dbltree
Super Moderator
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: BBloom</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I have a 3 acre prepared plot ready to plant for a fall hunting plot. I am in Southern IA. I was initially planning a 3 acre Biologic Maximum plot but my deer do not know about brassicas yet. Should I split the plot with winter peas? Any suggestions would be appreciated. </div></div>
My personal feelings are not to plant 3 acres of anything but rather divide it if at all possible into different plots that then can be rotated.
I would plant a mix of oats, rye and peas in at least part of your plots, and you could add a light amount of oats to your brassica mix to encourage deer to try them. Unlikely that they can resist the oats.
You may already have clover in other plots otherwise 3 one acre plots of which one might be clover would be a good idea (or if you have 9 acres, then 3 each...if you get my train of thought)
The point is to try to...first, not have all your eggs in one basket. A plot crop could fail or in your case they may turn up their noses at the brassicas.
I just find that for the average landower, a combination of seperate plots of clover, oats/rye and peas and brassicas make a great combination to rotate thru.
What other plots do you have or what other crops are very near by?
My personal feelings are not to plant 3 acres of anything but rather divide it if at all possible into different plots that then can be rotated.
I would plant a mix of oats, rye and peas in at least part of your plots, and you could add a light amount of oats to your brassica mix to encourage deer to try them. Unlikely that they can resist the oats.
You may already have clover in other plots otherwise 3 one acre plots of which one might be clover would be a good idea (or if you have 9 acres, then 3 each...if you get my train of thought)
The point is to try to...first, not have all your eggs in one basket. A plot crop could fail or in your case they may turn up their noses at the brassicas.
I just find that for the average landower, a combination of seperate plots of clover, oats/rye and peas and brassicas make a great combination to rotate thru.
What other plots do you have or what other crops are very near by?
bowhuntr311
IowaWhitetail Addict
I am with dbltree as well. More is more...
1 of brothernlaws brassicas plots never got touched till after the leaves had dropped and we had many hard hard frosts. He planted them late august, they came up awesome, deer didnt touch them. He knew they prefer rape/turnips after some freezing, but they were being froze almost nightly before they hit them.
Oats/Rye mix for the cost and ease of planting probably cant be beat. And if they can, I would really like to know.
Dean
1 of brothernlaws brassicas plots never got touched till after the leaves had dropped and we had many hard hard frosts. He planted them late august, they came up awesome, deer didnt touch them. He knew they prefer rape/turnips after some freezing, but they were being froze almost nightly before they hit them.
Oats/Rye mix for the cost and ease of planting probably cant be beat. And if they can, I would really like to know.
Dean
Crimson Arrows
Well-Known Member
If a guy plants rye this fall, say Late August, should one add oats or does it matter?
dbltree
Super Moderator
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: huntyak</div><div class="ubbcode-body">If a guy plants rye this fall, say Late August, should one add oats or does it matter? </div></div>
Oats are optional...
Rye will work plenty well on it's own but oats are very succlulant forage when small so it just "sweetens" the pot so to speak.
When they freeze out, the rye remains all thru the winter.
The combination works well so why not? /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif
If you really want some lush growth add 50-70# of nitrogen per acre! /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/cool.gif
Oats are optional...
Rye will work plenty well on it's own but oats are very succlulant forage when small so it just "sweetens" the pot so to speak.
When they freeze out, the rye remains all thru the winter.
The combination works well so why not? /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif
If you really want some lush growth add 50-70# of nitrogen per acre! /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/cool.gif
JNRBRONC
Well-Known Member
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: BBloom</div><div class="ubbcode-body">a 1 acre plot of sunflowers for the birds was desimated by deer already. </div></div>
That's a food plot you don't see very often. When I was a kid, a farmer in the area made the "mistake" of raising sunflowers one year. I was hired to "walk beans" for him the next year and it was like clearing a rain forest. I heard that the sharp "stumps" we left punctured tractor tires that fall. /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/eek.gif Maybe there are different varieties one can plant that don't become invasive (cut a lot of hemp out of beans that was left over from the crops raised for the local rope factory, too).
Back on topic, I'd probably skip the corn at this time. I liked the suggestion of splitting up the plot into smaller varied patches. That way you should spread out the timing of the food source and it lets you experiment with different things.
That's a food plot you don't see very often. When I was a kid, a farmer in the area made the "mistake" of raising sunflowers one year. I was hired to "walk beans" for him the next year and it was like clearing a rain forest. I heard that the sharp "stumps" we left punctured tractor tires that fall. /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/eek.gif Maybe there are different varieties one can plant that don't become invasive (cut a lot of hemp out of beans that was left over from the crops raised for the local rope factory, too).
Back on topic, I'd probably skip the corn at this time. I liked the suggestion of splitting up the plot into smaller varied patches. That way you should spread out the timing of the food source and it lets you experiment with different things.
SEIowaDeerslayer
Well-Known Member
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: JNRBRONC</div><div class="ubbcode-body">cut a lot of hemp out of beans that was left over from the crops raised for the local rope factory, too.
</div></div>
Oh reaaaalllllly?? /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif
</div></div>
Oh reaaaalllllly?? /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif
JNRBRONC
Well-Known Member
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: SEIowaDeerslayer</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: JNRBRONC</div><div class="ubbcode-body">cut a lot of hemp out of beans that was left over from the crops raised for the local rope factory, too.
</div></div>
Oh reaaaalllllly?? /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif </div></div>
Yup, just doing my job! /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif
</div></div>
Oh reaaaalllllly?? /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif </div></div>
Yup, just doing my job! /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif
Grasshopper
New Member
Yeah, the old "rope factory" alibi...That's a good one /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/cool.gif