Food Plots Corn planted the hard way

[CPerk]

Got 3/4 an acre of roundup ready corn in today after having beans on the plot the past two years.

Sprayed roundup on bean stubble and some emerging weeds last week. Had a friend up the road chisel plow yesterday. Walked up and down (about) every 3rd row for about 30inch rows, dropping a seed by hand every 6 inches or so. The rain hit hard just as I was finishing up but I went back and pulled a pallet behind me perpendicular to the rows in order to ensure they were covered. Will be putting up electric fence here in the next few days to keep deer off of the corn until season.

Excited to see the fruits of hard labor!

 

[JCDEERMAN]

I have done it that way as well in the past. Actually, the first food plot we ever had, my cousin and I "plowed" a small field with hammers - just enough to get the soil exposed and then sowed winter wheat LOL. We killed several deer off of it too. This was way before we had money for a tractor and we were in our teens, so plenty agile.

No way would I do that these days. But absolutely - I will never forget the feeling of shooting the first deer off that small plot we made with hammers, sweat equity and a bag of wheat. Heck, we didn't even have a spreader - just threw it out of the bag. Not ashamed at all about it.

 

[Bushape]

How do you protect it and why are you swapping to corn?

 

[Bushape]

Sorry I overlooked you mentioning the fence. Just purchased my electric fence supplies today hoping to protect 1.5 acre bean plot. First time ever messing with an electric fence so who knows how this will turn out. Would like to hear some advice for planting beans as far as plant dates and brand of beans you used.

 

[CPerk]

Sorry I overlooked you mentioning the fence. Just purchased my electric fence supplies today hoping to protect 1.5 acre bean plot. First time ever messing with an electric fence so who knows how this will turn out. Would like to hear some advice for planting beans as far as plant dates and brand of beans you used.

Bushape, I am swapping to corn for a couple reasons. One, I've done beans the past two years and am sorta ready for something new :lol: Also, the plot is directly behind my house so I need screening and structure for the deer to feel safe. The first year I did beans back there, I had majority nighttime movement. Last year, I used arrow seed's green screen on the edges and the deer utilized the beans exponentially more. In about 12 hunts I saw 11 shooters (shooters for me, at least). Basically, I want to try to learn something new with corn and it is only 3/4 of an acre so not too bad on the wallet. Corn will give great structure and great hunts, as I'll have the only row crop within miles. Everyone around me is hay or pastures.

As for recommendations on beans, it is great you bought a fence. I pieced one together from TSC and CO-OP, going completely solar and it works great. My inside two wires weren't even hot, as I just used white flagging tape as a visual barrier. The only hot wire I used was the single outside strand, at about hip high or so. I went with Eagle seed forage soybeans and they grew like weeds. I had plants up to my neck, but once they got beyond that, many sort of fell over. It wasn't a huge problem because they still produced a ton of pods, but it got to the point where deer had to make their own trails through the beans, as it was like walking through weeds. I guess that's a good problem to have. I never fertilized my beans, but the soil up here is pretty good because the 8 or so years before I planted we had horses on it. I believe I planted around first of May, but not positive. I sprayed for weeds, chisel plowed, broadcasted the seed, then pulled over across the rows with a pallet.

Hope this helps!

 

[Bushape]

Yeah man thanks for the advice. Did the eagle forage soybeans provide enough pods to last into Dec? I was looking at planting in late june in south tennessee which is when most ag farmers put theirs into the ground. Since you mentioned trying something new have you ever heard of "the three sisters?" Combination of beans, corn, and squash which looks like would be a deer magnet.