Buck Forage oats
- Thread starter Double L
- Start date
I did. Planted early. Came up well. They are just now starting to eat on them after we had a decent Frost
JCDEERMAN
Well-Known Member
Probably their favorite among cereal grains, with wheat and rye right behind. FWIW, we planted BFO in 1/2 of a field and regular co-op oats in the other 1/2 and set a camera on the dividing line - did not notice a difference in the deer's preference. Co-op oats are much cheaper
Ballerski
Well-Known Member
I like to have oats in a wheat, rye oat mix. They are usually die back when frost hits.
JCDEERMAN
Well-Known Member
True - in the order of their liking (oats #1, then wheat #2, then rye #3).....also is each plant's durability in cold temperatures of thriving (oats, then wheat, then rye)
Blends are always better because they provide food at different times of need
HatchieLuvr
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Nov 28, 2017
- Messages
- 80
I honestly couldn't tell the difference between regular "bob oats" vs the fancy "name brand oats" over a couple years trial! So I quit buying the expen$ive stuff. I usually plant 10-12 plots on my place (2acs to as small as those in the pics below) and use a simple mix of oats and wheat. I like to wait until early/mid Oct to plant so that the deer are pounding the then dropping acorns and don't bother the young sprouting plots for a couple weeks. This pic from this morning is my favorite small plot down in the middle of the woods. The sprouts literally turned 3 weeks old yesterday. I finished up planting all my plots the night before Hurricane Delta came through 3 wks ago. (This years summer was prime for greenery and deer weights btw! Wet all summer and very low summer stress. Nothing died out, my mower and equipment have the hours to prove it. 
) Being along the Hatchie River, my plots usually go underwater anytime between Christmas and the end of deer season, so I don't get to fancy with them and since it's fertile bottom soil I never fertilize or lime them either. I simply til the soil with a 5ft rotary tiller behind my tractor, then broadcast the seed and that's it. Planting rates are heavy, usually equal to 200# per quarter acre.
) Being along the Hatchie River, my plots usually go underwater anytime between Christmas and the end of deer season, so I don't get to fancy with them and since it's fertile bottom soil I never fertilize or lime them either. I simply til the soil with a 5ft rotary tiller behind my tractor, then broadcast the seed and that's it. Planting rates are heavy, usually equal to 200# per quarter acre. Oats are all I have planted the last 3 years. I plant a forage oat but I get'em from a buddy who is a seed/chemical salesman. No deer on the bag. Lol
The deer here love them. I will top dress them at about 4 weeks just to help'em make through the season. The deer here get very little pressure so from October through January, I'll basically have anywhere's from 1-30 deer on them pretty much 18 hours out of every day. The plot will look like a putting green they keep it so mowed down.
Here's the kicker with the oats. If they stay short/eat down, cold will affect them very little. Maybe a few burned tops, but not near as bad as it would be if they were 6-8" tall. I also plant oats as cover crops in some of my pastures where the deer cannot get to them and cold does affect them somewhat.
The deer here love them. I will top dress them at about 4 weeks just to help'em make through the season. The deer here get very little pressure so from October through January, I'll basically have anywhere's from 1-30 deer on them pretty much 18 hours out of every day. The plot will look like a putting green they keep it so mowed down.
Here's the kicker with the oats. If they stay short/eat down, cold will affect them very little. Maybe a few burned tops, but not near as bad as it would be if they were 6-8" tall. I also plant oats as cover crops in some of my pastures where the deer cannot get to them and cold does affect them somewhat.
JCDEERMAN
Well-Known Member
What oats are they? You have the name or type?
Gerrard 227
I use Black oats in my blended covers and cereal rye with turnips and radishes to cover row crop ground and to plant into clover and alfalfa in late summer the legumes benefit from reduced browse during winter as well as loosens the soil and adds a lot of organic matter in the spring.
Good thread and info, thanks for the discussion.
