I will be very curious to read your experiences! I'm am getting to the end of my deer management options for my 60. If it wasn't for the fish ponds, I think I would have pulled the plug already. I may be changing my name from MNFISH to WIFISH
Last night was a great night for JW....With the MN snow and cold the deer starting piling in at my place last night ("piling in" a relative term with our numbers; probably like 6-8). Hitting the mix of rye grain, and brassicas, HARD! I only have 1 acre of it and at this rate it won't make it to Dec! Sure doesn't take too much to get me excited but seeing as there was not a track until last night....glad to see the deer using the food source. AND I may have found some ground in WI to hunt next year along with developing some purchase prospects in WI.
BYE-BYE to 3 tags next year Leslie and thanks for the memories. And now there will be a 60acre doe factory the MN DNR will have no control over ;)
It just sad because the whitetail resource, managed correctly, has such great potential in my born and raised state of MN. It will be interesting to see how bad it has to get before it gets better.
My corn does fine in small plots without e fence at present.
Foodplots for this year. Corn was the only success.
Stranding beans were used little this fall. As usual brassica not used, rye got little use, sugar beets little use. Radishes same thing.
rye is a benefit to the herd in early spring.
Even the rye and brassica in zone 1 were just nibbled on.
I read things on this forum about no till rye/wheat and brassica blends, don't plant corn, plant beans instead. And so on. I just don't buy it. There are regional differences and even differences within a few miles as well as between different years.
If you can do it, plant corn in the northland. Deer don't survive on brassica and rye/wheat under 3 foot of snow.
Brooks-bears taste great, also!Bears raise hell on corn. I have watched 5 acre fields completely destroyed.
I can not tell you how many times this story has repeated itself. Passionate deer hunters quit hunting MN. Without change I will be joining that phenomenon.
I will hopefully be hunting Kansas next year if I can draw. I will still buy one tag in Mn but I've had more than enough of this state. Twenty more years of work then I'm outta here.I can not tell you how many times this story has repeated itself. Passionate deer hunters quit hunting MN. Without change I will be joining that phenomenon.
My coon numbers seem to be at a low for now. Their populations cycle with fur price and disease. My neighbor also has many acres of sweet corn. That might take pressure off of my corn.Art, when you say small plots for corn, what size are you talking? I too don't have much for bear but have a lot in the way of coon's. Fish ponds and raccoons go together like peanut butter and jelly! Do you have much in the way of coon damage?
Beans are THE major draw here right now. Standing corn on the other side of the road (maybe 60' away) is seeing minimal usage. Its ALL about those standing beans. That may change if we get more snow, but I'll bet the deer are in those beans until they're gone (which is gonna take awhile, must be about 50-60 acres of them) or until they're totally covered with snow.
Beans are "hot" for me right now. The traffic in that 1.5 acre field is nuts. I'm drawing in deer from all over
If you guys had to guess with the bean usage that you are seeing, how long (# of days) would an average 1 acre field of beans (like 40 bushel) last with 6-8 deer on them.
Note: I noticed the GH radishes and red clover were a good draw early. My LC mix was ok but not fantastic. It was secluded up against good bedding. PTT almost zero eaten so far
If you guys had to guess with the bean usage that you are seeing, how long (# of days) would an average 1 acre field of beans (like 40 bushel) last with 6-8 deer on them.