Cisco
Well-known member
Im trying to figure out what's the best food plot for deer? I planted a little of everything last year and found that clover and chicory was the best. Anyone have anything better?
FOOD PLOTS
- Thread starter Cisco
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Liveliner
Well-known member
Red and white clover in the same plot seems to provide something that they will eat. One thing I do is to sew seed-wheat around the perimeter of the food plot. This year I have tried something differant. At Soddy Seed and Feed, the owner makes up his own food plot mix. He has a Spring mix and a Fall mix. I loaded up a new plot this year during the draught with lime and then planted the spring mix with the seed-wheat around the outer edges. I have not seen it since any rains have fallen on it. Can not wait to see it for the first time this Sunday.</p>
After Sunday I will post the results on the Soddy store's Spring Mix.</p>
After Sunday I will post the results on the Soddy store's Spring Mix.</p>
Liveliner
Well-known member
So what do you think about the local seed mix? My brother-in-law just cleared several acres on the campground I hunt in Goodlettesville and I'm looking for something to plant with low maintenance. Anyone have recommendations for a good "sow & go" plot mix?
Liveliner
Well-known member
No Good!...We went up yesterday and saw that 100%+/- did not come up. The seed wheat around the edges looked good and was coming on fine but the $8.00 per pound special mix did not come up with the exception of single plant here and there. If all that came up was put together it would not even cover a 6"x6" square.</p>
Two or three weeks ago I had gone to check the growth but that was prior to any rain on the place. At that time I wanted to try something. I had an old bottle of cockatiel food that was more than eight years old. I scratched out in the soil a trench about thrity feet long and planted the bird food. I think about everything in that bottle came up except for the Cherrios and Corn Flakes. There is a big green line down of the food plot to show that seeds will grow, but not the high dollor mix. The deer have been eating the bird seed plants.</p>
I am going back to plant some white and red clover and toss out some winter rye. That is about all I can do at this date. </p>
The big deer tracks are everywhere and they are tearing up the two salt lick blocks with the candy topping and my Cocane and icecream salt hole.</p>
To answer your question there Jason...Birdseed</p>
Two or three weeks ago I had gone to check the growth but that was prior to any rain on the place. At that time I wanted to try something. I had an old bottle of cockatiel food that was more than eight years old. I scratched out in the soil a trench about thrity feet long and planted the bird food. I think about everything in that bottle came up except for the Cherrios and Corn Flakes. There is a big green line down of the food plot to show that seeds will grow, but not the high dollor mix. The deer have been eating the bird seed plants.</p>
I am going back to plant some white and red clover and toss out some winter rye. That is about all I can do at this date. </p>
The big deer tracks are everywhere and they are tearing up the two salt lick blocks with the candy topping and my Cocane and icecream salt hole.</p>
To answer your question there Jason...Birdseed</p>
hoggerhead
Well-known member
hey jason i tried some no plow seed mix a couple years ago in a partially cleared pine thicket. all i did was clear out all the sticks and hit it with a lawn areator and it worked great! i put lime down to help with the acidity. had a few weeds that were MEGA sized but nothing i couldnt clear up in 20 minutes. that stuff works great in areas that have alot of shade or sun. it will pretty much grow in every type of soil. hope this helps.
hoggerhead
Well-known member
it was made by the whitetail institute.
Cisco
Well-known member
I'm telling ya! You can't go wrong with clover and chicory mix! I've planted 3 different plots the past 3 years,and they are the least maintained fields I have.Last year in one of my plots, they had the chicory eat down to the dirt before the first muzzleloader started. I first sprayed my field with round-up and waited till it was completly dead. Then plowed it up real good. I drug a big log behind my disc and leveled it out. Then broadcasted my seed and fertilize and ran over it with my 4-wheeler back and forth until i had it all mashed in good. And that's all you have to do. Just put a little fertilize and mow it, and it should last you about 5 or more years. I wish I had some pictures to send, cause they are looking great!
I used the "Special Seed Mix" last year around the out side of one of our dove fields. It did really well. Lots of clover and turnups that i could tell. Dont have a whole lot of deer but the ones we do have ate well. They didnt get hunted last year that i know of but there should be atleast one good one hanging around for muzzleloader season.
Liveliner
Well-known member
<font color="#ff0000">Controlled Bashing</font></p>
<font color="#333333">As I</font><font color="#333333"> mentioned before in this thread, I had some bad luck with some high dollar special mix food plot seed that was a recommended product sold by the seed store in Soddy. I am sure the owner guaranteed to seed to grow...Well it didn't...Other seeds did very well including some Eight year old bird seeds I had stored in my barn in a jar. Approached him with pics to prove the failure of the seeds. He said that they did not come up for anybody.
He stated that he had used them and they didn't come up in his food plot either.
...Soooo...showed him that the other stuff did okey and that the seeds were bad. Asked him if there was anything else that we could use as a replacement. We had bought about $32.00 worth of those seeds. The seed guy said that he would give us a free one pound of red clover which is $3.50 per pound. WOW!! What a deal...We ordered Five pounds of straight red clover seeds. The owner told us to come into the other room and advised his son to get the seeds. When we got to the food plot we put out some good fertilizer and started to spread the seeds. Red clover seeds are a light orange/tan color. The top seeds in the bag were red clover however in the center of the bag we found about 1/3 of the seeds were some type of filler seeds that were slightly larger and gray. Then on the bottom of the bag we had more Red clover seeds. The guy made us pay $3.50 per lb for four lbs of red clover, He gave to us one pound in place of the $32.00 we spent on his bad seeds, Then he rips us off again by slipping in about two pounds of some kind of filler. We thought it was strange that he would not allow us to watch as his son bag the seeds. We are going back one more time to see what the filler seeds were that he slipped in on us. We had spent approximately a Hundred bucks on our first visit buying two types of seeds, lime, fertilizer and more. Then we work four hot long days on the food plot planting bad seeds. six 120 mile round trips to the farm then he rips us again by switching $3.50 seeds on us...
</font></p>
<font color="#333333">As I</font><font color="#333333"> mentioned before in this thread, I had some bad luck with some high dollar special mix food plot seed that was a recommended product sold by the seed store in Soddy. I am sure the owner guaranteed to seed to grow...Well it didn't...Other seeds did very well including some Eight year old bird seeds I had stored in my barn in a jar. Approached him with pics to prove the failure of the seeds. He said that they did not come up for anybody.
hoggerhead
Well-known member
man! that sounds pretty low down to me. you might oughta try the co-op in dayton, ive never had a problem with any of their seed.i dont know which way you come from but its not to awful far from soddy.
I have not killed any booners, but I have planted some pretty plots! If you want to plant something that will bring deer to your stand durring season, as well as help heard health, plant a mix of iron & Clay peas mixed with Soybeans and corn. Its not too late at all!!! You can susbstitute the corn with millet or milo. I like Corn. As everything pops out of the ground the deer will selectively hammer the soybeans while the I/C peas will grow up into the corn creating a "jungle" of vines and vegatation. The deer will not get the peas until all the soys are eaten( Its usually bow season then) the deer will absolutely clean up the plot by the end of bow season and you will only have a few stalks of brown corn left. At that time ( late Sept-Mid Oct.) I turn the ground over and plant a mix of seed wheat, seed oats, and turnip greens. That gets the deer through the winter! This plot will work here in Hamilton Co. as well as on the plateau and its a good mix for the overall health of the deer. If you just want to plant a plot once every 3-5 years then the chicory and clover mixes are the way to go. Be sure to lime the crap of your plot every year!! The ground in this part of the country is acidic to say the least! Sorry, I had to jump on this thread!
Cisco
Well-known member
I finally got some pictures! That's my baby boy standing in one of my clover/chicory plots. I had to run a couple of gobblers out of it so we could take some pictures. That plot right there will last about 5 years or more, if you take care of it. We took 7 deer out of that field one year, mostly does for juveniles.
