Starting from Scratch.

[cutman]

Man, I hate to be Debbie Downer but I would give up on planting places like that. Not worth the time, effort, or money. I don’t think that little disk behind your atv does much - it appears to disturb the soil very little. I’d take the money you are spending now and put it towards protein feeders. Or I’d get a tractor with 5-6 foot disk and really break those trails up before planting again.

 

[Smallplot]

Prob be a great place to throw some fertilizer if the natural plants are attractive to deer. Mother Nature is pretty good at selecting plants that fit the niche.


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[Deadeye]

Well today got back up to check on the food plot progress and to do some last minute fixing.

The Plots where in the past I have put down lots of lime and fertilizer actually look pretty good. Where I had not, not so much.

Few pics.

So what was this “mix” that actually grew in our crap soil?

Birdseed.

Yes Birdseed. Mine was Pennington Classic which is a mix of Milo, Millet, Wheat, Black Sunflower, and misc.

$15 for a 40 lb bag at Walmart.

While I’m here I am overseeing with Hancock Seed blend of Oats, Wheat, Rye Grain, and Clover.

And I plan to make a run to the Tractor Supply store for bags of Lime n some Fertilizer to help it along.

Hey I’m just happy to see some thing actually growing for once.


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[FarmerD]

Just a few thoughts and hope they help. With food plotting, you have to adapt, improvise and over come! Every food plot is different.

I wouldn't use bird seed any more because there are weed seeds in there, from a different part of the country and you could introduce something there that you could/will battle for a long time, in your very limited space.

Get a soil test done and see where you are. Plant cereal rye and clover and start working on building your organic matter. Don't ever till again. Spray when needed and work on getting a good stand of clover, preferrably a perennial clover, but that can be difficult in your area and conditions





Some preferred clovers for Florida



Plants that do well in shade





Some more clover data



Areas of suitability, for clover in unimproved soils and climate

 

[FarmerD]

It's tuff, with heavy shade, with properly amended soil, you can have a chance. This is a small 40 foot diameter plot, (surrounded by pine trees) of Durana, between Macon Ga and Columbus Ga. I have to keep working at it and I do overseed, but it does produce. It's more loam, than sand.

 

[Deadeye]

Man, I hate to be Debbie Downer but I would give up on planting places like that. Not worth the time, effort, or money. I don’t think that little disk behind your atv does much - it appears to disturb the soil very little. I’d take the money you are spending now and put it towards protein feeders. Or I’d get a tractor with 5-6 foot disk and really break those trails up before planting again.

Actually it does quite a lot. I set it to 4" because that is what the manufacture recommends. At times I have to go LESS because it is digging in so deep it gets hard to pull and starts to "ball up" the soil.

It was made exactly for what I am doing with it, and why I bought it over a normal type disc. I do not really have roads into my areas, and some require driving between trees that make up the "trail". A larger disc would simply not work here.

The Down Side is it takes awhile to get it worked up good, but it will do the job.


But on the other part, this is my Last Effort to get plots going. If they don't grow this year then I will do the Spin Feeders just to be able to control the amount of feed being put out and not hogged up by the 'coons. The Gravity Feeders I built worked great but the 'coons really eat it all up way to quickly.

 

[Deadeye]

Just a few thoughts and hope they help. With food plotting, you have to adapt, improvise and over come! Every food plot is different.

I wouldn't use bird seed any more because there are weed seeds in there, from a different part of the country and you could introduce something there that you could/will battle for a long time, in your very limited space.

Get a soil test done and see where you are. Plant cereal rye and clover and start working on building your organic matter. Don't ever till again. Spray when needed and work on getting a good stand of clover, preferrably a perennial clover, but that can be difficult in your area and conditions

Yeah I get all that.

I was raised on a Farm in NW Pa. So I'm familiar with the process of Plowing, Discing, Harrow, Planting ETC.
But that was years ago and I have moved so don't have the equipment and no where to keep them if I did where I'm at now.
If Possible our next move will be to a place that has some acreage with it and I can do what I know to do better.

But for now we do what we can. FWIW, Our place lies within in the "Your Soil Sucks For Clover" in all the maps Zone.

 

[Drycreek]

Deadeye, I’m familiar with that “Your soil sucks for clover” soil. Your soil looks just like one place I hunt. I did manage to grow a helluva pea patch, about two acres, but since we have a helluva deer density, they only lasted six weeks. Now, I just grow wheat in the fall and leave it at that. I always get a bumper crop of goat weed and dog fennel, as well as various other weeds in the summer, but I guess organic matter is where you find it. The soil is getting better, but this is my last year to hunt there I think, so it’s a moot point at this time. Good luck on your place.

 

[Deadeye]

Deadeye, I’m familiar with that “Your soil sucks for clover” soil. Your soil looks just like one place I hunt. I did manage to grow a helluva pea patch, about two acres, but since we have a helluva deer density, they only lasted six weeks. Now, I just grow wheat in the fall and leave it at that. I always get a bumper crop of goat weed and dog fennel, as well as various other weeds in the summer, but I guess organic matter is where you find it. The soil is getting better, but this is my last year to hunt there I think, so it’s a moot point at this time. Good luck on your place.

Well if this don't work to grow with the Oats/Wheat/Rye mix then I don't know what else to try.

I get the Mow & Grow line of thinking and why it's done. But I didn't have any real growth to start with so really didn't have that option. I did the discing to break up the soil enough to get the seed into it. Hopefully it will take and from now on I can just Throw & Mow and be done with it.

 

[Deadeye]

This plot is coming along good. Deer are hitting it hard.

This one is Spotty but still more than we’ve ever had before. At the far end where it gets more Sun it looks pretty good.

Cam died on this one so not sure how the deer are using or not using it.

Got these pics before the cam died.

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[Drycreek]

Looks like you have lots of yaupon holly too, exactly like the place I hunt. I cleaned out a “down row” that looks just like the ones in your pics and I really couldn’t get anything to grow. They were basically east-west rows so sunlight was probably one issue. Basically though the soil is just crappy. You have had better success than I did.

 

[Deadeye]

That’s an interesting fact you tossed out and caught my attention.

The better looking row lies almost N-S and the spotty row lies E-W.

I always figured Sunlight had a lot to do with it but never put the Row Direction into play before.

That makes a lot of sense now.

The Better Row I have been working on for 3 years to get to this point. The Spotty one about the same but with different seed and lime-fert mix.


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[Deadeye]

The other plots, both new, are starting to look like they might just do ok.

Planted 3-weeks ago.

There is actually more than what the pics show. You can see the green long before you get there.

This plot is also new.

The feeder is tipped over because this guy showed up. A first for us.

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[dogghr]

The other plots, both new, are starting to look like they might just do ok.

Planted 3-weeks ago.

There is actually more than what the pics show. You can see the green long before you get there.

This plot is also new.

The feeder is tipped over because this guy showed up. A first for us.

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Glad things coming along. I think I mentioned about said bear visiting that feeder. They are like the Biden fans standing in line for their free handout!/ or perhaps Trump fans, I’ll try b fair. They get the memo quick of easy corn. Good luck.

 

[Kurt]

Enjoyed seeing this thread. Kind of nice getting those trail cam pics of all the critters hitting your spots. Best of luck this fall on your hunts.

 

[Drycreek]

Bears or hogs, which are worse ? Here, I think bears, because we can’t shoot them. We can at least shoot the hogs.....good thing there are very few bears in East Texas.

 

[Deadeye]

Bears or hogs, which are worse ? Here, I think bears, because we can’t shoot them. We can at least shoot the hogs.....good thing there are very few bears in East Texas.

We had one year of Bear season. The plan was to take 300 bears over a three day season.

At the end of each day the hunters who had applied for a bear permit were to call in to see how many had been taken and if the season would continue the next day.

They had their 300 before mid day.

Florida is getting covered with bears, but the save the bears people have lots of money and political clout.

The Governor then, Rick Scott, told the FWC to end the hunt and not hold anymore.


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[Deadeye]

My oh My, been two years since I've updated this thread.

Last year we went with Just Feeders. Worked for me as I took one of my Target Bucks off of it, or at least on the way to it.

This year the Boy said "lets do nothing and see what happens."

Well when you only plan to hunt One Week per Year and see what happens that works. If you want to Draw and Keep them, and your hunting multiple trips-- well I'm planning a few things.

Got some Rye Grain and Peas to put in and see how that goes. Overseed with Clover near Spring if this works. Keep it to only Two Areas. Also Keep One Feeder running, at the spot I like to hunt and shot my Buck last year.

With this new Hurricane coming and No One Knows where exactly where it is headed, my Next Weekend Plans might get scrapped. Got a few small trees that need to go and mow some places, like the New Camp Spot. Maybe move the Fire Ring to it. Set a New Stand at One of Two Possible Sites and I'll figure out which once there.

Would like to build a New Trail along to North Edge of the Cypress Swamp to allow me to sneek along it from the Oak Stand to the Cloverfield. Man has it got thick across there in 3 years. IF I HAD THE TIME, I would make another Trail that swings from the bottom of the Coverfield around the West Edge of the Swamp and back into the Bottom to connect to the N-S Trail in place now. Lots of Plans- Little Time to get it all done.

Last Year the Boy went up and had a chance on a "high racked Buck" the very first night out of the new Thicket Stand I built last year, but made a Beginner Mistake of not securing his Pack "because I didn't know if I was going to stay or not", and when he turned to take the shot on a Broadside Standing Buck- Knocked the Pack off of the Two-Man Stand Seat and scared the Buck off. Had a 2nd Chance at Oak Stand I like, but didn't get his gun up fast enough and missed his chance. Said it was a Big Buck too, but moving fast Chasing.

Crazy that the Rut in Our Area seems to run from February 1st through March 3rd. Cams prove it out with Big Bucks moving in Daylight.

 

[Drycreek]

Glad to see you updated your thread Deadeye, it’s always interesting to see what guys are doing in other parts of the country. I’m opening up two new plots this fall too, one at home, the other on our lease. So…”I’m starting from scratch” on these two. One is a small clover plot just to give them more groceries, I’m not gonna hunt it. It’s in a low place with pretty good soil, and surprisingly the ph is already 6.5 so it won’t take much lime to get it to 7. That’s at home. The other is a little used road on our lease that I’ll plant wheat in and move a bow blind on. I’m done bowhunting but I’ll handgun hunt from it, probably mostly for hogs. Never can tell what will show up though…..