Food Plots Good Article
- Thread starter tellico4x4
- Start date
Good article . My allergies hate ragweed but the deer love it and it's a good source of nutrition for them. Poke salad gets mauled at my place to. I've watched deer pick around on my beautiful plots and go camp out on ugly native forage.
BSK
Well-Known Member
EXCELLENT article.
But I'm surprised by the nutrition value of horseweed. I see it everywhere, but I rarely see deer browse it. Now ragweed and pokeweed? They chow down on those, especially mid to late summer. In fact, pokeweed is an excellent "indicator plant." I use browse pressure on pokeweed in August as in indicator of deer density versus forage production.
But I'm surprised by the nutrition value of horseweed. I see it everywhere, but I rarely see deer browse it. Now ragweed and pokeweed? They chow down on those, especially mid to late summer. In fact, pokeweed is an excellent "indicator plant." I use browse pressure on pokeweed in August as in indicator of deer density versus forage production.
BSK
Well-Known Member
One observation/complaint about the article (and it's not really a complaint, just an observation for many land managers) is the recommendation to not double-crop summer plots. If you have the acreage to spare, this is great advice. You don't want to be turning your summer crop under to plant your fall crop right when deer are needing the most nutrition (late summer). However, many land managers simply don't have the extra acreage available. For example, I have 8 acres of food plots on 500 acres of hardwoods. And I'm using about every flat area I have for those 8 acres. I need all of the acres of food plot in the most productive fall/winter food sources I can plant to draw deer to my property in a poor acorn year. Leaving half of it in summer crops until they die back after the first freeze would prevent me from getting that acreage into fall crops in time for them to be productive.
The first year after having some clear cut areas bulldozed and exposing the soil I was covered with ragweed. I was discouraged at first until I noticed all Ragweed was browsed constantly. The deer couldn't stay away from it. I have noticed though 3 years later not so much Ragweed . I guess I need to go scuff up some dirt.
MickThompson
Well-Known Member
Winter disking is a sure fire way to bring it back. Just have to do it where erosion won't be an issue.
DoubleRidge
Well-Known Member
Agree....disking or strip disking can be a very effective, low cost way to add benifical forage to your property. Open the seed bank and spot spray what isnt wanted...we have a few areas were hoping to do this more in the future.
BSK
Well-Known Member
I remember excitedly watching my first trail-cam videos of deer feeding in my summer plots. I couldn't wait to see which plants they were browsing on; they soybeans? buckwheat? Well, I got my answer: despite everything I had planted, the deer were pounding the ragweed!
DoubleRidge
Well-Known Member
Great read and towards the end they sum up what we have been "discussing" for months:
Dr. Marcus Lashley and Jordan Nanney wrote an article that showed how supplemental feeding was 27 times more expensive than applying prescribed fire to hardwoods to produce the same amount of forage! Feeding can also cause other problems, including increasing the spread of chronic wasting disease (CWD) where it occurs, exposing deer and turkeys to harmful aflatoxins, and attracting turkey nest predators.
Waste of money and not good for wildlife....been proven many times.
Prescribed fire or even just one gallon of chainsaw gas will bring a greater return on investment than any feed sack.
Dr. Marcus Lashley and Jordan Nanney wrote an article that showed how supplemental feeding was 27 times more expensive than applying prescribed fire to hardwoods to produce the same amount of forage! Feeding can also cause other problems, including increasing the spread of chronic wasting disease (CWD) where it occurs, exposing deer and turkeys to harmful aflatoxins, and attracting turkey nest predators.
Waste of money and not good for wildlife....been proven many times.
Prescribed fire or even just one gallon of chainsaw gas will bring a greater return on investment than any feed sack.
BSK
Well-Known Member
I'm not casting dispersions on anyone, and it is sort of "The American Way," but if choices arise to "fix a problem," and the choice is between 1) a lot of time and sweat equity (TSI, fire, etc.), and 2) throwing money at the problem hoping for a quick fix, I know which one will be chosen by most.
DoubleRidge
Well-Known Member
BSK
Well-Known Member
What I'm pleased to see is the change in focus of so many of the "internet deer managers." And by that, I mean all of the groups that put out YouTube videos about how to manage small properties. Just a few years ago it was still food plots, food plots, food plots. Now food plots can be a very useful tool in the land manager's toolbox, but they really don't solve that many problems. In just the last year, I'm seeing a lot of these videos switching to focusing on early-stage regrowth, and the value of weeds, vines and woody brush, not only how to make it but also maintain it. THAT is finally good advice. Took them awhile, but at least they're there now...
348Winchester
Well-Known Member
I accidentally discovered how attractive buckwheat is from late July through September. I had just about decided that while buckwheat was a good soil builder and great for bees it was very low on the totem pole for deer forage. I was planting it in May and June. It was hardly browsed at all. Then I planted some in late July and deer hammered it! I continued to sow it until I began to sow in cereal grains in September. They kept foraging on it heavily until frost killed it.
I believe buckwheat is so attractive when sown late summer to early fall because it is very high in moisture. One can pull a handful and wring moisture out of it. The moisture has a very slight sweet taste to my pallet. So when most other plants are tough and dry buckwheat is moist and sweet. It grows so fast and lends itself so well to broadcasting that it can really benefit a food plot. It does seem to be relatively tolerant of poorer soils and somewhat shade tolerant as well.
I believe buckwheat is so attractive when sown late summer to early fall because it is very high in moisture. One can pull a handful and wring moisture out of it. The moisture has a very slight sweet taste to my pallet. So when most other plants are tough and dry buckwheat is moist and sweet. It grows so fast and lends itself so well to broadcasting that it can really benefit a food plot. It does seem to be relatively tolerant of poorer soils and somewhat shade tolerant as well.
BSK
Well-Known Member
That's a very interesting theory 348Winchester. And I've found the same thing. Planted in spring, deer ignore buckwheat. Plant it in August with fall crops, and deer HAMMER it. Now, I always plant it with my fall crops because it will take the browse pressure off the plants I really want growing. At least until the first freeze kills it in late October or early November.
