new food plot ideas
06-13-2017, 09:30 AM
#1
Spike
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2017
Posts: 1
new food plot ideas
im looking for new ideas on what the deer really like. iv planted beans and corn but I have 5 acers left to plant and i dont know what to put in. i was thinking canola or maybe turnups any advice? i live in northern minnesota, thanks.
06-13-2017, 10:01 AM
#2
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Nov 2014
Posts: 2,743
buck wheat is a nice addition to food plots, cheap, grows like a weed, and keeps soil nice for next time!
Canola is nice too, but think it needs more care and fert and such!?
the name of the game in making your land the best it can be for keeping deer on it all yr is, having PRIME FOOD ALL YR,
corn and beans, have peak times, both OK when first growing, then they don't draw as much,a s better things are out there, come fall when beans and corn are still standing and everything else isn;t green any more, they are huge draws
spring time and MID season, is where things like clover, chicory, hold there own, as there first to green up, you can MOW and make them even better for deer's liking's mid summer and such
I used to do 16 acres of plots and tried about it all, YOUR deer will tell you what they like best if you plant smaller plots of MANY different things, and see what draws them most and at WHAT time of yr it does
for hunting season, Brassicia's /turnips/rape have always been solid for me in many
parts of PA.
I however have never had much luck with Oats of any name brand !, deer here just didn;t seem to care much for them!
Food Plotting is again, a trial an error thing at times, and its about having PRIME food all seasons and months of the yr
JUST BIG plots of one or two things, doesn't always work the best!
better then nothing, but if you watch deer throughout the seasons, you will see they migrate to best foods , but always come back to corn and beans come snow! LOL
Canola is nice too, but think it needs more care and fert and such!?
the name of the game in making your land the best it can be for keeping deer on it all yr is, having PRIME FOOD ALL YR,
corn and beans, have peak times, both OK when first growing, then they don't draw as much,a s better things are out there, come fall when beans and corn are still standing and everything else isn;t green any more, they are huge draws
spring time and MID season, is where things like clover, chicory, hold there own, as there first to green up, you can MOW and make them even better for deer's liking's mid summer and such
I used to do 16 acres of plots and tried about it all, YOUR deer will tell you what they like best if you plant smaller plots of MANY different things, and see what draws them most and at WHAT time of yr it does
for hunting season, Brassicia's /turnips/rape have always been solid for me in many
parts of PA.
I however have never had much luck with Oats of any name brand !, deer here just didn;t seem to care much for them!
Food Plotting is again, a trial an error thing at times, and its about having PRIME food all seasons and months of the yr
JUST BIG plots of one or two things, doesn't always work the best!
better then nothing, but if you watch deer throughout the seasons, you will see they migrate to best foods , but always come back to corn and beans come snow! LOL
06-14-2017, 08:46 PM
#4
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: Germany/Calif.
Posts: 2,664
Chickpea might be a good bet. I planted a trial plot last year, the Deer went nuts.
Was talking to an old timer at the local feed and seed he said Chickpeas have a high trace element and salt content. Ruminants often have deficiencies in certain elements and this can drive their appetite. Kind of like the cravings you get, your body talking to you.
I've often wondered why a Deer will bypass one field and feed in another field farther away, the mineral content of the food crop kind of answers this question.
It might be a little late for Chickpea, but you are pretty far north.
The plot I put out was mostly red clay and had a PH of 6, Chickpea did OK with it. Odd year last year though, little spring rain and a fairly wet summer (bassackwards). They need some moisture to germinate. Mine came in late and not nearly as thick as I expected, probably from the odd weather.
Was talking to an old timer at the local feed and seed he said Chickpeas have a high trace element and salt content. Ruminants often have deficiencies in certain elements and this can drive their appetite. Kind of like the cravings you get, your body talking to you.
I've often wondered why a Deer will bypass one field and feed in another field farther away, the mineral content of the food crop kind of answers this question.
It might be a little late for Chickpea, but you are pretty far north.
The plot I put out was mostly red clay and had a PH of 6, Chickpea did OK with it. Odd year last year though, little spring rain and a fairly wet summer (bassackwards). They need some moisture to germinate. Mine came in late and not nearly as thick as I expected, probably from the odd weather.
Last edited by MudderChuck; 06-14-2017 at 08:50 PM.
