has anyone every planted winter peas for deer i have heard people say that deer love them


do they?

Mostly they are planted in the south from what I gather. Here - they would die back from frosts before bowseason opened.

Russ might be able to offer you some advice -

Austrian Winter Peas are a good crop for the warmer climates, nad worked quite well for me. They will stand up to a little cold weather and really flourish in the spring. My crop last year made it thru some cold weather, even some snow, with a few temps around the low 20's. They need some protection when first planted as deer will pull them up by the roots when very small. I used a white plastic bag fence on a stout string and in 2-3 weeks were able to hold their own. They were only about 6 inches when spring broke, and they took off, reaching 2-3 feet in height. But with nothing to climb on, they mostly trailes over t he ground. Some of the deer even bedded in them during the night, they didn't have to go far for a snack.
I'm going to plant Buck Forage oats in that spot this coming week to take advantage of the nitrogen they left in the soil. As they are a legume, fertilize them the same as clover, they don't need the Nitrogen. They really worked the bushog when I mowed them, and they generated a lot of mulch to be turned under. If your temp. stays above the single digits, you could have a good crop.

Russ

We have planted the Austrian Winter Peas in a blend seed mix, but it seems when they come up and get about 3" high the deer nip them off and they don't sprout back. I won't plant any more of them.

Like I said in my previous post, they have to be protected until they develope a decent root system. If my simple bag fence don't seem to be the answer for you, the Plot saver may be just the ticket. One thing's for sure, the deer really love those Peas. And they aren't the only forage that needs a little protection until they develop a decent root system. Oats and wheat can also be pulled up early on. Especially if the plot is on the small size.

Russ

Up here in Northern Minnesota, we've had good luck with the Siberian pea bush. I believe the store name for it is "Caraguna Bush", or siberian pea tree/bush. We planted a bunch a few years ago, and the deer love to munch on the pods. Tazimna

Hey Russ otten did you innoculate the Austrian Winter Peas? How many pounds per acre? Would I use the same innoculant as used for Cow Peas? I assume to make your fence you just tied the string from some sort of temp. posts and tied plastic bags to the string, right? If innoculant used, what is a good adhesive? I read somewhere to use Coca Cola!

The Peas I purchased were pre-inoculated. I bought one bag and split it between two half acre plots. Ask where you get them to be sure.
For the fence I used metal fence posts for the corners and used small electric fence posts in between. To work best, use only white bags. the colored bags don't seem to keep them out. I'm guessing that the white have UV in their makeup, and they probably glow some at night. And with wind movement, they shy away from them. Poke holes ins the bottoms or they will collect rain and pull down the string. The plastic bailing twine would be perfect, Make sure you pick it all up when done, that stuff can really tangle up a tiller or disc. Keep the bags about 30" from the ground on an average. I had one set of tracks in my plot during the time it was up, about 3 weeks. It took me about an hour and a half to set mine up, 2 guys could do it a lot faster.

Russ

I planted austrian winter peas last year on my plot asnd planted them again this year. I was really impressed with them and had no complaints. I planted 100 lbs on four acres, along with some wheat and oats. We have a great stand and the deer are hitting them hard again this year.

Some guys I work and hunt with plant peas in their winter plots, but they use Australian Winter Peas.

I think they run about 20 bucks a bag, I personally just planted wheat and oats because of the cheaper value.