Let's talk fall food plots!

[Robhuntandfish]

Frost seeding looks great in a lot of spots.  Checked this one out this morn.  

[Belo]

My 3 deer on the bag stuff is doing well a few weeks in. First pic is winter greens, Next 2 are pure attraction (mostly oats) and the last 2 are my new 1/2 acre honey hole. This one is patchy like my plots last year which I think is fine, but I think a function of new ground and a small bag of seed.

[Robhuntandfish]

2 hours ago, Belo said:

My 3 deer on the bag stuff is doing well a few weeks in. First pic is winter greens, Next 2 are pure attraction (mostly oats) and the last 2 are my new 1/2 acre honey hole. This one is patchy like my plots last year which I think is fine, but I think a function of new ground and a small bag of seed.

Looks great. I always put another mix in with Honey Hole as it's all leafy brassicas.  I use a whitetail institute secret spot or huntstand with it.   It seems like the honey hole does better after like a month it just takes off.  

[corydd7]

Oats went in yesterday. Main plot could have used another spray but I just don't have time to get up to my cabin this year. Clover is getting hit hard on my logging trails. Tons of sign on the property and I jumped a doe and two fawns riding my atv down the driveway. 

 

[broomeguy]

Can't believe a doe and fawn stole your ATV! Videos? 

[broomeguy]

Thoughts? 

[Robhuntandfish]

10 minutes ago, broomeguy said:

Thoughts? 

Check these out. Great info on clovers 

https://mossyoakgamekeeper.com/watch/when-to-mow-your-clover-food-plots/

https://mossyoakgamekeeper.com/watch/ep107-a-deep-dive-into-growing-clover/

 

 

[grampy]

Went with what has worked well for us in the past. Buck forage oats, brassica mix. About three acres total. Been in a little over a week and partner says it's already starting to come up. I'll be up tomorrow to see for myself. 

[Stubborn1vt]

Quick walk to look at my plot.  The stuff I overseeded 5 or 6 days ago has germinated.  Stuff isn't growing very darn fast.  The clover I fertilized with 0-20-20 looks good to me. 

Not much on cameras, but I did get my first fawn picture here at my house.   Three does and one fawn.  11 turkeys and 2 poults.  I found a handful of red oak acorns under one tree.  I assume they are insect damaged, since it's still early.  

A few of the dogwood cuttings I planted this spring took.  I think they would've done way better if not for the dry May.  I want to keep working on that wet area at the foot of the hill.  My goal is to have less bush honeysuckle and more red osier dogwood.  

I guess there's hope for the plot, but it's not looking great.  That's how it goes some years.  I need to get over to the family farm and check cams over there.  Looking forward to seeing some hard horned bucks.

[Robhuntandfish]

The CSS plot is doing well. 

[Robhuntandfish]

The other two I checked out yesterday are doing ok, not as good as last year but not bad considering all the crazy rain we've had. 

Edited September 1, 2023 by Robhuntandfish

[KungFu Tolkien]

Friendly reminder that the deer patterns you see now will be nothing like what you see come rut.

[virgil]

I know nothing about farming. My neighbor is planting rye and winter wheat this week in the fields next to me. There’s a lot of corn on other neighbors property. 
Will the wheat and rye be good for deer season?

[LET EM GROW]

4 minutes ago, virgil said:

I know nothing about farming. My neighbor is planting rye and winter wheat this week in the fields next to me. There’s a lot of corn on other neighbors property. 
Will the wheat and rye be good for deer season?

Yes, IT will be green when nothing else is, They will consume the Wheat before the Rye but it should pull deer. 

[Wolc123]

51 minutes ago, virgil said:

I know nothing about farming. My neighbor is planting rye and winter wheat this week in the fields next to me. There’s a lot of corn on other neighbors property. 
Will the wheat and rye be good for deer season?

When it comes to cerial grains, the following list is in the deer’s order of preference, with their favorite on top:

1) oats

2) wheat

3) rye

4) barley 

 

I’m not sure about the barley, but I know that oats will not survive a hard frost.

I put in a couple of oat plots (one mixed with rr corn), earlier this year, mostly for an early September antlerless gun season attractant.  
 

Wheat is my usual go-to as a late fall deer attractant , mostly because it is usually the cheapest and easiest to find, but that really shouldn’t be planted in NY before September 1.  
 

I plan on getting in a plot of it this weekend, but that is unlikely to grow enough for much early September attraction (I’ll count on the oats for that). Besides late fall, deer absolutely love wheat in the winter and early spring, when the pickings from other food sources are at their lowest.    
 

I always plant white clover, along with the wheat, and I make sure to Bush hog the wheat by late spring.  The clover really takes off after that.  
 

It’s been more than 10 years since I planted any rye.  It just don’t make sense for me to pay more for something that deer like less, and is harder to find.  It does pull less nitrogen out of the ground than wheat, which may be why some folks like to plant it.   That is of no advantage, mixed with clover as I use it, because clover fixes its own nitrogen from thin air.  
 

here’s the oat/corn plot:

 

Hopefully that has the does stacked up next Saturday.  They are hitting my adjacent sweetcorn pretty hard right now. 

Edited September 1, 2023 by Wolc123