Food plot and a little work today

[Texahoman]

Just getting into the food plot game this spring and I am quite excited. Soybeans and Clover will be hitting the dirt soon. However, with the measley 3 acres of hidey holes I'll be planting I'm afraid of the potential for over browse. Can anyone turn me on to a cost effective defense for my plots? Money is tight and I'd like to protect my investment.

[unclefish]

Just getting into the food plot game this spring and I am quite excited. Soybeans and Clover will be hitting the dirt soon. However, with the measley 3 acres of hidey holes I'll be planting I'm afraid of the potential for over browse. Can anyone turn me on to a cost effective defense for my plots? Money is tight and I'd like to protect my investment.

Milorganite works pretty well I'm told. Never had to use it myself.

[Texahoman]

Milorganite works pretty well I'm told. Never had to use it myself.

Thanks, I'll look into it. I've also heard plenty about dual perimeter fencing, but I'm not sure I can throw the cash down for and electrified one.

[deer farmer]

Just getting into the food plot game this spring and I am quite excited. Soybeans and Clover will be hitting the dirt soon. However, with the measley 3 acres of hidey holes I'll be planting I'm afraid of the potential for over browse. Can anyone turn me on to a cost effective defense for my plots? Money is tight and I'd like to protect my investment.

Texahoman, I plant my clovers in the fall, I have planted Alyce clover in the spring and the deer took to it but they preferred others. The soybeans, the deer and I love Eaglebrand soybeans. There are several types of soybeans, some for forage, some for the bean. The bean type will mature early and from my experience this type will yellow out in July and does little to help the deer in July Aug and Sept when the deer need the high protein. The cost of forage soybeans is not cheap and so I want to protect mine until they can get to where the deer won't wipe them out. E fencing has worked best for me, and when I figure the cost of the seed and my time, it's worth it. If you plant the seed and it is wiped out , it's like throwing money away. you might get away with other type of deterrents. From my experience, the deer will walk over everything to get to the soybeans. you need to protect them when they are young plants if your deer densities are there.

[unclefish]

What a difference a week makes. Got 5 inches of rain and with the warm weather the native range looks as good as I've seen it since I've owned it.

Deer have pretty much stopped eating in the plots and they have really taken off. The rye and oats are starting to get tall.... even had a some starting to make see heads. The durana clover has exploded in the last week.




I've also got a micro plot that I planted in Fixation Clover last fall and it's doing pretty well. Don't know how it will do this summer though compared to the Durana.


Young buck still has his antlers. Most of them still do according to trail cams.


These rains have been timely so hopefully we can keep it going into the summer.

[Capt.Bryan]

I have been dragging on getting some plots on one of my leases, good thing looks like I am about to see the 3rd 100 year flood in less than a year coming down the Trinity towards me. The deer at the house the last buck lost his antlers sometime last week, most dropped them by the end of January a few at the end of December. The ones who dropped early have already got some knots about 2 inches coming out. Deer are hang around my food plot and browsing, planted 2 chestnut trees, 2 pears, and another persimmon. Deer are knocking out about 500 pounds of protein in about 8-9 days

[unclefish]

I have been dragging on getting some plots on one of my leases, good thing looks like I am about to see the 3rd 100 year flood in less than a year coming down the Trinity towards me. The deer at the house the last buck lost his antlers sometime last week, most dropped them by the end of January a few at the end of December. The ones who dropped early have already got some knots about 2 inches coming out. Deer are hang around my food plot and browsing, planted 2 chestnut trees, 2 pears, and another persimmon. Deer are knocking out about 500 pounds of protein in about 8-9 days

Curious to see how your chestnuts do.

Hope your place makes it through the flood OK!

[Capt.Bryan]

Curious to see how your chestnuts do.

Hope your place makes it through the flood OK!

Me too, this year I bought 2 of the 7 gallon chestnut trees as soon as I saw them show up at walmart and had them in the ground within a few hours, they look nice and healthy so far. One is about 8 foot tall and the other around 10 foot. The 3 small ones from last year are really struggling, hope they make it. I did a drive around today and have 4 persimmon trees leafing out, 2 pears look awsome, peach tree looks good and the 2 new chestnuts are starting to bud a little. Bad thing is I saw 2 catapillars around the house today, last year they wiped all the leaves off of all my trees. I have a bachelor group of bucks hanging out at the house and there are usually 11 of them together, last night there were 17. I am assuming I will see some new ones show up with this new flood.

[686]

Sorry to hear about your trail cam Unclefish! Don't let the *******s get you down! You might try locking the camera to the tree/post. I like to run a light gauge chain around the tree and a light gauge padlock through the hole in the camera body. At least then they have to break something if they want the camera. Your posts and this thread have been so helpful and inspirational to me. I have no farming background, and have failed miserably with food plotting attempts in the past. Hopefully that turns around this year with some of the knowledge I've gained here. I plowed and disced some old hard pasture last weekend, fertilized, and will be putting in WI clover, Elbon (if it comes in to my feed store), WI oats, Chickory, and some turnips as well. I'm building a cultipacker and hope to have it done this week.

I'm running the moldboard here and Dad is going to work on come cedar with the bobcat:
[ATTACH]741990[/ATTACH]

Discing:
[ATTACH]741991[/ATTACH]

Quoting my post to show some results. We finally got some good rain over the last month and things are looking better. I was starting to get a little down about my plots as I wasn't seeing the amount of growth I was hoping for (even though we're a little short on rain). This is a pic from the plot in the next pasture from the pics I took above. When I went out to check it on Friday, there were 14 deer grazing in the plot, and seeing that basically made the whole effort worth it. Thanks for all the help and motivation unclefish!

[unclefish]

Quoting my post to show some results. We finally got some good rain over the last month and things are looking better. I was starting to get a little down about my plots as I wasn't seeing the amount of growth I was hoping for (even though we're a little short on rain). This is a pic from the plot in the next pasture from the pics I took above. When I went out to check it on Friday, there were 14 deer grazing in the plot, and seeing that basically made the whole effort worth it. Thanks for all the help and motivation unclefish!

Outstanding! Looks like they are keeping it mowed pretty good!

[686]

Food plot and a little work today

Thanks! I know I didn't put enough nitrogen on the plot when I planted - do you think it's worth it to spread some now or will that just jump start weeds?

Time to start planning a spring/summer plot...

[unclefish]

Thanks! I know I didn't put enough nitrogen on the plot when I planted - do you think it's worth it to spread some now or will that just jump start weeds?

Time to start planning a spring/summer plot...

Seems like spring fertilizer always jump starts weeds....but it will definitely benefit your plots too.

[gigem95]

Thought that the Arrow Leaf Clover I planted last summer/fall was a bust but now I'm finally seeing it. coming in thick in places.

[unclefish]

Thought that the Arrow Leaf Clover I planted last summer/fall was a bust but now I'm finally seeing it. coming in thick in places.

Awesome. Those perennials are just amazing how they come back.

[Christianhuff]

Food plot and a little work today

Very cool, may have to add some of the arrow next year. Went up and worked some more ground yesterday. The clover is going crazy, so wet I can't get my spring plot by the lake cleared yet, but finished doubling the barn plot, tilled in some fertilizer, Lab Lab and Egyptian wheat going in next week. Steve what you planting this spring?