# Food plots.



## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Believe it is time I start putting in my fall/winter food plots. I like to get them in by mid September and normally use plain winter rye. I have had the deer paw thru 2 feet of snow to get to it in the winter. Looks like a bunch of pigs have discovered the field & plots.

For some reason I am having trouble locating seed this year so am going to rely on some food plot seed TSC has on the shelf.

*Specification* *Description*
Type: Food Plot
Part Number: 71007
Product Height: 13 in.
Product Type: Food Plots
CountryofOrigin: Made in USA
Material: Forage Oats, Winter Peas, Triticale and Red Clover
Special Feature(s): Cool Season food plot.
Brand: Evolved Harvest
Maximum Weight Capacity: None
Product Weight: 10.2 lb.
Product Length: 6.5 in.
Product Width: 9.3 in.
Manufacturer Part Number 71007

The red clover should work year round if the deer don't do the roots and all.
Has a 5 star review also.

 Al


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## Chuck R. (Apr 24, 2008)

I've used that for a couple seasons and it comes in pretty good. I normally try to get it planted labor day weekend. I think this year I'm reducing my plot size and converting 1/2 to just red clover. With maintenance it might last a couple years, rather than replanting every year. 2 years ago I also planted a couple pear trees that are bearing fruit this year. I think I'm going to add a couple apple trees to the mix.


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## GTX63 (Dec 13, 2016)

Spent some time this summer cutting trails into about 15 acres. I thought about setting up a nice plot but I'm just short on time and now we just got a warning from the county that the wild hogs are enroute!
Looks like pork and venison this fall...


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## Fishindude (May 19, 2015)

I've been doing food plots for a long time. Planted six plots of turnips right around the first of August and they are coming in nicely. Have several acres in clover and several in alfalfa that I keep maintained also.


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Going to start with the new fence line where I had to tear out so much Autum olive.


 Al


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Wasn't able to get the above posted mix to plant in time I felt I should get some thing in. 

I got some thro and grow no till mix.









Even though it said thro and grow no till I had tore the area up really goot about 4 inches deep. Hopeing to get the seed down by Tuesday afternoon as rain is in the forecast for Wednesday and it is also supposed to get mid summer hot and humid again.

 Al


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## Alice In TX/MO (May 10, 2002)

Still too hot and early here in central Texas. We have had no rain for weeks, and only a slight probability in the forecast. 

I have used the Throw and Grow successfully in the past.


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## Chuck R. (Apr 24, 2008)

alleyyooper said:


> Wasn't able to get the above posted mix to plant in time I felt I should get some thing in.
> 
> I got some thro and grow no till mix.
> 
> ...


Please keep us posted. 

I got my plots in, but it was a real PITA due to the mowing debris. because of all the rain this summer I was off on my mowing and the food plots were overgrown. Finally knocked them down, but there was to much debris and my little plot disc just couldn't get through it well. Must have spent 3hrs back and forth discing to get a half way decent seed beds. 

Something like throw and grow would have come in handy this year.


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Personally I am afraid of round up use my self, Others can do as they wish.
I have seen my brother, an uncle, father in law and a couple cusions deal with cancer so I do not want to chance it. 
Was even on the news last week a couple Eroupen countries have totaly baned its use from 2020.

Ok off the soap box, I set the teeth almost as deep as they can be set on the box blade and use that to tear the grass out. The rorn out grass tended to clog up the teeth so it could be drug off to the side of the plot. and the teeth ripped the soil uop pretty good.


 Al


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## Cabin Fever (May 10, 2002)

Our "food plots" are the bluegrass and clover growing in our front and back yards. I am surprised at the number of does and fawns that eat the lawn during deer season. These deer act as my "live decoys." With all those deer in the yard, eventually a buck will sneak in to get some romance.


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

They use our front yard also and I even got a nice buck that was in the front yard.









But I am seeing if I can pull more in and if I can get the seeds I sew to grow. 
Doing the trail thru the woods and along the creek I decided I would probably have to use the leaf blower once the leaves fall.

 Al


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## Cabin Fever (May 10, 2002)

We have a porch on both the front and back of our house. The porches are my "deer stands."


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## Fishindude (May 19, 2015)

I'm not a fan of the canned food plot mix seed with a picture of a buck on the bag. Read the seed label and you will see there is a bunch of "inert matter" making up the mix. This is basically sawdust or sand or something to help fill the bag. Much better to buy pure seed. 

Out of that mix I see you are using, the brassicas (turnips & radishes) are the best fall / winter attractants. I think you are going to be a bit late in Michigan to get them going good, but you never know? I typically plant no later than early August in Indiana. Next time, I'd just suggest just buying some purple top turnip seed.


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

The above buck was shot off my front porch, he was 63 yards out. My back porch is screened so I would shot thru the screen.

As for what I go I really wanted some Winter rye but could not find any in this area plus felt the rye really was a bit on the lat side.

I am not planting the food plots to hunt over. It is to try to draw the deer from the corn fields. 

 Al


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## GTX63 (Dec 13, 2016)

I may have mentioned in another thread that my neighbor brought over an 8' trailer full of apples. We hauled them down into a low area around a dry creek and dumped them. I didn't have time this year to do anything else so I was happy. I strapped my game cam to a nearby tree with newly installed batteries and sd card aimed right at the area.
Came out yesterday and the apples are gone and there is a depression in the ground around it. Pulled the card and went back up to the house to check the photos....nothing. SMH....I forgot to turn the camera on.


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

LOL I thought I had done that just a month or so ago. but I put the card in my camera and it said i had photoes. I went to the desk top and they down loaded them when the lap top said no pictures to down load.

 Al


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Have all my seed spread that I am going to do this year this late. Tried a couple things to bury the sead since I do not have a clapacker (YET). A 8 foot 2x6 didn't work as i looked and seemed about as much showing as where I had not did yet.

A 12x24 tractor tire laying in my scrap pile did the job. Couple places it I felt covered to much.


 Al


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## GTX63 (Dec 13, 2016)

Well, now that I have remembered how to activate my game camera, I seem to have two 8 point bucks loitering around that apple pile the past few nights, and a possum. I suspect I had a much larger crowd while the camera was down but now I think these guys are just waiting for the next delivery of apples.


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Had driving down pours of rain this afternoo and it isn't finioshed yet by weather radar.

 Al


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## Chuck R. (Apr 24, 2008)

alleyyooper said:


> Have all my seed spread that I am going to do this year this late. Tried a couple things to bury the sead since I do not have a clapacker (YET). A 8 foot 2x6 didn't work as i looked and seemed about as much showing as where I had not did yet.
> 
> A 12x24 tractor tire laying in my scrap pile did the job. Couple places it I felt covered to much.
> 
> ...


Normally I use a harrow drag to insure good contact after I plant. This year I was short on daylight, with incoming rain. So I spread the seed and just went over it all again 1 pass with the disc. Checked it out tonight and it's coming up great! This is what I planted:










Not my normal mix, but it's working so far.


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Mine doesn't seem to be coming up yet. But since I planted it we have had rain every day except one. since we have had so much rain I wish I had just not covered it at all. the rain would have drove it into the soil.

Is my first attempt at doing food plots so if I failed I know some things I will do different in the future.


 Al


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

After 2 days of bright sun shine and temps in the mid 70F range my seed has germinated and is coming up.

 Al


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Finally got more rain on the food plots. Every thing seems to be doing well but this rain should help a lot. 

Am consirned where the plots will get lots of leaves on them, the logging firewood trails thru the woods. Probably take the leaf blower back once most of the leaves are down and clear them off. About 150 yards total.

 Al


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Foot plot thro and grow is doing real well in the areas I planted it where it gets lots of sun. 
The trail thru the woods isn't doing well at all and am dissappointed in it.

Will do more research for shady area seeds next year.

 Al


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## Fishindude (May 19, 2015)

Not much of anything grows very well in full shade.
Hinge cutting some undesirable trees is an effective way to let in some light, and get more browse down at ground level. Only tool needed is a chain saw.


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## Wyobuckaroo (Dec 30, 2011)

In our old, somewhat neglected upper pasture I disk different portions and sow perennial rye grass to rejuvenate the feed quality of the grasses. A small section I disk and throw in Walmart bird seed, a little rye, or some hen scratch grain. 

It looks kind of funny with what comes up there, but soon as a sprout of something comes up, some kind of wildlife will be picking around the area.


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Well I went and worked areas to plant food plot seeds last year. Was a bit late for planting in this area as frost was soon to come. I used the tines on my box blade to work up the soil in a couple different areas one about 200'x 75' feet wide, a logging road thru my woods and a small guessing 75' x 50'.

I spread the seeds with a small scotts hand seeder I use around the place to fertlize the flower beds and spread mole be gone.
Draged a old tractor tire once the seed was down, need a roller to do a better job.

The logging road seed had just got started when the leaves started falling and seemed smother the start, then went no where.
I think that would have been better if it had a earlier start.

The big plot did well as it had been a farm field and the Previous owner had me plow them a garden there in all day full sun.
but still it seemed as if the part I had plowed grew better than the other half.

The spot that did the best was the 75'x50' area, man that grew well and was solid sod when I went in there with the box blade and tore it up to plant.

So July 2020 I start walking thru the planted areas of last year. Decide I will run the brush hog over the over growing areas and see what I have left.

Two areas of last year is really thick with clover. I decided to just go with the clover growing there so thick and lush.

The other areas other than the logging roads I ran the tiller thru plus a new area on the south side of the pond, very dry when I brush hogged it. During the tilling was very wet and stopped me from doing the whole brush hogged area.

With afternoon rain in the forcast yesterday afternoon I spread the seed with the idea the rain would make better ground contact.
No rain so today will use the old tractor tire to cover the seeds.

Al


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

I can't wait to hear what visits your food plots. Are you going to set up a camera near any of them?


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

I may set up a game camera and keep moving it around. I suppect I'll see deer and turkeys in the plots. 
Today I am going to try to walk the logging road and see if there area any areas that I think will befit from planting rhe same stuff as last year but earlier. Although not feeling well I still take my walks with the dogs, they enjoy it and I enjoy them and their antics. Stormy discovered the deep holes in the pond on Monday Morning. She once again visited it Tuesday morning to get wet and be able to handle the days heat some better. They do spend a lot of time in their shady wind deflectors enjoyng the breeze that blows thru.

Al


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## Chuck R. (Apr 24, 2008)

I mowed and sprayed mine last week, this weekend I'll disk and seed. Forecast calls for some rain Mon/Tues so that will help. Next week I'll fill the feeder and get that going.


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