Food Plots Critters digging up your planted seed

[Chaneylake]

I was told this by an old timer and it works great

Before you plant your seed thoroughly stir in a small amount of "turpentine"

It's simply the smell that stops the critters from digging up your planted seed

I have been doing this for years on corn, soybean and sunflower seed

 

[jmf]

I had a corn field last year that something(s) dug up and ate. They got about half the field (2 acres) so I replanted using turpentine which was recommended by the guy that farms our ground. Well this time the somethings(s) dug up and ate every single seed. I have no idea what it could of been. I've been planting corn for years and this was the first time I had to experience this. Not sure what I will do if it happens again.

 

[Chaneylake]

Did the dug holes look like a golf ball cut in half would fit the hole almost perfect

If so you might have sugar cane beetles.

The beetles eat the plant roots and skunks or some other critter that can dig is going after the beetles

The beetles are mainly active at night

 

[jmf]

It looked as if a bird had plucked the seed out of the ground. I thought I took some pictures but couldn't find any.

 

[Hunter 257W]

We used to plant Sorghum Grass, an annual hay, every year in a low field we had. Blackbirds and starlings would swarm it when 1st sprouting and pull the plant us to eat the seeds. That worked out well for me because my job was to stay down there as much as possible with a 22 in hand to run them off. I was only 12 and the 12 gauge was too much at the time so about all i did was make noise and run birds off but it was by far the best job I'd ever had on the farm!

I'm not sure how much total damage they might have done if I hadn't watched it so closely with the rifle but that was back when black birds traveled in huge flocks and the field was only 20 acres. If that same number of birds had descended on a filed of only 2 acres they would surely have ruined it.

 

[TheLBLman]

I had a corn field last year that something(s) dug up and ate. They got about half the field (2 acres) so I replanted using turpentine which was recommended by the guy that farms our ground. Well this time the somethings(s) dug up and ate every single seed. I have no idea what it could of been. I've been planting corn for years and this was the first time I had to experience this.

Armadillos?

 

[Chaneylake]

I had a corn field last year that something(s) dug up and ate. They got about half the field (2 acres) so I replanted using turpentine which was recommended by the guy that farms our ground. Well this time the somethings(s) dug up and ate every single seed. I have no idea what it could of been. I've been planting corn for years and this was the first time I had to experience this.

Armadillos?

Or skunks, probably both