Rzrbck918
Well-known member
Anyone had experience with planting foodplots outside of the standard wheat, Biologic, etc? If so, what have you planted that did well?
Unconventional Food Plot Ideas for Deer?
- Thread starter Rzrbck918
- Start date
One trick is avoiding the prepackaged stuff. Just buy bulk seeds at the feed store. Iron clay peas for archery and winter rye for rifle. The most non standard thing I saw was guys using tarps in their yards to collect acorns. And pelleted citrus rinds.
WildWill
Well-known member
Winter peas or iron clay peas with oats, winter wheat, or cereal rye is my got to but I would avoid planting less then a acre of peas most small plots will be devoured before they can establish. Some forage soybeans are good to for large plots. If you are in hog country avoid planting corn take my word for it. I've planted clover, deer love it but takes work to keep it established, all sorts of turnips and radishes but stop because my deer wouldn't eat the leafy tops only the bulbs come about January, lots of experience with oats and other cereal grains one of the easiest to do and see results.
What exactly were you looking for?
What exactly were you looking for?
Rye Grain, triticale, Buckwheat, crimson clover, arrowleaf clover, White clover, alfalfa, soybeans, Corn, Pumpkins, sugar beets, 4010 beans, Kura Clover, rapeseed, radishes, turnips : tons of foodploting options just depends what your goals are and the conditions
NYyotekiller
Well-known member
I have primarily switched all of my food plots to a cereal grain mix or an LC mix. Here is the recipe that I follow:
Plant ALL in one plot in strips or blocks
Alice, Kopu II, Durana (or comparable) white clover 10% of plot, sow at 6#'s per acre with the rye combination in the fall or in the spring with oats and berseem clover. Correct Ph and P&K with soil tests
Brassicas in 45% of plot
Purple Top Turnips 3#
Dwarf Essex Rape 2#
GroundHog Forage radish 5#
Plant in mid to late July in most Midwest states, or 60-90 days before your first killing frost, Use 200#'s of 46-0-0 urea and 400#'s of 6-28-28 per acre. Follow the dead brassicas with oats and berseem or crimson clover in mid spring at 60#'s oats and 12-15#'s berseem clover and/or 50#'s of chickling vetch)
Cereal Grain combo in 45% of plot
Winter rye 50-80#'s per acre (56#'s = a bushel)
Spring oats 80-120#'s per acre (32#'s = a bushel)
Austrian Winter Peas or 4010/6040 Forage peas 20-80#'s per acre
Red Clover 8-12#'s per acre or white clover at 6#'s per acre (or 20-40 pounds hairy vetch and 20-30#'s crimson clover on sandy soils)
Groundhog Forage Radish 5#'s per acre
Plant in late August to early September, if following well fertilized brassicas use 100 - 200#'s of urea, if starting a new plot add 400#'s of 6-28-28
Rotate the brassicas and rye combo each year
Plant ALL in one plot in strips or blocks
Alice, Kopu II, Durana (or comparable) white clover 10% of plot, sow at 6#'s per acre with the rye combination in the fall or in the spring with oats and berseem clover. Correct Ph and P&K with soil tests
Brassicas in 45% of plot
Purple Top Turnips 3#
Dwarf Essex Rape 2#
GroundHog Forage radish 5#
Plant in mid to late July in most Midwest states, or 60-90 days before your first killing frost, Use 200#'s of 46-0-0 urea and 400#'s of 6-28-28 per acre. Follow the dead brassicas with oats and berseem or crimson clover in mid spring at 60#'s oats and 12-15#'s berseem clover and/or 50#'s of chickling vetch)
Cereal Grain combo in 45% of plot
Winter rye 50-80#'s per acre (56#'s = a bushel)
Spring oats 80-120#'s per acre (32#'s = a bushel)
Austrian Winter Peas or 4010/6040 Forage peas 20-80#'s per acre
Red Clover 8-12#'s per acre or white clover at 6#'s per acre (or 20-40 pounds hairy vetch and 20-30#'s crimson clover on sandy soils)
Groundhog Forage Radish 5#'s per acre
Plant in late August to early September, if following well fertilized brassicas use 100 - 200#'s of urea, if starting a new plot add 400#'s of 6-28-28
Rotate the brassicas and rye combo each year
VAspeedgoat
Well-known member
Roundup ready alfalfa. No weeds no replanting nothing really any higher quality in a total analysis. The only time they won't use it is when acorns drop.
Rzrbck918
Well-known member
This is what I was looking for...thanks for the information. I like the idea of grains mixed with Peas etc. My experience is limited but I haven't had the best luck with some of the commercially available mixes.
Mica Man
Well-known member
Plant a garden, works well in North Idaho.
Rzrbck918
Well-known member
Works good in Arkansas and Oklahoma as well!
I mis LC
WildWill
Well-known member
I always get my seed from the local seed store. My favorite mix is Austrian winter peas at #60 per acre with oats added at #50 per acre. Get a soil test and then add the necessary lime or fertilizer I tried to save time and money for years on this step but there's no substitute for proper PH. Also iron clay peas and rye are a very hardy combo a better mix for areas with poor soil or smaller plots sow at the same rate as above. The one thing I will stress about peas don't plant them unless your plots over a acre I've found 2 -2.5 acres to be the sweet spot. Use a exclusion cage in the middle of the plot to determine how everything is growing as deer and other wildlife will start hammering the new pea plant almost immediately. I've planted anywhere from the last week of August to the last week of September just depends on moisture.
NEWHunter
Well-known member
I’ll second this one. Especially easy and convenient if you have a large enough plot and a local farmer. Guys up by me will usually work something out where the farmer will maintain the stand for a small amount (depending on size) in exchange for a couple of cuttings.
3855WIN
Well-known member
If you bow hunt, go back once the plot is up and only fertilize within bow range of your stand. That’ll give you a sweet spot.
This is what I plan to try this year.
freu1chr
Well-known member
The last few years we have planted a few different things in our two food plots. Biologic Premium Perennial has been very good to us it lasts for 5 years and the deer love it. Also we have been planting turnips in our fields as well. One thing that has improved our sightings on stand during october is planting our annual plantings in late June and July making the plants ready to eat in October and November.
Pucky Freak
Well-known member
Apple trees. I found several 4-year-old trees at the local nursery during the summer on deep discount leftover from the spring. Some already had fruit on them. At first I had to water daily to complete with the heat. I was not planting them for deer. However, they became a deer magnet the following year. At nighttime in September the fruit was eaten, then come October a dominant buck swung a 1/4 mile out of his normal nighttime route just to rub those trees and mark his scent, because they were planted in area that otherwise lacked good rub trees (mature trees + grasses and row crops). If I could do it over again, I would have planted them closer to a bedding area to lure deer to them during daylight.
Rzrbck918
Well-known member
Thanks for the information. I like the idea of an exclusion cage. What do you use for that? Height?
MiStickSlinger
Member
I go with a bag of 46-0-0 about a month before the season starts on my brassicas, makes a huge jump... and I apply it right before a rain
MiStickSlinger
Member
VAspeedgoat
Well-known member
Just make sure the soil PH and potash levels are ok. It's not a deal breaker but the stand will last many more years if you start right.
