Is Chicory a Good Draw in the Fall?

[meyerske]

How well do deer hit chicory in Oct / Nov in the north?

 

[D Hunter]

Not sure how far north is NORTH. I am in North Carolina at 3500 feet. All my chicory gets hit starting about now until heavy frost sets it back.

 

[SWIFFY]

Im in Central MN. They love it here. Im planting 1/4 acre in a week or so of straight chicory and cereal rye. Its worked well for me and I want to experiment with a separate plot from my clover.

Also its cheap and easy to plant!

 

[P&Y Manager]

In Northern PA and southern tier of NY I've found chicory to be a great attractant for the first half of bow season. Depending on the year's weather, they'll get sucked away by the corn at some point in November. But for the first half of bow season, it's tough to beat. Just remember, everyone's herd is different and will have individual preferences. Some of the guys will tell you their deer don't really like the stuff. For me, it's in a lot of my hunting plot mixes.

 

[yoderjac]

I've always considered chicory a summer crop but I'm further south. Here, deer seem to prefer the freshly planted cereal grains, cover crops and established cover chicory in the fall/winter, but I'm south of you.

 

[WTNUT]

I will throw in my two cents. I tried chicory many times and have had NO success with it. I have never even seen a "nipped" leaf in one of my clover plots. Now, that may not mean much in your situation. Your deer could love it, and someone in another forum told me that some chicory is more palatable to deer than others. I don't know. But, I could say the same about Brassicas and I know that to be true. But, the real reason I do not like chicory in a clover plot is that you can only spray it with Basagran (I believe). That controls many of the weeds I have, but certainly does not kill them all. Now, you would have to check your labels because it may be that you can spray it with Raptor and not Basagran. Since I wrote it off the plot seed list 10 years ago, it is hard to remember.


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[yoderjac]

One more thing to consider is that all chicory is not the same. Unlike cereal grains where specific varieties matter little, some varieties of chicory are high in tannin. This makes them significantly less palatable to deer and probably affects use.

 

[WTNUT]

Jack,

What are some good ones for deer. I have heard there is a big difference in the varieties.

 

[j-bird]

In my area chicory is untouched until evening temps get cool in October the. It seems like the deer specifically seek it out - one day it's everywhere in my plots and then a few weeks later it's like someone came thru and stole it all.

 

[Native Hunter]

Commander and Winna are two improved forage chicories that have proven themselves on my place.

 

[D Hunter]

Oasis chicory is the variety I have had success with from August til October

 

[Tree Spud]

I only put chickory in we had droughts conditions the year before. It does better when things are dry but that was 15 years ago.

There are many other things you can plant that have higher level of deer benefit ... chicory is not on my list ...

 

[yoderjac]

Jack,

What are some good ones for deer. I have heard there is a big difference in the varieties.

I quit using Chicory since I moved to Durana clover from ladino. The benefits of mixing it were not worth the cost and effort for me after I switched. There is an old QW article that had a pretty good overview of chicory and it listed some varieties. It must be favorable to Tecomate varieties since I found a copy of it on their web site: http://www.tecomate.com/articles/Chicory_A_Powerful_Perennial.pdf

Thanks,

Jack

 

[Dennis Duffy]

I might have to try some Chicory this year. But i can't say enough about "Ground Hog Radishes!" The deer love the greens early and once the frost hits they crush the tubulars in the ground! I sow in Durana clover with it. The clover usually comes up heavy in the spring and they munch on that till i do it all over again in the Fall! I will be putting the plots in over the Labor Day weekend!! I also put in purple turnips last year but the deer ignored them and hammered the Radishes. No turnips this year!

 

[Tree Spud]

I might have to try some Chicory this year. But i can't say enough about "Ground Hog Radishes!" The deer love the greens early and once the frost hits they crush the tubulars in the ground! I sow in Durana clover with it. The clover usually comes up heavy in the spring and they munch on that till i do it all over again in the Fall! I will be putting the plots in over the Labor Day weekend!! I also put in purple turnips last year but the deer ignored them and hammered the Radishes. No turnips this year!

Your post sounds like a ad for BOB seed ... where are you locate?

 

[yoderjac]

Your post sounds like a ad for BOB seed ... where are you locate?

I'm not sure I'd call it an ad for BOB seed. purple top turnip is a variety available form many sources. Ground Hog Radish is a brand name, but it is frequently use as short hand for Daikon radish because it is one of the most inexpensive brands of Daikon radish. Durana was exclusive to Pennington for US distribution, I'm not sure it still is. Unlike most of the improved clover varieties sold in BOB mixes, Durana can be purchased standalone. Some of the BOB companies only sell their improved varieties as part of a mix with lots of inexpensive annual clover in it.

While his description of use paints a great picture, it doesn't sound like a BOB ad to me....

Thanks,

jack

 

[Dennis Duffy]

Nope ....not trying to sell anything or any brands. In fact, i couldn't even tell you the name of the seed i bought. I got it off the internet. All i know is it is Ground Hog Radishes (Yes Daikon radishes are the same). I was just merely telling my experience with it last year! The deer really loved it on my farm! We shall see how it works this year?! Oh and I live in PA. and my farm is in Western KY. I have not tried the ground hog radishes on my place here in PA yet!