What to plant?

[Rammer Jammer]

Got about 2 acres of field to plant for deer. A 10 acre alfalfa field is right beside it and I'm gonna be feeding protein pellets of some kind starting right after season closes. I'm gonna get a soil test done.
1) do y'all mix your own from co op?
2) do you use a name brand?
3) what works best in the spring/summer?
4) what works best in fall/winter?
Also, do y'all prefer a certain protein pellet brand?

 

[Bushape]

I have never had the luxury of hunting around alfalfa. My selection on what to plant would hinge on the time period in which you feel like the alfalfa is not going to be the main draw. Clover is awesome in spring/summer/early fall but I have found it loses its appeal after a hard frost. I fertilize in spring and fall and this year I will be overseeding my plot with some sort of brassica/winter wheat/ rye in the fall to see if that will keep deer visiting my plot.

 

[TheLBLman]

Got about 2 acres of field to plant for deer. A 10 acre alfalfa field is right beside it and I'm gonna be feeding protein pellets of some kind starting right after season closes. I'm gonna get a soil test done.

1) do y'all mix your own from co op?
Mostly do just that.
Hard to beat the value of crimson clover in 50-lb bags.

2) do you use a name brand?
Just a little, mainly to add diversity to the mixes.
Different varieties of the same item (such as clover) may peak at different times,
some or more drought resistant, some do better in wet conditions.
At the time of planting, it's uncertain what the weather will do in the coming weeks/months.

3) what works best in the spring/summer?
For the money & effort, hard to beat a variety of clovers & chicory.
Native weeds can be even better.

4) what works best in fall/winter?
For the money, hard to beat winter wheat,
with some clovers & brassicas mixed in.

Sure, other items CAN be better,
but they also can not work out as well,
despite more cost and work.

Also, do y'all prefer a certain protein pellet brand?
None.
Rather put that money into lime, fertilizer, simply mowing native weeds, and chainsaw gas.

 

[TheLBLman]

I've often found that the more I do to "improve" things for the deer,
at least in terms of cultivated food sources,
the fewer deer I see while hunting.

Well-fed deer are often much more nocturnal.

It's a Catch-22 situation.