Fall Deer Food Plot 2009

[EddieWalker]

I've started my food plot for this years deer season.

This actually started a few years ago with my first planting being last fall. I was going to plant wheat, but just beforehand, I met a local biologist and switched to bob oats because of his recomendation. I never saw a single deer in the food plot. It was also very rare to find a track in there, and when I did, it appeared to just be walking through the oats.

In the Spring, I disked it in and planted cowpeas. I had high hopes for the peas from everything that I read about them. They really impressed me at how quickly they grew. I was also impressed with how they handled dry conditions and our East Texas heat. Two weeks of 100 degree temps didn't faze them at all. No rain for a month and a half also didn't have any effect on them.

Two weeks ago, I sprayed them with a round up type spray that was about half the price. I'm not very pleased with the spray and how it worked on the grass, but it did kill the peas rather quickly.

Today, I got caught up in doing other things, but was able to get the disk on my tractor and then was able to disk up the food plot. I had also sprayed one of my roads that is visable from my deer blind and the oposite direction of my house. We've seen deer, hogs and foxes on that road, so planting it seems like a good idea.

This will give me over an acre of food plot in two locations. I'm still debating what to plant, but my main planting in the big food plot will be wheat. In the road, I'm going to go with clover. Then I'll broadcast rye grass seed in the bermuda grass that surrounds the big food plot. For fun, I'm also thinking about doing a strip or square in chicary, alfalfa and turnips.

During the week, I'm hoping to get some time to run up to the feed store and buy my fertilizer, lime and seed. If I don't make it this week, then I'm still good if I go next week. I don't want to put it off any longer then that. I really want it in and growing by the opener in November. One full month of growth should be ideal.

On a side note, it appears that I'm going to have a very poor acorn crop this year. It might be that we didn't get any rain in August and the first half of September. In Tyler, the homes that water the lawns and their trees, have massive acorns. They are so thick that I'm having issues with them falling on me. At my place, where it's up to Mother Nature to water my trees, the acorns are tiny, very sparce and in some areas, non existant. I'm not sure what this will mean, but I'm guessing that a lack of acorns should mean that my corn feeder, protein feeder and food plots should become allot more attractive to the deer. No acorns, eat Eddie's food!!!

Who's started their food plots? What's your plan? What's worked for you?

Eddie

 

[CurlyDave]

From what the deer eat out here in Oregon, you should plant ornamental shrubs & flowers.

Raise them in big pots in a fenced area and the day before the season opens use your tractor to move the pots out near your blind.

 

[deere755]

After watching them destroy 10 acres of my soybeans this spring my vote is for soybeans LOL.

 

[archerm3]

All that planting/buying/disking/buying, makes you wonder if it isn't cheaper by the pound to just raise cattle and buy a deer head from the taxidermist once a year.

I live surrounded by corn/soybeans, and the deer are in my yard every night eating weeds, mulberries, and apple tree leaves.

I think if it was me I would try just planting any type of perennnial then just keep it mowed close to the ground. Deer eat anything when it's a shoot just starting to grow. I went through all that food plot business back when I was in a hunting club and never thought it was a good ROI, and that was with the cost spread amongst ten guys. We were better off just putting out minerals and corn.

 

[bp fick]

LOL, agree with the others. Just plant things you REALLY want to be there, shrubs, your wife's garden and any other plants YOU want.

The deer will be there in droves to mow it down!

We call our entire property the deer plot.

 

[EddieWalker]

I'm jealous of all you guys with deer problems. For a variety of reasons, there are very few deer here. While our heard is healthy and the numbers are good, there are something like one deer per 20 acres. The trees are so thick that there's just not allot for them to eat, so they don't reproduce like other areas. We're lucky to see a deer and when it happens, it's something to talk about!!!

I've owned my land since 2003, and have never shot a deer on it. I've hunted every deer season, and seen a grand total of five bucks in that time. I could have shot every one of them, but they were all young deers with small racks. I enjoy venison, but prefer pork. I have quite a few hogs here and shoot them fairly often. It's not much of a challeng to hunt hogs while living here, and they don't excite me either.

I doubt that I'll shoot a deer this year. It's not even part of the plan. I'd love for Steph to get one, but she says she'll only shoot one if it's mature and not a baby. She still gets excited to shoot a hog, which is something that I really enjoy. Her excitement over it is what I enjoy the most. Eventually I'm hoping the kids will also give it a try.

The food plot is to lure in the deer and just a big part of what makes living out here fun for me. Working the land, turning jungle into pasture or removing a hill to create a pasture is what I enjoy. Disking up the dirt and getting it to grow stuff is challenging. It's a money pit, but it's money well spent for the pleasure it gives me.

If you saw my deer blind, it would all make sense. LOL

Eddie

 

[dave1949]

Eddie

Wish you good hunting, but I think a more natural approach would yield the same results at less expense and chemical use. There are agricultural areas of the country where most water wells are contaminated beyond safe use by 50 years of chemical application.

Deer are attracted to corn, but mostly when it is young and tender.

The Fish and Game folks around here discourage corn feeding, they say deer don't really have the digestive system to get good nutrition from it. My own observation is they will pass up mature corn if their preferred browse is available.

Maybe a larger plot managed to grow what the deer feed on naturally in your area would produce good results. What do you see them eat, or what types of plants are nibbled off at the tips? Encourage that plant growth and you will have deer. Around here, they really like ash seedlings and any apple that hits the ground.

Dave.

 

[jinman]

In the Spring, I disked it in and planted cowpeas. I had high hopes for the peas from everything that I read about them. They really impressed me at how quickly they grew. I was also impressed with how they handled dry conditions and our East Texas heat. Two weeks of 100 degree temps didn't faze them at all. No rain for a month and a half also didn't have any effect on them.

Cowpeas? You mean you planted blackeye peas for the deer? Didn't you pick and eat any of those peas for yourself? You'd have to shoot me to keep me out of the pea patch.

 

[Uncle Doug]

This is what I found when looking for food plot information on the net.

http://www.wildlifemanagement.info/files/deer_28.pdf

Although it address deer in Louisana I figure the ones in East Texas are not that much different.

I planted plain whole oats about 2-3 weeks ago in about 4-5000 sqft plot and it is coming up nicely. Then I started taking to TBN member Two Guns about an RTV and deer plots. When I went over to LA to pick up the RTV he had picked up a bag of the Buck Buster deer plot mix they use. I planted it a few days later in two smaller plots and is just starting to come up. We have gotten just enough rain to keep it going good. I need to get a few pics.

Our property backs up to the Trinity Wildlife Refuge. While we have killed hogs for 20 years we have never gotten a shot at one of the few deer we have seen. I know they are in there I just have to convince them to come to my side of the fence.

 

[Western]

Personally I would have just plowed the peas, chemical free, into the ground, some may still grow in the wheat but no matter. I have planted Lab Lab and it seems the deer liked them best when I thought the peas were done. found out that the sugars and nutrients were strongest near the end of their life span.

The opposite seems to occur with wheat and oats. deer like them less as they mature, that is why they recommend shredding tall oats to encourage new growth. I always mix wheat with my oats. Wheat handles colder weather better, which usually isn't a problem for me here , but on occasion we freeze good.

I almost used "Bob" oats this year but have always had super luck with "Nora" oats, plus they are one of the oldest, widely used strains in the US.

I have planted areas of just wheat, just oats and had a deer feeder between the two patches, the deer will almost always through the wheat past the corn and hang out in the oats.

I have planted food plots most every year for 25 years. I plant to draw in the deer and to provide a small amount of nutrition, but I don't really push the nutrition part, I try to manage my land to provide the nutrition by clearing small ares every year to provide several different levels of growth.

Now that I am only on 15+ acres it is harder. when we had 380 acres it was somewhat easier to manage deer. I feel you need at least 400+ acres to even come close to "managing" a deer herd or at least see results. otherwise you bringing in deer for your neighbor that is at his property 3 times a year and all his buddies have a great time hunting the deer en route to your well planned out food plots.