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Food plot for wet spot

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HorseDoctor

PMA Member
I've got about 1/4 acre in the middle of a 3 acre prairie grass field that is just too wet for warm season grasses. In a dry year it is fine but may have a couple inches of standing water often in a wet year. I've given up on trying to keep it WSG and who doesn't need another food plot? Wondering what would be a good choice for a wetland food plot? Just in case we ever get wet again. :rolleyes: Thanks in advance for any info.
 
I wonder if Dbltree's fall rye mix would be your best bet? By late summer would it be dry enough on a normal or dry year like we probably will have again this summer? If not how about rice?
 
Not to sound like a smarts$$, but would a pond work? I would trade a small food plot for a pond any day but I don't have the best terrain.
 
Thanks, but I already have a 1/2 acre pond 75 yards away from this spot. (It is a lot of fun.) I have been leaning towards the rye mix, as I already utilize that in a couple other spots & have plenty of seed. Really have even considered rice some years. Doves should love it if the derr didn't. Already have a sunflower plot for them though so will likely go with the rye mix unless someone tells me it's failed them in a wet area or has a better idea. Thanks again.
 
HorseDoctor said:
Thanks, but I already have a 1/2 acre pond 75 yards away from this spot. (It is a lot of fun.) I have been leaning towards the rye mix, as I already utilize that in a couple other spots & have plenty of seed. Really have even considered rice some years. Doves should love it if the derr didn't. Already have a sunflower plot for them though so will likely go with the rye mix unless someone tells me it's failed them in a wet area or has a better idea. Thanks again.
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FYI, I had a nice, but small, probably only 1/3 acre, sunflower plot this past summer. The doves never knew about it, nor did any other game species...the goldfinches cleaned it out before the doves could get in there. Seriously, swarms of goldfinches ate every seed in the plot over about 2 weeks in mid to late August.

It was pretty neat to see so many goldfinches in one spot though. But I would guess a sunflower spot that small may not feed any deer/turkey for you, if you have as many goldfinches around as we did.
 
Alsike clover 1st & other white clovers second - mixed - would be a start for some wet ground. You could also experiment with some other things obviously and heck, obviously could have another drought year & you'll be glad you had a "wet area"
 
I've got about 3/4 acre that I mowed 14 of weekly starting about August 1. Had A lot of doves coming until a cold rain about 3 days before opener sent them all south. Still had enough for the wife & to have a decent shoot opener but less than it coulda/shoulda been.... Mother Nature will do what she will do....
 
Oh- re-read & saw "standing water" at times? Hmmmm..... could just do a fall foodplot too when it's dryer & if you had to replant after a "wet spring" - oh well??? For NWSG's.... You look at like Kanlow Switchgrass or Gamagrass? You know- if it were MY LAND- I think I'd also look at some shrubs that thrive in wet areas &/or some wetland trees like swamp oak, etc.
 
Sligh1 said:
.... I think I'd also look at some shrubs that thrive in wet areas &/or some wetland trees like swamp oak, etc.
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Got lots of shrubs surrounding this particular 3 acre field already. Planted some swamp white oaks in there 6 years ago & the deer ate them before they were 6' tall so decided to just feed the deer with something cheaper than oak seedlings... :( I've got lots of food plots around but the buggers keep eating the most expensive foods. If I'm going to keep feeding the deer herd everything I plant, I at least want to feed them on purpose. :way: On the other hand if the deer hadn't destroyed 1000 pine trees 12 winters ago I would never have gotten my wife to start shooting deer instead of taking their picture. (I do need to remember not to pi$$ her off. :rolleyes: )
 
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