Food Plot Photos

Coyote · Feb 23, 2007

Anybody have photos of their food plots? Attached is the beginning of mine. Freshly cleared 2 acres, going to plant "Turkeytown Mix" a mix of clover, alfalfa, & rye.

Anybody else?

Tanberry · Feb 23, 2007

Attached are some of my food plots . Most of these were taken from a deer stand . I try and creat my food plots longer and narrow and then create some transition cover around them and keep them neer the timber . I've planed about every things in them over the years but I have found a piticuler brand of oats to be the best for attracting wildlife .

johnk · Feb 23, 2007

Heres a few does chowing away. I planted some mix of oats and other grasses.

rdln · Feb 23, 2007

heres about the only pic i have, about 2 acres of field corn, prob late july/early august.

Oleozz · Feb 25, 2007

Didn't take any pics of mine, they are now covered with snow and the deer and turkey this fall put the works to them. Mine were buckwheat mixed with a blend of seeds that I got from Tractor Supply that were supposed to be good for quail. I was later told that the buckwheat would come up first and starve out the other seeds but that didn't seem to happen.

john_bud · Feb 25, 2007

Here's some of mine.

The last one is a composite photo and is about 1 month after planting.

npaden · Feb 26, 2007

Here's mine:

First planted - September 18th:

What it looks like now - February 21st:

Just a straight 50/50 wheat and oats mix.

I'm curious what it will look like later this spring.

kwolfe · Feb 26, 2007

I glad this post started. I have 2 acres, 1 acre is yard and the other acre is field grass that gets mowed a few times a year. I would like to plant something for wildlife to munch on in the spring. I only have a subsoiler and box blade. My idea was to use the rippers on the BB to create the seed bed.

Are there any suggestions of something that is easy to plant?

TNhobbyfarmer · Feb 26, 2007

john_bud said:
Here's some of mine.

The last one is a composite photo and is about 1 month after planting.

John Bud:

What are the plants in the first 3 photos? My plants never get that big. The deer maul them before thay get too much growth.

john_bud · Feb 27, 2007

TNhobbyfarmer said:
John Bud:

What are the plants in the first 3 photos? My plants never get that big. The deer maul them before thay get too much growth.

If you suspect that the plants are not able to mature, build a chicken wire fence with a top about 5-6' across and 5' high. Stake it to the ground and see how the plants inside do compared to plants outside. You may have to adjust ph and fertilizer levels, maybe add some organics to the soil. Or, just kill more deer...

Brassica (forage rape) - Grows fast with correct N2 levels - lots and lots! Plant few seeds. Too many and they won't grow tall, wide or thick. Just stemmy junk that nobody likes to eat. The deer don't mess with it much until after the first frost. Grasshoppers LOVE the leaves and birds love the hoppers.

Buckwheat (white seed heads)- It grows FAST. Need to set the ph and fertilize. They are very frost sensitive. Lost the crop twice, due to late shallow patch frost. Wierd, a 3" depression will have frost damage and either stunt or die and the rest is fine. Deer will eat an entire plant down to stems and it is back leafed out in a week. Turkey's love the seeds. Sandy loam

Turnips - I go out and check out the activity daily and eat several. Some have gotten larger than softballs. Really giant. Around that plot, deer don't eat them much. Other plots in the woods - the turnips are smaller and they get paw'ed out of the ground. Odd how browse changes like that, but that's why you have to plant multiple species.

The last one is a mix of oats, wheat, and white, medium red, yellow blossom clover. 5 fields from 40x60 to 500 x 200'. I can't hardly keep the deer out of them long enough to tell what plants are coming up. Bear too love that stuff.
jb

Coyote · Feb 28, 2007

I started like that. Use the rippers to tear the ground up. You may want to Round Up to kill weeds, and then plant a mix from Wildlife Buffet or Wingmaster from Pennington. They work great with a little fertilizer. Good luck!

kwolfe said:
I glad this post started. I have 2 acres, 1 acre is yard and the other acre is field grass that gets mowed a few times a year. I would like to plant something for wildlife to munch on in the spring. I only have a subsoiler and box blade. My idea was to use the rippers on the BB to create the seed bed.

Are there any suggestions of something that is easy to plant?

3RRL · Feb 28, 2007

I planted wheat, oats and peas last year. The peas had sprouted and were growing like crazy. Only thing is, neither of us knew what Oats or Wheat looks like, so we will just have to wait until they get bigger.

Having pulled 1" poly pipe down to the plot, I'll be able to grow something during the hot Summer too. Get it ready for dove and quail season. I just need to get some rain birds (sprinklers) that will work off a battery operated timer.
That will be cool.

kossetx · Feb 28, 2007

Coyote. I'm certainly not an expert but I have planted deer plants for about 10 years. You will save some $ if you buy seeds individually rather than as a marketed deer blend. What they're putting in there is not rocket science and may not even grow in your area.

Just my .02,

Good luck, MP

TNhobbyfarmer · Feb 28, 2007

kossetx said:
Coyote. I'm certainly not an expert but I have planted deer plants for about 10 years. You will save some $ if you buy seeds individually rather than as a marketed deer blend. What they're putting in there is not rocket science and may not even grow in your area.

Just my .02,

Good luck, MP

I agree Kossetx. Those seed companies, Biologic, Pennington etc. do a great job of marketing, but IMHO it's the same stuff you buy at the co-op or local feed store for about 1/3 the price.

john_bud · Mar 2, 2007

TNhobbyfarmer said:
I agree Kossetx. Those seed companies, Biologic, Pennington etc. do a great job of marketing, but IMHO it's the same stuff you buy at the co-op or local feed store for about 1/3 the price.

Shhhh!!

It's supposed to be a secret!

Actually, even at the feed mill you have to be on your toes. I was buying medium red clover and they initially quoted me something like $3.95 a pound! I said, that's nuts, I need a 50# sack. Oh, a 50# sack is $89.

Buck oats at the hunting store is like 8-9 bucks for a 40 pound sack and 4 bucks for a 2 bu sack that weighs 75# or so.

Rob,

Oats and wheat look like a long stem grass while growing. Around here, they most often look like small short round stems as the deer nip them down pretty hard. I planted 2 1/2 acres of wheat/oats/red clover and only got clover. The stinking deer just murdered the wheat and oats.

You may want to plant some drought tolerant species like little blue stem, big blue stem switchgrass, indian grass, chicory, lespedezia, and some of the sweet clovers (white and yellow blossom). It's so much easier to plant the correct species than it is to water... Look for a perennial or biennial species that is deep rooted. The deeper the better. Blue stem has 8-10' deep roots.

On the margins plant some wild flowers / prairie flowers in spaces that get morning shade and other spaces that get afternoon shade. (I just like to have flowers near food plots.) You can also plant spices around your stand locations.

If you want to water, plant some fruit trees, grape vines and berry bushes. You may need to put them in cages for the first couple years to ensure that they don't get eaten.

I would also recommend putting out 5' round 4' high chicken wire cages in the food plots. Then you can compare what is being grown but protected VS what is making it. Often people buy the stuff that the critters DON'T like because it's all they see left after the critters have eaten the stuff they do like.

jb

3RRL · Mar 2, 2007

Great information John, Thanks.

7mmrum · Mar 4, 2007

Here is a plot I created last year in PA, sowed with "BL" Green Patch Plus and clover. Hit with about 1 ton of lime and a few bags of 10-10 -10. Came out pretty good in the fall.

Used 5 disc ruff up the soil and chain drag to cover the seads.

Egon · Mar 4, 2007

plant some wild flowers / prairie flowers

I tried that. The deer ate most of them rather quickly.

For our area I have found Buckwheat planted in the spring keeps many deer happy. Winter rye planted in the late summer fills in for fall and early spring feed. The deer graze it down to nubbins.