winter food plots

[JFK52]

I purposely leave my RR corn and soy bean food plots up all winter for the deer. I planted 5 acres of corn and about 9 acres of soy beans. My soy beans and corn both did very well this season, with adequate rain and good growing conditions. I figure that I averaged about 45 bushels per acre on the soy bean fields. Not bad for a non irrigated crop.
My farmer just checked the land to see how much is left in the food plots. Two smaller soy bean fields are cleaned out. The larger soy bean field has some beans left in certain spots. The corn field is completely stripped on both ends with only the middle 1/2 of the field left with corn.
I figure that I overwinter on average about 40-50 deer on my land. When my farmer drove around it yesterday he estimated that he saw 80 to 100 deer. He also found a shed with a 10 inch G2. I don't think I saw that buck during the last year. He also saw one yearling with a crippled front leg. All the deer seemed to be fat and healthy. That should translate into a good fawn crop this summer.

 

[Fall's Legend]

Good work!

 

[bueller]

On the flip side I hope you aren't counting on any oak regen in the surrounding woods. That's a lot of deer you are overwintering with those crops.

But hunting must be darn good. What county are you in again? I forgot.

 

[Bill]

You may want to brush hog the corn soon.
I had RR corn left one spring and it was kind of a mess as it reseeded itself. Hard to deal with without deep plowing it.
Because it could lay there for weeks before germination. Planting beans in it wouldn't work because it was RR.

I ended up keeping it mowed then planted rye in the fall. Lost a good bean plot for a summer.

 

[kabic]

My deer don't seem to like sorghum

 

[Coop]

My deer don't seem to like sorghum

I've never seen sorghum get much browse pressure.

 

[JFK52]

I am in Portage county. I do brush hog the corn before I have it no till planted in the spring. If I get a load of paper mill sludge delivered, their equipment kind of flattens the standing stalks. Surprisingly, I have had great oak regeneration. Most of it was from clear cuts done over 23 years ago. I believe a lot of the deer migrate in from some distance as I think the population estimate is about 30-40 deer per square mile. The corn gets eaten to the kernel. What the deer miss or drop the flocks of turkeys clean up later. Landowner just North of me as 70 acres of oak savanna that is just outstanding. Clear cutting of my small aspen groves this winter will provide some more browse for these deer.

 

[Bill]

You obviously have more critters eating that corn than I do.
I had a mess on my hands.

 

[j-bird]

I do the same just on a much smaller scale and with far fewer deer.

 

[Greta&Gus]

In a rough winter we had our sorghum hammered. The next year they didn't touch it. We haven't planted it in a few years. I think out west deer eat it regularly. I think it is similar to brassicas and area preferences. I don't know much about the different varieties of sorghum but I assume some are more attractive than others.

 

[JFK52]

I have seen 20-40 deer use my land or my neighbors land that has thick cover as a winter yarding area in the past. I have never seen such numbers of deer as this season. The lack of snow depth must have allowed deer to migrate in from a couple of miles in every direction. I am sure they will disperse back to their original areas when winter ends. Besides the deer there are probably 50+ turkeys using the food plots also.