Nontraditional Food Plot Attempts?

[CrippleCreek]

Who here has tried to utilized any "nontraditional" food plot varieties? It seems that deer love various squashes, pumpkins, potatoes, shoot even the hostas from the garden that seem to grow easily in my neck of the woods. To be clear, I haven't given it any serious consideration, it was just a random thought on my lunch break and was curious if anyone has tried it.

 

[Wind Gypsy]

Who here has tried to utilized any "nontraditional" food plot varieties? It seems that deer love various squashes, pumpkins, potatoes, shoot even the hostas from the garden that seem to grow easily in my neck of the woods. To be clear, I haven't given it any serious consideration, it was just a random thought on my lunch break and was curious if anyone has tried it.

Most of that seems like a bigger headache to grow than common food plots and standard shrubs/browse plantings.

 

[SD51555]

If I had an extra month of growing season, I’d be throwing short season squash in right before throw and roll. I get about 60 days between natural summer termination and first frost. I probably should go for it just in case I get a late fall.


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[jsasker007]

I haven't done it intentionally but have had some weeds that the deer really go after. Nice when weeds contribute to the feeding program. I think one of them was jewelweed bit I'm not positive. Found that even if you just have a field of grass and mow part of it the deer will come and eat the mowed section after a couple of days when it starts to rebound again. It's just grass but it gets eaten on a regular basis until it get's too tall and stemmy again.

 

[Catscratch]

I plant food beans (from the store such as pinto beans or whatever they have), sunflowers in the fall, pumpkins, carrots, etc.

 

[Wind Gypsy]

Most of that seems like a bigger headache to grow than common food plots and standard shrubs/browse plantings.

in a related thought - I live on a wooded 6 acres on the transition of a neighborhood and ag. My wife's garden has pumpkins, squash, and cucumbers spilling out of fenced protection that i've not seen any notable browse on. In the very same area we have red osier dogwoods, apple trees and clover/chicory that gets hit pretty hard by deer. The hostas next to the dogwoods get left alone too. Those results dont make me want to plant pumpkins, squash, and hostas on the hunting land.

 

[SwampCat]

I have planted pumpkins before and they didnt touch them. Hogs wouldnt even eat them

 

[Native Hunter]

When I mow shooting lanes in late summer/early fall, I create a food plot full of nontraditional species. I watch deer stand for over an hour sometimes eating and not moving 50 yards. What they are eating is small forbs that are released once a thicket of 9 foot tall NWSGS stops blocking the sunlight.......and oh yea, they are also eating the tender new NWSG growth that shoots up after the mowing.

But people say, "Oh deer don't eat grass........." I say , then why do you plant wheat, oats and rye?? All of those are in the grass family. I watch this play out every year and it goes on well into late November.

 

[CrippleCreek]

I had a row of hostas in front of my house that the deer used to mow down, they'd grow back in a matter of days, then gone again. My neighbor and I used to joke that we may as well put out some ranch dressing for the salad bar in front of the house for them. He always used to gripe about the deer smashing his pumpkins and squash once they began to develop to eat them as well. I don't plan on planting an entire vegetable garden for them any time soon, and I agree with @Wind Gypsy it is likely more hassle than anything else but I couldn't help but wonder if anyone has tried. Out of pure curiosity I may just have to throw some pumpkin or squash plants on the edge of the woods sometime for the S&Gs of it.

 

[SD51555]

in a related thought - I live on a wooded 6 acres on the transition of a neighborhood and ag. My wife's garden has pumpkins, squash, and cucumbers spilling out of fenced protection that i've not seen any notable browse on. In the very same area we have red osier dogwoods, apple trees and clover/chicory that gets hit pretty hard by deer. The hostas next to the dogwoods get left alone too. Those results dont make me want to plant pumpkins, squash, and hostas on the hunting land.

Probably means you’re not running out of food if they won’t slide that far down the scale.

Up by me food runs out and deer eat some awful things when that happens. Pumpkins and squash are a November timing, but when that time hits, it’s #1 until it’s gone.


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[Wind Gypsy]

Probably means you’re not running out of food if they won’t slide that far down the scale.

Up by me food runs out and deer eat some awful things when that happens. Pumpkins and squash are a November timing, but when that time hits, it’s #1 until it’s gone.

I'll look closer this fall/winter but they don't seem to touch the discarded pumpkins/squash we toss in the woods either. Lots of acorns, ag, and deer level browse available in the area.

 

[Catscratch]

I have planted pumpkins before and they didnt touch them. Hogs wouldnt even eat them

Deer didn't eat my pumpkins at first, I even dumped corn on them once. But, once one took a bite out of one of them it was game over. They hammered them after she taught the rest they were good. Even watch yotes eat pumpkins. Thought I could get them to eat turnips eventually but no such luck.

 

[Ben.MN/WI]

It took a while for the deer by my house to show any interest in pumpkins, but after growing them for 5+ years the deer love them. They even eat them when they are green and hard, which is surprising. The tonnage you can get from a 1/4 acre pumpkin patch is impressive alone, but I also overseed that area in late summer with whatever leftover seeds I have lying around and that adds a few bonus calories.

 

[Electrodigical]

I'd love to do something like this. I have a little bit left of what once was road front yard. It's slowly, or not so slowly turning into woods. I'm reluctant to cut it (pay someone to cut it) or kill it, just to kill is as it's good bedding. But I'd much rather it not turn into forrest and I'd prefer to make the property look "kept", dissuade trespassers and what not. I'd love to plant it all sunflowers, but that doesn't seem practical (smart) money wise. Maybe a hodgepodge of things like sunflowers and pumpkins. (though I think both of those would probably be inviting trespassers. lol)

 

[Telemark]

One of these days, I'm going to cage a bunch of pumpkins for a food plot. It'll probably attract raccoons and bears.

Any specific variety the deer prefer?

 

[Hoytvectrix]

Bill Winke has a few videos on pumpkins:

We have planted a few pumpkin patches. Typically we put them in bare spots on the edges of fields. Nothing really touches them until late fall, but they will absolutely be used as a food source by deer in our neck of the woods.

 

[Ben.MN/WI]

One of these days, I'm going to cage a bunch of pumpkins for a food plot. It'll probably attract raccoons and bears.

Any specific variety the deer prefer?

I've had good luck with Connecticut field pumpkins. These are the standard halloween type pumpkins that my kids prefer. I order the seeds online one year and then the next several years I simply collect and seeds from the pumpkins we carve for halloween. That seems to work great for a few years until they slowly drift in size and shape due to cross fertilization and then it is time to order a new batch of seeds.

The deer could care less what the pumpkins look like though, they eat the mutant pumpkin/squash hybrids but my kids prefer the standard pumpkin look.

 

[Telemark]

I've had good luck with Connecticut field pumpkins. These are the standard halloween type pumpkins that my kids prefer. I order the seeds online one year and then the next several years I simply collect and seeds from the pumpkins we carve for halloween. That seems to work great for a few years until they slowly drift in size and shape due to cross fertilization and then it is time to order a new batch of seeds.

The deer could care less what the pumpkins look like though, they eat the mutant pumpkin/squash hybrids but my kids prefer the standard pumpkin look.

Sounds great. The cheaper, the better. I was planting F1 Hokkaido style pumpkins and getting completely wiped out before the plants even made it to a foot long. Really bummed me out until I realized it might be a blessing in disguise.

 

[Tree Spud]

Pumpkins can be a challenge as deer may eat the flowers on the vine.

 

[Telemark]

Pumpkins can be a challenge as deer may eat the flowers on the vine.

Oh yes they do. That's why I will cage anything I want to produce actual pumpkins.