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0.36" of rain in September.... turkey and dove love the easy to find seeds laying in my plots..... Fortunately, our Sawtooth oaks and chestnuts are pouring mast right now. I hope the white oak acorns follow in about 3 or 4 weeks. Our plums are still dropping fruit as well as the persimmons are getting near maturity. The deer will be fine. I just regret all the labor and expense that went into trying to grow plots during this weather pattern.
 
TNlandowner said:
0.36" of rain in September.... turkey and dove love the easy to find seeds laying in my plots..... Fortunately, our Sawtooth oaks and chestnuts are pouring mast right now. I hope the white oak acorns follow in about 3 or 4 weeks. Our plums are still dropping fruit as well as the persimmons are getting near maturity. The deer will be fine. I just regret all the labor and expense that went into trying to grow plots during this weather pattern.
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My objective this fall is to plant a plum thicket and crabapple orchard. How have you seen deer use on your plums?
 
Ski said:
My objective this fall is to plant a plum thicket and crabapple orchard. How have you seen deer use on your plums?
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Deer will absolutely eat plums from native American plum trees. I get a lot of pictures of them feeding under the plum trees. For what it is worth, other animals love the fruit too: 'possums, coyotes, turkey, and my dog! LOL. These trees form "thickets" pretty quickly. I would plant them 20 feet apart and give them a few years to grow into thickets. I have to mow new sucker growth each year or they will spread beyond where I want them.
American plum tree.jpg
 
Supposed to be getting .6" rain right now this hour but it's just a light drizzle. Thunder, lighting, and shifty winds but barely raining. Supposed to be clear in an hour so I'm out for my first sit of the season. Seen 6 so far including a yearling buck.
 
TNlandowner said:
Deer will absolutely eat plums from native American plum trees. I get a lot of pictures of them feeding under the plum trees. For what it is worth, other animals love the fruit too: 'possums, coyotes, turkey, and my dog! LOL. These trees form "thickets" pretty quickly. I would plant them 20 feet apart and give them a few years to grow into thickets. I have to mow new sucker growth each year or they will spread beyond where I want them. View attachment 196932
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That's what I'm hoping for! Got a blow down area about 1/2 acre and spent summer dragging logs out. Now it's just an opening in the big woods. Hoping the plums will fill it up.
 
Still ain't too late guys, well for brassica to do much it probably is. Cereal grain & clover will be fine. You are really planting next springs clover anyway. Thankfully we have beucoo acorns and they aren't going to need plots until December at earliest.

According to UT Agriculture we haven't even reached the optimum wheat planting dates yet.

"Dates: For best winter survival and top grain yield, plant wheat from October 15 to November 10. Do not plant wheat until after the fly-free date of October 15. Wheat should be planted early enough for young plants to become well-rooted and develop 3 to 4 inches of top growth before going into the winter (December 21st)."

Farmers have just started harvesting beans in north AL & will drill wheat afterwards. Have 20 acre field across road from my house & the wheat always looks great before winter.

Take advantage & get some mowing done while weather is nice. That's what I'm going to do starting tomorrow.
 
backyardtndeer said:
Seems to be what several others are doing around here. If I didn't have to look at myself in the mirror, I might too.
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I used to hunt a small track that was bounded on 3 sides by a 700 acre tract. I once got a tour of that piece and saw numerous feeders and all roadways had corn spread. My tour was the week before gun season.
 
tellico4x4 said:
Still ain't too late guys, well for brassica to do much it probably is. Cereal grain & clover will be fine. You are really planting next springs clover anyway. Thankfully we have beucoo acorns and they aren't going to need plots until December at earliest.

According to UT Agriculture we haven't even reached the optimum wheat planting dates yet.

"Dates: For best winter survival and top grain yield, plant wheat from October 15 to November 10. Do not plant wheat until after the fly-free date of October 15. Wheat should be planted early enough for young plants to become well-rooted and develop 3 to 4 inches of top growth before going into the winter (December 21st)."

Farmers have just started harvesting beans in north AL & will drill wheat afterwards. Have 20 acre field across road from my house & the wheat always looks great before winter.

Take advantage & get some mowing done while weather is nice. That's what I'm going to do starting tomorrow.
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Just remember that what is recommended for farmers, who are trying to produce a profitable crop, and what hunters want from agriculture products are two very different things. Best planting dates and practices for farmers can be very different than for food plotters trying to feed/attract deer.
 
BSK said:
Just remember that what is recommended for farmers, who are trying to produce a profitable crop, and what hunters want from agriculture products are two very different things. Best planting dates and practices for farmers can be very different than for food plotters trying to feed/attract deer.
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We always plant later then most. While by and large you are right what we have noticed our foodplots used more. But we do plant a few more acres to help with the lesser tonnage.
 

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