Planning for next yr. What and how?

[mowin]

Got the go ahead for a food plot in this field in the red box.  Landowner grows rye for whiskey, so I cannot spray or use anything but organic fertilizer. 

Not sure how to go about planting in this area.  I can disk the area, but it's extremely rocky, and he said I'd have to remove the rocks so if needed, can be reseeded/baled for hay in the future. 

How would others go about planting and what to plant? 

[Otto]

How about frost seeding with clover and letting it take that way?  You’d just have to keep it mowed a bit and it will be a good attractant to both deer and turkey.   No tilling necessary. 

[mowin]

1 hour ago, Otto said:

How about frost seeding with clover and letting it take that way?  You’d just have to keep it mowed a bit and it will be a good attractant to both deer and turkey.   No tilling necessary. 

Will it need to be disked?  Or should I mow it really short now?

[G-man]

Mow short now and disk then disk again again every few weeks . to kill off everything then plant a good cereal grain with clover in spring  let it go right  to head.  You'll  have turkeys and game eating heads some will  reseed but clover will be established.  Frost seed more clover the next spring and mow after it head and head brown. To help it reseed.  You can mow high to keep grasses and weeds under control in spring as well but you want clover to head and reseed. Then mow 3 weeks before oct  about 5in tall and enjoy your hunt over nice lush new growth. 

[Stubborn1vt]

I would at least try to frost seed clover before I worked up rocky ground and picked rocks.  Check the pH.  Lime and clover seed are pretty cheap.  

Also, working on half an acre would be more manageable and would let you try something else on the other half. Would give you the option to rotate crops in the future as well.  

[Otto]

8 hours ago, mowin said:

Will it need to be disked?  Or should I mow it really short now?

 

1 hour ago, Stubborn1vt said:

I would at least try to frost seed clover before I worked up rocky ground and picked rocks.  Check the pH.  Lime and clover seed are pretty cheap.  

Also, working on half an acre would be more manageable and would let you try something else on the other half. Would give you the option to rotate crops in the future as well.  

What he said…..

[Bucksnbows]

You’re getting good advice. When it comes to food plots, I look at what times of year “deer food” is at its lowest and often plan around that. If you are just building a kill plot, clover is about all you need. But if deer need winter feed, something like turnips might be the way to go. Clover will also be eaten in winter. 

[mowin]

15 minutes ago, Bucksnbows said:

You’re getting good advice. When it comes to food plots, I look at what times of year “deer food” is at its lowest and often plan around that. If you are just building a kill plot, clover is about all you need. But if deer need winter feed, something like turnips might be the way to go. Clover will also be eaten in winter. 

Landowner has 60a of cereal rye planted in several different fields, so I think there's plenty of winter feed.. 

This plot will border a large rye planting. So looking to get the deer to visit this plot before heading into the large rye plots. 

[Bucksnbows]

10 minutes ago, mowin said:

Landowner has 60a of cereal rye planted in several different fields, so I think there's plenty of winter feed.. 

This plot will border a large rye planting. So looking to get the deer to visit this plot before heading into the large rye plots. 

You will be pleasantly surprised at winter frost seeding of clover. Especially in rocky soils. 

[Otto]

2 hours ago, Bucksnbows said:

You will be pleasantly surprised at winter frost seeding of clover. Especially in rocky soils. 

I seeded an old trolley track that runs through my property with clover and it has been doing great.  It's basically 3-6" run of crush compacted down, with about 75 years of blown on dirt and debris - so not a lot of organic material in there.  Had winter rye on it for one year first, mowed that off and frost seeded.  I'll snap a pic next time I walk through there. 

[mowin]

Not a lot of room there.  Red line is property line.  From field edge to a steep 15' bank is only 20-25 yards.  

Pic kinda show the edge of the bank. Creek is pretty much the boundary. 

[mowin]

1 minute ago, Rusty said:

That's plenty of room to make a big improvement.  That forest needs some serious help!  

What could be done?  Not sure if the landowner would be interested, but you never know. 

[mowin]

2 minutes ago, Rusty said:

Thin some trees out to get sunlight in there to generate growth.   Hinge cut to create instant browse and cover.  Crown release your mast trees.  

There's a few decent size oaks between the field and bank.  Most are across the creek. 

[mowin]

1 minute ago, Rusty said:

Forests can support as few as 5 deer / square mile or as many as 50, depending on the amount of food and cover present.  Your forest is in pretty rough shape.  

Lot more woods on the other side of the property.  That strip is only 20+ yards wide and wraps around the field. 

[mowin]

6 minutes ago, Rusty said:

You'd be amazed at what a difference that 20 yards can make, especially when it's a long strip like that.  Drop some trees and leave the tops for cover.  

Your food plot will be a lot more productive if you have thick cover adjacent to it.

 

 

There's lots of old down trees in there.  Tons of maples of all sizes. Locust too.  Would make some nice bedding.

Edited November 11, 2022 by mowin