Milo/Sorghum for deer?

[j-bird]

I was reading on another site some folks having success with sorghum for deer instead of corn. Now I plant corn without any issue - but I'm cheap! It's a fact. So obviously this has sparked some interest on my part. I have read about sorghum in the past and from what I recall it is more of a early season food source and once the seeds harden is more of an interest to the birds.

Now I avoid hunting the early season (I won't go into why). I don't start hunting really until Halloween and then into about mid december and that's it.

I really like corn simply because it provides food and cover and it is a great cold weather draw for me in my area. From what I know of sorghum I fail to see how it could compete with corn for my intended use.

I have planted corn for years so I don't need an argument for or against corn - I'm pretty familiar with it.

Anyone out there have experience with sorghum? Will you share what you know?

 

[bwoods11]

I really like sorghum. It works well on one of my farms that is open and has few mature trees. In some ways it acts as cover and food. The deer and pheasant seem to be in and out of it a lot. Bucks have bed down in it.

I might put in 3 acres next year.

 

[j-bird]

I really like sorghum. It works well on one of my farms that is open and has few mature trees. In some ways it acts as cover and food. The deer and pheasant seem to be in and out of it a lot. Bucks have bed down in it.

I might put in 3 acres next year.

When do you see the deer feeding on it? That is my biggest concern.

Standing corn is a virtual deer magnet in my area in November and into the winter as long as it lasts. Switching from corn to sorghum would potentially really shift how the deer would use my place during my peak hunting time if the deer are only interested in it in the early season (when I don't hunt much).

 

[bwoods11]

I don't know if they feed on it much, but they tend to be around it and bed in it. I would not say it will substitute for corn--no!!

I would try it, maybe 1.5 acres in one location and then put cameras on both sides and see what happens? It can really vary by state on how attractive it is.

 

[j-bird]

My plots are small - real small (my biggest one is 3/4 acre). As such I have to maximize what I have and corn and soybeans get my the standing grain and I can over seed them as well. I may try a small area and see what happens. Hopefully I can get some other opinions as well.

 

[Ben.MN/WI]

I planed a strip of a Pheasants Forever seed blend that contained milo and sorghum in SE MN. The deer would occasionally browse on it when they walked through it to get to the other food plot offerings, but they didn't seem to care for it too much. Turkeys and songbirds went crazy for the stuff though. I have a little of that seed blend left and I'll probably plant it for a great fall turkey hunting spot, but I wouldn't plant it specifically for deer food. I agree with bwoods though that it does create quite a bit of cover.

 

[bwoods11]

I planed a strip of a Pheasants Forever seed blend that contained milo and sorghum in SE MN. The deer would occasionally browse on it when they walked through it to get to the other food plot offerings, but they didn't seem to care for it too much. Turkeys and songbirds went crazy for the stuff though. I have a little of that seed blend left and I'll probably plant it for a great fall turkey hunting spot, but I wouldn't plant it specifically for deer food. I agree with bwoods though that it does create quite a bit of cover.

Turkeys love it, and it is the best for pheasants!

 

[j-bird]

What are these turkeys and pheasants you speak of? In all honesty I have only seen 2 wild pheasants in my life and they may have been escaped captive birds. Turkeys - I have enough to see them once in a great while or hear one once in a while, but I just don't have enough to make hunting them worth while. My area simply lacks the cover they prefer. Quail are pretty few and far between as well. I hope as my NWSG expands the quail at least become more frequent - I don't hunt them, but they are fun with the dogs or to hear them whistle. Clean farming practices in my area and row crop farming every inch of soil possible in my area just has not been kind to the less adaptable critters of the wild in my area.

 

[Greta&Gus]

I planted this grain milo 3 years ago and the plot looked great. It was about 3 feet tall and they all produced heads with seeds and I was super excited. Come the spring it hadn't been touched and I disked it under. I don't know if they ate a single head.

The year before I planted sorghum (I don't remember specifics about it other than it was 6 ft tall) along with sunflowers. They hammered both. I would suggest looking at the specific sorghum you are looking for or maybe plant sunflowers instead.

 

[Jordan Selsor]

My deer ate the heck out of milo in late oct/nov. I think corn is king though. Im gonna mix it this year

 

[SD51555]

I'm going to give it a shot on our place this year. It's either going to get seeded in with the soybeans, or over the pumpkins later in summer. Don't hold me to anything yet, the plan is still in the works. Here's the kind I'm going to try to get my hands on: http://www.seedland.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=Seedland&Category_Code=WGF-SORG

 

[sandbur]

My deer ate the heck out of milo in late oct/nov. I think corn is king though. Im gonna mix it this year

I'm not a farmer, but like Steve O said on another thread about beans, I would plant the corn alone. We run into a moisture problem nearly every year and the sorghum will probably hurt corn yield.

Plant the corn and maybe try the sorghum around the corn plot for cover/screening.

 

[sandbur]

I'm going to give it a shot on our place this year. It's either going to get seeded in with the soybeans, or over the pumpkins later in summer. Don't hold me to anything yet, the plan is still in the works. Here's the kind I'm going to try to get my hands on: http://www.seedland.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=Seedland&Category_Code=WGF-SORG

Are you talking about the north property or the southern Mn. property?

 

[SD51555]

Are you talking about the north property or the southern Mn. property?

North

 

[Ben.MN/WI]

I planted this grain milo 3 years ago and the plot looked great. It was about 3 feet tall and they all produced heads with seeds and I was super excited. Come the spring it hadn't been touched and I disked it under. I don't know if they ate a single head.

The year before I planted sorghum (I don't remember specifics about it other than it was 6 ft tall) along with sunflowers. They hammered both. I would suggest looking at the specific sorghum you are looking for or maybe plant sunflowers instead.

View attachment 4241 View attachment 4242

I agree with you on the sunflowers. Late last June I threw a bunch of random seeds in the ground to act as a cover crop on a little field I have by the highway. I was intentionally planting that plot primarily for turkeys since I didn't want deer feeding close to the road. I had some sunflower seed lying around that was for my bird feeder and I decided to add some of that seed into my mix. It turns out that deer go crazy over the sunflower leaves despite the fact that I planted it right next to the road, but the plants weren't mature enough at first frost to produce any seed. I'm going to try planting another sunflower strip this spring in a different area to see what happens. I doubt it will be better than corn, but trying something different is worth a shot.

 

[Catscratch]

I tried sunflowers 5 years ago, very proud as they shot to thigh high then in 2 nights they were mowed to the dirt. Experiment over.

Happens like that everytime we try sunflowers.
Milo is similar for us. They hit the seed while it's still soft and wipe it out in a week or so. It does leave good standing cover that can be broadcast with wheat in the fall though.

 

[scott44]

I tried some Milo for the first time this year, I usually add a little to my E-wheat for different hieights of my screening and had some left over. I just sprayed and broadcast into the grasses, throw and grow method, no tilling or anything. I just wanted to see how this would work and maybe have some food that would be above the snow. I never put a camera on this but I don't think it was deer that got to it but turkeys, it didn't even make it to the snows. I would say if you are looking for late season food sorghum/milo isn't the way to go just my 2 cents.

This is how mine came up, no after pics but it there wasn't mich left.

 

[Freeborn]

I planted an acre of Sorghum a few years ago and it came in great but the deer did not touch it. The following spring those copper heads were still available and the deer were not interested. I'm in an Ag area and the deer focus on corn and soybeans in the fall.

If I was up north in the big woods with little Ag I would give it a try and see how it works.

 

[j-bird]

Thanks guys. I think I'm sticking with corn, but I may dabble with it just for the hell of it.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

I think I'm gonna try a strip of it as a plot screen / security cover for the deer this year. If no deer hit it, at least it'll provide a little cover so deer don't feel so exposed. Turkeys, grouse and birds will eat the seed heads.