What to plant in my little spot??


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Ok here's the deal.. I have chosen a little spot in a 20 acre field to call my own stand site. We have planted two food plots in this 20 acre field. Neither plot is larger than maybe 30 yds by 20 yds.

We have planted both plots for the last 3 years with mixed results. Never did a soil test either.

We have planted clover and brassicas with the deer not touching either. It just seems like the deer don't care for the plots.

There really isn't anything nutritious in the area for them to eat. There's plenty of forage available during the summer but once the leaves drop they go right to the mountain laurel in the swamps after eating all the apples off the apple trees. I want to plant a food source that the deer will eat year round. Is there such a plant available?

There are scattered apple trees throughout the property. We prune the trees and fertilize them every year with some trees growing huge red apples.

After reading the post about turnips in the deer hunting room a few minutes ago, I got to thinking about what I should plant next year.

If a year round food source is not possible, what can I plant that will be desirable during Mid October to Mid November? Our bow season comes in during mid October and that's when I will be hunting this spot.

I feel like I skipped around quite a bit in this post, and if I did, I'm sorry but just ask me some questions if you have ideas and I'll answer them.. Any help is appreciated.. Thanks..

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Re: What to plant in my little spot??

I don't know of any single plant that's available and nutritious year round. Why not try mixing several things together and see which the deer will eat. Or you could plant milo in the Spring then overseed it with wheat in the Fall for hunting. I've never ever seen a deer that wouldn't eat milo and wheat. The problem with that idea though, may be the size of the plot. It's likely that the deer will graze the wheat into the ground the first chance they get.

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Re: What to plant in my little spot??

very hard to get what you want out of such a small spot. However my favorite mix to hunt in the fall is a mixture of wheat, oats, rye, winter peas, and brassicas. Fertilize with triple 13 at time of planting (late summer) then fertilize again about a week or two before bow season with 34-0-0. The high nitrogen gets the plants nice a green and tasting good.

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Re: What to plant in my little spot??

Would follow Todds advice here. As for the turnips, the deer here were eating the greens some back in late October, but have yet to dig them up here. Have not noticed anymore activity in my winter mix since October.

I did pull some up myself just this morning and relocated them in front of the camera. Maybe they will figure out what they are and they will start eating them here.

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