The Value of Exclusion Cages

[Semisane]

Pictures of my 1/2 acre plot in S.E. Louisiana, taken January 12, 2020. The plot was planted in early October with a mix of wheat, oats, turnips, radish, chicory and white clover using the Throw & Mow method.

 

[Belchertown Bowman]

Interesting

 

[roymunson]

I put a cage up in my WINA Oats plus this year. I didn't think the oats had come up very well... I was very wrong. Deer just pounded it.

 

[j-bird]

Very cheap way to give a plotter some interesting feedback without having to use a cam. You can see in his first pic...you can see the exclusion cage is taller than the rest of the plot. He can make that observation with bino's or even his rifle scope from a distance AND not disturb the plot in the process....and not many folks are going to steal your wire cage.

 

[Bill]

They do tell a story. I’ve never used them at my place but an absentee landowner once paid me to plant and spray a 2 acre bean plot in the timber. I told him the deer would decimate it. I put up a cage there and the beans inside were 3 foot tall. Outside 2 inches....

 

[willy]

That's a great visual. I need to do that. I wonder about clover/chicory plot usage many times and wish I had put out a cage. I just put that on my list of things to do for this spring.

 

[rocksnstumps]

They do tell a story. I’ve never used them at my place but an absentee landowner once paid me to plant and spray a 2 acre bean plot in the timber. I told him the deer would decimate it. I put up a cage there and the beans inside were 3 foot tall. Outside 2 inches....

Did they look kinda like this?

 

[Bill]

Exactly!

 

[WeedyJ]

Ok, I'll do that next year. I've just been lazy!

 

[ChadHable]

Not the greatest picture, but I had similar results. I put out 3 exclusion cages around our plot and each cage had similar results. The cages helped temper my emotions by proving the soil isn't complete garbage and is truly capable of growing something other than quack grass and clover.

Due to the way the beans grew inside the cages, we have more confidence in our soil and are now making significant changes to our plots this upcoming year.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

I'm going to put some cages out this year. What a difference!! Thanks for posting Semisane.

 

[Belchertown Bowman]

Just plant a fruit tree that you will have to cage anyways in your food plot,..

Then you get a "twofer"


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[Bowsnbucks]

Be careful with fruit trees in your food plots if you till the soil !!! Tiny fruit tree feeder roots go out about 12 to 15 ft. We made that mistake some years back and killed a bunch of our 12 ft. tall apple trees by disking too close between rows of apple trees. Don't want to see anyone feeling sorry.

 

[Belchertown Bowman]

Thanks for the tip