cardeer

OK you guys who know me from the other post know I'm a bit excentric.
Anyway there is this small acreage I hunt. It has a 2 acre grown over field. This past year In bow aeason I new deer were passing thru the field.But the weeds were so high (6 ft) all I seen was the weeds moving on their skinny paths. So between bow and the gun season I took my garden tractor there and used the snowplow 1 inch off the ground and plowed down some of the field so I could see better. The majority of the weeds are them tall brown ,Hollow stemmed things with a fuzzy top.So they broke off real easy.And their root systems are very shallow.Alot pulled right out of the ground. If I go back and put my snow plow down lightly on the ground and rough the area up exposing the good looking rich soil. What could I spread in there that would grow and attract the deer and last the longest????? I live in Pa. By the way plowing that field worked ,could see the deer and filled the freezer.I knew the deer were there ,but there is no food source around for miles.I figure planting something in there would really attract the surrounding deer. Thanks

doughboysigep

I would recomend mowing (if you can - atv mower?) the weeds early and often and not let the weeds go to seed. Use the plow or a harrow scratch the field to open the soil. I would plant straight clover (ladino and red). This is a low cost/simple approach. You could get more elaborate by spraying, no-tilling, etc, but this might be a low risk way to start.

ps - make sure to take a soil sample first

Dan O.

Cardeer; you may be best to spray the field down with Roundup to kill off the present vegetation. Otherwise plow it and disc a few times as the weed seeds germinate. I think you're talking about Teasels as your main weed and they're loaded with seeds for next year. As for a good all around feed, clover (red or ladino) is the way to go. The red is only good for 2-3 years but the ladino will last at least double that. You will have to mow it a couple of times each year to keep the weeds down.

Dan O.

farm hunter

Hi

If you cannot mow it often - its a good idea to plant a clover/seed that re-seeds itself. Birdsfoot trefoil is often mentioned as a good choice - but its expensive. Some white clovers like Dutch also reseed well - as does Red Clover like Dan mentioned.

If you can mow 2-3 times a year - most any clover will be attractive - especially on strips in a goldenrod field. Dont forget the inoculant.

cardeer

Thanks

Dan O.

Peanuts and peanut butter are big draws too Cardeer. That may be why you get so many deer, it isn't the necklace, it's the peanut butter on you're beard.

Dan O.

Russ otten

Annual Rye, not the grass variety, mixed with the clover seed will give the clover cover til it's roots develope and may help deter the other grasses a little. Just mow the Rye just above the clover in the spring so the clover will get more sun.

Russ