Food plots SW Wisconsin for November

[Bowsnbucks]

Updated pictures of parts of my food plots. The deer are now in the brassica plot multi times a day. The winter wheat is getting less action but I get a few pictures a day of deer eating in it. Wheat planted 9/20 and brassicas planted 8/11. Both received very little rain until recently.
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I think you mentioned in an earlier post w / pics that your brassicas needed more P & K. Did you add any, & if so, what happened??

 

[Prairie Acres]

I think you mentioned in an earlier post w / pics that your brassicas needed more P & K. Did you add any, & if so, what happened??

I did add some. I don't know if it was enough? I thought I had a pretty decent plot considering the lack of rain. The deer were in the plot very consistently. I'm glad somebody pointed out the lack of P & K so I'll know what to look for when I plant brassicas in the future.

 

[Tree Spud]

It's been a month since I posted an update of my brassica plot. Deer usage appears to be slowing down significantly. I was getting deer in it multi-times a day/night after the gun hunt. The last few days it's slowed to a few deer a night. I did get a mature buck in the plot a couple nights ago which was a nice surprise.

Deer, especially bucks will move as winter approaches and after the rut. They are in heavy need to recover from the rut and will look for high energy food sources. After all the pressure from the hunting season and rut battles they like to look for areas they are not pressured. Some are recovering from injury and some are just worn out.

 

[Prairie Acres]

My brassica plot was a big success. I got thousands of pictures of deer in it including some nice bucks. If I was a better hunter I might have even shot a one of those bucks. I did have opportunities to shoot doe and smaller bucks every time I hunted near it. I had a slow down in plot usage in late December but it picked right back up in January and February.

I'm starting to think about what I want to plant in that plot this year. I want to avoid planting brassicas two years in a row. I'll plant brassicas in my two other plots that were in winter wheat. I'm somewhat busy right now so I would be looking at planting something late summer or early fall. I do not want to plant corn or soybeans. Anything I plant will have to withstand potentially heavy browsing pressure. I know I can plant some winter wheat in there easy and cheap but I'm looking for other suggestions. Wheat and field peas? Open to different ideas. Thanks.

 

[Brian662]

Planting brassicas two years in a row isn't a problem. Very few forage possibilities in the upper Midwest provide a food source from Oct through February, I'd strongly consider planting them again. You can overseed rye and crimson clover in mid September, then mow it down next June, plant a summer crop (buckwheat, clover, etc) and reset the clock for another potential brassica planting.