bigwhitetailbuck

Hey guys, I have about an 1.5 acre field in the center of my 70 acre piece of property. I want the bucks to stay in the area, spring-hunting season... I want a small plot for the spring for nutrition and one for hunting season. I'm thinking Whitetail Institute power plant in the Spring and maybe soybeans for the fall? I'm not sure though. What would you guys suggest? I was thinking powerplant because you don't have to really take care of it. Keep in mind, this is going to be all done by hand, so I'm probably going to just do small quarter acre plots if possible. I have a tower blind set up in this field, so I want deer to go in and stay in the field.

Advice please?
Thanks'

Soilman

Peas & Oats (common mixture for dairy farms to plant in early spring) would green up fast in the spring, and attract deer. I think 1/4 acre soybeans would not survive until the fall hunting season, the deer will eat them long before then. If you fence the deer out, you may have success with the soybeans lasting until hunting season. Round-up ready soybeans would certainly help you control the weeds in your plot. Next year, consider planting winter rye (grain) into your soybeans in September. They will stay green all winter, and grow very early in the spring.

txrvrbttmstlkr

I have also been thinking of planting power plant on my property. A piece of advice from someone who has an accounting major for a wife. I have found through her thriftiness that buying the milo and cow peas seperately and mixing yourself and planting knocks quite a bit off the price because the bags don't have a brand name food plot company on the front at least in Texas it does. Also my friends have had excellent results from their self mixed "power plant" plantings. If you will put out minerals and keep the table set year round you will have excellent results. Good luck let me know if I can help you in anyway.

bigwhitetailbuck

So your saying Peas and oats.. . What types of peas and oats? So what else should I do besides soybeans that really attracts deer during hunting season. I saw you said winter rye, last year I planted some sort of seed mixture with a ton of rye in it and the deer didn't even touch it. So what else would be good for winter? Keep in mind, I would like something that doesn't need too much maintainence

bigwhitetailbuck

What do you guys think about Brassicas and Chickory?

IL-Cornfed

Brassica is a WINTER plot product, planted in early Fall. The species has to "frost cure" (thats when the plants sugars move to the tops/leaves and when it becomes attractive to deer).

My top pick for a FALL planting would be soybeans and Buck Forage Oats (NO other Oats!) Also, do NOT waste your money and EVER plant Oats in the Spring, they are much, much better as a Fall attractant.

halfbakedi420

i aint sure what other ppl say, but ask the farmers in your area what part of the crop the deer eat most..then grow that...dont waste your time plantin a plot the deer wont eat...deer take weeks to change their diet, so plant somethin local..even if its a 1 acre patch of corn in the middle of iowa!!!!lol

bigwhitetailbuck

Thanks for the info guys... Anyone elsE?

Soilman

Check your local coop, they will have pea & oats already mixed in bags if you are in dairy cow country. Otherwise, the mix would be any oat variety with a field pea variety such as "trapper." Mix them 50/50 by volume, and they should do fine. I am guessing you planted rye grass in the past. That is a cheap additive in many of the seed blends sold for food plots. Winter rye is a grain planted by farmers (again, should be available at a local coop). Winter rye is super for fast green up in the spring, and is very low maintenance.

Soilman

Check out post #7 in this thread. http://www.huntingnet.com/forum/wild...grow-plot.html Hossdaniels has a nice winter rye crop established in his mature soybeans. Next spring, this rye will grow fast (if the deer let it).