Forage preference timing

[SD51555]

Do you know what your deer are eating and when? Does it matter? I think it does.

I went through the cycle of trying to plant the best foods like beans and brassicas, only to discover the deer loved them and cleaned them off way before I wanted to hunt. The second phase of the process is going after more land or shooting more does. Well I went through the opening more plot space part of that phase. Trouble with open systems is the deer will keep coming untl the surplus is exhausted.

So then came forage timing. I've spent a number of years trying to observe what was being eaten, and when. I've come up with this breakdown for my place, and it's served me pretty well when it comes to keeping food out there, and keeping deer on it when i want to be hunting.

 

[bigboreblr]

Nevwr got ibto the big draws like beans or corn. Always used later sown oats. Even sprayed lawn dead a few times to put oats in and let it turn back to lawn next year.

Been enjoying rye the past few years since ive seen this site

I like muzzleloading season so late food is a preference. Deer are calner, very little other folks in public land. And I build and shoot my own flintlocks. Added bonus is PA"s jsnuary flintlock season.

WHen i heated wirh firewwod, i used to cut down my trees right before late muzzleloader. I also cut them in winter. Its like planting soybeans in the winter. A few days later I go and cut the high branches off. Most times I get a horn or two in the branches.

 

[KY wild]

Do you know what your deer are eating and when? Does it matter? I think it does.

I went through the cycle of trying to plant the best foods like beans and brassicas, only to discover the deer loved them and cleaned them off way before I wanted to hunt. The second phase of the process is going after more land or shooting more does. Well I went through the opening more plot space part of that phase. Trouble with open systems is the deer will keep coming untl the surplus is exhausted.

So then came forage timing. I've spent a number of years trying to observe what was being eaten, and when. I've come up with this breakdown for my place, and it's served me pretty well when it comes to keeping food out there, and keeping deer on it when i want to be hunti

So I find this concept very interesting. I want to make sure I follow the logic, you cannot plant what deer want most because they will wipe it out so you give them something they will eat and allow you to hold the deer because it is more preferred than the natural browse. That is pretty common but you are taking it a step farther and offering different things through out season because one item will not work month to month as well as something else in your experience. Differently worth considering

 

[Derek Reese 29]

I’m looking into this now at my house..planted a brassica mix in July to “stockpile” for the rut and beyond..stinking deer are in it every night and they are preferring the Winfred brassicas..so I just planted another 1/4 acre of them to kinda layer them in..will put WR down in a week and a half to cover the bases..never woulda thought deer would be chomping brassicas in September with all the hay and corn around…

 

[SD51555]

So I find this concept very interesting. I want to make sure I follow the logic, you cannot plant what deer want most because they will wipe it out so you give them something they will eat and allow you to hold the deer because it is more preferred than the natural browse. That is pretty common but you are taking it a step farther and offering different things through out season because one item will not work month to month as well as something else in your experience. Differently worth considering

I had many years of watching great plots get wiped out early. I tried the more acres route and that just brought more does until that was exhausted, and it was gone too early. Then I ditched the grade A stuff and went to grade B and C. Then the deer left those forages alone while they were out eating prime stuff before my bowhunting time. After all that was gone, they were at my place on the X at the right time. It doesn't work every year. When the acorns fell in the biggest crop anyone had ever seen, nothing worked.

 

[SD51555]

I’m looking into this now at my house..planted a brassica mix in July to “stockpile” for the rut and beyond..stinking deer are in it every night and they are preferring the Winfred brassicas..so I just planted another 1/4 acre of them to kinda layer them in..will put WR down in a week and a half to cover the bases..never woulda thought deer would be chomping brassicas in September with all the hay and corn around…

I'm seeing the deer get on the alfalfa sooner this year than they have in the past by at least 2-3 weeks. Alfalfa used to be a late september draw, and they were in it in late august and they aren't missing any plants. I'm going to need the oats if this pace continues.

 

[Derek Reese 29]

I must be behind you a few weeks..I got alfalfa to grow for the first time and they haven’t touched it yet..that’s why I’m so confused because the freshly planted alfalfa and the Winfred’s are in the same plot!!

 

[TreeDaddy]

SD

Do you know what your deer are eating and when? Does it matter? I think it does.

I went through the cycle of trying to plant the best foods like beans and brassicas, only to discover the deer loved them and cleaned them off way before I wanted to hunt. The second phase of the process is going after more land or shooting more does. Well I went through the opening more plot space part of that phase. Trouble with open systems is the deer will keep coming untl the surplus is exhausted.

So then came forage timing. I've spent a number of years trying to observe what was being eaten, and when. I've come up with this breakdown for my place, and it's served me pretty well when it comes to keeping food out there, and keeping deer on it when i want to be hunting.

View attachment 68014

SD,

You play chess while the rest of us play checkers

As such, Im sure you have already asked yourself "why?" said choices made at said time.

thoughts?

bill

 

[SD51555]

SD

SD,

You play chess while the rest of us play checkers

As such, Im sure you have already asked yourself "why?" said choices made at said time.

thoughts?

bill

I think it's the sliding scale of 'best available' at any given moment and understanding that it changes by the week as fall begins. There is also a point when new growth stops and it's just a matter of draw down.

I have not seen an acorn on my place, and it's not surprising. When I get good moisture, my oaks get anthracnose and don't set acorns. When it's a drought, they drop acorns by the rail car. Still, I've got summer browse off the charts right now, and they're still hitting the alfalfa. There is also the possibility I got a flavor boost from the hot dose of S that came from my gypsum application. S is the foundation for natural protein formation in plants. I've gotten 3-4 good rains to wash that gypsum in since I put it on.

So, either higher protein or better flavor. Either way, they're liking it.

library:articles:s_basics - Spectrum Analytic

www.spectrumanalytic.com

 

[S.T.Fanatic]

The biological farming book I have read mentioned that when choosing synthetic fertilizer to always go with AMS when given a choice.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[jsasker007]

After the 1st half of September mine would be acorns in every space on the chart.

 

[SD51555]

The biological farming book I have read mentioned that when choosing synthetic fertilizer to always go with AMS when given a choice.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

AMS is what showed me the flavor lesson of good S levels. My brother and I had soybeans in two food plots ten yards apart. One side was a plot that had brassicas and a decent rate of AMS the previous fall, the other was a new plot we just made and limed, but got no AMS. The plot that had AMS was browsed hard first while the one right next to it had far less attention.

 

[farmlegend]

I'm seeing the deer get on the alfalfa sooner this year than they have in the past by at least 2-3 weeks. Alfalfa used to be a late september draw, and they were in it in late august and they aren't missing any plants. I'm going to need the oats if this pace continues.

Every damn metric I can observe is a good 2+ weeks early at my place this year.