Who all has food plot pics? If you dont have pics, what are you growing. I have done my warm season plots a bit different this year. I started in early June by planting mixes of beans and corn, the deer pounded it and I just had a few corn stalks in the field by mid July. In Mid July I top sowed everything in Sorghum Sudan grass. I let the sorghum get up pretty high and went in and cut rows in it. I walked through the rows with a spreader and spread a mix of iron and clay peas and Laredo beans(same thing as a black mexican bean). I went back this weekend to break some new ground for some new winter plots. I also spread winter wheat lightly around the edges of my existing plots and put the wheat in my new plots to help keep emmerging weeds from going too crazy before we put the rest of the seed down. In my new plots I will have a mix of winter wheat, oats, turnips, and austrian winter peas. All together I have spread 320lbs of 13-13-13 and a ton of lime. I have enjoyed doing these different layers and having different plants at different stages of growth. I dont think the deer have caught on to what all is there, but there is tons of beans that have vined up into the sorghum and corn and there will be a lot of action in these plots as the other food sources begin to dwindle into the fall. BTW-lots and lots of acorns especially on the red oaks and chinkapins! Here's a before and after pic of one of my plots:
Food Plots...??
- Thread starter churly
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SpurHunter
Well-known member
Thats a ton of work, and the rewards should be good for you guys!
We are gonna try and get something in the ground in the next few weeks, probably just rye or wheat though.
We are gonna try and get something in the ground in the next few weeks, probably just rye or wheat though.
Kirk
Well-known member
I am about to plant firebreaks that were cut last week. The forest company that manages our lease went in cut miles of firebreaks. Some of the firebreaks are in areas that will make excellent food plots. We plan to plant a wide variety of seeds just make sure something grows.
Since this is year one and just weeks before the season starts we are just going to go in and plow it up and throw some seed down and hope for the best. NExt year we will be able to plan, fertilize, and get some two season crops.
Since this is year one and just weeks before the season starts we are just going to go in and plow it up and throw some seed down and hope for the best. NExt year we will be able to plan, fertilize, and get some two season crops.
Spur can I recomend a mix of wheat, oats, and turnips. It will sprout on wet pavement and look great. You dont even have to do any tilling. Just use a leaf blower or a dethatcher to clear the ground. I also think its key to time your planting of winter plots with the dropping of the acorns. The deer will be so interested in finding the acorns it will give the plot a chance to establish itself before the browsing bonanza begins around the end of November. Sometimes I think I enjoy the planting/ managing as much as anything. Got a couple of stands to hang this weekend and then we just wait for the 25th.
I have an old dried up pond on our lease that usually stays moist year round that would be great for a food plot. the only downfall is that it doesnt get hardly any sunlight throughout the day. do yall have any suggestions on what i could plant on this that would be good but not need alot of light??? any suggestions are appreciated
SpurHunter
Well-known member
I will keep that in mind for sure Justin. It will really depend on what it looks like after bushhogging. We are going to do it either the 19th or 26th. (hate it for guys next to us wanting to bow-hunt opening weekend). I dont know if we will be able to turn the ground at all, but with bushhogging 12' tall brush there will be a lot of crap on the ground 
THE WIZARD
Well-known member
I LIKE THAT......WORKING ON FOOD PLOTS THIS WEEK ! emoThanks
SpurHunter - 8/30/2010 3:10 PM
I will keep that in mind for sure Justin. It will really depend on what it looks like after bushhogging. We are going to do it either the 19th or 26th. (hate it for guys next to us wanting to bow-hunt opening weekend). I dont know if we will be able to turn the ground at all, but with bushhogging 12' tall brush there will be a lot of crap on the ground
That mulch left behind the bush hog will actually dry up preety quick in the heat. We just roto-tilled that mess into the dirt. Trust me with wheat, oats, rhye, or turnips they dont even have to be tilled they just need to get wet and sprout before the turkeys or birds get the seed. If you have an excess amount of that mulch/ clippings left you can use a simple lawn dethatcher behind the atv to remove it. Post pics when you get 'er workin.
Wheat is what I throw down on the benches and logging roads on our mountain. It seems to handle shade pretty good. You might consider trimming a few trees around the pond. Keep in mind that it helps most to clear any branches that block the south and western sky. I've never had luck in plots planted on Northern facing slopes. The one thing that concerns me is the wettness of the pond you may some root rot, but you never know till you try. Clearing some trees and allowing light in may help with that. I have a similar area in the bottom of a steep ravine and we were able to grow beans and corn down there just by triming the surrounding trees.
If you are trying to save money on seed you buy feed wheat and oats as opposed to seed wheat and oats. Its much cheaper and actually has a decent germination rate if its not a real old bag. Good luck!
As a rule till as often as you can. But the wheat will sprout on damp concrete so if you cant till its one of the seeds to consider using. Be sure to fertilize and lime accordingly. Deer wont eat anything that doesn't have the nutrients they need.
Justfishin
Well-known member
back in the spring i planted corn and beans.They did real good but the coon destroyed my corn.I went out last week end and planted alot of winter oats on our lease the deer seam to like it better than wheat but I also planted turnips rape Kale and chichory.Going back out this sunday and plant some more.I will try to get some pics I have got about 2 acres of clover planter that i just mowed.The corn and beans and clover did great holding the deer their I was getting about 175 to 300 pics a week till the acorns started falling
canoe fisherman
Well-known member
I recently started planting whole kernal corn from a 50 lb bag- LOL