AvonLKHunter Posted December 17, 2012 Report Share Posted December 17, 2012 I will be putting in a few 1/4 to 1/2 acre plots this year in southeast Ohio. Not sure exactly what the best thing to put in. Was going to do soybeans but keep reading they wont make it long, they will get eaten quick. Any advice would be great. Thanks, Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoosierhunter Posted December 17, 2012 Report Share Posted December 17, 2012 food plot advice needed!!!! Too small for beans. You need more tonnage from such small plots. I'd recommend clover in one and frigid forage big n beasty in another. This gives you all season clover and FF gives you the late season pull. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitetailfreak55 Posted December 17, 2012 Report Share Posted December 17, 2012 Yep clover is what i use for my plots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AvonLKHunter Posted December 17, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 17, 2012 Heard they will pass thru clover to get to something else. Is it that good? Never tried it before Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoosierhunter Posted December 17, 2012 Report Share Posted December 17, 2012 food plot advice needed!!!! Clover is very good. The issue is that most ppl don't understand why, No food plot is the end all be all in the Midwest. The deer simply have too much native forage. Clover provides year around food. The deer use it the most during the summer and late season. Yes other things can be more attractive but only for a short term. Ppl also think clover doesn't work bc they cannot see usage in it. Trust me that the deer hammer it. Put a cage out and you will see the difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhunt Posted December 17, 2012 Report Share Posted December 17, 2012 Heard they will pass thru clover to get to something else. Is it that good? Never tried it before Deer will pass through different foods in places to get to more favorable food where it may be, but typically deer will not pass by clover if the clover is right. You get your soil right and deer will hammer clovers, especially after the summer crops are done. Chickory can be added to make it a little more attractive. We have had real good results with clovers here. Have gotten away with planting mini plots with eagle soybeans here, but our deer densities are not that high and there is an abundance of other food around when beans are growing. Overbrowsing could be an issue with small plots of beans especially if you have a high density. Lablab plus or beans with a mix of grains could be a possibility, but again small plots the deer may not let the plot ever get far enough along to do you any good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zizzer59 Posted December 17, 2012 Report Share Posted December 17, 2012 food plot advice needed!!!! What do you guys think about turnips? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoosierhunter Posted December 17, 2012 Report Share Posted December 17, 2012 food plot advice needed!!!! BnB is turnips Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravin R10 man Posted December 17, 2012 Report Share Posted December 17, 2012 Go with clovers absolutly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AvonLKHunter Posted December 17, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 17, 2012 There is not any farming in our area. Deer live on acorns and just browsing. I think anything will be a magnet. I mainly just bow hunt october thru november. Was thinking turnips also for late season. Thanks for advice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhunt Posted December 17, 2012 Report Share Posted December 17, 2012 What do you guys think about turnips? May be different where you are but deer barely touch purple tops here. Have had them eat the greens just a little after a good hard frost, then leave them alone. Funny you mentioned about the clovers being walked through, I have on several occasions watched deer walk through a brassicas plot mix with purple tops and never drop their heads til they got to pasture grass where they nibbled some on their way. They usually eventually ended up in a clover plot where they fed heavy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AvonLKHunter Posted December 17, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 17, 2012 Perennial clover or annual? Which is best and what brand? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhunt Posted December 18, 2012 Report Share Posted December 18, 2012 Have had pretty good results with pennington perennial clover mixes. Tried clover crush this fall from evolved harvest, not quite as impressed with it as pennington seed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoosierhunter Posted December 18, 2012 Report Share Posted December 18, 2012 food plot advice needed!!!! Ladino and crimson clover are what I used if I remember right. There might be one other variety that starts with a A like apache or something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravin R10 man Posted December 18, 2012 Report Share Posted December 18, 2012 Durana is a recent one also that is being used Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LETMGROW Posted December 19, 2012 Report Share Posted December 19, 2012 Your whole plan will depend on what your goals are. For all around feed you can't do any better than a perenial clover. You have to get good soil ammendments for anything to grow well but clover is quite forgiving. A good plot will produce 4-5 years with periodotic mowing and a shot of clethodim when grass starts to compete. I prefer Imperial Clover from www.whitetailinstitute.com but there are others out there which may be equally as good. Be careful selecting high tonage clovers designed for dairy cattle. You could have a lush looking field but not really appealing to deer. The stems may be tough and not easy for deer to chew or digest. I get knocked continually on other forums because I have a preference for " Buck on the Bag " food plot seed. I know BOB seed is not magic but there is some research done and it just seems to work for me. It is costlier to an extent but how much are you really going to use anyway? I have always maintained, If in doubt, plant clover. Brassicas are ok for feeding deer probably after your season is closed. They really don't pay much attention to them until after after the second or third hard frost when the leaves turn from starch to sugar. I don't even consider planting them for a hunt over food plot. Deer hardly touch the bulbs until late February or early March. Then they tear them up and the plot looks like wasteland. Alfalfa, chicory and some other plots are ok but clover is my preference. Trust me, I have planted them all. Irregardless of what you want to plant, soil preparation is the key to attraction. Even the best of seed is not going to grow healthy and palatable if you don't have proper soil PH and fertilizer application. For fall attraction up here I like "Buck Forage Oats" This seed is a better kill plot than even clover. It lives through several frosts and still looks green and attractive, well after everything else has died off. Mind you though, I live in northern NY. Our weather is a little different than some other's on here might be. Lynn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ultradog Posted December 23, 2012 Report Share Posted December 23, 2012 I just go to the local feed/seed store and buy their prepackaged big rack mix. It's cheaper than the high brow brands and I get about 2 or 3 years out of it (depending on rainfall, etc) before needing to replant. It has a lot of turnip in it which is a good cover for the misc. clovers, timothy and alfalfa in it. - Clovers and alfalfa like a cover crop the first year to get established properly. Turnip is an annual so it does not come back the next year but the other plants do. I will be redoing my plots this year which is fine. I really enjoy plowing and discing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LETMGROW Posted December 24, 2012 Report Share Posted December 24, 2012 I would never use turnip as a cover crop. The bulbs will take up too much room and the leaves grow so big the clover would get shaded out. We plant our clovers, all perenial, in the spring. Barring a drought like we had last year we get good growth throughout the summer into the fall. I shy away from cover crops although others prefer to plant them. I would rather concentrate on the clover and ammend the soil for their production rather than other crops mixed in. Turnips like alot of nitrogen to get established. Problem here is so does grasses and weeds. Clover will produce it's own nitrogen after it gets established. Sometimes too much. Each year I plant about three acres of brassica, turnip plots. I keep them seperate from everything else. I only use the same plot for two years then rotate them away and plant something else where the brassicas were. The clovers I plant will grow for five years before I have to till and reseed. The initial seed cost is a little more but I feel the quality and longevity far exceeds a cheap price. Lynn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravin R10 man Posted February 18, 2013 Report Share Posted February 18, 2013 Yup, I keep my turnips away from clover too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burkef1 Posted February 23, 2013 Report Share Posted February 23, 2013 Put in some chicory and sugar beets even if is just a couple. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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