New Plan for Plots

[Binney59]

Hi, I own a property in central Wisconsin that I have had for 4 years now and am thinking I need to change up my food plots. The map below shows my property along with the approximate size of my food plots. Red is my cabin location. To the North is a lake and park (no hunting), to the west is town- bow hunting is allowed but no one hunts it. To the East and south are neighbors who hunt. A walking trail forms the south border that I can use to access my land from the south.

For background, a local farmer has planted the 3.6 acre field in the same crop as what he plants in my neighbor to the East's fields. This year was beans and he will rotate in corn and turnips. The green lines indicate 2 rows of Norway pines that were planted 3 years ago as screening from the road. They are around 4' tall today. In the past I have attempted to use Dr. Wood's Buffalo method and have stuck with mostly beans. I have fenced the beans in years past but did not plant them this year and the 2.2 acre plot in the north still has plenty of pods. The south field gets the most browse pressure as it is the most secluded and closest to the destination food sources (to the South of my land). The triangle shaped field has been planted in Clover every year since I owned the property. I can access the property from the north via a road and from the south via a walking trail.

Equipment- I have a tractor, Genesis 5' no till drill, crimper, and a boom sprayer.

Goals, I would like some screening in NE food plot as well as in triangle plot. Would also like to have food available into December for gun and muzzleloader season. I can stick with beans as they have been great and do well but looking to change things up and open to suggestions. Thanks

 

[Howboutthemdawgs]

The obvious thing that sticks out to me is your food is all on the property lines. That would give me anxiety but I get you have to work with you have. I’d probably take the plots out of rotation with the neighbors who hunt and manage those as old field management. Or like you said plant some serious screening on the line.
Beans are fine but without large acreage they can be a pipe dream. Even with a fence, I’m sure yours get mowed down quickly. I’m partial to keeping plots simple. Cereal grains drilled in clover and call it a day. Year round attraction that is easy to manage. And judging from the view I can see on your pic, you would probably be the only one with that in the immediate area.

 

[Binney59]

You may be right on simplifying things a bit. I enjoy the beans early season but they are usually picked over by mid November. In reflection, I think my plots did best when I planted beans early and then broadcast brassicas into them later. By the time the beans were picked over they stuck around for the brassicas. The problem with a late broadcasting is that the brassicas didn't have enough time to produce much for bulbs.

I am debating screening off the triangle piece this year and planting it in brassicas but the plot is currently in clover and going great. Maybe added screening would be enough?

I am open to moving away from beans but not sure what to replace them with. Also not sure if all plots should be the same or if I should vary them all?
Thanks for replying!

 

[Howboutthemdawgs]

There’s a million ways to skin a cat and food plotting is no different. For me personally, I can’t beat a base clover. I like multiple species of clover but the foundation is always clover. I can manage grasses and most weeds with two chemicals tank mixed at the same time. Clover provides plenty of nutrition, attraction and staying power, both in abuse and duration of the year. With your drill you have a great opportunity to drill cereal grains in early fall. Having a perennial base is huge for me. My cost gets kept at a minimum and I generally have food 365 days. As a bonus the biggest deer on my place I’ve all seen using the clover plots so it’s not like it lacks attraction.

 

[TreeDaddy]

There’s a million ways to skin a cat and food plotting is no different. For me personally, I can’t beat a base clover. I like multiple species of clover but the foundation is always clover. I can manage grasses and most weeds with two chemicals tank mixed at the same time. Clover provides plenty of nutrition, attraction and staying power, both in abuse and duration of the year. With your drill you have a great opportunity to drill cereal grains in early fall. Having a perennial base is huge for me. My cost gets kept at a minimum and I generally have food 365 days. As a bonus the biggest deer on my place I’ve all seen using the clover plots so it’s not like it lacks attraction.

.........and how bout dem dawgs?

seem to keep finding a way

bill

 

[Binney59]

Worth a shot, I may change a couple more over to clover.

Do you have preferences on cereal grains for drilling in? Should I be concerned about them seeding out and overtaking the plot or in your experience does clover persist pretty well?

 

[Howboutthemdawgs]

Worth a shot, I may change a couple more over to clover.

Do you have preferences on cereal grains for drilling in? Should I be concerned about them seeding out and overtaking the plot or in your experience does clover persist pretty well?

Multiple years with minimal maintenance. I would think with minimum overseeding it could go for perpetuity.
This plot is in year 4. I spray it twice a year and mow it once at the end of August.
As far as the cereal grains no I wouldn’t worry about that. If your plot is thick with clover you may have trouble getting cereal grains to come up. You can terminate any cereal grain with Cleth so that’s a non factor

 

[BenAllgood]

I've been impressed with standing corn. My farmer picks it a few rows at a time and I still have some of the 4 acres standing. It is on its 3rd year of back to back planting and still going good. You could overseed it with cereals or plant corn directly into a clover base. Pick the road side last. The deer on me were coming out of bedding, walking across an acre of cereals taking a few bites, and heading straight to the corn. Some of them didn't even take a bite of the oats/wheat.

 

[bigboreblr]

East field edge I would focus on making more seclusion at the expense of smaller foodplots. 2 rows of norway spruce.

Standing corn trumps corn. Does your genesis drill have the small seed box too? Put corn in every other box, and clover in small seed box. Or, seed clover, then seed corn with a 2nd pass, referably at a 90 degree angle. Rotate that every year in a plot. Rye n clover the other 2 years.

Work hard to get the deer out of that east field. Maybe seclude that 2.2 foodplot even more. Get them to go north istead of going east

I'd be closing in that 22 plot to both the north road access and the east field. Might be loosing 30% of that food lot, but you'd be gaining deer movement through your property.

3 stage plan. Spruces, then some sort of shrub line, and a line of some sort of seasonal standing seclusion. Your choice, corn, millet, sorghum, maybe a soil builder like ethopian cabbage.

You should show a more general shot of the area. Deer travel a mile easy for things. Lets see the neighbors neighbors. Sounds like you want the deer more going west and north than suth or east.

That being said, maybe loose a bit of the south side of that 3.6 plot and make them more comfortable at that end of the plot. Make em want to go though your middle of the property.

If adding acreage, maybe work the 1.2 foodplot a little mre on the west end. Cut in that tree line a bit if possible, or be ok loosing that plot's size a decent bit.

 

[gwm]

My $.02:

1.) I'm ringing all the food plots with switchgrass - RC Big Rock or RC Tecumseh (combination of both) depending on your soils.
2.) I'm looking at a line of switchgrass going down the middle of the 3.6 to break up that larger food plot. Can do beans on one side with brassicas on the other. Overseed entire plot with WR. Flip every year or two.
3.) I'm looking at a line of switchgrass to create a pinch point in the 2.2 - can pinch them down but also minimize sight lines within the plot. I would probably do brassicas on one side of the pinch with cereal grains on the other. Flip every other year.
4.) I'm keeping the clover in the 1.2 but adding apple and crabapple trees along with some shrubs - American Plum, Highbush Cranberry and Arrowwood Viburnum.
5.) I'm looking at beans and brassicas overseeded with WR similar to the 3.6.

In my eyes, this makes some of the bigger plots smaller and a little more secluded. All the plots have a variety of food and deer don't have to travel far if they desire beans, brassicas or WR.

Also, I would consider some MG on the east side of the 2.2 and 1.2. The height there could make those plots feel a little more secluded where it opens to larger fields. I'd plant it in a 3-row screen within the switchgrass.

 

[Westwind]

You have a lot of great stuff going on and there have been a lot of really good suggestions above. What is this little sliver in the middle and is it accessible with equipment? I have a couple of these on my property that lay east west and the deer are constantly on them. In fact I am going to fertilize in an attempt to help these spots keep up with the pressure.

 

[Tree Spud]

I am in central Wis also. I would do the following.
- Clover as mentioned above is a great base plant and will add nitrogen to your soil.
- Beans are nice, but they can be wiped out quickly and provide little to no OM. You can still plant if you want, but I would put turnips in early like mid June to get bulb growth by fall and to deal with our
July/Aug slow do in rain. I would plant forage turnips such as Appin or Barkant. They will regrow leaves after browsing. Purple top turnips also good.
- In early Sept, I would broadcast 100 lbs.ac of winter rye. It will stay green into Dec. Bothe the WR & clover will green up in the spring and provide fawning cover. You can crimp the WR before planting
the turnips.
- For a screen on NE roadside, I would plant a double row of Micanthus Giagantus, with Norway spruce planted on either side. The MG will get 10'-12' high and provide a good early screen until the spruce
gets tall enough. Below is my MG and Norway spruce combo.

 

[bigboreblr]

howaboutthemdawgs,

What are you spraying? Those plots look real nice.