what would you do?

[Guest ExtremeSoloDubV]

Here is the situation....

you have 2 available areas designated to be winter food plots. Area #1 is, lets say, 3 acres while Area #2 is closer to 1 acre.

seed combinations....

1. hunter brassicas+winfred brassica+rape

2. rival turnip+purple top turnip

Which seed combo would you plant in Area #1 and which seed combo would you plant in Area #2 to attract and hold the most deer in the late fall/winter months?

[dogdoc]

neither one. While I love brassicas I wouldn't put all my eggs in one basket. You could probably get away with a pure brassica plot on the 3 acres but with only 1 acre a pure brassica plot would get eaten down pretty quick.

[wtnhunt]

Neither one here too. I will not be planting brassicas here anymore, the deer just do not seem to prefer them. I would go with something with winter wheat and winter rye. If it is a spot that a perennial is an option would consider a mix of clovers and trefoil.

[Tominator]

I'm with both of these guys. Over the years of putzing around with small food plots, Buck Forage Oats, corn, beans and chicory have been the best for me. Deer in my area have never eaten any brassicas that I'm aware of. They'll eat weeds before brassicas.

[dogdoc]

my problem isn't that they don't eat the brassicas it's just that when the brassicas turn sweet the deer eat them so fast there is only a short window of opportunity to hunt them. They are a great winter food supplying both high protein and carbohydrates. It wasn't until my 3rd year of planting them that the deer finally "learned" to eat them but when they did they were gone in a hurry. Your acre plot could be eaten in less than a week depending on your deer numbers. My brassicas are always planted in a mix of wheat, oats, rye, and winter peas.

[MUDRUNNER]

I've not had that great of luck with brassicas myself,but I still plan on planting a little of it just in case the deer change their mind and start wanting some.I would mix all the seeds together and add 50% of that mix to oats,wheat,or winter peas.This fall I plan on mixing my brassicas with oats and winter peas.

[wtnhunt]

Will elaborate a little on my experience here with brassicas. Have tried a few blends, and the deer ate some of the greens here after the first good hard frost in both of the last two seasons, but that seemed to be the extent of use of those plots.

Last summer here the wildlife officials said due to the severe drought we had, that food sources would be hammered and deer that were not expected to be in an area would show up in food plots. Sounded great, but just did not happen the way they said, at least we did not see it.

Watched deer walk through the brassicas here to go to eat grass in a field on several occasions, just plain mixed grass. The mix we planted had sugar beets, wildlife rape, winfred forage brassicas, and purple top turnips, also mixed in winter wheat and the plot was very lush looked great. The turnips were not ever dug up like what I have read and heard of elsewhere, we had tons of turnips the size of softballs here that were still in the ground this spring when it came to start mowing.

Some areas the brassicas mixes will obviously do better, but if there are other food sources around that are available, do not be surprised to see the deer pass up the brassicas.

[toddyboman]

I have had a one acre plot of turnips cleared. Deer like them in my area. However I agree I would plant a mixture of food for them.

Do you like eating the same thing and the same place EVERY day and night......Neither do deer so give the a variety to continue to come back.

[Guest tdm69]

With that many acres you need to try different things the first year and see what the deer in your area prefer. Brasiscass may work but I believe you need to plant a spring/summer crop of them and till them under in the fall and plant again. This will get the deer in your area on to them. Try several things since you have the land to do it.

[Born2Hunt]

Try Whitetail Institute pure attraction. It is a oat, winter pea and brassica combo. I could not keep the deer out of it. I had to put plot saver tape around a half acre just so I had a food plot left to hunt.

[backwoods07]

Just to reinforce the brassica trend, deer in our area literally walked around them to eat the grass. We had softball size turnips still in the ground the next spring. Pretty much everyone I talked to said go with something like clover/trefoil/or different types of grass. It's tough to see all your hard work not paying off!

[FSU_Seminole]

Neither one here too. I will not be planting brassicas here anymore, the deer just do not seem to prefer them. I would go with something with winter wheat and winter rye. If it is a spot that a perennial is an option would consider a mix of clovers and trefoil.

WT, what brassica seeds have you tried? I was going to give up on brassica myself until I started using shot plot brassica.

[wtnhunt]

WT, what brassica seeds have you tried? I was going to give up on brassica myself until I started using shot plot brassica.

The mix we planted the last two years had sugar beets, wildlife rape, winfred forage brassicas, and purple top turnips. Have tried biologics stuff before too with the same results.