Food Plots for Deer

[VTSasquatch]

Thanks guys. I am not looking to hunt over the plot. I am more interested in just keeping deer around the property and feeding them. It doesn't matter to me if they only use the plots at night. The guy in the pic is a friend of mine who put a treestand there but he rarely hunts and doesn't like to go into the woods too far so he hunts close to camp.

I have 130 acres and most of it is forested with a lot of thick, early successional habitat and edge (mostly the result of portions having been logged before I bought it). There is a lot of cover for the deer aside from the powerline ROW.

As far as apples, I have planted some seedling apples along the edge of the powerlines. I put small (18"-24") seedlings in because I don't want to spend a lot of money and have the power company come and cut the trees down. I have a small area that I am in the process of clearing by the cabin and I intend to plant a few apple trees there (probably grafted trees from Gurneys).

Thanks for the suggestions. Do you think I could skip the bush hogging if I went right in there with a box scraper? I am wondering if I could pull a lot of that brush right out of the ground.

 

[VTSasquatch]

I should have mentioned that I had a soil test done (mailed a sample to biologic) and the ph was 6.6 in the area pictured without me adding any lime. I don't know why but maybe the ledgerock has a limestone component that neutralizes the soil. There is a lot of ledge rock there and the powerline installation required blasting of the ledge rock. (one of my other plots tested at over 7).

 

[clemsonfor]

you could always try to go straight to the boxblde or loader to push it over but the bushhog will chop it up and make organic matter, then you can disk it in. I think id bushhog it first if it were me and then use a chainsaw on the larger trees you want to cut that you avoided.

I am in the process of reclaining my over grown fields that were let go sometimes 2-3 years between the usuall annual cuttings. They got pines and sweetgums in them. I cut the stuff down with the bushhog and a chain saw on the bigger ones and got tired of the sweetgums growing 6-8 feet in 2 months as well as hitting the bigger 3-4 inch stumps so i sprayed herbicide on the all the stump sprouts and next time im back up there i am going to cut down the dead twigs.

 

[Quickster2]

Quickster, I noticed that you said "ROTATE crops"..... I want to plant 3 or 4 small plots in my Virginia woods and I was planning on planting BOTH early and late crops at the same time and in the same plots and thought they would come up at different times. Is this wrong logic?

Good logic IMO. Brassicas, turnips, etc., work better after a frost. Oats, chicory, clovers work better early. Experimenting with oats and rye mix and top seed with Imperial No-plow. No-plow grows up underneath and provides great spring feed for deer and turkeys. In South Central KY (where my acreage is) rain can be hard to forecast. This mixture/strategy seems to work best. This past fall was horrible for rain but my plots seemed to to better than most. I usually only plant and fertilize in the fall. I also lime again each spring.

 

[Boeing]

So help me with a timetable here..... It's December now...and cold at any time. Can I plant ANYTHING in Virginia that will grow this winter? And then do I plant in the spring to get the deer used to coming around? And finally, when do I plant to actually have a fall (hunting season) crop? Summers are usually dry in Virginia. Thanks (I might kill one but like to SEE lots)

 

[Quickster2]

Too late to plant anything this year in Virginia. Each seed manufacturer has recommended planting dates both spring and fall depending on your location. Your local extension office can also help. May want to clear the land and get a soil sample to determine your lime and fertilizer needs.

 

[backdoor]

BOEING-I live in Franklin County, VA and I do several food plots each year. About mid-February you can plant oats for forage and seeds later. Or plow it in about May when you can plant soybeans, buckwheat, sunflowers, or any other warm season crop. Soybeans are a favorite of deer around here. Get the bean type seeds, not the forage type, from any local seed dealer. Southern States Coop is where I shop mostly, but I'm sure your county has local farm seed dealers. Most people plant soybeans mid-summer. Ask the dealers for help. I plant rye in early September, not ryegrass, but winter rye. Same dealers sell this too. Seed is much cheaper from these dealers than mail order blends or mixes. I usually don't have much luck with soybeans in small plots, we have so many deer that the beans don't get but a few inches tall before being eaten off. Deer eat the flower buds off sunflowers before they open. Rye really brings in deer in the winter. I've had my best luck with rye in the winter, then plow it in in early spring, then various warm season crops for summer, then rye again. Let me know if you need more info for what I do. If seed oats are not available in February, I plant horse feed oats.

 

[Boeing]

Thanks guys. I'll just spend the next couple of months "collecting" equipment then. I need a disk and plan on using the center "diggers" of my box scrape as a poor man's plow. I guess I can start collecting the seeds and beans too.....do they go "stale"? thanks again.

 

[foggy1111]

Thanks guys. I'll just spend the next couple of months "collecting" equipment then. I need a disk and plan on using the center "diggers" of my box scrape as a poor man's plow. I guess I can start collecting the seeds and beans too.....do they go "stale"? thanks again.

IF your ground is not frozen AND you get a few weeks of warm weather.....and a little rain....you may get winter rye to grow in your local. If not, no harm....it will grow as soon as the soil warms enough for it to germinate. Some claim they can grow cereal rye on concrete. :laughing: Deer LOVE it!:thumbsup:

Also, some folks do what is known as "frost seeding" on various clover seeds (spreading seeds on frozen ground and let nature (freeze and thaw cylcles) plant em for you). You can read about these practices on QDMA.com (Quality Deer Management Association). The forum there has lots of crop information or you can buy books on the topics. Membership is reasonable too....and you get a good magazine. :thumbsup:

Any seeds you buy will store until it is time to plant. Typically they are good for a few years if stored dry.

 

[clemsonfor]

Thanks guys. I'll just spend the next couple of months "collecting" equipment then. I need a disk and plan on using the center "diggers" of my box scrape as a poor man's plow. I guess I can start collecting the seeds and beans too.....do they go "stale"? thanks again.

Yes seeds loose germination percentage as they age. Say a bag of winter wheat may have 94% germination rate the first year. The next year if propery stored in a dry area this will be decreased by some amount. I have no idea if were talking about down to 80% or 90%, its best to buy seed when you need it. That said members of NWTF can benefit as they sell there last years seed at the end of each summer from the previous years, i got a buddy to get me milo for $5/bag and i think chufa is down to $25-35/bag (its less than half there normal price) I am etra lucky as i am within 45mins of the warehouse and headquarters here in Edgefield, SC. Shipping may not make this as good of a deal for some. Also you must be a member to get this flier to purchase these things as well as pick it up, so dont get your buddies flier and then go to get some.