica and cereal grains are your best bet. IF the brassica are a variety to produce bulbs and IF they get a chance to grow bulbs, the deer will be back to eat the bulbs once the tops are gone.
Click to expand...

Thanks!
I own 100 acres and have an additional 30 under my control. The general area is mostly forested with some hay fields. My acreage has the only dedicated food plots. The deer hit them hard and the only broad leaf plantings that have withstood the relentless browsing were clover. Some locals suggested alfalfa can take heavy browsing, others have said stick with clover. I wondering if there are some brassicas that were better than the turnips and radish that were decimated and eaten to the bulbs leaving me with a field full of non browsed weeds and dirt. The late season wheat and ryes seem to survive and are relished by the deer. This plots look like they're mowed with a lawn mower set on the lowest setting :)
 
Elkaddict said:
Natural browse status is a huge issue with high numbers. Even with 17 acres of plots, I think the most important thing we've done is 23 acres of hinge cuts. Put tons of browse within reach, took pressure off of existing struggling browse, provided much need cover, and took pressure off plots. Answering your question, I think the LC grain/brassica rotation (or modification thereof) are most efficient. You are likely not far from us, happy to compare notes in more detail.
Click to expand...
I'm Across the river in Hudson. 23 acres is a lot of hinge cuts!
 
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