Food Plot Discussion

[bearpaw]

I would suggest planting oat seed and clover. Oats are the easiest crop to grow and will probably grow even if your clover don't. Best option is to plant a mix of both white and red clover if you're not sure what will work. White clovers live longer but need more moisture. Red clovers are shorter lived but don't need as much moisture.  I suggest 2 pounds of each clover (4 pounds clover) planted over 50 pounds of oat seed for 1/3 to 1/2 acre of ground. Oat seed is only about $20 for 50 pounds, clover will run $3 to $10 per pound, so you can do 1/3 to 1/2 acre planting for well under $100. The oats will grow one year, the next year your clover comes back in. Every other year you can add a little red clover seed if desired or just let the white clover take over, the white clover should last 4 or more years, the clovers both may reseed them self if not over grazed by wildlife.

Plant as soon as the snow melts, first work the soil with an atv dragging a piece of harrow or atv disc, spread oat seed with a handheld seed spreader, drag the harrow again to work in oat seed 1/4 to 1/2 inch deep, next spread the clover seed and drag with something flat like a 4 foot piece of plywood or use a yard roller if you have one. If you can't get an atv with a piece of harrow to the food plot you could use a stiff garden rake or garden weasel to work the soil and to work in the oat seed to insure seed germination. After you work in the oat seed then sprinkle clover seed and rake lightly over the clover seed or drag a small piece of plywood over it to cause the seed to have good soil contact, don't work your clover seed deeper than 1/8th inch or it may not grow. Your area is small so it won't cost much to buy a few pounds of seed and try again. If your plot grows it will likely get wiped out by wildlife if it isn't big enough, you may need to clear additional area next year. Good Luck!

[jasnt]

Good info bear paw. I will add for those that can irrigate the plot, it greatly improves your plot health and opens up many more options.
I my self have irrigation and a "watering hole"   I also chose to go with whitetail clover from whitetail instatute.  Higher protein than red or white clover more heat tolerant and a little more drought tolerant.

If irrigation is not an option I've had great luck with whitetail instatutes "Extreme"  it is a blend of plants that all seem to have a different peek attraction time allow for some to get grazed while others grow. In the fall they dug up all the tall time tubars   Then some of it came back the next year. 

I know that seems like a commercial for whitetail instatute but after doing this for years and trying many other brands I will only use these products.

[Rainier10]

I would suggest planting oat seed and clover. Oats are the easiest crop to grow and will probably grow even if your clover don't. Best option is to plant a mix of both white and red clover if you're not sure what will work. White clovers live longer but need more moisture. Red clovers are shorter lived but don't need as much moisture.  I suggest 2 pounds of each clover (4 pounds clover) planted over 50 pounds of oat seed for 1/3 to 1/2 acre of ground. Oat seed is only about $20 for 50 pounds, clover will run $3 to $10 per pound, so you can do 1/3 to 1/2 acre planting for well under $100. The oats will grow one year, the next year your clover comes back in. Every other year you can add a little red clover seed if desired or just let the white clover take over, the white clover should last 4 or more years, the clovers both may reseed them self if not over grazed by wildlife.

Plant as soon as the snow melts, first work the soil with an atv dragging a piece of harrow or atv disc, spread oat seed with a handheld seed spreader, drag the harrow again to work in oat seed 1/4 to 1/2 inch deep, next spread the clover seed and drag with something flat like a 4 foot piece of plywood or use a yard roller if you have one. If you can't get an atv with a piece of harrow to the food plot you could use a stiff garden rake or garden weasel to work the soil and to work in the oat seed to insure seed germination. After you work in the oat seed then sprinkle clover seed and rake lightly over the clover seed or drag a small piece of plywood over it to cause the seed to have good soil contact, don't work your clover seed deeper than 1/8th inch or it may not grow. Your area is small so it won't cost much to buy a few pounds of seed and try again. If your plot grows it will likely get wiped out by wildlife if it isn't big enough, you may need to clear additional area next year. Good Luck!

Where do you get oat seed?  I tried getting some for my place after the fire but could only get winter wheat.

[PolarBear]

Curious if anybody has went this route for blacktail?

Sent from my C811 4G using Tapatalk

In several of the past discussions and observations clover does help BT during the spring when fawns and antler growth make food important. It does not appear to help much in whacking mature bucks. It does help the herd but doesnt make them that much easier to hunt 2c

When I replanted my lower pasture I seeded with 3 types of clover as a food plot for deer and for a little treat for cows with new calves.  Some of it grew to about 2 1/2- 3 feet tall and the deer LOVED it!  The does would leave their fawns hidden in it while they grazed on oat grass and clover.  The fawns loved eating it as well even though the first few times it gave them the squirts.  Bucks would hit it at night but once the taller stuff was gone, so were they.  Clover won't do you much good during hunting season but it will make the deer healthier.

[KFhunter]

Oats and sweet beets or radish,  the oats will draw them in early and after frost or two the beets will sweeten up and they'll paw for them even in the snow.  You want beets that will grow above the surface and there's lot's of food plot derived beets for that.  The oats will keep the beet tops from being sunburned.

[Bean Counter]

*tag* 

[bearpaw]

Oats and sweet beets or radish,  the oats will draw them in early and after frost or two the beets will sweeten up and they'll paw for them even in the snow.  You want beets that will grow above the surface and there's lot's of food plot derived beets for that.  The oats will keep the beet tops from being sunburned.

Purple top turnips are good too and easy to grow.

[jrebel]

Time to bring this post back to life.  I am working some food plots into my land and trying different crops.  Currently I have a mixture of clover (red / white), alfalfa (drought resistent) and a mixed sead of peas, clover, radish, sweet grass, etc.  This plot is approx 1/4 acre and will be irrigated.  My next plot will be a sweet grass / raddish plot and after reading this likely oats.  By this time next year, I hope to have 1-2 acres planted.  I will keep you all posted. 

Anyone use daikon radish?  Do the deer like them? 

[idaho guy]

Tag going to try one for first time. I think I will at least do oats had some growing in the gravel by my barn just from spillage from the horse grain! I think even I can grow oats 

[jrebel]

Tag going to try one for first time. I think I will at least do oats had some growing in the gravel by my barn just from spillage from the horse grain! I think even I can grow oats 

What kind of oats are you guys growing? 

[idaho guy]

Tag going to try one for first time. I think I will at least do oats had some growing in the gravel by my barn just from spillage from the horse grain! I think even I can grow oats 

What kind of oats are you guys growing?

I’m not sure I can get some in bulk down by Worley Idaho i never asked what kind? Didn’t know there was different kinds 

[KFhunter]

There's lot's of different oats, I forget the type I'm using but I got it locally off craigslist a few years back. 

Think I paid about 200/ton seed oat, which is suppose to be cleaner and not full of weed seed.

[bearpaw]

Lot of oat varieties, most fit into two categories, grain oats or grazing oats. I've used both I can't tell much difference for wildlife? One of the nice things about oats after you plant them you can use 24d to knock out the broadleaf weeds to clean up your plot for future plantings of something else. I just plowed 7 acres of plots, nothing is growing yet and I have fresh elk and deer tracks! 

[T-ROY]

i will closing a small piece of land later this week in the deer park area i hope, with 1300 feet of power lines running threw it, and everything else is pretty heavily timbered. there is pretty good grass growing on the power lines already. i want to plant something but feel its to late this year for spring planting? I was going to mow it and triple 16 the heck out of it. from my experience, if you disturber the ground too much you end up with some horrible weed problems, thistles and dandelions seem like there are there just waiting for the chance to take over. can you plant oats in the fall? i have a 4 wheeler and a 6 foot chain harrow to work it with, is there any thing you can plant in the the early fall/late summer  that will come before hunting season with out water

[jasnt]

i will closing a small piece of land later this week in the deer park area i hope, with 1300 feet of power lines running threw it, and everything else is pretty heavily timbered. there is pretty good grass growing on the power lines already. i want to plant something but feel its to late this year for spring planting? I was going to mow it and triple 16 the heck out of it. from my experience, if you disturber the ground too much you end up with some horrible weed problems, thistles and dandelions seem like there are there just waiting for the chance to take over. can you plant oats in the fall? i have a 4 wheeler and a 6 foot chain harrow to work it with, is there any thing you can plant in the the early fall/late summer  that will come before hunting season with out water

my plot is in deer park area.  Been going 6 years now.  Your dealing with whitetail and they don’t like grass.  You want legumes and your not too late. We probably got one more frost coming this week if not one before July.  Get that area killed off and then get it cleared best you can.  Your probably low in nitrogen and a touch acidic but not bad. Maybe hit it with a touch of limestone and get it seeded with a good white tail mix, I like clover, and once it’s up a few inches hit it with a 30/15/15 or something close to that.  It may need a little water starting in July.