Food Plots Deer ignoring my clover plots

[GOHUNT]

This past spring I planted Whitetail Clover on two plots. It came up and besides some weeds, looks great. For weed control, I mowed it on 9/11 and got a couple of rains shortly after. I've got a camera on one of the plots and I never get pics of deer eating it. Early on I placed a cage in the middle of it and could see no difference….no evidence deer were eating it. Unfortunately now that it has turned really dry the clover has stopped growing so that now I don't have much mass going into winter.
Any of y'all maintain clover plots? Should I expect to see a change in feeding patterns? Thx

 

[backyardtndeer]

What is the soil ph?

 

[Boll Weevil]

Deer are ignoring everything but acorns at the moment. And with the bumper crop this year, could be weeks before that changes. Don't worry...they'll start hitting it eventually.

 

[PickettSFHunter]

Acorns are king.

 

[GOHUNT]

What is the soil ph?

I didn't check it but I have added 340 lbs total of Pelletized lime in two applications to my less than 1acre total plots. I doubt there has been enough rain to date to "wash in" the latter application.

 

[chris1976]

I didn't check it but I have added 340 lbs total of Pelletized lime in two applications to my less than 1acre total plots. I doubt there has been enough rain to date to "wash in" the latter application.

You would think 300 lbs of lime would be enough but my soil test called for 4000 lbs of lime per acre. Plots in the woods are usually very acidic.

 

[tellico4x4]

Very common for soil test to call for 2-2.5 tons of lime per acre, without a test your just guessing. It'll also tell you what the fertilizer requirements are. To get a good stand of landino you need a ph of 6.0+. In spring use clethodim for grass & 24DB for broadleaf weeds.

Pushed out a few new plots two years ago & did the soil test on them. They came back ranging from 4.2 - 5.8 ph. Can't get a lime truck or buggy to the 4.2 so I've spread a ton of pellitized lime by tractor the past two years. Bad part is that pellitized lime is short lived and pretty much needs to be done annually, where ag or dolomite is good for 3-5 yrs depending on soil.

Late summer & early fall can be brutal on clover until fall rain & cooler weather arrives. It'll bounce back, especially if you hit it with 0-20-20 fert. When acorns wane, they should hit the clover.

 

[BSK]

Surprisingly, despite the fact we have an acorn crop from Hades, deer are pounding my two existing crimson clover plots. Don't really know why except for possible the deer being drawn to the moisture in the clover.

 

[348Winchester]

Surprisingly, despite the fact we have an acorn crop from Hades, deer are pounding my two existing crimson clover plots. Don't really know why except for possible the deer being drawn to the moisture in the clover.

Acorns aplenty here in Morgan County! I think you are right about the moisture in the clover. Deer are really hitting the buckwheat I mixed in as well.

 

[BigAl]

My deer are hitting both the acorns and plots, despite the lack of rain.

 

[Gobble4me757]

I didn't check it but I have added 340 lbs total of Pelletized lime in two applications to my less than 1acre total plots. I doubt there has been enough rain to date to "wash in" the latter application.

Not doing much of anything to it unfortunately…mines calling for 1 ton each field