Chufa part 1 & commentary from renowned wild turkey expert yoderjack "the wise"

[Thetrooper]

Put in 2 acres of chufa May 2021. This crop is big down south for turkey management so I figured I'd give it a go in Ohio zone 6b.

I planted a 1/2 acre strip in 2016 but the turkeys demolished it before October. I planted more this year to give it a chance of survival until spring for turkey season.

For those who dont know chufa is a cultivated variety of nutsedge that you plant from a tuber about the size of a marbe or smaller. It is planted spring/early summer grows grass like tops similar to regular nutsedge, but underneath the ground the tubers multiply. In my case each plant produced roughly a large handful or 50-100 tubers. They taste pretty dang good and I see why the turkeys love them.

I didn't see much info on chufa here but thought this might be beneficial to any of you guys trying to hold gobblers. So here was the process

Field was rye planted in september 2020 this project started the May 2021


May 15 Bushhogged and sprayed the rye


May 22 disced plot. Broadcast chufa, then sprayed treflan pre emmergant @ 1 quart per acre. Chain harrowed it in and firmed up seed bed.





June 5 chufa emerging




June 27 good growth. Decided to spray 24db @ 1 quart per acre and clthodim @ 1 pint per acre to nip of the weeds the treflan didnt take care of

 

[SwampCat]

Looks great. On a side note, do not attempt this if you have feral hogs

 

[Thetrooper]

Looks great. On a side note, do not attempt this if you have feral hogs

No hogs around here. We had a small population in the more rugged hills to my east but USDA had a 6 man crew running traps, thermals the whole deal. They didnt get them all but hopefully dont have to worry about it. I hunt GA hogs on some of the WMA and they sure do tear stuff up

 

[bjseiler]

Most importantly.....did the turkeys find it and like it?

 

[Thetrooper]

Most importantly.....did the turkeys find it and like it?

Oh yeah they found it. Luckily I got a lot of other plots and corn so they dont get too carried away on it before spring

 

[yoderjac]

I would never plant chufa for turkey unless I was a waterfowl hunter and flooding some for ducks. Turkey eat about anything that won't eat them. I know NWTF pushes chufa, but it makes little sense to me to plant a single species crop. There are so many crops that benefit deer, turkey, and many other species, that chufa, short of dual turkey/waterfowl won't make my list.

For turkey management, the big focus is poults. That means having nesting habitat proximate to good brooding ground. 90%+ of a poult's diet consists of insects and tiny seeds. That means you need crops that green up quickly in the spring like WR and perennial clover to hold insects. You also need vertical/escape cover next to the insects to protect poults from their avian predators (now largely protected so control is not an option). If you want to hold turkey on your land during the summer, I've found nothing like buckwheat for that. In the fall, nothing seems to hold turkey more than acorns, so having a mix of trees that produce consistent crops of small acorns covers fall and winter.

We have done better managing for turkey on our place than deer, even though turkey is the secondary target species. Much has to do with the terrain and mixed cover we have, but our timber management practices for deer that include things like prescribed fire are a boon to turkey.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[Thetrooper]

I would never plant chufa for turkey unless I was a waterfowl hunter and flooding some for ducks. Turkey eat about anything that won't eat them. I know NWTF pushes chufa, but it makes little sense to me to plant a single species crop. There are so many crops that benefit deer, turkey, and many other species, that chufa, short of dual turkey/waterfowl won't make my list.

For turkey management, the big focus is poults. That means having nesting habitat proximate to good brooding ground. 90%+ of a poult's diet consists of insects and tiny seeds. That means you need crops that green up quickly in the spring like WR and perennial clover to hold insects. You also need vertical/escape cover next to the insects to protect poults from their avian predators (now largely protected so control is not an option). If you want to hold turkey on your land during the summer, I've found nothing like buckwheat for that. In the fall, nothing seems to hold turkey more than acorns, so having a mix of trees that produce consistent crops of small acorns covers fall and winter.

We have done better managing for turkey on our place than deer, even

This post was to show a basic planting process and herbicide regiment for planting chufa. The part 2 post includes photos of the results.

Turkeys will eat just about anything you are correct, but so will deer, to assume they dont have a preference doesn't make much sense. A pound of chufa has over 1600 calories and is extremely sought after and nutritious. In the fall I don't think any acorn could compete with chufa as they actually prefer chufa over shelled corn, and have a much higher nutritional content then either of those.

If you dont have the acerage to plant chufa dont do it. I wouldn't suggest that you buy a brand new car if your having trouble keeping up with the mortgage payments. During the same years time frame I had 4 acres of perineal clovers, 2 acres of brassica, another 2 acres of winter rye, an acre of milo, 8 acres of switchgrass among orchards tree plantings and ten years of overall very diverse habitat for dual specie use.

I also trap extensively in March before the breeding season and again in May while the Hens are nesting so all my bases are covered Jack. I read your comment on the only other chufa post in this forum and it sounds about the same tune. Have you ever planted chufa?

Like I said in the beginning of the post in 2016 I put in a half acre and it was destroyed before winter and in part 2 of this post described the "coincidental" doubling of my fall/winter observation flock size. Of course all your other food plots and habitat work will help the turkeys but I bet the bottom of your boots aren't covered in turkey sh** when you walk through your clover patch

Pete

 

[Thetrooper]

Almost forgot another reason and one of my main reasons to plant chufa. We have killed turkey that had shelled corn in its crop due to a neighbor illegally baiting in the spring. We are allowed to bait in Ohio for deer so I have seen the effects this fall that the birds prefer the chufa to shelled corn laying on the ground. Hopefully it holds up til spring if the chufa goes bad and rots from the freezing and thawing or the turkeys eat it all will probably not be doing it again

 

[Catscratch]

Will they dig chufa up or does it help to disc the plot after it's matured? Will chufa grow along the edge of a pond?

 

[Thetrooper]

Will they dig chufa up or does it help to disc the plot after it's matured? Will chufa grow along the edge of a pond?

You could definitely disc it up to make it easier for them to get but I am trying to make it last as long as possible hopefully until spring. I ran a small disc in one strip through my 2016 patch and they hammered it way too quick. I will probably run a disc through this one right before turkey season but they havent had a problem getting the nuts out they're only 1-3" deep

It will definitely grow in moist soil but your gonna need some volume to have an effect. Lots of guys grow it for duck inpoundments but I've only ever grown japanese Millet in my impoundment so I cant speak on its effectiveness for waterfowl but have heard great things.

 

[Catscratch]

You could definitely disc it up to make it easier for them to get but I am trying to make it last as long as possible hopefully until spring. I ran a small disc in one strip through my 2016 patch and they hammered it way too quick. I will probably run a disc through this one right before turkey season but they havent had a problem getting the nuts out they're only 1-3" deep

It will definitely grow in moist soil but your gonna need some volume to have an effect. Lots of guys grow it for duck inpoundments but I've only ever grown japanese Millet in my impoundment so I cant speak on its effectiveness for waterfowl but have heard great things.

I would like to grow something on the edge of the pond for ducks but the cattle have access so it would have to be non-attractive. I don't know if cattle would eat the vegative part of chufa or if they would figure out how to dig up nuts. I'm guessing they would, cattle ruin everything they get to.

 

[Thetrooper]

I would like to grow something on the edge of the pond for ducks but the cattle have access so it would have to be non-attractive. I don't know if cattle would eat the vegative part of chufa or if they would figure out how to dig up nuts. I'm guessing they would, cattle ruin everything they get to.

I dont know if the cattle would eat the vegetation but I doubt they would be eating the tubers. The cattle stomping around the wet soil would probably hurt the most
Of course coons and crows and all sorts of critters would eat it and at the edge of a pond you might be in the hot zone for coon activity by the water. You also have to use herbicides to get a good yield so idk if you could do that around the water, unless it's a pond you could drain then reflood for duck season.

 

[yoderjac]

This post was to show a basic planting process and herbicide regiment for planting chufa. The part 2 post includes photos of the results.

Turkeys will eat just about anything you are correct, but so will deer, to assume they dont have a preference doesn't make much sense. A pound of chufa has over 1600 calories and is extremely sought after and nutritious. In the fall I don't think any acorn could compete with chufa as they actually prefer chufa over shelled corn, and have a much higher nutritional content then either of those.

If you dont have the acerage to plant chufa dont do it. I wouldn't suggest that you buy a brand new car if your having trouble keeping up with the mortgage payments. During the same years time frame I had 4 acres of perineal clovers, 2 acres of brassica, another 2 acres of winter rye, an acre of milo, 8 acres of switchgrass among orchards tree plantings and ten years of overall very diverse habitat for dual specie use.

I also trap extensively in March before the breeding season and again in May while the Hens are nesting so all my bases are covered Jack. I read your comment on the only other chufa post in this forum and it sounds about the same tune. Have you ever planted chufa?

Like I said in the beginning of the post in 2016 I put in a half acre and it was destroyed before winter and in part 2 of this post described the "coincidental" doubling of my fall/winter observation flock size. Of course all your other food plots and habitat work will help the turkeys but I bet the bottom of your boots aren't covered in turkey sh** when you walk through your clover patch

Pete

Do deer eat chufa in your area? They don't touch it here. I did not say turkey don't have preferred foods. I'm just saying that from a wildlife management standpoint it makes more sense to me to plant crops that benefit multiple species versus single species crops. Maybe things are different at your place but here, only waterfowl and turkey use chufa.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not trying to criticize you for planting chufa. If it works for you, so be it. I'm also not suggesting that it is not a great turkey food. By the way, I think this is a great how-to thread for those who want to use it. Yes, when I was young I did plant chufa and turkey did use. There were times when they seemed to prefer it, but there were other times when they ignored it and preferred other stuff just as much. We all need to consider what crops and mix of crops will work best for our needs. While turkey prefer different foods at different times, food is rarely the limitation for turkey. Turkey populations are mostly driven by weather. Predation, nest first, then poult, then hen is probably the second driver. Providing an arrangement of habitat that has good nesting cover proximate to brooding ground will do more for turkey population than planting any single food source.

I'm just trying to provide a different perspective on management for folks to consider. There has been so much NWTF chufa hype over the years that folks sometimes see it as magic beans.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[Thetrooper]

Do deer eat chufa in your area? They don't touch it here. I did not say turkey don't have preferred foods. I'm just saying that from a wildlife management standpoint it makes more sense to me to plant crops that benefit multiple species versus single species crops. Maybe things are different at your place but here, only waterfowl and turkey use chufa.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not trying to criticize you for planting chufa. If it works for you, so be it. I'm also not suggesting that it is not a great turkey food. By the way, I think this is a great how-to thread for those who want to use it. Yes, when I was young I did plant chufa and turkey did use. There were times when they seemed to prefer it, but there were other times when they ignored it and preferred other stuff just as much. We all need to consider what crops and mix of crops will work best for our needs. While turkey prefer different foods at different times, food is rarely the limitation for turkey. Turkey populations are mostly driven by weather. Predation, nest first, then poult, then hen is probably the second driver. Providing an arrangement of habitat that has good nesting cover proximate to brooding ground will do more for turkey population than planting any single food source.

I'm just trying to provide a different perspective on management for folks to consider. There has been so much NWTF chufa hype over the years that folks sometimes see it as magic beans.

Thanks,

Jack

I never said it attracted deer. It's not planted to attract deer. Dove fields aren't planted for deer either but I plant those too. The deer on my property get 90+% of the attention chufa is an additional diversity and top notch food to what is already out there.

If you cloned my property, with all the habitat amendments and predator management in place,, everything the same but one of the clones had chufa it would hold more turkeys 100% of the time I dont think that's even debatable.

Chufa is hyped up by NWTF for a reason oz for oz it has more high quality calories than a ribeye steak. There are no magic beans out there but chufa is a valuable tool for anyone turkey minded

 

[yoderjac]

You are right, Dove fields are not planted for deer. However, I can't think of anything we plant for doves that does not benefit deer and other wildlife as well.

Perhaps we use the word "management" differently. To me, managing for wildlife is figuring out what is missing for wildlife to flourish and providing it. You clearly need to choose a target species as primary and one or two others as secondary, but that does not mean you completely ignore the rest. It means when you can't find a practices that benefits all wildlife (and you rarely can) you will favor the target species in priority order.

So, if we use deer for an example, there can be lots of issues. In some areas populations are so high that they have a negative impact on the environment which in turn limits the quality of the herd. In other places quality food may be the limitation during some portions of the year that limit the health of the herd. In some places cover may be a limiting factor. Years of regulations aimed at increasing numbers by restricting harvest to antlered deer have upset the age and sex structure in some places. Often many young age class bucks are taken so things like trigger restraint can relieve a limitation.

It is true that Chufa is a high quality turkey food, but from a management standpoint, I ask where and when is quality food a limiting factor for turkey populations? That may be a factor in the winter in the far northern part of the range of turkey, but ice and snow would limit turkey access to chufa just as it would to other low growing foods that they have to scratch for. Perhaps in the north plants that produce food above typical snow depth would be a better choice. In most cases, quality food is not a limitation for turkey population or health. That is why I suggest it is overhyped by NWTF.

Chufa is a tool, but the key to wildlife management is deciding which tools to use under what conditions. So, if my target species are turkey and waterfowl, I can see and argument for chufa. To me, it is more of an attraction for hunting argument than a management one, but I can see that.

So, the point I'm making is that from "management" perspective, as I use the term, there are many other tools that will benefit turkey populations much more than chufa that will also benefit many other wildlife species. That is not to say there is never a case for chufa. I'm just saying that once a limitation is identified for a species, if there are tools to choose from that fill that gap, we should consider other wildlife when selecting which tool to use and in most cases, I have a hard time finding chufa the best tool.

Having said that, I really do appreciate your "how to" aspects of this thread. It will benefit greatly those who choose to use chufa.

I recall a question in the thread regarding disking but don't recall if it was answered. In areas where chufa has not been used previously, turkey may need to learn to eat it like deer may need to learn to eat a new food source like brassica. We often hear guys say they planted brassica and there deer didn't eat it so they don't use it any more. Disking some strips through the chufa to expose it can be beneficial the first year or two it is planted. Once birds find it and start eating it, they will begin digging it up themselves. You won't need to disk strips through it once they get on to it. They will seek it out themselves.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[Thetrooper]

You are right, Dove fields are not planted for deer. However, I can't think of anything we plant for doves that does not benefit deer and other wildlife as well.

Perhaps we use the word "management" differently. To me, managing for wildlife is figuring out what is missing for wildlife to flourish and providing it. You clearly need to choose a target species as primary and one or two others as secondary, but that does not mean you completely ignore the rest. It means when you can't find a practices that benefits all wildlife (and you rarely can) you will favor the target species in priority order.

So, if we use deer for an example, there can be lots of issues. In some areas populations are so high that they have a negative impact on the environment which in turn limits the quality of the herd. In other places quality food may be the limitation during some portions of the year that limit the health of the herd. In some places cover may be a limiting factor. Years of regulations aimed at increasing numbers by restricting harvest to antlered deer have upset the age and sex structure in some places. Often many young age class bucks are taken so things like trigger restraint can relieve a limitation.

It is true that Chufa is a high quality turkey food, but from a management standpoint, I ask where and when is quality food a limiting factor for turkey populations? That may be a factor in the winter in the far northern part of the range of turkey, but ice and snow would limit turkey access to chufa just as it would to other low growing foods that they have to scratch for. Perhaps in the north plants that produce food above typical snow depth would be a better choice. In most cases, quality food is not a limitation for turkey population or health. That is why I suggest it is overhyped by NWTF.

Chufa is a tool, but the key to wildlife management is deciding which tools to use under what conditions. So, if my target species are turkey and waterfowl, I can see and argument for chufa. To me, it is more of an attraction for hunting argument than a management one, but I can see that.

So, the point I'm making is that from "management" perspective, as I use the term, there are many other tools that will benefit turkey populations much more than chufa that will also benefit many other wildlife species. That is not to say there is never a case for chufa. I'm just saying that once a limitation is identified for a species, if there are tools to choose from that fill that gap, we should consider other wildlife when selecting which tool to use and in most cases, I have a hard time finding chufa the best tool.

Having said that, I really do appreciate your "how to" aspects of this thread. It will benefit greatly those who choose to use chufa.

I recall a question in the thread regarding disking but don't recall if it was answered. In areas where chufa has not been used previously, turkey may need to learn to eat it like deer may need to learn to eat a new food source like brassica. We often hear guys say they planted brassica and there deer didn't eat it so they don't use it any more. Disking some strips through the chufa to expose it can be beneficial the first year or two it is planted. Once birds find it and start eating it, they will begin digging it up themselves. You won't need to disk strips through it once they get on to it. They will seek it out themselves.

Thanks,

Jack

Dont wanna start any trouble but you know I just joined this site, this is my first post on here. I have looked at a lot of the content on here prior to joining and there is a reoccurring theme with you hijacking other peoples threads and rambling on with a very condescending tone. I dont know if you're doing it intentionally but it's very obvious.

I dont really want to keep going back and forth with you about chufa. It's not even a debatable subject. If you have chufa you will have more turkeys. Point blank period. I know guys down in GA who have been using it from the beginning. I dont think its debatable that it is the most preffered food source available to turkeys. And yes that also means an attraction for hunting season but an attraction for hens on a safe remote piece of ground that is void of nest predators from march-june

Not to mention in my plot from late June to August it was 2-3ft high clumps of vegetation with bare soil underneath loaded with bugs and tiny pockets of ragweed and volunteer clover coming around it. Honestly the most ideal bugging/chick rearing habitat you could imagine. The poults can feed in the open ground understory unhindered by thatch. A hens full body is concealed while she can merely poke her head out and look for danger. This plot was loaded with birds prior to the underground "crop" being ready. This means it's good chick rearing cover, bugging cover, fall/winter/and hopefully spring food source....yeah sounds like a bummer.

I could keep going and going on about this stuff but i feel like I'm wasting my breath have a nice day

 

[Thetrooper]

You are right, Dove fields are not planted for deer. However, I can't think of anything we plant for doves that does not benefit deer and other wildlife as well.

Perhaps we use the word "management" differently. To me, managing for wildlife is figuring out what is missing for wildlife to flourish and providing it. You clearly need to choose a target species as primary and one or two others as secondary, but that does not mean you completely ignore the rest. It means when you can't find a practices that benefits all wildlife (and you rarely can) you will favor the target species in priority order.

So, if we use deer for an example, there can be lots of issues. In some areas populations are so high that they have a negative impact on the environment which in turn limits the quality of the herd. In other places quality food may be the limitation during some portions of the year that limit the health of the herd. In some places cover may be a limiting factor. Years of regulations aimed at increasing numbers by restricting harvest to antlered deer have upset the age and sex structure in some places. Often many young age class bucks are taken so things like trigger restraint can relieve a limitation.

It is true that Chufa is a high quality turkey food, but from a management standpoint, I ask where and when is quality food a limiting factor for turkey populations? That may be a factor in the winter in the far northern part of the range of turkey, but ice and snow would limit turkey access to chufa just as it would to other low growing foods that they have to scratch for. Perhaps in the north plants that produce food above typical snow depth would be a better choice. In most cases, quality food is not a limitation for turkey population or health. That is why I suggest it is overhyped by NWTF.

Chufa is a tool, but the key to wildlife management is deciding which tools to use under what conditions. So, if my target species are turkey and waterfowl, I can see and argument for chufa. To me, it is more of an attraction for hunting argument than a management one, but I can see that.

So, the point I'm making is that from "management" perspective, as I use the term, there are many other tools that will benefit turkey populations much more than chufa that will also benefit many other wildlife species. That is not to say there is never a case for chufa. I'm just saying that once a limitation is identified for a species, if there are tools to choose from that fill that gap, we should consider other wildlife when selecting which tool to use and in most cases, I have a hard time finding chufa the best tool.

Having said that, I really do appreciate your "how to" aspects of this thread. It will benefit greatly those who choose to use chufa.

I recall a question in the thread regarding disking but don't recall if it was answered. In areas where chufa has not been used previously, turkey may need to learn to eat it like deer may need to learn to eat a new food source like brassica. We often hear guys say they planted brassica and there deer didn't eat it so they don't use it any more. Disking some strips through the chufa to expose it can be beneficial the first year or two it is planted. Once birds find it and start eating it, they will begin digging it up themselves. You won't need to disk strips through it once they get on to it. They will seek it out themselves.

Thanks,

Jack

July 3rd pictures. Open soil 3 ft overhead cover, weeds and bugs. How's that look for chick rearing cover? TEXT BOOK

 

[Howboutthemdawgs]

Dont wanna start any trouble but you know I just joined this site, this is my first post on here. I have looked at a lot of the content on here prior to joining and there is a reoccurring theme with you hijacking other peoples threads and rambling on with a very condescending tone. I dont know if you're doing it intentionally but it's very obvious.

I dont really want to keep going back and forth with you about chufa. It's not even a debatable subject. If you have chufa you will have more turkeys. Point blank period. I know guys down in GA who have been using it from the beginning. I dont think its debatable that it is the most preffered food source available to turkeys. And yes that also means an attraction for hunting season but an attraction for hens on a safe remote piece of ground that is void of nest predators from march-june

Not to mention in my plot from late June to August it was 2-3ft high clumps of vegetation with bare soil underneath loaded with bugs and tiny pockets of ragweed and volunteer clover coming around it. Honestly the most ideal bugging/chick rearing habitat you could imagine. The poults can feed in the open ground understory unhindered by thatch. A hens full body is concealed while she can merely poke her head out and look for danger. This plot was loaded with birds prior to the underground "crop" being ready. This means it's good chick rearing cover, bugging cover, fall/winter/and hopefully spring food source....yeah sounds like a bummer.

I could keep going and going on about this stuff but i feel like I'm wasting my breath have a nice day

It’s your property, if you want to plant a field of Johnson grass knock yourself out…
With that said I’m jealous of your chufa plot. I love my turkeys and wish I had enough open ground to justify planting some to benefit them. And the baiting thing strikes a cord with me. I have a neighbor who is notorious for it but they can’t catch him. I lose a lot of birds that migrate that way come season. Would love to see more of your property, you should do a property thread.

 

[Thetrooper]

It’s your property, if you want to plant a field of Johnson grass knock yourself out…
With that said I’m jealous of your chufa plot. I love my turkeys and withstood I had enough open ground to justify planting some to benefit them. And the baiting thing strikes a cord with me. I have a neighbor who is notorious for it but then can’t catch him. I lose a lot of birds that migrate that way come season. Would love to see more of your property, you should do a property thread.

Thanks man I'll check that thread out. I'm coming up with a method for small chufa "kill plots" this spring I will be posting it on here I'll pm you the idea see what you think

 

[H20fwler]

I like the way it looks, it's not a monoculture I see a little ragweed and some sort of brassica in it...I'm all about diversity and lots of summer bugs. I know nothing about chufa but do have a mixed native grass pasture that looks similar and the turkeys are in it every day in summer with poults. Even had a flock come out of it a couple weeks ago and fly up to roost around me in tree stand clucking and purring constantly. And it has turned into a very good place for deer to lay up during the day.