New to food plots

[antlerfreak]

Ok, so ive never done the food plot thing before, but now have a 10yr lease where I can actually do some work without worrying about getting the boot a year later.
I have a 240 acre section, 80 tillable, 80 timber, and 80 crp / old pasture area. I have around 7-10 acres that Im going to put into plots. one area is around 5 and the other is 3-4 im guessing. I just bought a JD2010 with a mower and am looking for a disk.
The land is full of 1-2" sapplings and multiflower rose bushes, Im guessing it will be a real challenge getting it all cleared and into good growing ground the first year, with roots and what not. Ive been told the second and third year will do much better than the first year just for this reason.
I will also be broadcasting anything I plant as I dont have a planter,
I was thinking about doing half in beans and half in a clover / oats. and maby an acre in turnips and sugar beats.
Any thoughts on what may be better than others for the first year. should I stick to one thing that will grow better under the conditions?
Im not expecting alot the first year, but would like to get as much out of it as possible.
any advise is much appriciated.

Thanks

 

[dedgeez]

Soil prep is key and if I were you I would put about 10% of the property in plots! A good rule of thumb is if you have 240 acres try to plant atleast 20 acres in food. A mix is good, but if you want "killing" plots, go with standing beans! Depending on your deer density 12-15 acres should get you through December season! I personally would put the rest in standing corn to supplement them a bit.

The reason I am suggesting corn and beans and not clover is that you are leasing and not owning this piece. So if I was you I would be trying to draw all the deer that I could during the hunting seasons and not worrying about the other months. I would have a different opinion if I knew that you owned it. I think if you disk it ALOT and then drag it you will be ok. Also I would highly recommend drilling the beans and corn and not broadcasting them. These are just opinions, but I'm guessing you are leasing this for hunting reasons so I would concentrate the deer where and when you want them there. Good Luck

 

[antlerfreak]

Your right on the money with what you say, But there will already be 80 acres of row crops there, Beans this year. until they are harvested. so early season I will already have a legit bean field. So the clover was to concentrate them to a smaller area early season, and my beans would be for late season muzzy hopefully if they grow well. I would do corn but have no way to plant it and ive been told not to broadcast corn or I would be waisting my time to actually get a good crop. As far as doing 20 acres. I have the land to do it, but just getting started I dont want to dump X amount of dollars into 20 acres when I dont really know what to do or what I want as of yet. once I get a good idea of deer movement and what crops work best at different times in different places, I will open up more food plots. The land as it is holds plenty of deer, Ill more or less get a better benefit out of clearing and just making more predictable travle patterns, but why not plant some grub at the same time I figure. And the most important thing to me would be late season muzzy. I want one of those fields that produce waves of deer everyday during the end of Dec into January, and Ive been told turnips and sugar beats will do that. As well as a good stand of beans of course.

 

[dbltree]

Clover is hard to beat as an important element of a habitat program, clover, beans and turnips will all work great when used in combination (not mixed)

The threads in Dbltree's Corner will tell you how and when to plant and give you so additional ideas as well.

Good luck with your new projects this year! :way:

 

[turkeyriver]

If you're converting grassland to food plots, forget the disk and get a good sprayer. Your 2010 won't pull a heavy enough disk to really turn sod. Cut saplings and rose at the ground this spring. After good green up, spray with a heavy dose of R'up and 3 weeks later stick a match to it. After 2-3 more weeks, or when it greens up again, spray again with R'up. If there is enough to burn, do it. By now it should be late July and you should have pretty bare ground with the grass killed. Right before a rain, broadcast your turnips, radishes. You can also broadcast winter wheat or rye and if you get water you will get food. Next year a light disking will work or better yet a no till drill, whatever you can swing, to plant your beans or corn. Main point is, first year, KILL THE SOD with R'up or you will always be fighting it.