Planting Logging Roads

[Elkaddict]

I' watched deer after deer through rifle and MZ season do the buffet thing at our place. They'd hit red clover, then move on to the LC grain, then to the white clover/chicory, then the LC brassicas, then the rutabagas, and finally the corn/beans. All with 6-10" of snow. Today, there is little evidence of digging for clover, a little for grain and they've decimated everything else. I'm a fan of berseem but believe as an annual clover it's not ideal. I purchased a 50lb bag of the frosty berseem to frost seed with in March. That's where I think it will be helpful. My sense is deer don't find it any more palatable than red, so I'm unlikely to order it again because I have to pay shipping. Also, another benefit of red this last year was I was able to let it stand over the winter knowing it was likely good for a second season without having to do anything. Not so with Berseem. As to perennial clovers, I'd call there usage good through hunting season but not great. For rotating clovers in my LC rotation, I'm a fan of medium red. For plots I tend to leave in place, I really like a mixes of white clovers with about 20% chicory.

 

[Matt Galati]

I' watched deer after deer through rifle and MZ season do the buffet thing at our place. They'd hit red clover, then move on to the LC grain, then to the white clover/chicory, then the LC brassicas, then the rutabagas, and finally the corn/beans. All with 6-10" of snow. Today, there is little evidence of digging for clover, a little for grain and they've decimated everything else. I'm a fan of berseem but believe as an annual clover it's not ideal. I purchased a 50lb bag of the frosty berseem to frost seed with in March. That's where I think it will be helpful. My sense is deer don't find it any more palatable than red, so I'm unlikely to order it again because I have to pay shipping. Also, another benefit of red this last year was I was able to let it stand over the winter knowing it was likely good for a second season without having to do anything. Not so with Berseem. As to perennial clovers, I'd call there usage good through hunting season but not great. For rotating clovers in my LC rotation, I'm a fan of medium red. For plots I tend to leave in place, I really like a mixes of white clovers with about 20% chicory.

Good info here elk thanks. Would you plant the soybean corn mix again. I plan on trying a rr soybean corn sugar beet this year in my big plot


Sent from my iPhone using Deer Hunter Forum

 

[Elkaddict]

Remind me how big your big plot is? How many deer cal your place home, and your total acreage of plots. By the way, I'd love to know how/where you're getting RR beets.

 

[Matt Galati]

Remind me how big your big plot is? How many deer cal your place home, and your total acreage of plots. By the way, I'd love to know how/where you're getting RR beets.

2017 plan

Property A: no ag area. Three plots.

2 1.5 acre plots (one hay, I like to leave this plot in hay for the farmer. I do a few strips of lc grain late for a little draw but I don't really want this plot to be a destination, it's more of a stop over on the way from bedding to the big field. I get the most daylight usage in this field.

Second 1.5 acre plot in a perennial white clover, alfalfa chicory mix (new).

Big plot three acres: main destination food, last year we did real world soybeans top seeded with grain around Labor Day. I didn't get any germination on the grain and draw was ok early season. Minimal usage during rut and heavy heavy usage during the late season. I don't know if my deer just didn't know what soybeans were but we had about 4 feet of growth and excellent pod production

I just wasn't pleased with its draw during the heat of the rut. I'm thinking the tonnage of sugar beets and the little bit of corn cover will promote daylight usage. I struggle with that.

I also have this small plot of clover in the woods

I would say 12-15 different deer use my plots

My main qdm property: ag in the area ( corn & alfalfa)

I have one plot that is 1.5 acres that I planted in lc brassica last year. Great growth but zero attraction until January. I plan on using this plot for the round up ready mix

I have two kill plots about .5 acre in size that was clover and chicory the last two years. I killed one off this plot in 2015 but last year the clover saw little draw. I would like to try brassica in this plot next year

The second plot is being cut out in the deep woods this winter. I will have to build soils

I have two smaller plots that I have been trying to use as staging:

This plot of round up ready alfalfa in a patch of honey suckle

I have a redneck on this.

I've dedicated all of my hinge cut habitat trails in this property to annual clovers and I pound them with annual grain around Labor Day.

My work on this property has been extensive. But I feel like we lack a late season food source. There is no shortage of Woody browse, but I think I need more grain for when it gets cold.

I really don't have an idea of deer on this property. I saw a dozen different bucks on this property last year. I think two shooters one smaller one who didn't make it and one deer who is a stud for our area.

I have about 4-5 does that visit the kill plots regularly and 4-5 does that visit the 1.5 acre plot.

The alfalfa didn't see much action last year.


Sent from my iPhone using Deer Hunter Forum

 

[Elkaddict]

Matt, without seeing a your property (which I hope to do this spring), my instinct is in the end, you'd be better of with LC rotation in most plots so there is variety. In the big one, you might toy with beets, as well, I think the LC rotation is tough to beat for tonnage/draw/expense. If you're deer aren't turned on to tubers yet, substitute rutabagas. I've found my deer really attracted to them. In addition, the turnips/radishes in part of the same plot complex also got hammered after they "found" the rutabagas. I would like to know how you're getting the RR beets.

 

[Buckly]

I try and keep my trails dirt or gravel but if I were to plant on them I would use Dutch white clover. They eat that year round here and will dig through snow all winter for it as I have 3 acres of lawn and it has always been that way. I always have a white clover component in my plots and that is Jumbo Ladino. They are on that until Nov. or the first snows then they don't seem to touch it. They will eat and dig down some for the LC mix and I use Crimson clover for that but, far and away the best clover on my place in the deep snow is the Dutch white.
Elk, If I don't plant corn this year I'm going to try out those Winfred brassica and the rutabagas.