New to food plots, does this look okay?
12-03-2012, 07:41 AM
#1
Spike
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2012
Posts: 1
New to food plots, does this look okay?
I am investing in a lease... I need to get a good food plot going, I will only be hunting 20% of the property and the rest will be sanctuary.
Because of this, I want to plant a few food plots that are for grazing only and no hunting. I will (year to year) switch which plot I hunt so the deer do not get scared of that area.
Besides this, I put together 3 different plots. How does this look?
I am located in Georgia.
Because of this, I want to plant a few food plots that are for grazing only and no hunting. I will (year to year) switch which plot I hunt so the deer do not get scared of that area.
Besides this, I put together 3 different plots. How does this look?
I am located in Georgia.
12-03-2012, 04:49 PM
#2
Typical Buck
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Person Co. NC
Posts: 884
Clover mix looks pretty good. The rates are perfect for quicker establishment. I'd advise going with Durana Clover for its durability in tough conditions. (admittedly, I'm a dealer but I asked to sell for them for a reason). I would also look for a better red clover than medium red (assuming medium red from the low price). I'd look into Bulldog or Cinnamon plus. Well worth the extra money for the powdery mildew resistance.
For the warm season plot, I have some concerns about your deer density. I have approximately 45 deer per square mile, and I would need a plot about 3x that size to have a prayer for soybeans. Forage soybeans do better but still need some space to take the grazing pressure. You could possibly get by with 1 acre of cowpeas, but 2 would be better.
Oats look good, but the price looks high. I like to add 10-15 lbs of crimson clover in with 50lbs of oats for my annual kill plots.
Plant all of these in the fall (except the soybeans/cowpeas) for best results. Make sure your fertility is there and the pH is at least in the mid 5's before trying anything other than winter rye, and 6 is much better. All in all, that is a very well rounded food plot program. You might want to try some brassicas for winter nutrition, but in many areas they will go untouched. Still, you don t know until you try and you cant beat them for winter forage. Not a whole acre, maybe try a 1/4 acre and see if it gets any use. Usually they get through the hunting season untouched here, but in late winter they get hammered.
For the warm season plot, I have some concerns about your deer density. I have approximately 45 deer per square mile, and I would need a plot about 3x that size to have a prayer for soybeans. Forage soybeans do better but still need some space to take the grazing pressure. You could possibly get by with 1 acre of cowpeas, but 2 would be better.
Oats look good, but the price looks high. I like to add 10-15 lbs of crimson clover in with 50lbs of oats for my annual kill plots.
Plant all of these in the fall (except the soybeans/cowpeas) for best results. Make sure your fertility is there and the pH is at least in the mid 5's before trying anything other than winter rye, and 6 is much better. All in all, that is a very well rounded food plot program. You might want to try some brassicas for winter nutrition, but in many areas they will go untouched. Still, you don t know until you try and you cant beat them for winter forage. Not a whole acre, maybe try a 1/4 acre and see if it gets any use. Usually they get through the hunting season untouched here, but in late winter they get hammered.
Last edited by hossdaniels; 12-03-2012 at 05:02 PM.
12-16-2012, 07:18 PM
#3
Boone & Crockett
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Ponce de Leon Florida USA
Posts: 10,079
You need to find another place to buy your seeds. Most of those prices are way high. I have one old plot that has the same ladder stand in the same tree for about 15 years and we kill deer out of it every year. Main thing is to not hunt them when the wind is wrong. I didn't see a figure for fertilizer, I usually put about 250 pounds of triple 13 when I plant per acre at about $13.50 per 50 pounds.
