Dipper rotation

[Terrific_tom]

dipper, or any one else..... sorry if I missed it, but as just a food plotter, do I need to inoculate the austrian winter peas I am putting in with the next round of rye,oats,radishes,peas, and clover.

It won't hurt to innoculate but isn't necessary. In my opinion the AWP will not be around long enough to fix nitrogen. In my experience the deer will hammer the peas before they get over 6 inches and only once did I have any peas make it thru the winter and then the deer proceeded to clean them up in short order.

 

[Ben.MN/WI]

dipper, or any one else..... sorry if I missed it, but as just a food plotter, do I need to inoculate the austrian winter peas I am putting in with the next round of rye,oats,radishes,peas, and clover.

I planted 4010 field peas last year without any inoculant and they still grew well. My SE MN deer didn't like them very much though - they left them alone and fed primarily in the soybeans. The peas produced plenty of filled pods that the turkeys seemed to like.

 

[dipper]

Things have really dried up over the last 4 days I've been up north. Did A quick check of the cams and things look up. I think the sky's the limit with this buck. Well over a 20" spread and I can count 14 points. This guy is gonna be pushing bc if he can keep growing up.

Monster bucks enjoy the poor man's food plots. With my system there is always food, never down time. He's munching on clover, peas, sunflowers and oats right now. He will soon have brassicas and wheat added to the menu. Than he'll be in the back of my truck.

 

[non-pro-archer]

Good luck getting him dipper

 

[dipper]

Cover crops on steroids. These spring planted awp are starting to flower out. Before that they put out over 4' of thick growth.

It is a moisture retaining jungle in there. Got some serious drought starting to hit, but the dipper rotation is thriving.

Sunflower is starting to flower and oats is starting to fully mature. Have a little pig weed in here but that's not the end of the world.

 

[dipper]

I am amazed at how bushy spring planted awps get. I believe I'm holding up one plant, and it has multiple shoots 4' plus.
Don't be afraid of spring planting awps.

 

[non-pro-archer]

I am amazed at how bushy spring planted awps get. I believe I'm holding up one plant, and it has multiple shoots 4' plus.
Don't be afraid of spring planting awps.

Were the awps drilled or broadcast?

 

[dipper]

This specific mix was broadcasted. Peas, oats, and sunflower

 

[non-pro-archer]

That gives me hope, I tried broadcasting peas unsuccessfully last year but I think my problem was not enough thatch to cover them

 

[dipper]

We've had a little rain come through the last couple days, and the wheat is germinating on my concrete driveway. Ya that's right 0 soil contact.
There is nothing more powerful right now in food plotting that broadcasting into existing plots. Things have been real dry at my place the last month, and if my plots got damaged by drought, the things I broadcasted are right behind. Saving the day.
Food plot insurance, it's cheap, it's easy and it works!
With this type of management, there is virtually no risk of ever having a failed plot again.

 

[dipper]

It appears the deer prefer red clover, almost all of it is browsed on this .5 acre plot. It was planted last year and I haven't done much with it since. I don't have any intention on cutting it. I think I'm going to flatten it with my cultipacker though, because I broadcasted brassicas in it.

 

[dipper]

Spring planted oats management. I have alfalfa in here as well. I am cutting it high with a brush hog, to really throw the seed around. Everything is over a half month late, but there will still be some tender oats this fall.
2nd year cir switch in the background.

Lots of seed on the ground and it cost me nothing. No need to drag it or anything.

 

[chummer]

It appears the deer prefer red clover, almost all of it is browsed on this .5 acre plot. It was planted last year and I haven't done much with it since. I don't have any intention on cutting it. I think I'm going to flatten it with my cultipacker though, because I broadcasted brassicas in it.

Dipper, this is where your plan looses me. I have a 5 acre field that looks similar to this. My father in law insists on cutting it, which will be done in the next couple weeks. Am I to believe I could broadcast brassicas in that before it is cut and have a good percent germinate. I do not have a cultipacker. The ph is 5.5 and I do not want to lime or fertilize this field.

 

[dipper]

You wont get a picture bob looking brassica plot but they will grow. After two year of the dipper rotation the red clover starts to get a little thick. No thick enough to spread a couple pounds of brassica and roll. You can cut it is you prefer, as well. From 3' to flat.

Still plenty for the deer to munch on and some room for the brassicas to find a way to sunlight. Got a good amount of white clover in here as well.

 

[dipper]

Many locations got within 3"-1" of rain where i food plot. With as dry as it is in some locations only got .20. That is only .5 in July in these locations. Things are real bad there. Everyone's lawns are dried up and non irrigated corn is pretty much done. In fact, there has been limited moisture as far back as mid June. You can do all the cover cropping in the world but u still need moisture. I have locations where red clover inside rye is dried up. That is real bad.

 

[non-pro-archer]

Many locations got within 3"-1" of rain where i food plot. With as dry as it is in some locations only got .20. That is only .5 in July in these locations. Things are real bad there. Everyone's lawns are dried up and non irrigated corn is pretty much done. In fact, there has been limited moisture as far back as mid June. You can do all the cover cropping in the world but u still need moisture. I have locations where red clover inside rye is dried up. That is real bad.

Inch and a tenth in my rain gauge today with more on the way this weekend it looks like, great time for me to put some seeds down

 

[dipper]

Inch and a tenth in my rain gauge today with more on the way this weekend it looks like, great time for me to put some seeds down

That should be plenty to get most everything germinated. I haven't seen That kind of rain since early June. The buffet plots I have are still fine, Monocultures not so much. I wish I would of had all my rye broadcasted early June. It has done nothing broadcasted early July. The nice thing is the seed is there, and it's gonna grow. I'm just not going to have the biomass I'm used to. Grass control is also more important if the broadcasted plants aren't growing.

 

[dipper]

The nice bucks don't mind the poor mans food plots. This buck is feeding on rolled red clover that has brassicas that finally germinating. If I would have terminated the clover, I wouldn't have gotten this pic in the .5 acre plot. I sprayed the clover with clethodim and 24db prior to rolling. I also like drilling cereals in the flattened rye, but I can't get my drill to this spot.

I went out looking for the neighborhood nontypicial yesterday. Didn't see him, but spotted another 10 besides this one in the 140s, a stud 8 and a ton of younger bucks. A lot of nice looking deer in that 100" range. But most guys shoot them anyway.
I've seen more nice bucks this year than all the dead bucks shot in my area last year. Big improvement on antler quality than last year, at least on my farm. Still got to kill them but thats the fun anyway.

 

[scott44]

The nice bucks don't mind the poor mans food plots. This buck is feeding on rolled red clover that has brassicas that finally germinating. If I would have terminated the clover, I wouldn't have gotten this pic in the .5 acre plot. I sprayed the clover with clethodim and 24db prior to rolling. I also like drilling cereals in the flattened rye, but I can't get my drill to this spot.

I went out looking for the neighborhood nontypicial yesterday. Didn't see him, but spotted another 10 besides this one in the 140s, a stud 8 and a ton of younger bucks. A lot of nice looking deer in that 100" range. But most guys shoot them anyway.
I've seen more nice bucks this year than all the dead bucks shot in my area last year. Big improvement on antler quality than last year, at least on my farm. Still got to kill them but thats the fun anyway.

Good luck in getting one of those nice ones.

 

[dipper]

I don't really mind. With a booner on the farm of not goal#1 is filling my doe quota. If I get my population in check things are going to really start coming together.