Rob/PA Bowyer

Hey guys,

I know this is the right place as you guys have helped very much in the past.

What in the world is there to plant for this time of year. Reason I ask, a friend and I walked into my food plot (clovers and brassicas(mostly chickory in the brassicas) ) and there was no activity on the plot. Snow covered most of it and there was a single track (line of) in the plot and no dig marks. Obviously nothing has been visiting it.

What can be planted that is a good food source in the fall throughout the snow fall?

farm hunter

Seems like they come paw for the brassicas if they are not already gnawed to nubs.

Short of that, Standing corn is the number one winter food source in any northernmanagement program. Clovers are tough to beat as well, because they will be green under the snow and immediately available when the snow melts back.

Last - even with considerable winter plots on our place - the deer will absolutely browse the tips of a freshly felled tree - until every last tip is consumed. Some trees are better than others. The other day when I was walking the property - I came across a Hemlock and Maple that came down together in the winds a couple weeks ago. The deer were stripping them bare.

So - if you plan to cut some trees for firewood anyhow, nows the time to get them down if you want to help your wintering herd.

FH

jmbuckhunter

I don't have any on the farm I hunt, but a friend has some standing soy bean that they are hammering right now. I know the Drury's always like to hunt beans after a lot of snow and cold weather.

bawanajim

I planted an acre of purple top turnips in July, the deer ate the tops all fall,but right now it looks like a mine field, they have been digging them up big time.

RayC

Possibly even better then cutting the trees down, and if possible:

http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/7205.html

(also check list of prefered forage mentioned there)

mlo31351270

I have good luck with corn. I bush hog a few rows at a time to keep most of the deer out where I can see them. Remember, if the weather is to warm, it is hard to get deer to come to any food plot after gun season.

tlchi

winter wheat will always bring in deer during the winter time as it stays green thru out the winter. plant it after you pick corn if you can. alfalfa is another strong one for the winter time if you can afford it.

ILL BUCK

Rob, depending on your deer numbers corn is hard to beat. You have to have a plot big enough to last till this time of year however.

The deer have been and are still hammering my winter rye plot. It works better than buck oats for me so far and buck oats worked pretty good.

Also there are forage soybeans from eagle seeds in ark. that everyone that has tried them swears by them. They can grow up to 60 to 70 inches and claim to be able to handle heavy browsing while green.

I also tried (with very good luck) rr beans then when the leaves stared turning yellow (first of sept) broadcast winter rye in them. It worked great and is something I will do again this year. I gettwo great food sources on the same acreage, and thats good when you have limited ground to plant.

ILL BUCK

Heres a few pics from my cam hung over my rye plot.









This last one you can see they came to get some as it was covering up with snow.

ILL BUCK

This guy left his doe fawn girlfriend to come get a little bite of the rye.

To bad for him I was there that night too!!!