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food or no food?

Lucky13

Lucky13

Member
Ok so this is for all of you food plot guys out there....I recently just got permission to hunt a piece of ground that if there is a "zone" then this one is in it! I mean this is just where the big boys roam! So here how it lays out:

Its 140 acres timber, rolling hills, draws, pasture, creeks...its got it all...Now the farmer has cattle in there but only during the winter..good for me...he typically takes them out early spring and puts them back in early december...giving me nearly all of bow season....Now I have never planted a food plot and wouldnt even know where to start, but do you think it would be worth it? Spring and Fall to plant a small plot? If so what would you plant? And on a side note this property does not have any food but there is food all around it
 
Absolutely! If you need some help deciding what to plant Dbltree is great reference or your welcome to contact me.
 
Is the food all around it mainly ag fields in corn/beans? Regardless, I would concentrate on something green if bowseason is your time. Find some odd open areas or hidden corners leading from good bedding to the ag fields and throw some clover in. Sounds like you will be in the chips with a few green food plots!
 
I'd plant what draws the most deer in October and November, so get with an expert. Maybe turnips work in Iowa during those months? But they sure don't here, they march right through them to my beans, corn, clover and alfafa here at home.......
 
Baby-G said:
I'd plant what draws the most deer in October and November, so get with an expert. Maybe turnips work in Iowa during those months? But they sure don't here, they march right through them to my beans, corn, clover and alfafa here at home.......
Click to expand...

I agree with you Baby-G, my buddy has acouple turnip plots, largest 1 acre, and the deer would browse through it but they were just passing through to get to the bean fields. Not like they were there for the turnips. This would be during bow season (October November) My buddy said they didn't start hitting the turnips til snow hit.
 
A good clover spot works great.
The first thing us get the ok from land owner before doing anything. Would hate to piss him off before u even get to hunt
 
I would probably either stick to clover or the cereal grain mix.. It's going to get demolished by the cattle once they are in there, therefore I probably wouldn't use turnips because the most attractive time of the year to deer for them is winter. I don't know if this would be an issue or not, but make sure you don't plant anything that would cause the cattle to bloat once they start gorging on it.
 
I would plant food. Look at a Dbltree Mix or something green during bow.

The deer are very picky on turninps, lots of guys finding that it takes years for the the deer to even start hitting them, including myself. Can never go wrong with standing beans if you have the right place for them, and by the sounds of it you may not have enough to work with for that. If you got 5 acres, I would do beans and nothing else.

Kratz
 
Depending on how many acres you have I would plant beans if there are other ag foods around all fall and winter. I watched deer just pound my plots in 2012.

If you have 2.5 or less acres with no other ag food sources around I would do the Dbl. Tree mix.
I know this from experience. I watched them devour 2.5 acres in 2012 and it was cleaned out by the first week in January. I had no other crop in there to July.
This year I did the Dbl. Tree mix and had food from July on. They are still hammering it and it will help them make it through the winter.
Plenty of tonnage for them also and I should not run out. Good luck to you. and keep us posted.
 
He's talking about the cereal grain and rye/brassica rotation... Paul posts all of the seeds and amounts included in it in just about every page of the Brassica Forum
 
Here's Paul's magic formula

Plant ALL in one plot in strips or blocks

Alice, Kopu II, Durana (or comparable) white clover 10% of plot, sow at 6#'s per acre with the rye combination in the fall or in the spring with oats and berseem clover. Correct Ph and P&K with soil tests

Brassicas in 45% of plot

Purple Top Turnips 2.5#
Dwarf Essex Rape 2.5#
GroundHog Forage radish 5#

Plant in mid to late July in most Midwest states, or 60-90 days before your first killing frost, Use 200#'s of 46-0-0 urea and 400#'s of 6-28-28 per acre. Follow the dead brassicas with oats and berseem or crimson clover in mid spring at 50#'s oats and 12-15#'s berseem clover an/or same of crimson clover and/or 50#'s of chickling vetch)

Cereal Grain combo in 45% of plot...I use 50# each rye, oats and peas along with radish and clover seed all plant in half of each feeding area

We use 50#'s each of the following:

Winter rye 50-80#'s per acre (56#'s = a bushel)
Spring oats 50-120#'s per acre (32#'s = a bushel)
Frostmaster Winter Peas or 4010/6040 Forage peas 20-80#'s per acre

Red Clover 8-12#'s per acre or white clover at 6#'s per acre (or 20-40 pounds hairy vetch and 20-30#'s crimson clover on sandy soils)
Groundhog Forage Radish 5#'s per acre

Plant in late August to early September, if following well fertilized brassicas use 100 - 200#'s of urea, if starting a new plot add 400#'s of 6-28-28 but for best results soil test and add only what is necessary.

Rotate the brassicas and rye combo each year
 
Central Iowa said:
Here's Paul's magic formula

Plant ALL in one plot in strips or blocks

Alice, Kopu II, Durana (or comparable) white clover 10% of plot, sow at 6#'s per acre with the rye combination in the fall or in the spring with oats and berseem clover. Correct Ph and P&K with soil tests

Brassicas in 45% of plot

Purple Top Turnips 2.5#
Dwarf Essex Rape 2.5#
GroundHog Forage radish 5#

Plant in mid to late July in most Midwest states, or 60-90 days before your first killing frost, Use 200#'s of 46-0-0 urea and 400#'s of 6-28-28 per acre. Follow the dead brassicas with oats and berseem or crimson clover in mid spring at 50#'s oats and 12-15#'s berseem clover an/or same of crimson clover and/or 50#'s of chickling vetch)

Cereal Grain combo in 45% of plot...I use 50# each rye, oats and peas along with radish and clover seed all plant in half of each feeding area

We use 50#'s each of the following:

Winter rye 50-80#'s per acre (56#'s = a bushel)
Spring oats 50-120#'s per acre (32#'s = a bushel)
Frostmaster Winter Peas or 4010/6040 Forage peas 20-80#'s per acre

Red Clover 8-12#'s per acre or white clover at 6#'s per acre (or 20-40 pounds hairy vetch and 20-30#'s crimson clover on sandy soils)
Groundhog Forage Radish 5#'s per acre

Plant in late August to early September, if following well fertilized brassicas use 100 - 200#'s of urea, if starting a new plot add 400#'s of 6-28-28 but for best results soil test and add only what is necessary.

Rotate the brassicas and rye combo each year
Click to expand...

yup and im lost!
 
If you are looking at a food plot for/during bow season then white clover is your best option. White clover is king when it comes to food plots. Look under Double Tree's clover forum and he explains all you will need to know. Very easy establishing clover and usually lasts 3-5 years. No brainer...
 
Do you have access to equipment? You will need it to do all of Pauls. How big of an area you lookin to do?
 
I'd for sure do Paul's cereal grain mix. Radishes would be good for the time frame that you are hunting the farm.

What is the timber? Predominately oaks? Those are going to be hard to beat on big mast years, especially during the times you are hunting. Cattle are going to pound any plots you plant come late season so the deer will not see much usage I doubt come December on.
 
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