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Old 07-12-2010 | 04:35 AM
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haystack
Typical Buck
 
Joined: Feb 2009
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From: Blue Ridge Mountains of VA
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After reading my post again, I believe I should have gave a little more reasoning as to why I wouldn't mow the Oats at this point.

If the oats were to be mowed, they would still try to rapidly mature. In cool fall weather with less day length the Oats will "hold" at a smaller size and stay attractive for a longer period of time.

Also, at this time of year, there's lots of natural vegetation that is likely more preferred than the oats. I'm assuming the goal here is to have an attractive plot to hunt over. If that is the case then mowing and disking the oats after they mature is the best option IMO. They will readily sprout and grow as if they were planted strait from the bag and be tender and much more attractive.

One more thing, many types of forage Oats can tolerate frost and cold temps before dieing and becoming unattractive. I grow a variety similar to Buck Forage Oats and they withstand temps in the teens without dieing. With snow cover, I've had them survive -4 temps and the deer continued to feed on them.
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