Food Plots, who's​ into it?

[dubleuhb]

Getting started on some, planted a 1/2 acre of Imperial Whitetail Clover and chicory two weeks ago. It's about an inch high, been raining and hailing on and off for a couple hours, looks like a lake now.....fudge, should hold on I hope.

Plowed under two more, not sure what to plant, the deer didn't care for the wintergreens, (turnips) I planted last fall so they are out. I will disk them down for now and throw some buckwheat down until fall planting. Have two more to plow under if it stops raining today.

 

[MilesTeg]

No luck around our house, too much natural food. We tried the beats one year. The deer couldn't get enough of them after season. They need a heavy freeze in order to turn sweet.

 

[dubleuhb]

Yeah, that is part of the problem with brassicas, you don't get a hard enough freeze before season. I also tried those daikon radish last year, the ate the foliage pretty good but not a big attractor imho.

Ran out to snap a pic between showers.
This guy was strolling through the yard, about a foot across.

 

[dubleuhb]

All planted, light splattering of oats and winter wheat for cover crop then overseaded with a mix of clovers, c'mere deer!

 

[dubleuhb]

This one was planted in May, Imperial Whitetail Clover and chicory, deer are hammering the chicory. Funny watching them grab a mouthful of leaves and chew it, it really looks like they are loving it.

 

[dubleuhb]

This one needs some work, need to get the neighbor kid over here and have him clear the rocks. It always gets an annual because it just stays to wet in the spring for anything to hold on.
Hit it with annual rye this year.

 

[Airborneguy]

I'm a very, very new beginner on food plots. Two weeks ago I planted two small plots at my secret bowhunting spot but without testing the soil and with no tools just for the hell of it. I will be going to check progress on thursday.

Next spring we plan to really get started on a few plots on my uncle's land. We will test and prep the soil correctly and hopefully it pays off. There are NO food sources at all on his land. All we ever see are deer moving through (we do see them though).

He has 76 acres and we would really like to keep some deer on the property.

 

[dubleuhb]

I'm a very, very new beginner on food plots. Two weeks ago I planted two small plots at my secret bowhunting spot but without testing the soil and with no tools just for the hell of it. I will be going to check progress on thursday.

Next spring we plan to really get started on a few plots on my uncle's land. We will test and prep the soil correctly and hopefully it pays off. There are NO food sources at all on his land. All we ever see are deer moving through (we do see them though).

He has 76 acres and we would really like to keep some deer on the property.

I use the test kits from whitetail institute, relatively cheap and results emailed to you in a week or so.

IMO avoid brassicas, turnips, radish and kale. I've been doing these for a while. You need a hard freeze for those to become "sweet" for the deer to start using them, usually after the season ends.

My best results for drawing deer during season is clovers, chicory and grains, ie; oats, winter wheat, rye and barley.

Soybean planted late and winter peas have also worked with decent results but I will mix those with usually oats or rye.

The nice thing about clover and chicory is it last for several years with maintenance. I use a grass killer once established and mow down any other weeds right before they start to make seed. A shot of fertilizer in the spring and fall and you're good to go.

There is a ton of fancy seed out there, I buy most of mine from Hancock seed, basically the same stuff and cheaper.

It's also good if you can have something year round growing, keeps them comfortable in the area.

 

[Robin]

I put in two strips this year, both about ten by thirty feet, the bag said oats, clovers, some other grass's and some kind of post frost treat, can't remember. Looks good but the plots have a lot of competition with wild apples, clover and a crap load of other stuff like locust beans, all within a hundred yards. The only thing I haven't seen deer eat is goldenrod, they probably do, but Iv'e never seen it. Should be a good year.
Robin

 

[NirvanaFan]

We put in food plots for a couple years, but it was hard competing with the stuff nearby. The deer didn't really seem to use the plot too much. There are tons of oak trees, apple trees, clover/grass in the field, and the neighbor plants acres of soybeans. There is a ton of chicory on the field edges too.

I just need to find something that's a little different.

 

[dubleuhb]

We put in food plots for a couple years, but it was hard competing with the stuff nearby. The deer didn't really seem to use the plot too much. There are tons of oak trees, apple trees, clover/grass in the field, and the neighbor plants acres of soybeans. There is a ton of chicory on the field edges too.

I just need to find something that's a little different.

Yeah sometimes it's hard to compete with what is already available. I only have 18 acres, I'm surrounded by big fields of corn and soybean. My approach has been a few small plots tucked away in cover, the rest I'm letting grow for bedding. Besides the food plots I've put in groves of sawtooth oak, the first one planted was 30 trees, they all took and are 10 years old. At 7 they started producing nuts, they are loaded this year and deer love them. I planted another 50 this year along with some apple and crabapple, persimmon and pear. Chinese chestnuts, can't say enough about how the deer go for these and they produce pounds and pounds of nuts. I have about 80 growing, I stopped mowing around them and now the deer feed in there anytime of the day because they have cover.
I don't hunt much though back there, leave it as my honey hole, it's thick and the deer seem to hang out more. Once a week I'll slip in for a few hours. I have to hunt mostly from the ground as there are very few trees big enough for a stand except on the perimeter. I have one ladder stand up that I can be in in 5 minutes but the location is not ideal with the prevailing wind here, get a Northeast and I'm there.

I started building an elevated box blind for my dad, hope to have it up this weekend. He's 83 now so hoping I can get him to sit in it and take one of the big boys out. That would make my day.

 

[dubleuhb]

@NirvanaFan, I would try some oats or rye, they really go for those green grasses when young. Planted now is ideal.

 

[Bushmaster]

Big Turnips, Big Bucks..... But I'm in NYS grrrrr

 

[dwa12479]

Meh, way too much work. Just need some piles of corn and a disclaimer hanging nearby.

 

[Robin]

Put out a couple trail cameras yesterday and had to check them out this AM.

Thats one of my food plots just behind her. Lots of does.
My other camera is deep in the woods and the only thing on it was an early morning horse back rider and a couple dogs in the rain. Its a deer trail intersection with lots of eye pokers at horseback level and thick. What they were doing, I'll have to ask next time I see them.
Robin

 

[Airborneguy]

Checked out mine today. The rye grass grew like wildfire. The clover and peas are mixed in, but not growing as well. This was a test run so I am pleased. I planted a spot where I cannot do much maintenance, so I chose a real maintenance free "crop".

Took the kids with me for the ride. They had a blast.

 

[Robin]

I'm not big on maintenance either Airborne, I have a tractor with a Rototiller attachment, a bunch of passes with the tiller, scatter the seed, drag a rake over it and well, those little seeds are on their own!
Yours looks like an oasis and should draw them in!!!! Great pictures with the kids!!!!
Robin

 

[dwa12479]

Checked out mine today. The rye grass grew like wildfire. The clover and peas are mixed in, but not growing as well. This was a test run so I am pleased. I planted a spot where I cannot do much maintenance, so I chose a real maintenance free "crop".

Took the kids with me for the ride. They had a blast.

Rye grass will be VERY happy with that mind of shade.

 

[BDinPutnam]

Anybody doing this this year?

Just finished putting in about 3/4 acre of ProGraze and Alfa Rack on the back of my property leading toward where we'll set up.

Getting excited about finally hunting New York this year!

 

[Twogunwilly]

Got a couple of small white clover patches & a bunch of apple trees the deer stand under all fall.

 

[Airborneguy]

I’ll go check these plots soon and probably add to them a bit. It’s my favorite spot and I never see anyone there so it’s worth adding to. I’ll probably plant some on my uncle’s land as well.

 

[NirvanaFan]

We opened up a nice area in the woods that is about 20'x40' over the last year or two. I think I'm going to put down something this year. It's a great spot that has some good travel corridors near it.

 

[Robin]

I'm going to try something different. Last year I planted two plots with a bag of 'food plot' stuff, the deer ate it but didn't seem to be drawn to it. I wasn't too surprised, what with all the natural food present. So this year I planting sweet corn, pumpkins and soybeans, three things I know attract deer, and what ever is left over will be table fare or get canned, well, except the soy beans. They are not big plots but if it works to any real degree I will expand them. Either way, its a fun experiment.
Robin

 

[BDinPutnam]

Coming in pretty good considering all the rain/overcast we've had the past couple weeks (this was Sunday, I think):

 

[Steve H]

My small patch of daikon radishes did pretty well this year and a small buck stopped for lunch today. I had tried turnips previously, but the deer didn't touch them until January. They seem to begin chewing on this stuff in late September, even with the alfalfa available next door.