Summer Plot ?

[TN Larry]

I may be a little late, but if you were planting a summer plot focusing on the velvet hunt, what would you plant? I currently have around 1/2 acre planted in clover, but part of it is starting to die down. It is in a fairly low density zone but have 4 or 5 deer eating on the plot now. The 1/2 acre is in the back of about a 10 acre hayfield that has a lot of clover in it. The plot is strategically placed in the back where the deer "should" funnel out, and there will be a salt lick in the back. It is a place that my Dad bought last fall, and something I would like to mess with a little bit.

 

[FARMTOFIELD]

If your particularly targeting velvet bucks, there is no better answer than soybeans, but your gonna need to fence it off or do a BIG plot. Fencing it off seems like a deal breaker to me as, deer that time of year are gonna be on a pattern that wont change when you take the fence down

 

[ADR]

Soybeans. If you are going to plant soon, I would recommend a very long maturing soybean variety. Your co-op should carry them. Just specify group 5 or higher

 

[TN Larry]

When would be the best time to plant the soybeans?

 

[ADR]

When would be the best time to plant the soybeans?

Last year we were still planting production beans on July 4th that made. Now would be fine but requires longer maturing bean to stay green. As time goes on you are at the mercy of mother nature's precipitation especially before they canopy.

 

[TN Larry]

When would be the best time to plant the soybeans?

Last year we were still planting production beans on July 4th that made. Now would be fine but requires longer maturing bean to stay green. As time goes on you are at the mercy of mother nature's precipitation especially before they canopy.

When would you plant and what type if targetting the velvet hunt at the end of Aug? I have no experience with soybeans but willing to try.

 

[tree_ghost]

Over browsing is a huge problem with small food plots in general but especially if they are planted in soy beans. The deer just flat hammer them. I am struggling to find something that works well for micro plots in Mid Tn due to over browsing. If you get this thing figured out I'd be all ears...


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[ADR]

I would try to plant more of the 10 acre field than just half of an acre. Maybe 3? I would try to fence part of it that would be best for an archery setup until two weeks before August archery. I'd plant group 5+ anytime in the next 30 days. Like tree-ghost eluded to, small plots of beans will usually get crushed if not properly fenced.

 

[MickThompson]

Cowpeas might be a better fit especially if there aren't a lot of beans around you. Deer will often leave cowpeas alone early then wipe them out in late august- september. If not cowpeas, then use a forage variety of soybeans.

I'd also recommend planting as much as you can.

 

[TN Larry]

Thanks for the input! Basically the 1/2 acre is all that I get. It is part of my Dad's hay field and don't think that I can squeeze any more out of him. The only good news is that it is in a low deer density area. I am thinking about just trying the soy bean route, planting as late as possible, and seeing what happens. If it works, great, but if not I am not any worse off than I was last year. I am not sure even how I feel about hunting in August and didn't get to last year due to not having a place to gear towards the hunt. It would take a little bigger than normal shooter to get my interest up, however, there is a deer there that made it that would fit that criteria if still around.

 

[woodsman04]

If you don't care about the beans maturing and don't want to have to build a fence, and trust/hope that it will rain a little in August, just plant as many acres as your allowed like the first weekend of August or last weekend of July.

I've gotten bags of old spilled soy beans from seed stores that were a year or two old and just mix it with my cool season plots. I don't care if it matures, I'm trying to feed the deer so that's what it does.



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[JCDEERMAN]

A mixture of cowpeas, sunflowers and lablab. That was my plan until my weekends all got booked. Look at the planting portion of this article:

https://www.qdma.com/food-plot-species-profile-lablab/

 

[Hunter 257W]

Taking a whole different approach to it consider this idea. Since you are using the field now for hay why not go with a deer plot that can be cut for hay? The seed mix I'm thinking of is Whitetail Institute Alfa Rack. It's a mix of Alfalfa, Clover and Chicory. You can't beat Alfalfa and Clover for hay so your Father should be willing to let you plant as much of the total field as you want. Cutting it for hay will also guarantee that you have new, tender growth over most of the Summer and early Fall for deer to eat between hay cuttings.

The only negative I see is that Alfalfa hay is more fragile and easily damaged by rain so baling it in round bales stored outside is not the best way to use alfalfa. It really needs to be put up in small square bales and kept in a barn until fed to cattle.

 

[tellico4x4]

A mixture of cowpeas, sunflowers and lablab. That was my plan until my weekends all got booked. Look at the planting portion of this article:

https://www.qdma.com/food-plot-species-profile-lablab/

This is basically what we plant. Last year was first time to fool with planting summer plots since we already have so much clover to do maintenance on. However having a few strictly annual plots, we decided to give it a shot. Planted 4 of them last year that worked well & increased it to 8 this year on 5/18.

Clemmons & Hamner Seed custom blend us a mixture that contained:
350# iron clay peas
110# lab lab
100# buckwheat
50# peredovik sunflowers
50# wgf sorghum

Buckwheat pops fast giving the peas & lab lab a chance to get established. Sunflowers & sorghum give structure for them to climb.

 

[JCDEERMAN]

A mixture of cowpeas, sunflowers and lablab. That was my plan until my weekends all got booked. Look at the planting portion of this article:

https://www.qdma.com/food-plot-species-profile-lablab/

Clemmons & Hamner Seed custom blend us a mixture that contained:
350# iron clay peas
110# lab lab
100# buckwheat
50# peredovik sunflowers
50# wgf sorghum

I like that mixture

How many acres did that cover?
Do you know how many dollars per acre that came out to?

 

[JCDEERMAN]

The seed mix I'm thinking of is Whitetail Institute Alfa Rack. It's a mix of Alfalfa, Clover and Chicory.

I have been wanting to try this for some time. It sure is expensive. I do like that all three are perennials.

 

[tellico4x4]

11 acres at about $75.00/acre plus fertilizer.

 

[JCDEERMAN]

Thanks, tellico!

 

[TN Larry]

Where do you all buy the seed? I checked the local Co-op today, and they didn't have lablab or sunflowers. They did have soybeans and 1 lb bags of cow peas.

 

[MickThompson]

You can plant birdseed sunflowers heavier than normal to account for germination and deer damage in a forage plot.

 

[tellico4x4]

Where do you all buy the seed? I checked the local Co-op today, and they didn't have lablab or sunflowers. They did have soybeans and 1 lb bags of cow peas.

I buy all my seed at Clemmons & Hamner Seed Co. They do a lot of seed for CO-OP & many of the "name brand" companies. When I was in there in Feb, they had pallets of corn headed to Mossy Oak. They have their own seed mixtures and will also custom blend whatever you want for a small fee. If you call, ask for Jim.

http://clemmonshamnerseed.com/