Food Plot Ideas for small ranch
 

My family has a section of land up near Lubbock, Tx that we have been fixing up and hunting on for some years now. We finally have gotten a small tractor and have decided we would like to make a food plot. Only thing is I'm not sure where to start. We are thinking of maybe planting some clover or milo possibly. Much of the land is hilly and full of mesquites but we also have three fields about hundred to hundred and fifty yards long and about seventy-five yards across with a small pond next to one of the fields. Also we lease the land out to a neighboring rancher for his cattle to graze, so I'm not sure if that's a problem or not. Any help or ideas would be greatly appreciated.

if you don't fence off the food plow, the cattle will destroy it on you
cows liek deer will always want to eat the best food there, and a food plow will most likely be the best food on the place

SO< unless your willing to fence it off, you will be wasting your time and money!

You may want to think about some fruit trees or bushes. They would be easier and cheaper to fence.

One possibility https://tfsapps.tamu.edu/wtn/storefr...ican-Plum.aspx

tree's will HELP, but cattle will push over some fence rather easy
ITS NOT that hard to set up a 1/2 acre of electric fence to save a food plot from cattle, that would again be a better idea, as it will yield way more food yr round than any NEW fruit tree's will ever make up in the fall!

BOTH would be best LOL
but a food plot will yield you more tonnage ALL yr and make the property more appealing to deer and other critters!

I'll definitely have to talk with the family about that. Thank y'all for the help and advice. Also thinking of setting up a stand for coyotes and hogs on the other side of the property. Do y'all have any guidance or help on predator hunting for a beginner.

coyote/hog hunting tip
sure, pay attention to the wind, watch your approach path to where you wish to hunt
start with low sounds, and go up as needed!
last
sit still and stay alert! LOL

Stands work great for hog hunting. Not so great in my experience for coyote hunting. Coyotes are generally leery of coming up to anything they know is man-made if they can help it. Better to just pick a spot based on conditions, and set yourself up where you can see but not be seen (or smelled).

Unless you can irrigate, I'd skip the clover. The success or failure of a food plot depends a lot on rainfall, and around Lubbock, it can be very hit or miss. It really takes around 35" of annual rainfall to grow clover consistently, at least here in Texas. You also don't get near enough rainfall to grow much of anything that fruits, be it a bush or tree. Unless you can water it daily. Frost killing the blooms is also a huge problem. So I'd skip the fruit trees, too. I'd suggest oats or beardless wheat. Might try putting some hairy vetch in the mix, or maybe austrian winter peas. Neither of those seem to do well by themselves, but they will sometimes do alright mixed in with wheat or oats. Understand going into this that your success rate won't be 100%. Some years you may get a good stand, some you will struggle. I'd suggest using a sprayer and no-till as much as possible. If you don't have a no-till drill, a lot of the conservation districts have one you can rent.

Controlling brush will also help. Mesquites compete with everything for water, and they take up space that more beneficial plants could be utilizing. Cactus, if you have them, don't use as much water, but they take up a lot of space. Native forbes, grasses, and some other woody species are much more beneficial, so helping establish and maintain them will pay as big, or bigger, dividends than the food plots. Most of your native growth will be active in the summer, and it will generally perform better and more consistent than anything you can food plot. The native plants will grow and provide forage from about March through October. A food plot of wheat/oats/vetch/winter peas can be planted in September and will produce from about October to maybe May. So if you manage your natives, and your plot right, there will always be something growing for the deer to eat.

Grazing by cattle won't hurt anything so long as the land is stocked properly and rested occasionally. If it is overgrazed, then it can be a detriment. If the plots aren't fenced, then you'll need to fence them or all you will be doing is feeding the cows.