Nontraditional Food Plot Attempts?

[Jerry-B-WI]

When unlimited baiting was allowed in Wisconsin pumpkins, carrots, cabbage, and even potatoes were big business. Pickup truck loads and even dump truck loads were sold. I knew a guy that used to get the weeds that were cut out of a local lake and he said the deer loved it, could have been the minerals and different nutrients. Now you only see apples, sugar beets and corn at the gas stations and convenience stores.

 

[bigboreblr]

A coworker of mine does falow. Just put lime in the soil every few years, discs up the plot, and whatever grows grows.

I do a mix of crabgrass, plantain, dandelion, and clover at camp at lawn areas.

I have grown hairy vetch.

 

[Stubborn1VT]

Anyone ever plant 60-80 day garden kale in a food plot? I have seen it at vegetable farms here in Vermont. It gets fairly tall, keeps growing leaves, and stays green into the winter. I necessarily think it would be a huge draw, but it would provide winter food. I also think it would make a fair amount of forage in a small space, since it grows upward. I may try a row or 2. I would just have to figure out when the best planting date would be.

 

[RGrizzzz]

I had two pumpkins sitting around the house that I just collected the seeds out of. I'll put them into the summer mix in a few months.

 

[bigboreblr]

I got a bag of green cover's milpa blend Mix it n with the better treated foodplots of the year at camp.

I got to dig back in the foodplot section here. Some guys down south had some real creative low water blends. This fall got pretty dry here in NY. At camp is sand. Some of the stuff those guys tried had some deep roots, Ike Ethiopian cabbage

 

[S.T.Fanatic]

Anyone ever plant 60-80 day garden kale in a food plot? I have seen it at vegetable farms here in Vermont. It gets fairly tall, keeps growing leaves, and stays green into the winter. I necessarily think it would be a huge draw, but it would provide winter food. I also think it would make a fair amount of forage in a small space, since it grows upward. I may try a row or 2. I would just have to figure out when the best planting date would be.

First year kale goes untouched for me. However, if allowed to grow back the following year it gets about 3’ tall and the deer eat it down to dirt over winter. Only planed it once or twice in the last 15 or so years but that was my experience.


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[Stubborn1VT]

First year kale goes untouched for me. However, if allowed to grow back the following year it gets about 3’ tall and the deer eat it down to dirt over winter. Only planed it once or twice in the last 15 or so years but that was my experience.


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Interesting. The stuff I've seen was about 2' tall, still green in the snow, and surrounded by deer tracks. I think it would over-winter where I live, but I don't think I've seen anybody do that. It seems like they plow/till it under.

I can get 100 or so "dinosaur kale" seeds for about $2, so I think I'm going to give it a shot. I can see my food plot from my picture window, so it should be easy to tell if they like it or not.

 

[Telemark]

I have been planning to do some marrow stem kale. Someone had a photo of a huge plant that a deer annihilated in a single night. Even if the deer don't eat it, it should be good for the soil.

 

[Ikeman]

Without reading the whole thread, I’m sure someone has mentioned okra. Extremely drought tolerant, and heavily preferred by deer. A good addition to a mix. Also, brown top millet.


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[Bowsnbucks]

We broke up our Halloween pumpkins, and our one son put them out for the deer that come out of the woods at his office building. He barely got back inside the building, when several deer walked over to the pumpkin chunks and stayed there eating until they were gone. Took more over a few days later - same result. SE suburban Pa. I guess deer will eat them.

 

[Victor Van Meter]

I have given thought to putting a strip of asphalt through the middle of my plots since the deer around here seem to love to stand in the middle of a county road no matter what time of day!