6 seconds of feed means I'm not putting out enough for them to become dependent. Just enough for a quick snack. Especially when we have 8 or more showing up.
This is one of the tripod feeders with barrel suspended in the air so it only spins out a small amount
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super55
Platinum Member
- Joined
- Jan 27, 2012
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- 956
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- Great North of Michigan
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- Oliver Super55, John Deere 4310, John Deere 4400, Kubota L2500 (had),
I would steer away from alfalfa. While it last long time once established it requires a lot of effort to get it established. Nothing will draw deer in like it to the point where they will likely over-browse the crop. Plus it is a very expensive crop to get established.
For high success crops I would look at cereal grains or cover crops for each type of season. Summer plant buckwheat or maybe oats and fall planting of winter wheat for fall/spring feed. With perhaps mixing in some medium red clover.
Deer are browsing animals so they prefer variety and once a plant gets so mature they will avoid it completely so blends are your best option. Hancock seed has some really good blends. I would recommend using an annual blend over a perennial at least initially since they seem to establish much faster and you will be competing with weeds initially going herbicide free.
Attached is a PDF on by the SARE organization. It's a really good resource to have for what and when to plant certain seeds.
https://www.sare.org/wp-content/uploads/Managing-Cover-Crops-Profitably.pdf
For high success crops I would look at cereal grains or cover crops for each type of season. Summer plant buckwheat or maybe oats and fall planting of winter wheat for fall/spring feed. With perhaps mixing in some medium red clover.
Deer are browsing animals so they prefer variety and once a plant gets so mature they will avoid it completely so blends are your best option. Hancock seed has some really good blends. I would recommend using an annual blend over a perennial at least initially since they seem to establish much faster and you will be competing with weeds initially going herbicide free.
Attached is a PDF on by the SARE organization. It's a really good resource to have for what and when to plant certain seeds.
https://www.sare.org/wp-content/uploads/Managing-Cover-Crops-Profitably.pdf
EddieWalker
Epic Contributor
I plant about half an acre, I have a corn feeder, and I put out Deer Cane Black Magic to bring the deer in. The Black Magic is the first thing they go to, and what they go back to over and over again. They eat the corn, they like the corn, but they LOVE the Black Magic. They barely touch what I plant, and it's probably a waste of time and money for my place, but I still think it helps enough to keep doing it.
Once I started spreading the Black Magic, I started seeing deer trails across my land going straight to the food plot, and to the Black Magic. I never saw that before. When sitting in my deer blind, I've watched them come in and that's the first thing they go to!!
It's only $8 a sack on Amazon right now, but I've seen the price vary up to $14 just before deer season. I'm going to buy 4 sacks right now, even though I have two sacks on my shelf. I put it out every three months. I spread it out over a ten-by-ten area, and in the last ten years, the deer have eaten the dirt down to over a foot deep in the middle of that area. Now it's a pond when it rains, and a muddy area for a while after that. The moisture actually makes it more appealing to the deer.
Once I started spreading the Black Magic, I started seeing deer trails across my land going straight to the food plot, and to the Black Magic. I never saw that before. When sitting in my deer blind, I've watched them come in and that's the first thing they go to!!
It's only $8 a sack on Amazon right now, but I've seen the price vary up to $14 just before deer season. I'm going to buy 4 sacks right now, even though I have two sacks on my shelf. I put it out every three months. I spread it out over a ten-by-ten area, and in the last ten years, the deer have eaten the dirt down to over a foot deep in the middle of that area. Now it's a pond when it rains, and a muddy area for a while after that. The moisture actually makes it more appealing to the deer.
