This may get moved....and if it does, so be it.But... I wanted to ask the people I trust about their experience with food plots. I'm specifically talking aboutclover and winter oats.

I did my treestand safety seminar at the Sportman's Banquet, yesterday.....and I also got to sit in on a QDMA film and discussion. I was absolutely stunned at the information given. It seems, for my area, the QDMA's stance has changed on whether or not plowing is necessary. They are now advising winter oats/clover FOOD PLOT growers NOT to plow. They claim it isn't necessary. They say we're not growing a cash crop.....and full coverage isn't needed. They advised us to mow.......and throw.

This changes EVERYTHING. I'm now going to plant several smallish plots. My question is.....how big of an area would you plant...and....am I risking DRAMATCALLY changing my deer herd's patterns? It COULD be counterproductive to do so.....since I only last year learned their travel corridors and patterns. But....I also want to aid in their nutrition.

Have any of you heard anything like this?...or....have experience with deer patterns changing DRAMATICALLY due to a plot(s) being planted?

Thanks, in advance, for your responses. They told me to start mowing and throwing 3/1.

Interesting..I wonder how the mow and throw date changes as you move north.

I'm not too sure about mowing and throwing. The oats might come up halfa$$ but the clover would diefinitely have a hard time. By mow and throw, did they mean just brush hog a field and spread seed?

Food plots do not alter deer patterns too drastically in my experience (been planting them for 10 years). If the deer are already in the area they will begin using them quickly, a few new trails maybe added. Their other food sources will still see activity, though, just at a reduced rate. If you saw deer in a certain area at certain times last year, you probably will still see them next year, even with food plot.

Speaking ONLY of the two species of plant I mentioned earlier (winter oats and clover).....this would be true (QDMA's Rep. stance) :

I was also told that the amount of turkeys one had in the area would also be a factor. The turkeys are going to demolish the seed. So.....naturlly I went to ask the game warden if I could plant my food plot a few days before turkey season.....lol.

I do not agree with this at all. I have some pretty good experience from last year and learned a lot. The best info I have seen on stuff is the qdmaforums.com. Most of those folks have some really good info, the best I have seen online.

I did quite a bit of work this year, I have an entire journal of the project in the wildlife management forum describing what I did. I spent approx. $750 last year total (already had tractor) and managed to buy the disc, a ton of lime, herbicide, and all seed. I rented the spreader for I think $30 total for a day and got the lime spread with that, then spread the seed by hand with a hand crank unit. The plot last year was about 1.3 acres, and I plan to add 2x other plots this year that should be around 3/4 acre each. Since I don't have to buy a disc again, I plan to spend about $500 total on seed and lime and herbicide this year and really think the process of spraying herbicide, allowing it to rot down, discing, liming, seeding, and then lightly covering works well.

Also, for winter plots I highly recommend a brassica mix. Last year I used MO Biologic Maximum, and MO Biologic Full Draw for my winter food source. The Maximum works just as you start getting frost and will last for about 2 months. They will eat this first until it is gone. The Full Draw though will get eaten in different stages, it's mostly turnips. The tops will go in the december timeframe, and then in January they will start to eat the actual turnips themselves. I still have a field full of turnips and the deer are still in it every night eating the actual turnip root. It seems every deer for a square mile is wintering on our property this year just next to this plot, this patch in previous years never had predictable deer movement and now you can see them during daylight hours every day and at night the plot will have well over a dozen pairs of eyes in it.

I have done about a half dozen plots in the past years by only mowing and throwing seed, and I never got anything really that was substantial enough to make a difference, and it certainly didn't affect deer movement. We don't really hunt this plot at all (1x time this year) because the wind is rarely right, but man does it draw the deer and keep them located on our property and it produces enough forage on 1.3 acres to keep the deer coming to it from the 2nd week of October until well into March I expect. For the last 3 months this is the greenest patch of anything for miles literally and it easily has the densest deer density of anywhere for miles I bet.

Rick...

I followed your thread in the wildlife forum....and your plot looks great. I have no idea where you live.....and I am ONLY speaking of what the guy from QDMA said about the two species I mentioned in OUR area. Period.

If I wanted to grow what you're growing where you live....I'm sure your methods are superb (obviously ....from your photo). Again....I'm speaking specifically about MY area and those two species.

Also.....Brassica is a turnip, isn't it????

A couple of factors. In an already established weed field their is a huge seed bed and plowing often encourages weeds by activating those seeds. Check with your local extension agent to see if a drill seeder is available to rent. If so I would spray roundup in the fall and then seed the prescribed number of days later with the no-till drill seeder. Depending on what your area is like your mileage may vary on the deer's reaction. I've found they use the food plots during the summer but move off them the minute acorns drop and then don't come back to them until late season when everything else is gone. In that respect they act more like a sustainer for the herd rather than a hunting area/attractant. Another thing you could do, instead of roundup is to do a summer burn of the field, if you can do so safely. This kills off adult weeds but doesn't disturb the seed bed to encourage new weeds and releases nitrogen back into the soil, then drill plant.

As far as size, I've seen that narrow winding plots are more effective than large acerage. It has to be large enough to sustain heavy browsing but narrow enough to make the deer feel safe. A windy road-sized plot with lots of edge is better than a huge field, especially if you plan on hunting over it. If it's a large field they could graze out beyond your effective bow range but if it's narrow they will always be near an edge where you can set up.

Jeff,

I own and operate a property enhancement business in the summers when I am not teaching. This includes selective logging, brushing, reducing fire hazard and initiating food plots.

I put in, clover/alfalfa mixand winter oats are the three main plants we use. We don't plow, instead we scuff the ground with the dozer and throw the seed out. So far in this neck of the woods it has worked great for the landowners I have as clients. Our most productive bow plots are smaller in size and are positioned insecluded hideout feeding areas next to bedding areas...versus the big plots that are wide open and are used mainly for nutritional purposes versus bowhunting. Deer here especially older deer do not like to be out in the open during daylight hours. My most recent landowner shot a bull elk and buck with his bow this season on his small secluded plots this past fall. We did two secluded plots for bowhunting and one big main feeding plot...The Bowhunting plots are positioned very close to bedding areas and are only about 40 yards in diameter and both are oval shaped. He has multilple stands on the hunting plots for wind direction.

The clover/alfalfa mixis planted for in the bowhunting plots for early season when the deer are craving proteinand the oats for the late season when carbohydrates become a necessity. If you build it they will come. Good luck.

Troy

im no farmer..but although your not growing a cash crop...after investing all that time and cash into a food plot id de everything 100% to the Tee by the book to ensure the absolute best results possible. i dont see it taking much time to plow the plots. and i see it getting into the soil better...and i see much much less competetion from brush/weeds etc whatevers growing there now.

i certainly wouldnt waste my time and money by just throwing seed throughout a field that was just brush hogged. that doesnt seem like a very good idea....id do it by the book and make sure it comes up 100%..i dont like to do stuff half @$$ed..why waste the time..

and i DO see them changing their patterns and routes. right now im guessing they are old brushy fields or something the deer probably dont spend much time in. plant somethin yummy and they are going to start feeding there when before they fed elsewhere. BUT...set up observation stands and sneak in and see where they are entering and everything...then youll know where ya gotta be come hunting season. if theres no pressure on the food plots besides you i think the deer will use it pretty regularly throught the season..even if its just does during the day..come the rut them does are BAIT. id say it wouldnt hurt...the deer right now are just hitting any and all food they can find..with a large herd and not much food i would think their movements are pretty hard to pattern. one day they could be hittin one food source..couple days later when they ate all that they will be elsewhere..food plots could definently help..

dont know why you want food plots though..you seen 100s of deer this year...shoot a pile of does..(which i know your workin on) lower the herd a bit.

GMMAT, I have tried the mow and throw with a clover blend and had verypoor resluts. I think much of it had to do with turkeys like you said. We would have 100 turkeys in the fields picking seed all day not to mention the other types of wild life. We had some windy days that blew the seed pretty good also. I went back to plowing. Ifyou try it let post some results next fall. I may have been doing something wrong.