Bird food plot/sunflowers question

[CWendling]

First time planting a plot and/or sunflowers period to see if it would attract any dove (east texas area near tyler). Just over 2 ac spot, used appropriate seed amount per directions. Light disk, spread seed and rolled with cultipacker. Used the East Texas seed co mix (Browntop Millet,Peredovik (Black Oil) Sunflower, Sesame, Egyptian Wheat, WGF Sorghum, and Buckwheat). Went about 3 weeks after planting and had nice rows of green about a foot tall. Went back last weekend. Tons of weeds (guess i should have sprayed some gly after disking before seeds). Very few sunflowers. Maybe a couple dozen flower heads on 2 ac. Saw quite a few heads with no petals left. No signs of pigs in the plot. Thinking maybe deer were eating them? Also have a fair amount of what look like corn stalks, but no corn on them from 3 to about 7' tall. Not sure what those are. Very little milo seen. Guess my question is, do deer typically eat sunflowers while growing or did i just mess up my planting? I do plant a fall food plot here every year, but for next year, try again with same? Try with just perdovics? Plant Natives when i do fall food plot?

[gonehuntin]

I cant plant sunflowers without the deer eating them down. My food plot is thick with goatweed and there is deer in there every evening. I had decent luck with just planting Milo, if it got enough moisture. I dont have enough dove to make planting a bird plot worth the trouble

[Drycreek3189]

Deer will eat the sunflowers when they are young (the flowers, not the deer). That stuff that looks like corn is likely brown top millet, maybe your milo. I would probably buy my seeds separate and go with just milo and flowers. Have you done a soil test to see if you need lime and what type of fertilizer to use ? It makes a difference ! Most grains need a lot of nitrogen, especially if you planted wheat or rye last fall. You brought a lot of weed seeds up when you tilled, sometimes it takes a few years to change that. Keeping something growing in your plot all the time if you can is the best way to combat weeds, but I’m never scared to burn them down with gly. I’m no expert, but I have been growing food plots seriously for about twenty years, be glad to help out.


edit: broadleaf weeds can be killed with Butyrac 200. You can spray it after your other stuff comes up in some cases. I know it doesn’t bother grasses, and most grains are from the grass family, but I don’t know about sunflowers. Google the label and it should tell you.

[CWendling]

Thanks. I shouldve put a camera out there to see if deer were eating them ha. Mines full of goatweed now as well.
I did a soil test last fall, but not this spring and had to add lime. Didnt put any fertilizer down. I probably dont have enough dove to make it worth it either, but figured if it was enough to sit in the shade and shoot one or two for the dog at sun down and helped with the soil it was worth doing

[DeerGeek]

Deer will hammer newly sprouted peredovik sunflowers and they do not grow back once nipped off.

The only sunflowers I can grow that deer do not touch are the native variety. Plant in October, disc in mid March.

[CWendling]

I know natives come back every year. Would it be fair to say they wont interfere with fall deer plot since they grow in summer, mowed before planting fall plot. Any reason not to plant them?

[Drycreek3189]

Thanks. I shouldve put a camera out there to see if deer were eating them ha. Mines full of goatweed now as well.
I did a soil test last fall, but not this spring and had to add lime. Didnt put any fertilizer down. I probably dont have enough dove to make it worth it either, but figured if it was enough to sit in the shade and shoot one or two for the dog at sun down and helped with the soil it was worth doing

Goatweeds will bring in doves too. The thing is, not many doves will light in it to eat unless it’s clear of grass underneath. They won’t wade into the thick stuff like quail will. Same with a water hole, if there’s not some clean bank, they ain’t touching down.

[Low Fence]

I’ve never seen a mix for dove that I real was crazy about. It’s usually too thick…. And while all the ingredients dove love, rarely to they compete well with each other and you get a stunted or failed crop. If I mix anything it will be solid and p yard strips of sunflower and solid strips of pearl head millet or brown top. Never together they just choke each other out

black oil bird see will grow as good as peridovic for 1/3 the cost. Drilling or row planting is best, but I get most don’t have that option. Plant late April- mid May. Sunflower will be plenty dry by then. Shred them and hunt in the millet. Mow 1/2 the millet down later in season and hunt in the standing half

2 acres is a tough sale. If you don’t already have a good population, probably just feeding deer and hogs.

[Low Fence]

Goatweeds will bring in doves too. The thing is, not many doves will light in it to eat unless it’s clear of grass underneath. They won’t wade into the thick stuff like quail will. Same with a water hole, if there’s not some clean bank, they ain’t touching down.

Yep. Dove like to see their feet. My goat weed places are over grazed like no other. Almost bare dirt and gravel. They will rival a lot of west Texas hunts!

[mjhaverkamp]

Plow it up and plant wheat about two weeks before season, you will have dove unless you get some rain and it sprouts

[DeerGeek]

I know natives come back every year. Would it be fair to say they wont interfere with fall deer plot since they grow in summer, mowed before planting fall plot. Any reason not to plant them?

I shred my native sunflower field the last week of September (3 full weeks of dove hunting). I then plow and plant wheat first week of October. Hunt the wheat all season. In March, shred/disc wheat and native sunflowers come back.

Rinse and repeat.

The initial planting of native sunflower seed is expensive, but it’s a one time cost and they get thicker each season as long as you disturb the soil in mid March.

[Greenheadless]

Exclusion cages might help in letting you know in lack of yield vs. browsing pressure.