Food plot help

[Bigshooter19]

Hello am looking to add more food plots but don't know if it pays. We have a ton of Ag land where I hunt that consist of corn bean and alfalfa. I planted a 1/4-1/2 ac clover plot in my wood that just got hammered all year. Also planted 1/4 ac of brassica plot around my entire clover plot that they are starting to eat now. I have 2 spots that I can plant. The first being deep in the woods probably little less than 1/4 ac also another on the edge still have cover on all four side around 1/2 ac. Can get to all plots with tractor and equipment. Just wondering what people think would be something good to plant. I was thinking maybe a forage bean and sunflower plot. Anyone else have any ideas?

 

[yoderjac]

First, it would be great to share your location. I would not plant for summer in a situation like that. Beans and alfalfa will feed deer during the summer. I would focus on fall only planting for attraction. I would wait until farmers plant next summer so you can see what is planted where. You might even talk to them about when they typically harvest. I would then select a crop that produces when the farmers clean the table.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[MoBuckChaser]

I don't need your address.

Sounds like you don't need anymore normal food plot food in your area. If its high ground, you may have some good spots to try some apple and pear trees. Buy some 3-4 year old potted trees that may throw fruit sooner than later. Protect them and reap the rewards in the near future! Good Luck!

 

[Tap]

I don't need your address.
Sounds like you don't need anymore normal food plot food in your area. If its high ground, you may have some good spots to try some apple and pear trees. Buy some 3-4 year old potted trees that may throw fruit sooner than later. Protect them and reap the rewards in the near future! Good Luck!

We don't want his address either. But I'd sure want to know that the guy doesn't live in zone 3 or 4 before I advised him to plant pear trees for example. Mo, I don't understand your resistance of a poster giving at lease a tiny, general indication of where they practice habitat improvements and hunt.

 

[Bigshooter19]

Jefferson county Wisconsin. There so much ag fields around me. I know there will be corn n beans and alfalfa. The farm I hunt is 360 ac total with only 47 ac of woods. My woods is connected to a huge tract of timber 140 ac big block of timber. But I also hunt 3 separate woods that are not connected to the huge block from 4 ac to 15 ac of woods surround by ag fields.

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[Tap]

Hello am looking to add more food plots but don't know if it pays. We have a ton of Ag land where I hunt that consist of corn bean and alfalfa. I planted a 1/4-1/2 ac clover plot in my wood that just got hammered all year. Also planted 1/4 ac of brassica plot around my entire clover plot that they are starting to eat now. I have 2 spots that I can plant. The first being deep in the woods probably little less than 1/4 ac also another on the edge still have cover on all four side around 1/2 ac. Can get to all plots with tractor and equipment. Just wondering what people think would be something good to plant. I was thinking maybe a forage bean and sunflower plot. Anyone else have any ideas?

I grow sunflowers because I like having them, not just because I need a forage. But I could never grow them to maturity without an E fence. And small plots (1/4 acre) are not really worth trying sunflowers IMO. Anything less than an acre is pretty small for them. Sunflowers are often included in some of the diverse mixes that soil-health gurus plant.
Sounds like your area is surrounded by a lot of mono-culture fields. Planting a salad bar could be more attractive especially if your forages are peaking when the neighbor's ag fields are past prime.
No matter what you decide, I would make sure cereal rye is part of your scheme.

 

[MoBuckChaser]

We don't want his address either. But I'd sure want to know that the guy doesn't live in zone 3 or 4 before I advised him to plant pear trees for example. Mo, I don't understand your resistance of a poster giving at lease a tiny, general indication of where they practice habitat improvements and hunt.

Not apposed at all! Could care less.

Its up to the poster if he wants to give the address, town, zone, state.....

 

[MoBuckChaser]

We don't want his address either. But I'd sure want to know that the guy doesn't live in zone 3 or 4 before I advised him to plant pear trees for example. Mo, I don't understand your resistance of a poster giving at lease a tiny, general indication of where they practice habitat improvements and hunt.

But you can plant apple in zone 3 and pears in zone 4, why do YOU need to his zone to suggest that. I ain't telling the guy which ones are best for his zone.

 

[Bigshooter19]

Crab apple?

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[MoBuckChaser]

Crab apple?

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Love Crab apples! My favorite are Dolgo and Whitney See if they work in your area.

 

[yoderjac]

We don't want his address either. But I'd sure want to know that the guy doesn't live in zone 3 or 4 before I advised him to plant pear trees for example. Mo, I don't understand your resistance of a poster giving at lease a tiny, general indication of where they practice habitat improvements and hunt.

Because Mo has the "right" answers regardless of the location. :rolleyes:

 

[MoBuckChaser]

Because Mo has the "right" answers regardless of the location. :rolleyes:

Well what miracle food plot you got cookin Jack that would be better than his corn, beans, alfalfa and clover in the area he talks about? I don't need a address like you to figure out nothing is going to be better than those. His new plots are not big enough for anything of better value than apple trees or pear trees in his situation from what he had given us. Since I have been doing this game for almost 40 years, I feel qualified to take a calculated guess at a suggestion.

But of course will will give us a uni-bomber style thesis that will be so far ahead of its time that the deer will be stacked on top of each other like cord wood in any plot you would come up with, I am sure of it!

So as normal, lets have the thesis on another subject you know little about......

 

[rocksnstumps]

Jefferson cty is zone 5a. Farms and ag crops all over. My brother use to live there. Most of all the crabs seen listed on these sites should do fine there. Anything Wallace Woodstock or Wolfwraths nurseries sells no problem for a quick reference and so could buy em whereever. Wallace usually runs a flyer/deals in Dec but that might only be for repeat customers.

 

[MoBuckChaser]

Jefferson cty is zone 5a. Farms and ag crops all over. My brother use to live there

Oh man, that's the zone?

That makes a huge difference, with all that Ag around, I would try some Apples or Pears......

 

[Bigshooter19]

Here a crappy pic. Red and purple are areas that i was going to plant a food plot currently marsh grass. Yellow are currently clover and brassica mix which just got hammered this year. There will be corn there this year white lines are deer trails and line that goes to the purple plot is a logging road. I can get there with equipment. Small tractor plow mower sprayer. Yellow line is property line. Other pic show bigger picture of what all i have to hunt. Any thoughts? Anything left of the yellow line including all the little woods we own. The big tract of timber is owned by many different people that kill everything have very high hunting pressure. Talked to them this past gun season there were lucky to see a deer i was averaging 10-15 deer per sit.

 

[rocksnstumps]

Ha, still time to change ur mind Mo with all that new info lol.

Deer have all the eats they want in that area. A fair amount of pasture too which doesnt get plowed under like corn fields and available 365

 

[Mortenson]

On plots that size I'd probably agree with trees or just stick with what you're doing. Half acre or bigger and I'd be doing brassicas. It won't pull every deer out of standing corn stalks, but it'll definitely pull a few to hunt.

 

[Bigshooter19]

I don't hunt early season to much. Corn is usually off by around nov 1. This year was super late and was still off by 8th of November. I have done a ton of hinge cutting and 2 of the woods have been select cut. The woods that i want to put the food plots in by far is the best they still bed in the woods. It is super thick so they use my atv trails and logging road to move around. The food plots I have established are seeing a ton of action. Tap said he couldn't get sunflower to grow with out a efence. I tried plating some last year but got about ft tall and deer destroyed them. Around all the food plot got hinge cut or will get it done to funnel deer down and give them ton of bedding area. Been doing qdm for 6 years now last 2 years we harvested 4 bucks over 135 with a few over 150.

 

[MoBuckChaser]

Ha, still time to change ur mind Mo with all that new info lol.

Deer have all the eats they want in that area. A fair amount of pasture too which doesnt get plowed under like corn fields and available 365

Nope, as I said if its high ground, I would plant apple or pear trees.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Are the red & purple areas low ?? You mentioned they are marsh grass now. If they are really low, that may change the suggestions from apple & pear trees. ( Frost pockets ? ) You guys from that area would know what works best.