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Last minute food plot
- Thread starter Fetz
- Start date
Hey guys, looking for some recommendations on where to go from here.
I was fortunate to harvest a doe over this plot during the gun season! The wheat has taken off well this spring and some of it is already starting to put out seedheads at about 2-3ft tall. Currently the deer are not interested. The clover I mixed in is patchy and I don't think it will be sufficient on its own. I have a couple ideas and I would like to avoid tilling or discing. Should I:
a. let the wheat mature and broadcast brassicas late summer, then frost seed clover this winter
b. terminate the wheat now and plant a summer food plot blend, then frost seed clover this winter
c. Do nothing and frost seed clover this winter
d. something else.
I was fortunate to harvest a doe over this plot during the gun season! The wheat has taken off well this spring and some of it is already starting to put out seedheads at about 2-3ft tall. Currently the deer are not interested. The clover I mixed in is patchy and I don't think it will be sufficient on its own. I have a couple ideas and I would like to avoid tilling or discing. Should I:
a. let the wheat mature and broadcast brassicas late summer, then frost seed clover this winter
b. terminate the wheat now and plant a summer food plot blend, then frost seed clover this winter
c. Do nothing and frost seed clover this winter
d. something else.
Attachments
Mennoniteman
Well-Known Member
I like option a, let the wheat mature then do a throw n mow by broadcasting brassicas then mowing the wheat straw down on top of the seed. Since you're broadcasting seed anyway I'd throw in a few pounds of ladino clover then frost seed a few more pounds next spring, you will get a good clover stand going. Before the throw n mow would be a good time to spray the plot with Clethodim and Butyrac200 to knock back the weeds a bit.
yoderjac
Well-Known Member
What is your objective for the plot.
Affect deer movement to increase the likelihood of shooting a buck during the season.
It's only .5 ac and my land is only 16ac total so I'm not really able to have a population level impact on the herd.
Drycreek
Well-Known Member
Then plant the best food plot that you can, never hunt on a bad wind, and severely limit human intrusion. Good luck !
Mennoniteman
Well-Known Member
Improving bedding cover on the rest of your 16 acres can be a game changer.
One of my best hunting spots is only 12 acres, but the cover is a thick jungle with a sprinkling of big trees. If I had a choice I would pick this 12 acres over 200 acres of state game lands every time.
Couldn't agree more. I'm converting about 4 acres of pasture into tallgrass prairie this year.
yoderjac
Well-Known Member
In that case I would ignore planting for summer and focus on planting a crop that peaks during the season you plan to hunt it. Annuals typical are more attractive than perennials when they are young. I would let it head out in the summer and replant for fall. I don't know what your location is. I'm in zone 7a. I like a mix of Winter Rye, Crimson Clover, and Purple Top Turnips and/or Groundhog Radish (daikon). They young cereal grain is the early attractant. Deer will hit radish tops early too. They usually don't hit the PTT tops until later in the season and hit the bulbs near the end of our season or later. They will use the crimson some in the fall as well, but it acts as a reseeding annual in my area and will provide food in the spring when cereal becomes rank. I prefer Winter Rye as my cereal grain. It grows better in lower fertility soil, and it will grow in quite cold temps. It is not unusual for us to get weather warm enough for WR to grow and get deer use all season and most of the winter.
This is just an example, you will need to adapt it to your area, soils, and seasons.
davidhelmly
Active Member
A
Flatiron75
Member
This. ^ ^ ^ You can't go wrong adding clover to just about any food plot. It adds nitrogen to the soil in its roots automatically, and it adds a high-protein food for the deer. Mowing after seeding makes a mulch that keeps moisture in the soil & helps keep weeds down.
