Food Plots�.. I love hunting over food plots, but I have never had a lot of luck seeing a lot of deer or any real mature bucks in them. So� i need your help. I could not decide what I wanted to plant so I have tried a few things. I have two different plots but I have designed them to be the same. Plot 1 was a grown up field with trees in it 6-8" across. In ground prep I brought in a skid steer and cleared about 1.5 acres. A few stumps and many small saplings still remain. Plot 2 was a less grown up field that I was able to just bush-hog. 2-3 weeks after clearing the areas I sprayed them with round-up, and monday i sowed them. Each plot the soil was not worked up. There were a lot of areas where dirt was showing but not all of it. Monday when we sowed it I had spread oaks and clover 1 acre of each plot and whitetail institute alfalfa over the remaining .5 acres. What is your opinion of seed choice and what could I do better next year?
Food Plots Experimental Food Plot
- Thread starter turf08
- Start date
BSK
Well-Known Member
When it comes to seed choices, it's impossible to predict what might "do better." As I tell hunters all the time, the only way to know what will work best in YOUR situation is to experiment, experiment, and experiment some more. Every situation is unique.
Football Hunter
Well-Known Member
No matter what you plant,or how well it does,dont expect to see many,if any mature bucks in them in daylight.JMO
BSK
Well-Known Member
Football Hunter said:
This.
Unless food sources are VERY limited in the area, mature bucks rarely venture into food plots in daylight during deer season. It happens, but it's rare.
With no ground prep other than what you describe I doubt you will have much of the alfalfa do much of anything. Even with quite a bit of prep, alfalfa can be difficult to have much success with.
I have heard that about the alfalfa. I put 250lbs of lime on each spot where I sowed the alfalfa. I was told it needed a lot of it to come up. I have not fertilized either of the plots yet. I knew that it didnt need any to come up so Im gonna check on it next week and if I have a good stand of something I will fertilize it then. I dont really expect much but I know I put enough seed in those 2.5-3 acres for a 25 acre plot. So the lack of effort is not a factor on this.
BSK
Well-Known Member
tn droptine said:
This.
Alfalfa is a great food plot plant, but it requires a lot of work.
UPDATE!!! I went and checked both plots and now have great expectations. All my clover and alfalfa area up and are extremely thick and green. My oats are just barely sprouting. I plan on waiting until the end of the week or this weekend and putting out a ton of fertilize. Once it gets to a good height ill post pics.
bigtex
Well-Known Member
IMO, the grown up fields are better deer habitat than a food plot.
Not saying that you won't see or kill deer in food plots, but in my experience overgrown fields and new clear cuts are prime.
I didn't even sow my plots this year, didn't mow them either. I'm just letting them revert back to their natural state, and so far I am seeing more deer activity than ever.
Not saying that you won't see or kill deer in food plots, but in my experience overgrown fields and new clear cuts are prime.
I didn't even sow my plots this year, didn't mow them either. I'm just letting them revert back to their natural state, and so far I am seeing more deer activity than ever.
southernhunter
Well-Known Member
I have tried my best to get the guys in the club to let me leave some growth in the files but the want them mowed as neat as a pen right up to the edge of the woods then some. They cant figure out that while 2 1/2 year old bucks and doe's use the fields regularly, we never see older bucks in them. While even with growth it would be few and far between I still believe it would help.i left a few small strips 2 seasons ago with out asking and I caught grief all year because that couldn't get a shot in it And at this time we was talking about 2 feet high at the most and 6 feet wide strips with perfectly mowed strips in between.bigtex said:
BSK
Well-Known Member
That's too bad southernhunter. As you probably know, leaving an "ecotone" of brush, weeds, briers, and tall grasses around an open food plot can significantly increase daylight usage of that plot by deer.
A few years ago, I tried to convince a client that he should give up some of his soybean planting acreage to create 60-foot-wide buffers of native warm-season grasses around the edges of his big bottomland plots (which abutted directly against big, open hardwood bottoms). The client thought I was crazy, but eventually relented. Now, several years later, he doesn't think I'm crazy anymore! The number of older bucks that will step out into the big soybean fields just before dark has increased dramatically since the buffer of tall grasses was implemented.
A few years ago, I tried to convince a client that he should give up some of his soybean planting acreage to create 60-foot-wide buffers of native warm-season grasses around the edges of his big bottomland plots (which abutted directly against big, open hardwood bottoms). The client thought I was crazy, but eventually relented. Now, several years later, he doesn't think I'm crazy anymore! The number of older bucks that will step out into the big soybean fields just before dark has increased dramatically since the buffer of tall grasses was implemented.
UPDATE!!!!
Early last week i checked on both plots and one was doing really well and the other not so much. Since we were not able to disk the field weeds and saplings had returned with a vengeance. So today I had a crew go with me to clean it up. When I got down there I was blown away by the amount of alfalfa and clover that was up and growing. However I still decided to add more to my plot. I sowed 50lbs of wheat around the outside edge and added 1 pound of turnips and 1 pound of radishes. After we got it sowed we took weedeaters and cut all the weeds down. It looks amazing!!! Im not going down there again until MZ season. When I get down there I will take a picture and let you guys see what Im seeing
Early last week i checked on both plots and one was doing really well and the other not so much. Since we were not able to disk the field weeds and saplings had returned with a vengeance. So today I had a crew go with me to clean it up. When I got down there I was blown away by the amount of alfalfa and clover that was up and growing. However I still decided to add more to my plot. I sowed 50lbs of wheat around the outside edge and added 1 pound of turnips and 1 pound of radishes. After we got it sowed we took weedeaters and cut all the weeds down. It looks amazing!!! Im not going down there again until MZ season. When I get down there I will take a picture and let you guys see what Im seeing
AT Hiker
Well-Known Member
You need to start making plans to manage your alfalfa now, if you can get it established and healthy you should have an excellent food plot for a couple years...it just takes a lot of work or a lot of luck (sometimes both).
Some things to consider for alfalfa; evaluate winter kill to determine if you need to reseed (dont confuse fall dormancy with winter kill) pest control, nutrient deficiencies, disease ID/treatment (some disease looks like nutrient deficiency and vs versus). Reseeding, mowing, weed management should be done at optimal times for your area. You will want to minimize driving on your plot as well, alfalfa is sensitive especially after it is regrowing or extremely dry.
Good luck!
Some things to consider for alfalfa; evaluate winter kill to determine if you need to reseed (dont confuse fall dormancy with winter kill) pest control, nutrient deficiencies, disease ID/treatment (some disease looks like nutrient deficiency and vs versus). Reseeding, mowing, weed management should be done at optimal times for your area. You will want to minimize driving on your plot as well, alfalfa is sensitive especially after it is regrowing or extremely dry.
Good luck!
Ok alfalfa guys. I went and looked at my plots over the weekend and they are up and growing. I put 100lb per acre of 6-12-12 as soon as I saw them coming up. now they are about 3-4" tall. Is there anything else I need to do to help them shoot up before rifle season?
