Barley is working like a charm!!
12-03-2006, 11:27 AM
#1
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Missouri
Posts: 183
Barley is working like a charm!!
I was told on this forum that barley was not a good food source for deer but this deer we planted barley in all of our fields and had a record kill plus we see deer every night we hunt over them.
12-03-2006, 05:23 PM
#2
Fork Horn
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Bay City MI USA
Posts: 389
RE: Barley is working like a charm!!
I'm glad it's working out for you. Looking at your previous post you had one guy say
and another say:
Not a ringing endorsment but they relayed what knowledge they had.
"Barley is one of those crops you never hear much about.
A local farmer uses Barley as a Spring planting (northeast), and overseeds his alfafa into it. The Barley is combined in August - and the Alfalfa comes in strong then next Spring.
In his plots - the early spring young barley gets NO attention from deer, maybe too many other things "greening up" - or maybe its too coarse - I cannot say - but I never see deer in the young barley crops in the spring.
In Mid Summer - when the heads form - in "milk/dough" stages - the deer will eat on the heads pretty heavily, especially bucks in my experience. Can't say I've ever seen fawns or many does feeding on barley heads though.
Overall - I'd say I've seen better deer attracing plantings than barley in most every season.
A local farmer uses Barley as a Spring planting (northeast), and overseeds his alfafa into it. The Barley is combined in August - and the Alfalfa comes in strong then next Spring.
In his plots - the early spring young barley gets NO attention from deer, maybe too many other things "greening up" - or maybe its too coarse - I cannot say - but I never see deer in the young barley crops in the spring.
In Mid Summer - when the heads form - in "milk/dough" stages - the deer will eat on the heads pretty heavily, especially bucks in my experience. Can't say I've ever seen fawns or many does feeding on barley heads though.
Overall - I'd say I've seen better deer attracing plantings than barley in most every season.
I have never seen a Barley field, they just don't grow it here where I am. The other day I was at the feed store and a guy said he puts out cracked barley instead of corn. He told me it works better than corn and has had deer tear the ground up where he puts it down. I can't say for sure, just going off of what was said to me. Maybe they like the actual Barley and not the plant. That's about all I have, which is really no help to you
