My 2014 food plots

[toddrod]

After many hours of research I will be planting the following.

The bulk of my plot will be wheat,oats. winter peas, and arrow leaf clover.

I will also plant a 6ft wide strip on the outside edges of Buck Buster Rape seed

The entire 400yds trail to my stand will be planted with a clover/ brassica mix.

What are you planting?

 

[tallwalker]

Clay peas, chicory, turnips, long leaf rye, and forage oats. Later in the year brown top millet for turkeys. Seems to work for us because we can judge activity by how bad it gets eaten down in places. Works better than trail cameras during the season.

 

[tbone]

Nothing.

 

[bigjakewelch]

Clover, brown top millet, turnips, rape, wheat, and corn. The corn will be planted via an automatic "planter" several times per day for the extent of hunting season. We have used this set up for several years and it has worked well so far. I may attempt to plant sweet potatoes also but I'm not sure I have the soil for that.

 

[hollowhunter]

Why would you plant the trail to your ( I assume) permanent stand? I understand the fact that it's plantable, but I'd think I'd want my access scentfree.

 

[toddrod]

The way my stand is I am 400 yds off a levee right on the edge of the swamp and a heavily over grown clear cut. My access trail is actually being used by the deer to leave the swamp to get to the levee which they have to go right through my food plot to access either. So I figured if I just no plow plant some rape / wheat on the trail they could graze going up and down it and end up in my food plot.

 

[toddrod]

I was able to plant 300lbs of seed today. I sure hope we get some of that rain they are forecasting for tomorrow.

 

[highstandard40]

I'm going with Arrowleaf Clover and Forage Oats. This is in Natchitoches Parish where the soil is very sandy and well drained. My two choices are said to be my best option.

 

[toddrod]

With everything I have planted above these deer are still keeping a 1 acre food plot mowed down. I really need some rain so that I can go put out some nitrate to kick start these plants again. On a side not, seems that only the coons are eating my soybeans and rice bran so I am going to stop wasting money on these items until it gets later in the season.

 

[toddrod]

Update -

What has worked:

Winter wheat, Eldon cereal rye, arrow leaf clover, crimson clover, ladino clover -- the cold spell / drought we had put a damper on them growing, plus the deer have been mowing it down. Lately, with the warmer weather and all this fog to moisten the soil, everything has been growing well now and is growing faster than the deer can eat it.
Soybeans - Finally listened to everyone else and the deer love it.

What did not work, or is marginal at best:

Turnips and rape - Good thing it was cheap as it really did not grow well or the the deer ate it right when it came up. Either way will not use next year.
Oats - Grew good until the 1st cold spell, now it is gone. Will not use it next year.
Corn / sweet feed - nothing but a coon attractant.
Trough feeder with a roof. After 4 months of putting my rice bran in it I have yet to have a photo of a deer eating out of it. Both of them have been retired until next year where I will remove the cover and retry.
Rice bran - In my food plot they are not eating it. Will stay with soybeans.

 

[tallwalker]

We put down a bunch of lime in one of our big plots at the end of the season last year. Made a huge difference. Even with the dry spell it has been the only one that has stayed green and grows faster than the deer can eat it. Yep, soybeans and clay peas work.

 

[toddrod]

Couple of additions:

The soybeans are either dumped on the ground or from a spin feeder. Planted, without a barrier fence, they were eaten down soon after they sprouted.
I used 3 times the planting rate on the wheat

 

[Arabseal]

I am not sure why but our plots never get real green and thick..I'm not sure why maybe the soil. This year hogs tore up the plots anyways. I will try the lime next year hope it helps.

 

[cajun 22]

Get you soil tested. I did this for 7 plots and the info worked. Cost about $60. Limed the plots in the spring two years in a row and the plots are great. Never put lime at time of planting because it will make the plants bitter.

 

[toddrod]

UPDATE - since we got a good amount of rain the growth has taken off in my plots. To bad the deer activity is not what it was before. No matter, I have killed 2 deer this season and the rut has is starting where I am at in area 9.