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Antler King vs Co-Op seeds.

Old 06-17-2018, 07:39 PM
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Nontypical Buck
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Default Antler King vs Co-Op seeds.

I'm trying to be economical as I can here. For those of you experienced food plotters, I am wanting to start about 1/2 an acre plot. I would like to use the same mix as some of the Antler King products. I can definitely save some bucks doing this. My question is do you think the name brand seeds will do any better than the seeds I get at the local Co-Op? Let me know what you all think.
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Old 06-18-2018, 05:13 AM
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You can definitely save money buying from the local feed-n-seed store versus the "store bought" mixtures. Have you grown a food plot before? First thing you will need to do is get a soil sample sent off to determine what amendments the soil will need. If the pH and other nutrients are off you can buy the best seed available and still be unsuccessful. Not sure about Ohio but here in NC the state does a free soil test that is actually pretty good. Do this first so you can start making adjustments now to be ready to plant in the fall.

Most all of the name brand mixtures are made up of seeds you can buy locally for less money. Just need to figure out what will grow best in your area and what the your deer want to eat. Get us a little more info and we can point you in the right direction.
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Old 06-18-2018, 07:02 AM
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The area is agricultural rich. It is nearly surrounded by some very good ag fields and I did a test and it was good. Here is an aerial view. The plot will be between the red dot and to the left to the tree lines.
Attached Thumbnails Antler King vs Co-Op seeds.-screenshot_20180610-214108_chrome.jpg  
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Old 06-18-2018, 07:12 AM
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Some things I was considering mixing in for the plot was clover varieties, brassica, rape seed, oats, turnips, radishes, winter wheat, chicory. Will all these mix well. I'd like the clovers and chicory for the earlier season, then as the season progresses I'll have the others to keep the plot strong.
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Old 06-18-2018, 08:33 AM
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Looks like a great spot for a food plot! I would start spraying whatever grass and weeds are there immediately. The sooner you can stop seed production the better off you'll be. If it's tall I would mow it down first, give it a week and then spray. Once it's all dead begin discing, tilling or whatever you plan to do to break up the soil. You will need to do this cycle as many times as possible prior to planting. The more you can do it the better your chances of having a weed free seed bed for your plot.

I'm not very familiar with oats and winter wheat so I'll leave that for someone else. Providing the soil is where it needs to be the clover and brassicas should do well. My deer don't eat chicory and only nibble at the turnips, rape and kale occasionally. I've talked to others that said their deer went nuts over that stuff. If the deer herd doesn't annihilate the clover it really needs to be mowed several times a year to keep it healthy and help it compete with weeds. A few times in the spring and again in the fall during prime growing time goes a long way to keep it thick and lush. Just something to keep in mind when you are deciding what else to plant with it. Part of it will be trial and error to see what your herd likes. Sometimes figuring that out is the hardest part.

Just curious, what kind of equipment do you have?
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Old 06-18-2018, 08:53 AM
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OK take this with a grain of salt and I am NOT getting to specific details
but for many many many yrs I knew a person that handles seeds,m up and down the eats coast, from HI way seeding jobs, to selling bulk seeds and he SOLD the same seeds to many deer seed company's as he did to basic Ag stores
the difference was more in there coating and NOT a special seed at all
and mostly was just a different color of the coating to be THERE color
SO on this note, , you take it as you like
I have planted BOTH and have even gone as far as planting side by side to see if there was any difference on several properties
and NEVER once seen any deer or any other critter FLOCK to any one brand seed
they ate MORE where they felt safe, and or the crop grew better(better soil conditions in that spot)
and NEVER ever seen one brand grow better in same like soil conditions
I was also one of the whitetails Institutes first plotters in PA, from 1988
there is NOTHING wrong by any means with there seeds, minus there added costs

THE next thing, some seed comopanys(deer brand seeds) MIGHT have a PERK on, is how much WEED seeds is in there blend as to basic CO OP farm store seeds
but again, IMO< weeds are going to happen no matter what you plant, as things seed up, and seeds fly off as they bud off and drift in the wind, and GOD know's how many seeds to turn over prepping a site with any type of tillage you do!
SO< weeds are a issue for 90% of all plotters and this is also an area where there are BRAND name chemical and Generic brand one's that, IMO< work as well at a large savings, just like on seeds!


so, IMO< these are deer your feeding, unless you have a TON of land say 2500+ acre's where you can really control age structure of YOUR herd, and or NEIGHBORS all on same page with your management plans
any LONG term benefits some company's CLAIM, are not even possible for anyone in the real world!
so if buying for so called higher protein levels and such, your wasting time if you cannot control age structure of the deer herd you hunt/manage!
which IMO is about 80% of most hunters that CANNOT do so!

NOW as for mixing all them seed together
yes you sure can, but odds are you will have a less than stellar take on ALL of them, over say having ONE or two things grow very well!
the idea sounds great on paper, but seldom works out in the real world if you follow

you are way better actually planting either one or another, and if you WISH to have better attractant for hunting, plant for hunting, if you just want early season food, plant for that, and you always have the option to KILL a early season plot and plant a fall plot
you can do cheaper things to do this
like buckwheat for spring, ad clover at planting if you like? or rye grass!
then burn it down and plant a fall plot for hunting over
more work, but will yield you better results!
Buckwheat will also keep the soil very easy to re plant, and attract turkeys pretty strongly, for sporing gobbler season! peak at about late June, can burn down in late July and plan t a fall plot for Sept on!
being in a very heavy crop land area, your plot will also pull better come hunting season, when all crops are being harvested and you have a PRIME food source

farm lands tend to have rotating crops, with winter wheat being common in most places, which will feed nursing does and fawns and all bucks left!
since you cannot hunt deer at this time of yr, honestly, if you wanting a deer plot , the fall plot should be your main concern IMO, they will have plenty to eat come green up and at a 1/2 acre plot, they will NOT over browse it on you , which can happen
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Old 07-19-2018, 08:34 PM
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Truth is that coop seeds are designed more for cattle and hay. Then you have brands such as Whitetail institute and Pennington that truly design better forage. They spend years developing their verities by crossbreeding with other strands to develop a better plant, more desirable and healthier for deer. Some verities are even roundup ready. They are usually more drought and cold/heat/shade tolerant, more leaf, compared to stem, etc. If I was going to plant just a half acre, I would use Durana, or Patriot clover by Pennington, or Whitetail institute clover seeds. I have 2 acres of whitetail institute clover and I am beyond pleased with it. same with their oats, they are sweeter and cold tolerant. Mine was green all the way from fall planting to this summer when I had to terminate it with glyphosate to release my clovers. Check your soil ph and throw down some oats and clover. The oats will act as a cover crop to protect your clover while they develop their root system their first year. The oats will keep them happy this season and give you something to hunt over if you desire. The come spring, youll have a lush clover plot, but youll more than likely have to catch weeds and grasses early. Spray some cleth and mow once or twice over the summer and youll be good. Good luck
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