Milo Deer Preference - hunting season overview

[Foggy47]

Can Red Milo be drilled into clover ....and be expected to grow? (or any tall crop for that matter?). Kinda wonder if a very low rate drilled into the clover would provide enough cover for some daytime screening and deer use?

 

[TreeDaddy]

Can Red Milo be drilled into clover ....and be expected to grow? (or any tall crop for that matter?). Kinda wonder if a very low rate drilled into the clover would provide enough cover for some daytime screening and deer use?

I have wondered the same

I have not been successful with the "planting green" theme as of yet

May be worth a try

bill

 

[Spike_Horn_Shooter]

I h

I have wondered the same

I have not been successful with the "planting green" theme as of yet

May be worth a try

bill

I did read a study maybe out of the University of Georgia. Basically the clover had to be strip killed with an herbicide for the corn to grow decent.

With 15” rows on the milo that would be a lot of clover killed.

I’ll try to find that study and post here

 

[VTer]

I planted 3 big strips of Milo in Vermont this year hoping it would be a late season draw. I am certain the deer have never seen it before. No ag around me at all. It was easy to grow, even with the drought. It made big heads and I assume there is edible seed in the heads. It looks just like the pics. The deer have completely ignored it. We have had cold and snow and nothing. Even the turkeys don't seem very interested. I am trying to decide if I will plant it again this spring.

 

[Spike_Horn_Shooter]

I planted 3 big strips of Milo in Vermont this year hoping it would be a late season draw. I am certain the deer have never seen it before. No ag around me at all. It was easy to grow, even with the drought. It made big heads and I assume there is edible seed in the heads. It looks just like the pics. The deer have completely ignored it. We have had cold and snow and nothing. Even the turkeys don't seem very interested. I am trying to decide if I will plant it again this spring.

VTer, that’s another good point, in my beans I would have herds, literal herds of 50 turkeys. In the milo I have not spotted a single turkey.

Not that I care to hunt turkeys in fall, but it’s interesting to watch them browse around for a couple of hours during the day and provide them with some winter feed.

Pic is last year with the beans

 

[Foggy47]

I h

I did read a study maybe out of the University of Georgia. Basically the clover had to be strip killed with an herbicide for the corn to grow decent.

With 15” rows on the milo that would be a lot of clover killed.

I’ll try to find that study and post here

That's mostly been my experience in my attempts to plant most things into a clover plot. I do have a few exceptions tho. I do get Winter Rye to reliably grow when drilled into a clover plot - usually in late August. And as the clover diminishes in late fall the winter rye really comes in nicely to provide some food, same can be said for radish. Tho, the radish is not as reliable as the winter rye. In spring that rye really takes off...providing some much needed food for my deer, after a tough MN winter. Then it provides nearly ideal fawning cover in early summer through June and into July. As LickCreek used to say clover and rye go together like peanut butter and jelly. My 2 cents too.

But what I really am looking for is some vertical cover in those clover plots to provide some security for deer in the daylight hours especially in fall. I have some screen sections using switchgrass....and that is a project under development. I also get brassica established in just the right conditions....but nearly scalping my clover before drilling some brassica. The clover does come back too.....but I am really weather dependent when trying such.

I've been able to set-back the clover via an application of Glyphosate too.....then drilling some brassica......and may try this again with Red Milo. I am not so concerned with food out of the Milo.....rather I want some vertical cover to encourage daytime use. ......and I would rather get a "sparce" stand of some tall crop throughout my clover plots....or some intermittent stands of a tall crop. I suppose I am searching for the holy grail of cover and food.

I suppose I am just trying to find a shortcut.....where I could simply drill Milo seeds into the clover.....without scalping or use of gly. Anyone have a trick to offer here?......magic beans? grin.

 

[TreeDaddy]

The LickCreek reference always brings a smile

His passion and love for habitat and his fellow man jump off the pages of his threads

I never knew him, but after reading those classics, he makes you feel like a best friend

bill

 

[Catscratch]

Hard to grow in existing clover. Wheat, rye, and overseeded clover seem to work.

You can grow great interspecie crops by planting your clover and milo together (at the same time).

I know that doesn't put something in your clover plot, but it is a way to do it and with how cheap clover seed is it's not a bad option.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

I planted 3 big strips of Milo in Vermont this year hoping it would be a late season draw. I am certain the deer have never seen it before. No ag around me at all. It was easy to grow, even with the drought. It made big heads and I assume there is edible seed in the heads. It looks just like the pics. The deer have completely ignored it. We have had cold and snow and nothing. Even the turkeys don't seem very interested. I am trying to decide if I will plant it again this spring.

We've planted the WGF (wild game food) shorter variety several times over the years at camp in NC Pa. mountains. When we first planted it, (lightly broadcast with other mixed seed) deer didn't know what it was. Following years, deer would eat it when it was green and the seed heads were soft and in the "dough" stage. The 3 ft. tall stalks seemed to offer some cover in the mixed food plots, so deer would forage in daylight. Once the seed heads hardened off, deer didn't bother them - but the birdlife did!! Turkeys, grouse, and all kinds of songbirds were in there a lot. Just some info - FWIW.

 

[omicron1792]

Cold do strips of it. Like 2 passes with the seeder, then come back and seed between the passes with something shorter.

Great idea. I did that last year.

 

[Foggy47]

We've planted the WGF (wild game food) shorter variety several times over the years at camp in NC Pa. mountains. When we first planted it, (lightly broadcast with other mixed seed) deer didn't know what it was. Following years, deer would eat it when it was green and the seed heads were soft and in the "dough" stage. The 3 ft. tall stalks seemed to offer some cover in the mixed food plots, so deer would forage in daylight. Once the seed heads hardened off, deer didn't bother them - but the birdlife did!! Turkeys, grouse, and all kinds of songbirds were in there a lot. Just some info - FWIW.

I suppose so much depends on your geographic area. Today I took an hour to do a quick property tour at my land.....I call it the Tundra, among other things. We have nearly a foot of snow in many areas....and the deer are seeking anything with more nutrition than twigs. Buds and twigs will soon be their ONLY food source for the next 3 months or so. All my apple trees have paths around them checking for any remaining fruit.

Most of my brassica plots have large areas where the deer have dug the snow away to forage on the food plot remains.....mostly in the brassica plots but also they are after some remaining clover and winter rye. They pretty much take what they can get now. It's hard to see from this angle....but there are many areas like this throughout my land where the deer are scavenging what ever they can. Life here is rough many years.

I'm pretty damn sure....that my deer would eat those seed heads if they were there. I think I would bet about 10 to one or better on that score.

 

[SD51555]

Can Red Milo be drilled into clover ....and be expected to grow? (or any tall crop for that matter?). Kinda wonder if a very low rate drilled into the clover would provide enough cover for some daytime screening and deer use?

Do it. There’s no downside risk. I’d drill it in and then run the crimper over the over to slow it down to give the Milo a chance.


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[Foggy47]

Do it. There’s no downside risk. I’d drill it in and then run the crimper over the over to slow it down to give the Milo a chance.


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People think a crimper can terminate many crops. It cannot. Crimping clover only encourages faster growth. It takes a long stem crop with a seed head...in order to crimp the stalk which is supplying nutrients to that seed head. Cut off (or crimp) that stalk and you terminate that plant. Not so with shorter growing crops....like clover.

 

[omicron1792]

On my farm the deer eat every single head of Milo. There isn’t one that made it to winter.

 

[omicron1792]

Pic from my farm I’ve posted here before.

 

[Foggy47]

I bought some red milo today from Jon at Norhwoods whitetails. He is the real deal when it comes to these specialty seeds. Watch his video's on such things. He is committed to our common interests. Nice guy, and filled with integrity to boot. Not many like Jon out there....a combination of experience and integrity. Refreshing in these times.

 

[Foggy47]

here is what Jon has to say:

 

[Catscratch]

here is what Jon has to say:

Exactly what I see; milo goes quickly once they start to like it, and plant something with it.

 

[Foggy47]

Working on a mix now where I will mow my clover plot short and apply some glyphosate before drilling seeds ....including Red Milo, Rutabaga, chicory, sugar beets, radish and ?? Likely a couple of pounds of each per acre. What am I missing?

Will do this in strips in my clover plots....which are now rimmed with switchgrass. Dream big....grin.

 

[Satchmogv]

I bought some red milo today from Jon at Norhwoods whitetails. He is the real deal when it comes to these specialty seeds. Watch his video's on such things. He is committed to our common interests. Nice guy, and filled with integrity to boot. Not many like Jon out there....a combination of experience and integrity. Refreshing in these times.

I’m definitely going to have to try this on my ground. Thanks Foggy