My First Plots

[MojoRisin]

I bought some dumpy cedar swamp in the UP of MI in the winter of 2015. The price was right :) This land basically had one opening and it was small and still loaded with cedars, tag alders and stumps. There was one main trail cut through the property which was cut around 50 years ago. The land came cheap and did have good deer sign.

Last year, my son and I spent a lot of time just creating spots off the main trail we could hunt, getting stands there, as well as lots of work on the cabin that came with the land. That work was brutal but it paid off with 2 bucks killed via bowhunting.

We know that any food in these "woods" will be a deer differentiator for us because none of the neighbors have food plots. They all rely on the Golden Kernel the UP is famous for. Our 2016 goal was to create some plots, which we knew would lack size, but we needed to start somewhere. This is my first experience with this. I'm going to post these in multiple postings.

Here is what we have done in this inaugural year.

PLOT 1:
This is an area off a main trail where we had good deer travel. We cleared some cedars from these woods and cleared up years of leaves, sticks, etc. I laid 560# of lime and 200# of 19/19/19. I planted Granda Ray's Soil Builder mix in May. In July, I broadcast in Grandpa Ray's Fall Draw and I also broadcast in some oats and WR in later August.

The deer have been in there all summer and are still there. Next year, we'll be taking out more trees trying to open it up a little more while expanding it a little more. I will be getting a soil sample next year too.

Here is the pic of the area after my son and I cleared the area.



Here is the pic of the area after we planted in June.

 

[MojoRisin]

PLOT 2

This area was a hope and prayer. My son and I discovered and opened up an old logging trail. It was dense in cedars and alders. We cut many, but the stumps remain. We sprayed Garlon4/diesel for the alders and Gly/AMS for the weeds. I did 2 sprayings of Gly. I laid 520# lime and 150# of 19/19/19.

I broadcast clover and Northern Mix High Sugar Ryegrass, the latter due to it having good reviews of growing in tough conditions as well as the deer liking it being HS. In August, for kicks, I broadcast in some oats and WR. With all the stumps, we could not mow or roll all the dead grass/weeds, so this was a throw and pray. The original planting was done the day before a rain, albeit not a good one.

Last year, my son killed a buck not far from this spot. The deer used this dense trail. We put a ground blind off the trail. This food should get them to stop or slow down when using the trail. The deer are hammering the area and not letting it grow well.

Here is a pic of the this new opening after clearing and spraying.




Here are a couple of pics after planting. The 1st shows the ground blind all brushed in.

 

[MojoRisin]

PLOT 3:

This one required the removal of come cedars and turning over lots of moss giving me a very very sandy bed. My friend's tractor was able to remove the stumps for the most part. I had very low expectations for this area this year and I know it will need work.

I laid 800# of lime and 150# of 19/19/19. Not knowing what I was doing, I tried a brassica type mix in July and it did not rain for 2 weeks after I planted and it was a poor rain. I have since broadcast in clover, oats, and WR hoping for some growth.

Next year, I'll be planting apple trees in this area as I can amend the soil with bags of plotting soil for each tree. I will still attempt to plant clover around the tree cages.



You can see the sparse growth (prior to the oats and WR - I have not been there since I broadcast them). But, if you look at the seclusion cage, it is better there. There are loads of deer tracks in this sand.

 

[MojoRisin]

PLOT 4

This is my nicest area. It is close to an acre. My friend used his tractor to lightly till in 1400# of lime and 400# of 19/19/19. This was done in mid August as the area was not ready until then. I did not have a soil sample but will get one next year. We planted AWP, clover, radish, oats, and WR. Rain has been sparse other than a doozy 1.5" a week after planting. It has not rained there in over a week now.

The growth has been decent (pics are 2 weeks of growth) but this area too is loaded with deer not letting it grow well. The cameras also show lots of birds feasting on the broadcast seeds. I should have had my friend till in the seed with his tractor but we broadcast it over the tilled plot and then just drove over it all with the tractor and ATV.

 

[MojoRisin]

So, that's the scoop. I went from 0..4 in one year. I know I have made mistakes along the way as a complete newbie who had no hands-on experience. I bought books and read the net and game planned best I could. Going forward, I will tap the resources available to me versus just lurking like I did on QDMA, a site I felt overwhelmed and intimidated by.

The goal next year is to expand the plots we have where possible and improve the soils. Soil samples will be taken next year. I took "fliers" this year due to limited time, equipment, and the fear that the reports would scare me from trying anything due to this crappy soil. Having my friend assist on the bigger plot with his tractor was a huge benefit for me but as noted, I should have had him till in the seeds. Otherwise, everything was done with a chest spreader and 4 gallon backpack sprayer to go with the brush cutter and chainsaw. I did so many bags of lime and fertilizer with that chest spreader that it felt like it became permanent apparel. I wish I had a penny for every crank I made.

As noted, I'll be putting apple trees in one of the plots next year to add more diversity.

This has been fun, challenging, and overwhelming at the same time. Seeing lots of deer using all the areas has made it rewarding.

 

[Roger_Greaser]

You should be glad you didn't till in the seed, that would put your seed too deep into the ground. When broadcasting seed by hand, you are better off to just drag it in with something to make a firm seed bed and cover it with very little dirt. It looks like you did very well with your plot. Congratulations

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