I have about 3-4 acres total of food plots on my 50 acres of land. I am on the WI/MN border about 1.5 hours north of Minneapolis. Last year I planted about 3 acres of soy beans and they never got taller than about 2 inches. The deer just mowed them down. Every night there would be 4-8 deer at a time feeding. Late in the year I then over seeded with some clover and winter wheat. I also seeded a new .5 acre clover/ brassica plot. Again they just mowed it down. Now its late season archery and the deer have pretty much all left my area in search of food. Minimal activity on trail cameras, and not much for sightings. The only ag in my area is about a mile away. I need a way to protect some of the food plots so I have some late season food for them. I was thinking about putting up some snow fence on the smaller plots that I have next year. I was told by a friend that if the area is small enough that they won't jump into it for fear they won't have room to get out. I also have heard that if you double fence it that will help as well because of the depth perception.
I was thinking if I did a couple 8-12 foot diameter circles or rectangles with orange snow fence they may be small enough that they would not jump into them. Has any one tried this or tried to put up a double fence? Say I did a 12ft diameter snow fence and then did a row of caution tape 2 feet out from that on another set of poles? I was then thinking I could rotate the fenced areas around to let the wheat and clover have a chance. Basically instead of mowing once the area was too long the deer would do it, then rotate fence back to open new area.
On the larger soybean field I am thinking I will need to do milorganite or something to give the beans a chance. I don't think I ever got a single pod this year. Electric fence would be a large cost and would need multiple controllers with solar. I'm trying to find cheaper way to protect the beans and other food plots so I have something to offer late season. Last FYI I also have plenty of bears around.
This year all I have done is shot does to try and control the population (and the mature bucks I have one never walked by my stand). I have also done some hinge cutting to provide more food. There are plenty of oaks for early season food. The easy late season food is a mile away in the form of a picked corn field.
Thanks in advance for any help or advise.
I was thinking if I did a couple 8-12 foot diameter circles or rectangles with orange snow fence they may be small enough that they would not jump into them. Has any one tried this or tried to put up a double fence? Say I did a 12ft diameter snow fence and then did a row of caution tape 2 feet out from that on another set of poles? I was then thinking I could rotate the fenced areas around to let the wheat and clover have a chance. Basically instead of mowing once the area was too long the deer would do it, then rotate fence back to open new area.
On the larger soybean field I am thinking I will need to do milorganite or something to give the beans a chance. I don't think I ever got a single pod this year. Electric fence would be a large cost and would need multiple controllers with solar. I'm trying to find cheaper way to protect the beans and other food plots so I have something to offer late season. Last FYI I also have plenty of bears around.
This year all I have done is shot does to try and control the population (and the mature bucks I have one never walked by my stand). I have also done some hinge cutting to provide more food. There are plenty of oaks for early season food. The easy late season food is a mile away in the form of a picked corn field.
Thanks in advance for any help or advise.