Hillbilly Posted August 8, 2005 Report Share Posted August 8, 2005 Has anyone here ever plant red clover for his/her deer herd? I have a few questions to ask about red glover? How long does it take to plant??? I heard from a friend of mine you can plant red clover on a ridge. Heard it grows pretty good. Does the Red Clover keep the deer herd around?? How much do they like it. Thanks for upcoming information CASEY Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuckNrut Posted August 8, 2005 Report Share Posted August 8, 2005 Re: REd Clover for Food Plot? Check out Whitetailinstitute.com for articles on red clover. It's OK, but not as good for deer compared to white (ladino clover) blends. Red clover is best suited for cattle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravin R10 man Posted August 8, 2005 Report Share Posted August 8, 2005 Re: REd Clover for Food Plot? YES it does... I know of one brand that does..too good!! Planted it for my neihbor, a dairy farmer, along with some trefoil...he had 60 to 70 deer in that 30 acre field every evening!! I can get price for you if you want, Id have to order it out as I do not stock alot of it..but have it in my blends Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogdoc Posted August 8, 2005 Report Share Posted August 8, 2005 Re: REd Clover for Food Plot? yep---my first clover planting was red clover. the deer loved it. a little more acidic tolerant than ladino---it is a biennial rather than a perennial like ladino. I didn't even do a soil test or lime--just planted and fertilized and had a nice plot--ended up getting over taken by weeds the following year but you can still go to the area and see an occasional red clover that has sprouted from reseeding. todd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superguide Posted August 8, 2005 Report Share Posted August 8, 2005 Re: REd Clover for Food Plot? Do you guys actually think one type of clover would make an iota of differance in antler growth-for one thing it is almost impossible to prove with something as subjective as antler growth. If both forages supply equal protein,tdn etc and are similar in palatability I'd bet the ranch there wouldn't be any differance in antler growth. Just because someone see's a big buck grazing on 'XYZ's plot doesn't mean that MNO's blend isn't any different. For a claim to have any validity you'd have to do several replicate trials under 'controlled' enviroments where you could actually monitor and control what each buck eats. As far as claims on free ranging deer it's pure hogwash IMHO-you get the same results buying your seed where regular farmers do and you'd save yourself a ton of money over these 'super blends'. Sorry about the rant but I see deer grazing everything and anything around here-where there is an abundance of forage. If anything minerals would probably play a bigger role in increased antler growth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaskMan Posted August 8, 2005 Report Share Posted August 8, 2005 Re: REd Clover for Food Plot? I have to agree with superguide on this one. Sure, certain forages provide more protein than others but I wonder how much of a difference a few % protein makes. I'd also bet the ranch that if I went and got a bucket of alfalfa seed from a farmers bin I'd have as much success with it as I would one of the high priced bags with the whitetail institute's name on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogdoc Posted August 9, 2005 Report Share Posted August 9, 2005 Re: REd Clover for Food Plot? [ QUOTE ] Do you guys actually think one type of clover would make an iota of differance in antler growth [/ QUOTE ] clovers being a legume are high in protein. more important in my opinion is the type of soil and prep work done prior to planting. I've got to face that in my area I don't have very good soil--so i know that my clover won't have as much protein as a person planting the same brand X clover as me in better soil. proper pH and fertilization makes a difference also. [ QUOTE ] If both forages supply equal protein,tdn etc and are similar in palatability I'd bet the ranch there wouldn't be any differance in antler growth. [/ QUOTE ] I agree--however the plant must be available to the deer. some varieties do tend to be more drought/heat tolerant than others. [ QUOTE ] I'd also bet the ranch that if I went and got a bucket of alfalfa seed from a farmers bin I'd have as much success with it as I would one of the high priced bags with the whitetail institute's name on it. [/ QUOTE ] Now that depends on what type of alfalfa is in the farmer's bin . There are several different types or varieties of alfalfa. As you probably know there are alfalfa varieties that are made for hay production and alfalfa varieties made for grazing/browsing production. A lot of alfalfa varieties made for hay production have a higher stem content then the ones made for browsing. The WI was developed for a high leaf production/lower stem production which means increase palatability and increase protein. However---there are also varieties like this (such as alfa-graze) available at the local co-op. I have mixed a lot of my blends myself that I purchased at the local co-op with great success. todd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maddhunter Posted August 9, 2005 Report Share Posted August 9, 2005 Re: REd Clover for Food Plot? I planted a blend of red, purple, and white clovers I got from my local COOP that has done very well and has drawn new deer to the area, especially mature bucks that I had never seen before. I gave about $6-$8 for enough to plant 1 1/2 acres. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravin R10 man Posted August 9, 2005 Report Share Posted August 9, 2005 Re: REd Clover for Food Plot? super guide..nobody said anything about antler growth here.. he simply asked if it would pull in and keep deer around, but if i may...yes if everything was (and it's not) equal in protein and all..no you would not have any diff in growth. However, i do agree with you that ninerals do and will give you a better "bang" for your buck if you can get the deer to eat them all winter and spring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bexar_county89 Posted August 9, 2005 Report Share Posted August 9, 2005 Re: REd Clover for Food Plot? wheat and oats, never even heard of red clover Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superguide Posted August 9, 2005 Report Share Posted August 9, 2005 Re: REd Clover for Food Plot? i was just trying to put across that you can save yourselves alot of money by making up your own mixes rather than buying the 'super deer' blends. I wonder if deer would eat on those molasses blocks for cattle. One tub would do you all season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hillbilly Posted August 9, 2005 Author Report Share Posted August 9, 2005 Re: REd Clover for Food Plot? Sorry If I got an argument going... my bad... But thanks for all the important answers. Great guys you are! CASEY Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superguide Posted August 9, 2005 Report Share Posted August 9, 2005 Re: REd Clover for Food Plot? Not arguing at all lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhunt Posted August 9, 2005 Report Share Posted August 9, 2005 Re: REd Clover for Food Plot? Have red clovers growing in some of our plots now. They grew pretty much just like the white clovers in the mixes they came with. The deer seem to eat them pretty well here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravin R10 man Posted August 9, 2005 Report Share Posted August 9, 2005 Re: REd Clover for Food Plot? I agree super..you can save money depending on what you mix up and if you know what your doing....some dont have a clue, and blends are the best to get something growing for them...just working the ground is a major task in some cases, and they need help doin that too, not to mention weed control and soil testing..to a first timer that is very daunting indeed..let alone figuring out just what to plant and how.. we are all here to help...no argument here..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superguide Posted August 9, 2005 Report Share Posted August 9, 2005 Re: REd Clover for Food Plot? Really hard to use them here as there is alot of farmed land where they feed-have good luck hunting the large tracts of bush between fields. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maddhunter Posted August 9, 2005 Report Share Posted August 9, 2005 Re: REd Clover for Food Plot? [ QUOTE ] I wonder if deer would eat on those molasses blocks for cattle. One tub would do you all season. [/ QUOTE ] I used them and they last me 2 seasons. They eat them like crazy. 20% protien. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.