Sping and summer food plots

Football Hunter · Feb 17, 2009

A friend asked today,what he could plant in spring that would hold on through fall and deer season.I said ,nothing that I knew of,except maybe corn.That would be unlikely to me on the edge of Smith and Wilson county.Rough land,and clay and rocky dirt for the most part.Maybe clover???Maybe buckwheat???Still would have to replant for fall I would think.Also,I remember BSKs theory on just disking up a few times and letting the weeds"forbes" grow so the deer can munch on them.Any other ideas,he wants to plant something because,"the fields have about gotten away from him the last year or two,very hard to bushog them back down."One of the few places getting rain I guess.

Bud Soda · Feb 17, 2009

A mix of Iron Clay Cowpeas, & Grain Sorghum (Milo).

deerchaser007 · Feb 18, 2009

The only thing you can plant in early spring that will hold thru summer,fall, and early winter will be a red clover/ladino clover/ chicory mix. You can also overseed with DER in the fall for a winter food source.

Milo,sorghum,soybean, corn, lablab will die after the first hard frost in the fall , providing no food source,. but will provide cover.

Bud Soda · Feb 18, 2009

I don't know about TN, but in NC deer will use a standing corn, bean, pea, and/or sorghum plot well into the winter untill its all eating up. And yes Iron Clay peas do make a pea pod that deer love. The usually eat them after the vines are killed by frost. They can grow into early November here, and the pea pods can last well into december depending on the size of the plot and the # of deer using it. Maybe these crops don't grow well in TN but they have worked for me for years.

deerchaser007 · Feb 18, 2009

Bud soda,.. my recommendation was made from the the post stating the land was rough, with clay and rocky dirt. Clovers and chicory are more practical for that type of terrain.

Sorghum,corn, lablab, peas, and soybean are great ,. i'm not saying they ain't,. but for that type of area its not gonna work. When planting those types plants you need good soil and a large area to see the best results.

Football Hunter · Feb 18, 2009

deerchaser007 said:
The only thing you can plant in early spring that will hold thru summer,fall, and early winter will be a red clover/ladino clover/ chicory mix. You can also overseed with DER in the fall for a winter food source.

Milo,sorghum,soybean, corn, lablab will die after the first hard frost in the fall , providing no food source,. but will provide cover.

sounds good