Another great video bill thank you for sharing what you learned on your farm in the different areas for a different foods worked best We had the opposite we had 0 acorns here in New York this year And last year So the deer fed heavily on anything that was out there 😊 Great to see your daughter back with you again as well 😊
Thanks for the support Warbird. I don't know of a way to predict acorn production in the spring so every year we have to assume the deer will need the food plots to make it through the winter in good shape. So, I will keep putting the food out there expecting that this year will be much different. Good luck.
Interesting to see the you had corn left over. On another note, you mentioned a while back that you might do a video on the performance of your trail cams. Looked like you had 3-4 brands/types to compare? Looking forward to that one. Thanks Bill.
Yes, I will do that. Most worked well once I hit on the "recipe" that they like - right batteries and SD cards in each. I will cover it though. Have a great day.
This year was the best acorn year ever. The deer by us have not touched the corn. Because of the acorns. I had the same problem as you a few years ago. If you have big enough foods plots . Plant sugar beets. They make a Ag sugar beets that are round up ready.
Hi Bill, thanks for sharing the information on your farm. I am by no means an expert but my understanding is that deer will hit the corn really hard as their main food source when we have a lot of cold temps because of the carbohydrates in it. I think with this being a really warm year they didn't need all those carbs. they could get by with the woody browse and acorns. Thanks again.
Not to mention, plenty of "hard" stuff -- acorns, corn, browse, long digestion. Maybe put more weight on soft digestible greens. Natural forbes weeds will start petering out come fall, hunting.
Agree. If we only know what the winter will hold we can figure out the best mix of plantings. I do think that when it is cold they want grains and when it is moderate and mild they want greens. That has been my experience. When it comes to grains, I may lean more toward sorghum and beans as my base plot because I can easily broadcast other stuff into them in the summer. Harder to do that with corn. But, when it is cold - nothing beats corn. Plus, it is much easier to sneak in and out of stands or blinds when you have the tall corn. But, again, I need to lean more toward the beans and sorghum.
This is exactly what we seen here in SW WI. We had 8 acres of standing beans and cut corn. The deer hit it hard when we had the -20 temps but the rest of the year they are staying in the big timbers to the east of our property. I could combine the beans with good yield yet... Seems like recently with the warm temps they are hitting hay and wheat over corn and beans. I did not plant any radish or beats this year and everyone that did they got hammered. Weird year for sure.
I live where 1 ft or more of snow cover is typical. Sometimes before Christmas. Standing corn works well once other food is buried under the snow. They do paw down to, acorns, winter rye or clover. Turnips and beats often are still there in spring and become a good first spring food source with the clover. Over time I've come to like a mix of beets, turnip, annual rye planted into a clover patch August first. The deer will paw threw some pretty deep snow to get into that combo. I do about 30 mounds of pumpkins with 3-4 plants per mound. I flagged the mounds and hit them with 10-10-10 the 1st of June July and August. Last year I even watered them because of the drought. Most years we get 500-600 pumpkins. Most are eaten up by mid to late October.
I am really liking the pumpkin angle as you can easily add it to the outside rows of another plot and still get good results. I will be adding pumpkins to most of my plots in the future. Cheap to plant and pretty easy, assuming decent weather. Ours did fine with only the fertilizer we applied to the plot for the sorghum/corn that went into the main portion.
I’ve noticed the past several years here in central Illinois that the deer don’t seem to be eating corn like they used to. I was thinking it may be do to all the genetically enhanced stuff they’ve done to get more yield from it. We had a guy plant popcorn here once a long time ago and the deer were all over it. I had never seen it grown around here before that or since then. I don’t know if they liked it so much because it was something different or what. Maybe that could be something you could try.
I broadcasted Proso Millet(drought tolerant)up around my house and the deer smashed it daily till September when rhymin rye went in the ground.just didn’t like all the dove at my access and exit. I’m not the diehard hunter but enjoy my spare non working time in the woods.I enjoy watching the deer get bigger and better every year. Sorry Carson think I referred to you as Jordan in a previous comment. I enjoy y’all’s videos.
@@bill-winke since I know you have a sense of humor I can say this… I’m in a family too.. but I’m not the one they like to associate with. Warped sense of humor I guess.🤷 Keep plugging away👍👍
Obviously I wasn't there to witness but birds can wipe out sorghum. Possibly why it is gone. And they will start eating it as soon as it matures. So maybe they ate it over a period of time and wasn't super noticeable that it was happening. But also large flocks of birds can focus on a small patch like that and wipe it out in a hurry
I did watch that close all fall as we hunted around that top plot very closely. Deer would walk right through the corn and feed on the sorghum. Plus, most of the sorghum heads were whole in late December when I hunted that area last and then after the cold spell, they were gone. I am sure the birds at some, but the real bird pressure comes from migrating redwing blackbirds and they were long gone by mid to late December.
I don't mind that the deer ate well and my hunting was tougher as a result, it just kind of grinds me that I planted too much food as that all costs money. I don't like wasting money and if I am going to plant it, I want them to eat it! Have a great day.
Y'all had plenty of acron , We had none down South. I don't think I would plant as much food as you did last year probably would be o k. You have a beautiful place there. Good luck this seaso
Thanks David. We definitely had the acorns! It is hard to know exactly what to do because things may have looked a lot different on this farm if we had a normal and low acorn year. Maybe they would have been in the fields and plots every day.
Interesting update, next years comparison to this year should be equally interesting. Would you share your thoughts/ideas on using switchgrass, access concealment/bedding etc? Thanks as always.
@@terry796 terry I agree on the hit of the price but when I average it out over ten plus years of expected prime growth I don’t have such a hard time with the initial hit. (Ps minimal to no maintenance over that period as well).
But, here is my problem with the switchgrass: I have planted hundreds of acres and if you take care of it you get a decent life cycle, but it is not permanent. If you plant acorns (or small trees) you have permanent habit. If after ten years you have to replant your switchgrass, you could have 10 foot tall trees by that time. If you really like switchgrass, then great, but if you really just want great cover, I believe there are better options. I am sure switch plays some role, in small patches, but when "painting the background" of my open pasture hills, I want to do that with oak trees. I can always cut out areas for other purposes later (the foreground of the painting). Plus, the oaks don't all grow well so you get a lot of small opening and diversity even with the oak seeding.
I wish I could say the same My bean fields in upstate NY always got eaten But here in TN my bean field still stands and barley have gotten touched and my radish did not really either The only thing that has is my clover and some cereal rye Just very puzzling as what to try this year
I think we have to be careful not to make too many conclusions from this past year especially if you are in an area where lots of acorns dropped. That sure seemed to change everything.
You just try to have something there for the entire year and hope the weather cooperates. In the end, they will do fine even if they don't get all their favorite foods. They have been surviving with less forever. The question is whether supplying a really good diet will result in healthier deer. The assumption is that it will. Plus, it is just fun. I think I was born to be a farmer, but didn't have the means to do it.
Just out of curiosity, if you have all those acorns already, what was your initial thought on planting more oaks like you did in the earlier episodes? Are you thinking you could have done something different now? Always respect everything you do and love your shows since way back with Greg, Aaron, Zack and the rest of the crew. I'm still watching those every chance I get. Can't wait to see what the future holds on this property. Hopefully I live long enough. Lol. ✌🏻
Thanks for the long time support, Dwain. This year was an anomaly in the normal pattern of acorn production. We all have to be careful not to base long-term decisions on a once in a lifetime event. I have never seen acorn production in my whole life like I saw in 2023. Also, what I plant now still comes down to what is best for the farm long-term. I could try to intentionally create some kind of oak savanna in those areas where we planted the acorns, but I think nature will do that anyway. Those acres won't be a solid stand of oak trees given the random nature of germination and survival of the oak trees. Also, those tiny little oak trees that are springing up from the direct acorn seedings won't drop acorns of their own in my lifetime, so this is really just a long-term habitat decision. I have noticed a very definite lack of good oak timber in most of the state and I think it is good to re-establish a balanced oak forest. Plus, I just like oak trees. Again, what I am planting now will likely turn into a scattered oak regrowth with lots of other plants and weeds filling in the holes. So, the simple answer is, no I would not change what we did in those 30 acres. Have a great weekend and thanks again for all the support.
I'm from WV, in my area there isn't really any large amounts of crops. A small farm I got permission on this year about a 1/2 mile from my house has 2 fields separated by a creek. Front field is for hay and the back "smaller" field was planted in Sudan Grass and the deer have absolutely demolished it !!!
Mark, my neighbors and my tenant farmer only plant corn on corn. No rotation. I think it has to do somewhat with the land structure as corn doesn't allow the ground to erode as much as beans and probably that is what they need on their farms for feeding cattle. You are right though, if we had beans there would be more deer. I have seen that for sure in the southern Iowa farm. I will plant more beans in my food plots this year too - hope we get some rain this year!
Interesting the food you still have left, but I agree that ALL those acorns had a great deal to do with the corn left. Hope Jordan is healed enough to run, I am on week 2/12 of Higdon Half Marathon Training.
I believe it was roughly 20 acres planted to food plots of which only about half grew well because of drought. We have 625 total acres. In a normal year, that should be a good ratio given that our deer numbers are not high and the farm does have some commercial ag also.
Hey Bill, really enjoy your videos. Have learned a lot from them. I’m located in southern Ohio and I have a 2 acre food plot that is split into 3 different sections. If you would plant three things excluding grain, what would they be? Thanks for the help.
For sure a white clover blend like Imperial Whitetail Clover would be key, a brassica blend (I like the Winter-Greens from Whitetail Institute) and probably fall/winter rye or a fall rye/oats blend in the other section.
Ah, Bill, that was a White. I used that a lot. I borrowed that tractor from the guy that stores his equipment in my other shed. Last summer, I decided I needed to buy something (that John Deere) because I needed a loader and also because I was starting the Dream Farm series and needed a tractor that wouldn't look too rough when filming segments with the drill and other equipment.
@@billgadient8567 OK, got you. Those aren't mine. They belong to the custom farmer who plants and harvests the corn that my cash renter hires. So, I cash rent those bench fields and that guy hires someone else to plant and combine. I suppose, I could just hire the custom farmer, (I have done that before) but this is a lot easier and there isn't enough at stake on those small fields to worry about. Have a great day.
With all those oaks/acorns that spreads the deer out so much too. Really difficult to pattern any of them in a high production year. Might be a good idea to remove some of those ? Unless of course there’s just way too many. For hunting that can be difficult.
Steve, there are a lot of them for sure, but I don't intend to make a timber sale based on too many acorns. That was a one year thing. We may never see another year like that in the next 40 years. Also, I am not opposed to the deer having "too much food". That's OK because long-term that will produce some really healthy deer and some good bucks. The best timber/logging strategies are based on the quality of the timber itself, the need to thin and the current market prices. Thanks for the comment. Have a great day.
Good stuff. Any deeper thoughts on the likely lower mast crop of acorns next year? I am prepared to see considerably less. One of my Forester friends I worked with in IN taught me that many oak "species" typically skip a year of mast. And occasionally have a huge "bumper" crop every few years. I would agree.
I bet the acorn crop will be low this coming year as it seemed that every tree had acorns this year. It was the perfect storm for acorns. Not sure how often that happens, but I bet it is very rare. Have a great day.
How much food do you have Bill & Jordan? Acres of food per total acres? Curious the ratio and do you think that will be enough in normal acorn production years vs low years? 10% or higher? I know there’s a recommendation but it’s all density dependent really.
The affect the acorns had on food plot use is the real question here and why I am not too keen to make a lot of decisions based on this one year of super high acorn production. In a normal year, things will be different and as time goes by, this farm will get more deer (even if I try to keep the numbers low). We had roughly 17 acres of food plots on a total of 625 acres. There were also 100 acres of harvested crop fields. So it was a decent, but not a huge amount of food. I think without the acorn production, the deer definitely would have eaten a lot more of it. So, while I don't plan to add more food plot acres this coming year, I do plan to change what I plant in them and will go from there. Have a great day.
Do you think that the deer are just sick of eating corn seeing how its quite prevalent in the area and the can get it just about anytime they want it great video as always
Probably. I was thinking that too. The mild winter and all the acorns gave them another reason to ignore the corn. I was surprised by how little corn they ate during the summer of 2023 also. I am used to deer hitting corn hard on drought years during the mid-summer. They didn't hit it as hard as I expected but they totally wiped out my bean plots in June and early July. I didn't go into it on the video, but I planted 13 acres of beans in late May/early June and the deer ate almost all of it during the summer. Granted, it was growing really slow because of the drought so it was easy for them to stay ahead of it. I do think I will plant more beans this year (a lot more) and, as I said in the video, over-plant it with sorghum and Winter-Greens as needed during the summer to fill in any holes. If we get rain, I think the beans will hold their own, and create a great summer/fall/winter food source and the over-seeded crops will carry that through the winter. I will still plant corn, but I won't focus on it like I did in 2023.
Great follow up. Have you considered a perennial clover and chicory mix? The deer hammered my chicory plot this year, so much so that I am adding a strip on all of my plots! Looking forward to seeing your 2024 plot plan and associated strategy!
Jack, that would make a lot of sense for the top field where dry conditions are a definite factor as I understand that chicory does well in dry conditions. Thanks for the support.
We can’t predict Mother Nature without rain and snow our crops don’t grow well, so if you would of had more snow the corn would have been eaten more and with Milo a lot of birds enjoy it but you supplied the animals with a good variety to keep them healthy no matter the weather ✌🏻👍🇺🇸
They loved my clover the last two years. Add in winter rye and oats in late summer. Need to make my plot bigger as ate to the dirt last year. Wasn’t much left this year when snow hit. No ag in my area all timber
That makes sense. When you have a lot of timber nearby and decent deer numbers, they will wipe you out fast. Clover is a very good option. You might also try a brassica blend (I like the Whitetail Institute Winter-Greens) as another option when you make it bigger. whitetailinstitute.com/winter-greens/ That blend produces a lot of tonnage of forage. Having all three of those options will make for a very good plot. Then be sure to rotate them around when the clover plays out and needs to be replanted. Good luck.
@@bill-winkehave tried brassicas but had few drought seasons and later planting didn’t get enough rain. What little sprouted made to four inches tall and deer ate it to ground. Making plot bigger this year and another one improving also. Lot of does in area as well
You talked about corn versus sorghum, and noted the preference for sorghum. Maybe it’s not a preference for sorghum, maybe it’s a preference or something besides what the agricultural crops in the area are growing. Thoughts on that?
That might be true. The deer here may just be tired of corn. That is all the neighbors plant. They never rotate to beans on the bordering farms. I do have about 20 acres of alfalfa in a field along the property line, but otherwise, everything is corn. I do think they just want something else. Good point.
With oaks everywhere and endless supply of acorns are you going to selectively harvest some of the more mature trees ? Too many seems like just as big of problem as not enough for hunting - maybe worse except you can log them and make money
Timmy, in some spots we do need to take some of them as they are getting over-mature. We also need to keep in mind that most years won't have acorn production like last year. Last year was the most acorn production I have seen in my life. I may just have to adjust the way I hunt (deeper in the timber) rather than on the edges. I really just like oak trees and hate cutting them just to make the deer more vulnerable.
Any indication that they ate any amount of the apples in early season ? Or if that was an early draw maybe. Look forward to the next episode. Thanks Bill and Jordan
Shane, we need to look at that closer. I do remember looking at one tree in mid-November that had an actual pile of apples under it. They were two and three deep all over under the tree. I think the deer eat apples pretty aggressively early and then when they are all falling they can't keep up. Some of these trees I am sure have more than a ton of apples in them. That is a lot of apples for deer to eat. But, I will take a closer look at those trees in the next few days - and do an episode about that. Have a great day.
I think if you knock it down, the deer will eat it quicker, especially this time of the year when they are looking for anything easy to eat. Knocking it down just makes it easier for the deer to eat and will help to cause the stalks to decay a bit faster for this coming year's planting. Good luck.
That is a very good tip and the main reason I will probably plant most (if not all) of that bottom corn plot to beans this year so I can clean it up with the Clethodim. Have a great day.
Even thought it was a drought year. I was surprised as well that the Acorn crop was one of the biggest I have seen in 24 years here. This idea may be stupid. Just Wondering if what you need to do is a timber cut to remove some of the oaks, to lower the amount of food in the timber to make your food plots more attractive.
Tom, most years there will be much less acorn production. Plus, I would not make that kind of decision based on deer, but rather on the timber quality and need for a harvest to improve the overall stand. Also, I have no problem with the deer having more than enough to eat and thereby making the hunting harder. I like that they are very healthy.
Not a bad thing to have a lot of food remaining after season. Lets you know the bucks are healthy as they drop antlers and begin growth on the new ones. Why don't you plant alfalfa?
Agreed, I will not complain about having too much food even if it does spread the deer and make them harder to hunt. I do need to plant alfalfa on the top ridge field. But, there is a 25 acre field of alfalfa on the extreme NW corner of the property that is maintained and rented by a local farmer. The deer do feed in that a bit during the summer, but not a ton during the rest of the year, especially this past year. Have a great day.
I think I have hit just about all the direct seeding for now. I have have about 15 to 20 more acres on the top but that buffer area is full of small apple trees. I am going to give that area a few years first to see what those little trees turn into before I decide on a plan for those acres. But you are right - there is no better time to do habitat work than when the deer numbers are low and they aren't looking hard for food.
All in all it was a very strange year due to the excessive acorn crop which I believe changed the deer movement and patterns. It made it appear that the deer population was way down.
I think the deer favoring the sorghum might be because the diversity of this plant species is not available elsewhere in your area. Diversity/variety is king in nature. Deer favoring acorns from an oak producing acorns in a low acorn production year would be a good example of why sorghum would be so desirable in your area.
Most of it is on the ground and they still aren't eating it. The sign isn't even there. Very strange. I think after it warmed back up and the snow melted they went to something else. I see more deer in the brassica plots now than in the corn.
@@dylanhalseth1755 Technically, I believe so in Iowa, but each state is likely different. I have asked that question of a few game wardens and I have gotten slightly different answers. It is best to ask the local game warden before you do it.
Dan, we need to do a follow-up episode about the apple trees. We will do that next in the Dream Farm series since that is where I first started talking about them.
You mean like pulling new deer onto the farm? Based on the sign I am seeing, I would say we didn't pull any new deer this winter. I kind of wonder if the deer here are used to moving away in the winter and it may take some time to teach them to stay. Not a lot of sign here right now. This is a very unusual property/neighborhood. I will have fun figuring out why they do what they do,.
No, we just planted them by hand, four seeds per "hill" with each hill being about an inch or so deep and about four or five feet apart. But, I have heard that you can plant them with a corn planter. We just planted a few here and there to see how it worked. We will plant more this year, but again, just along the edges of the fields and again by hand. Have a great day.
I just bought it from the local co-op in the nearest town. He then ordered it from a seed dealer in La Crosse, WI. I am not sure what brand or variety, but I may experiment a little this spring to see if the variety makes a difference. Have a great day.
I am not managing my farm only for deer. In the end, much of the Midwest is losing its awesome oak stands. Just like I did in southern Iowa, this my contribution to reversing that on a small scale. I walked a lot of farms (and tons of public land) before buying this one and most of them had very poor timber (low grade trees). Also, these small trees that I am planting won't drop an acorn prior to my passing, so it is more about the future. One last thing, most years aren't standout acorn production years like this past one. In fact, I have never seen one like that before. So most years, you get some acorns, but nothing like this past year.
Yeah the only thing if you get a normal winter and deep snow the deer would have really hammered your corn I feel. I have heard the deer really like sorghum. Don't you have lots'a wild turkeys there as well? They should be putting on weight with all that food. You should find a 2 row corn picker to salvage what's left in the spring. I would think you could sell it to someone. Then it wont regrow either.
Yes, we do have quite a few turkeys. Should have been a really good year for them too as they are also acorn eaters. I should buy a cheap corn picker. Even a self-propelled gas 4 row combine is just a $2,000 to $3,000. I can sell it to the elevator just a couple miles away, but getting it out of the field was the issue. That plot was just too small to get a local farmer excited about pulling his combine out of storage in the spring. I will just plant less corn this coming year and more of other stuff. Have a great day. Thanks for the support.
@@bill-winke Yep I have a little John Deere 3300 3 row I use but I also raise a few hundred ringneck pheasants every year so I have something to feed it to. With the combine you almost need a shed to keep it in to keep it functional also. Corns only $4 now a few years back at $7 it would be hard to leave it out there. 😬🙂
It sounds like you're making some planting decisions for next season based on this winter that is the oddest in living memory, and possibly the biggest acorn drop in living memory. You're talking about planting less corn, but couldn't it be the case that you'd wish you had it if next winter turns out to be a mean one? Or do you think you have more than enough corn for even that scenario?
Keith, you are right and that is the big question now. I know the deer really loved the beans I planted here in the past, possibly because there is so little of it planted in this area. I may plant more beans especially in key areas. I also like the fact that I can overseed bean plots with sorghum and Winter-Greens if the beans aren't doing well in the early-to-mid summer. It is a really good question. I have not decided 100% yet. I am guessing I will still plant some corn, but I won't rely on it as my number one go-to for the spots where I think the bucks I am hunting will be living. I think I will lean toward beans/sorghum/Winter-Greens in those areas. I will do an episode about this once I decide on the best plan.
That is the downside once they get used to sorghum and know what is coming. Once I see that, I will have to pull back on sorghum. I am hoping they are slow to figure that out here.
@@bill-winke I have found that it takes a few seasons .This year it will just be mixed planted with the Cover on the edges I plant .It makes a perfect mix with Egyptian wheat grass, Sudan grass or Elephant grass Two birds one bush as it were . I like Proso millet grows fast fast 60 days to head mid late summer planting for me after the sorgum takes a hit .
Might be worth looking at, but I have never seen deer resist any kind of corn in the places I have hunted and managed in the past. But this place is unique with its herd dynamic and this year was unique with the heavy acorn production, so I am not going to make too many management decisions based on just the results from this past winter. Have a great day.
We did but the deer ate them back in the summer because they just grew too slowly due to the drought. They never got more than about a foot tall. I may try them again this year and hope the weather cooperates this year.
Ive noticed that some areas allways hold deer. Some have potential if you leave the land alone. Your spot just doesnt seem like a generational spot. Fools gold land as i call it. I hate to say it but id sell and look for river bottom land.
I will give it a few more years. I think since this area has been cattle pasture forever it will take some time to change the habits of the deer that live here.
I will have to check that out. I have always gone the cheap route and just planted what the conservation groups have that I can get for free. The seed companies have to do something with their leftover corn (and other seeds) that fall out of their germination range so they donate them to the conservation groups (Pheasants Forever, Whitetails Unlimited, state DNR, etc.) and write off the seed cost. I just up the seeding rate about 10% to make up for the lower germination rate and it works well - usually.
Robert, yes, I will cover that in a separate episode, but from what I saw back in November, they sure didn't eat them all. In spots with isolated trees they hammered them, but in the areas with lots of apple trees they didn't come even close to eating them all.
I am sure you are right. I don't think we pulled hardly any deer this year - at least the sign was not heavy and there were not trails coming in off neighboring farms. Have a great day.
What a sweet girl Bill. Love those episodes with you both. Heat a great relationship you all have. May you always be blessed Sir!
Nice to see the young lady involved in the videos you make, who knows maybe some day she’ll take over.
Exactly. That would be awesome. I could use a little retirement living!
Another great video bill thank you for sharing what you learned on your farm in the different areas for a different foods worked best We had the opposite we had 0 acorns here in New York this year And last year So the deer fed heavily on anything that was out there 😊 Great to see your daughter back with you again as well 😊
Thanks for the support Warbird. I don't know of a way to predict acorn production in the spring so every year we have to assume the deer will need the food plots to make it through the winter in good shape. So, I will keep putting the food out there expecting that this year will be much different. Good luck.
Glad to have u back bill!
Good to be back Shawn. Have a great day.
Interesting to see the you had corn left over. On another note, you mentioned a while back that you might do a video on the performance of your trail cams. Looked like you had 3-4 brands/types to compare? Looking forward to that one. Thanks Bill.
Yes, I will do that. Most worked well once I hit on the "recipe" that they like - right batteries and SD cards in each. I will cover it though. Have a great day.
Very interesting, great info Bill and Jordan.
Thanks Mitchell. Have a great day.
Very interesting Bill. Thanks
Thanks for the comment. Appreciated.
This year was the best acorn year ever. The deer by us have not touched the corn. Because of the acorns. I had the same problem as you a few years ago. If you have big enough foods plots . Plant sugar beets. They make a Ag sugar beets that are round up ready.
Where do you get your sugar beet seed that is round up ready, seed rate, and price per pound???? I would like to try this.
Following
Betaseeds
I will take a look at that. I had heard that sugar beats are attractive, but hard to grow because of the weed problem. Thanks.
Also don't plant them with anything other crops
Great video Bill...
Thanks Clay. Much appreciated.
Hi Bill, thanks for sharing the information on your farm. I am by no means an expert but my understanding is that deer will hit the corn really hard as their main food source when we have a lot of cold temps because of the carbohydrates in it. I think with this being a really warm year they didn't need all those carbs. they could get by with the woody browse and acorns. Thanks again.
Not to mention, plenty of "hard" stuff -- acorns, corn, browse, long digestion. Maybe put more weight on soft digestible greens. Natural forbes weeds will start petering out come fall, hunting.
Agree. If we only know what the winter will hold we can figure out the best mix of plantings. I do think that when it is cold they want grains and when it is moderate and mild they want greens. That has been my experience. When it comes to grains, I may lean more toward sorghum and beans as my base plot because I can easily broadcast other stuff into them in the summer. Harder to do that with corn. But, when it is cold - nothing beats corn. Plus, it is much easier to sneak in and out of stands or blinds when you have the tall corn. But, again, I need to lean more toward the beans and sorghum.
This is exactly what we seen here in SW WI. We had 8 acres of standing beans and cut corn. The deer hit it hard when we had the -20 temps but the rest of the year they are staying in the big timbers to the east of our property. I could combine the beans with good yield yet... Seems like recently with the warm temps they are hitting hay and wheat over corn and beans. I did not plant any radish or beats this year and everyone that did they got hammered. Weird year for sure.
I live where 1 ft or more of snow cover is typical. Sometimes before Christmas. Standing corn works well once other food is buried under the snow. They do paw down to, acorns, winter rye or clover. Turnips and beats often are still there in spring and become a good first spring food source with the clover. Over time I've come to like a mix of beets, turnip, annual rye planted into a clover patch August first. The deer will paw threw some pretty deep snow to get into that combo.
I do about 30 mounds of pumpkins with 3-4 plants per mound. I flagged the mounds and hit them with 10-10-10 the 1st of June July and August. Last year I even watered them because of the drought. Most years we get 500-600 pumpkins. Most are eaten up by mid to late October.
I am really liking the pumpkin angle as you can easily add it to the outside rows of another plot and still get good results. I will be adding pumpkins to most of my plots in the future. Cheap to plant and pretty easy, assuming decent weather. Ours did fine with only the fertilizer we applied to the plot for the sorghum/corn that went into the main portion.
Good info guys,thanks
Thanks Ron, much appreciated.
I’ve noticed the past several years here in central Illinois that the deer don’t seem to be eating corn like they used to. I was thinking it may be do to all the genetically enhanced stuff they’ve done to get more yield from it. We had a guy plant popcorn here once a long time ago and the deer were all over it. I had never seen it grown around here before that or since then. I don’t know if they liked it so much because it was something different or what. Maybe that could be something you could try.
I broadcasted Proso Millet(drought tolerant)up around my house and the deer smashed it daily till September when rhymin rye went in the ground.just didn’t like all the dove at my access and exit. I’m not the diehard hunter but enjoy my spare non working time in the woods.I enjoy watching the deer get bigger and better every year.
Sorry Carson think I referred to you as Jordan in a previous comment. I enjoy y’all’s videos.
Thanks Sean. I think the millet is in the sorghum/milo family too. Have a great day.
@@bill-winke since I know you have a sense of humor I can say this…
I’m in a family too.. but I’m not the one they like to associate with.
Warped sense of humor I guess.🤷
Keep plugging away👍👍
sorghum over the corn.. hmmmm. that’s some food for thought. 🤔 this info is invaluable. Thanks Bill and Jordan!
Obviously I wasn't there to witness but birds can wipe out sorghum. Possibly why it is gone. And they will start eating it as soon as it matures. So maybe they ate it over a period of time and wasn't super noticeable that it was happening. But also large flocks of birds can focus on a small patch like that and wipe it out in a hurry
I did watch that close all fall as we hunted around that top plot very closely. Deer would walk right through the corn and feed on the sorghum. Plus, most of the sorghum heads were whole in late December when I hunted that area last and then after the cold spell, they were gone. I am sure the birds at some, but the real bird pressure comes from migrating redwing blackbirds and they were long gone by mid to late December.
Amazing that you can have all that quality food and mother nature curveballs you with Acorns!!!!
I don't mind that the deer ate well and my hunting was tougher as a result, it just kind of grinds me that I planted too much food as that all costs money. I don't like wasting money and if I am going to plant it, I want them to eat it! Have a great day.
Y'all had plenty of acron , We had none down South.
I don't think I would plant as much food as you did last year probably would be o k. You have a beautiful place there.
Good luck this seaso
Thanks David. We definitely had the acorns! It is hard to know exactly what to do because things may have looked a lot different on this farm if we had a normal and low acorn year. Maybe they would have been in the fields and plots every day.
Interesting update, next years comparison to this year should be equally interesting.
Would you share your thoughts/ideas on using switchgrass, access concealment/bedding etc? Thanks as always.
Following. Switchgrass seed is so expensive. Looking for alternative options
@@terry796 terry I agree on the hit of the price but when I average it out over ten plus years of expected prime growth I don’t have such a hard time with the initial hit. (Ps minimal to no maintenance over that period as well).
But, here is my problem with the switchgrass: I have planted hundreds of acres and if you take care of it you get a decent life cycle, but it is not permanent. If you plant acorns (or small trees) you have permanent habit. If after ten years you have to replant your switchgrass, you could have 10 foot tall trees by that time. If you really like switchgrass, then great, but if you really just want great cover, I believe there are better options. I am sure switch plays some role, in small patches, but when "painting the background" of my open pasture hills, I want to do that with oak trees. I can always cut out areas for other purposes later (the foreground of the painting). Plus, the oaks don't all grow well so you get a lot of small opening and diversity even with the oak seeding.
Hey Guys... I too would like an apple report.......good video!!
I will definitely get that soon. Have a great weekend.
I wish I could say the same My bean fields in upstate NY always got eaten But here in TN my bean field still stands and barley have gotten touched and my radish did not really either The only thing that has is my clover and some cereal rye Just very puzzling as what to try this year
I think we have to be careful not to make too many conclusions from this past year especially if you are in an area where lots of acorns dropped. That sure seemed to change everything.
Multi species mixes. More than 10.
Yeah farming for deer is complex , what theyll eat the weather to grow it , we were just planning today what to put out this year
You just try to have something there for the entire year and hope the weather cooperates. In the end, they will do fine even if they don't get all their favorite foods. They have been surviving with less forever. The question is whether supplying a really good diet will result in healthier deer. The assumption is that it will. Plus, it is just fun. I think I was born to be a farmer, but didn't have the means to do it.
Green cover blends year round.🦃
Yes, I need much more clover on the farm for those turkeys, but for sure they will have plenty this year with all the leftover corn. Have a great day.
Just out of curiosity, if you have all those acorns already, what was your initial thought on planting more oaks like you did in the earlier episodes? Are you thinking you could have done something different now? Always respect everything you do and love your shows since way back with Greg, Aaron, Zack and the rest of the crew. I'm still watching those every chance I get. Can't wait to see what the future holds on this property. Hopefully I live long enough. Lol. ✌🏻
Thanks for the long time support, Dwain. This year was an anomaly in the normal pattern of acorn production. We all have to be careful not to base long-term decisions on a once in a lifetime event. I have never seen acorn production in my whole life like I saw in 2023. Also, what I plant now still comes down to what is best for the farm long-term. I could try to intentionally create some kind of oak savanna in those areas where we planted the acorns, but I think nature will do that anyway. Those acres won't be a solid stand of oak trees given the random nature of germination and survival of the oak trees. Also, those tiny little oak trees that are springing up from the direct acorn seedings won't drop acorns of their own in my lifetime, so this is really just a long-term habitat decision. I have noticed a very definite lack of good oak timber in most of the state and I think it is good to re-establish a balanced oak forest. Plus, I just like oak trees. Again, what I am planting now will likely turn into a scattered oak regrowth with lots of other plants and weeds filling in the holes. So, the simple answer is, no I would not change what we did in those 30 acres. Have a great weekend and thanks again for all the support.
I'm from WV, in my area there isn't really any large amounts of crops. A small farm I got permission on this year about a 1/2 mile from my house has 2 fields separated by a creek. Front field is for hay and the back "smaller" field was planted in Sudan Grass and the deer have absolutely demolished it !!!
Sudan grass is another version of sorghum (same family anyway). I think these plants are under-appreciated by deer hunters.
It will be real interesting when you rotate back to beans as the main AG source. I see big shifts in my herd once the beans come back
Mark, my neighbors and my tenant farmer only plant corn on corn. No rotation. I think it has to do somewhat with the land structure as corn doesn't allow the ground to erode as much as beans and probably that is what they need on their farms for feeding cattle. You are right though, if we had beans there would be more deer. I have seen that for sure in the southern Iowa farm. I will plant more beans in my food plots this year too - hope we get some rain this year!
Interesting the food you still have left, but I agree that ALL those acorns had a great deal to do with the corn left. Hope Jordan is healed enough to run, I am on week 2/12 of Higdon Half Marathon Training.
Thanks Grinder. She is back running, trying to keep the mileage down and the speeds up. We appreciate the concern and interest. Have a great day.
@@bill-winke Sure and it is Mark
Another great video Bill! How much total acreage in food did you plant vs number of acres of hunting land?
I believe it was roughly 20 acres planted to food plots of which only about half grew well because of drought. We have 625 total acres. In a normal year, that should be a good ratio given that our deer numbers are not high and the farm does have some commercial ag also.
Hey Bill, really enjoy your videos. Have learned a lot from them. I’m located in southern Ohio and I have a 2 acre food plot that is split into 3 different sections. If you would plant three things excluding grain, what would they be? Thanks for the help.
For sure a white clover blend like Imperial Whitetail Clover would be key, a brassica blend (I like the Winter-Greens from Whitetail Institute) and probably fall/winter rye or a fall rye/oats blend in the other section.
That New Holland tractor sure looked nice!!!
Ah, Bill, that was a White. I used that a lot. I borrowed that tractor from the guy that stores his equipment in my other shed. Last summer, I decided I needed to buy something (that John Deere) because I needed a loader and also because I was starting the Dream Farm series and needed a tractor that wouldn't look too rough when filming segments with the drill and other equipment.
@@bill-winke i was referring to the one on the grain cart. Not sure what to think about that red combine though.
@@billgadient8567 OK, got you. Those aren't mine. They belong to the custom farmer who plants and harvests the corn that my cash renter hires. So, I cash rent those bench fields and that guy hires someone else to plant and combine. I suppose, I could just hire the custom farmer, (I have done that before) but this is a lot easier and there isn't enough at stake on those small fields to worry about. Have a great day.
Dream Big brother 🙏
Thanks Edward. You too.
With all those oaks/acorns that spreads the deer out so much too. Really difficult to pattern any of them in a high production year. Might be a good idea to remove some of those ? Unless of course there’s just way too many. For hunting that can be difficult.
Steve, there are a lot of them for sure, but I don't intend to make a timber sale based on too many acorns. That was a one year thing. We may never see another year like that in the next 40 years. Also, I am not opposed to the deer having "too much food". That's OK because long-term that will produce some really healthy deer and some good bucks. The best timber/logging strategies are based on the quality of the timber itself, the need to thin and the current market prices. Thanks for the comment. Have a great day.
Good point best to see what happens as things go. @@bill-winke
Good stuff. Any deeper thoughts on the likely lower mast crop of acorns next year? I am prepared to see considerably less. One of my Forester friends I worked with in IN taught me that many oak "species" typically skip a year of mast. And occasionally have a huge "bumper" crop every few years. I would agree.
I bet the acorn crop will be low this coming year as it seemed that every tree had acorns this year. It was the perfect storm for acorns. Not sure how often that happens, but I bet it is very rare. Have a great day.
How much food do you have Bill & Jordan? Acres of food per total acres? Curious the ratio and do you think that will be enough in normal acorn production years vs low years? 10% or higher? I know there’s a recommendation but it’s all density dependent really.
The affect the acorns had on food plot use is the real question here and why I am not too keen to make a lot of decisions based on this one year of super high acorn production. In a normal year, things will be different and as time goes by, this farm will get more deer (even if I try to keep the numbers low). We had roughly 17 acres of food plots on a total of 625 acres. There were also 100 acres of harvested crop fields. So it was a decent, but not a huge amount of food. I think without the acorn production, the deer definitely would have eaten a lot more of it. So, while I don't plan to add more food plot acres this coming year, I do plan to change what I plant in them and will go from there. Have a great day.
Do you think that the deer are just sick of eating corn seeing how its quite prevalent in the area and the can get it just about anytime they want it great video as always
Probably. I was thinking that too. The mild winter and all the acorns gave them another reason to ignore the corn. I was surprised by how little corn they ate during the summer of 2023 also. I am used to deer hitting corn hard on drought years during the mid-summer. They didn't hit it as hard as I expected but they totally wiped out my bean plots in June and early July. I didn't go into it on the video, but I planted 13 acres of beans in late May/early June and the deer ate almost all of it during the summer. Granted, it was growing really slow because of the drought so it was easy for them to stay ahead of it. I do think I will plant more beans this year (a lot more) and, as I said in the video, over-plant it with sorghum and Winter-Greens as needed during the summer to fill in any holes. If we get rain, I think the beans will hold their own, and create a great summer/fall/winter food source and the over-seeded crops will carry that through the winter. I will still plant corn, but I won't focus on it like I did in 2023.
Great follow up. Have you considered a perennial clover and chicory mix? The deer hammered my chicory plot this year, so much so that I am adding a strip on all of my plots! Looking forward to seeing your 2024 plot plan and associated strategy!
Jack, that would make a lot of sense for the top field where dry conditions are a definite factor as I understand that chicory does well in dry conditions. Thanks for the support.
We can’t predict Mother Nature without rain and snow our crops don’t grow well, so if you would of had more snow the corn would have been eaten more and with Milo a lot of birds enjoy it but you supplied the animals with a good variety to keep them healthy no matter the weather ✌🏻👍🇺🇸
Agree, all you can do is figure on a "normal" year and base your decisions on that. Thanks for the comment. Have a great day.
They loved my clover the last two years. Add in winter rye and oats in late summer. Need to make my plot bigger as ate to the dirt last year. Wasn’t much left this year when snow hit. No ag in my area all timber
That makes sense. When you have a lot of timber nearby and decent deer numbers, they will wipe you out fast. Clover is a very good option. You might also try a brassica blend (I like the Whitetail Institute Winter-Greens) as another option when you make it bigger. whitetailinstitute.com/winter-greens/ That blend produces a lot of tonnage of forage. Having all three of those options will make for a very good plot. Then be sure to rotate them around when the clover plays out and needs to be replanted. Good luck.
@@bill-winkehave tried brassicas but had few drought seasons and later planting didn’t get enough rain. What little sprouted made to four inches tall and deer ate it to ground. Making plot bigger this year and another one improving also. Lot of does in area as well
You talked about corn versus sorghum, and noted the preference for sorghum. Maybe it’s not a preference for sorghum, maybe it’s a preference or something besides what the agricultural crops in the area are growing. Thoughts on that?
That might be true. The deer here may just be tired of corn. That is all the neighbors plant. They never rotate to beans on the bordering farms. I do have about 20 acres of alfalfa in a field along the property line, but otherwise, everything is corn. I do think they just want something else. Good point.
With oaks everywhere and endless supply of acorns are you going to selectively harvest some of the more mature trees ? Too many seems like just as big of problem as not enough for hunting - maybe worse except you can log them and make money
Timmy, in some spots we do need to take some of them as they are getting over-mature. We also need to keep in mind that most years won't have acorn production like last year. Last year was the most acorn production I have seen in my life. I may just have to adjust the way I hunt (deeper in the timber) rather than on the edges. I really just like oak trees and hate cutting them just to make the deer more vulnerable.
Same story by us in Central Wisconsin.
Very strange year in 2023. Have a great day.
Any indication that they ate any amount of the apples in early season ? Or if that was an early draw maybe. Look forward to the next episode. Thanks Bill and Jordan
Shane, we need to look at that closer. I do remember looking at one tree in mid-November that had an actual pile of apples under it. They were two and three deep all over under the tree. I think the deer eat apples pretty aggressively early and then when they are all falling they can't keep up. Some of these trees I am sure have more than a ton of apples in them. That is a lot of apples for deer to eat. But, I will take a closer look at those trees in the next few days - and do an episode about that. Have a great day.
Bill, have you ever planted Buckwheat on your farms, sping/ summer?
No, I haven't, but I will check it out. Thanks for the input. Have a great day.
Thanks for the great info hope this comment helps your algorithm lol God bless
Leaving my corn stand, most of it. Whaddya think?
I think if you knock it down, the deer will eat it quicker, especially this time of the year when they are looking for anything easy to eat. Knocking it down just makes it easier for the deer to eat and will help to cause the stalks to decay a bit faster for this coming year's planting. Good luck.
Snow is still thick on the ground here at 64 degrees north. Deer er eating buds and bark.
You are a ways north. We had some really warm weather and all the snow disappeared quickly in late January. Good luck this winter.
Oh also remember the Clethodim herbicide when you plant soybeans there you can kill the corn that comes back up.
That is a very good tip and the main reason I will probably plant most (if not all) of that bottom corn plot to beans this year so I can clean it up with the Clethodim. Have a great day.
Even thought it was a drought year. I was surprised as well that the Acorn crop was one of the biggest I have seen in 24 years here. This idea may be stupid. Just Wondering if what you need to do is a timber cut to remove some of the oaks, to lower the amount of food in the timber to make your food plots more attractive.
Tom, most years there will be much less acorn production. Plus, I would not make that kind of decision based on deer, but rather on the timber quality and need for a harvest to improve the overall stand. Also, I have no problem with the deer having more than enough to eat and thereby making the hunting harder. I like that they are very healthy.
Not a bad thing to have a lot of food remaining after season. Lets you know the bucks are healthy as they drop antlers and begin growth on the new ones.
Why don't you plant alfalfa?
Agreed, I will not complain about having too much food even if it does spread the deer and make them harder to hunt. I do need to plant alfalfa on the top ridge field. But, there is a 25 acre field of alfalfa on the extreme NW corner of the property that is maintained and rented by a local farmer. The deer do feed in that a bit during the summer, but not a ton during the rest of the year, especially this past year. Have a great day.
With so much food left are you thinking about more direct nut seeding in areas to get a jump on habitat or is it tbd?
I think I have hit just about all the direct seeding for now. I have have about 15 to 20 more acres on the top but that buffer area is full of small apple trees. I am going to give that area a few years first to see what those little trees turn into before I decide on a plan for those acres. But you are right - there is no better time to do habitat work than when the deer numbers are low and they aren't looking hard for food.
@@bill-winke appreciate the reply!! The number of apple trees you showed was a jaw dropper, that would be quite the orchard!
All in all it was a very strange year due to the excessive acorn crop which I believe changed the deer movement and patterns. It made it appear that the deer population was way down.
That was my take also. It sure made hunting on this farm super hard. It will be interesting to see what this year brings.
I think the deer favoring the sorghum might be because the diversity of this plant species is not available elsewhere in your area. Diversity/variety is king in nature. Deer favoring acorns from an oak producing acorns in a low acorn production year would be a good example of why sorghum would be so desirable in your area.
Mow the corn
Most of it is on the ground and they still aren't eating it. The sign isn't even there. Very strange. I think after it warmed back up and the snow melted they went to something else. I see more deer in the brassica plots now than in the corn.
is it legal to mow it?
@@dylanhalseth1755 Technically, I believe so in Iowa, but each state is likely different. I have asked that question of a few game wardens and I have gotten slightly different answers. It is best to ask the local game warden before you do it.
What about the apple trees, how hard did they hit the apples and did you hunt by them?
Dan, we need to do a follow-up episode about the apple trees. We will do that next in the Dream Farm series since that is where I first started talking about them.
Ok. thanks for your response
When will you be able to tell what kind of recruitment you had this winter?
You mean like pulling new deer onto the farm? Based on the sign I am seeing, I would say we didn't pull any new deer this winter. I kind of wonder if the deer here are used to moving away in the winter and it may take some time to teach them to stay. Not a lot of sign here right now. This is a very unusual property/neighborhood. I will have fun figuring out why they do what they do,.
How did uou plant pumpkins? Drill?
No, we just planted them by hand, four seeds per "hill" with each hill being about an inch or so deep and about four or five feet apart. But, I have heard that you can plant them with a corn planter. We just planted a few here and there to see how it worked. We will plant more this year, but again, just along the edges of the fields and again by hand. Have a great day.
What company do you get the sorghum from and what variety is it?
I just bought it from the local co-op in the nearest town. He then ordered it from a seed dealer in La Crosse, WI. I am not sure what brand or variety, but I may experiment a little this spring to see if the variety makes a difference. Have a great day.
Well, now I feel worse about my garden. I can't get pumpkins to grow here.😢
That is funny! Good luck.
Bill, if you have so much oak trees/acorns on your property, why are you planting more?
I am not managing my farm only for deer. In the end, much of the Midwest is losing its awesome oak stands. Just like I did in southern Iowa, this my contribution to reversing that on a small scale. I walked a lot of farms (and tons of public land) before buying this one and most of them had very poor timber (low grade trees). Also, these small trees that I am planting won't drop an acorn prior to my passing, so it is more about the future. One last thing, most years aren't standout acorn production years like this past one. In fact, I have never seen one like that before. So most years, you get some acorns, but nothing like this past year.
@@bill-winke Thank you for responding!
Bill, I guess I’ve missed it, but is this in Iowa or Wisconsin?
Iowa
Troy got it right.
Yeah the only thing if you get a normal winter and deep snow the deer would have really hammered your corn I feel. I have heard the deer really like sorghum. Don't you have lots'a wild turkeys there as well? They should be putting on weight with all that food. You should find a 2 row corn picker to salvage what's left in the spring. I would think you could sell it to someone. Then it wont regrow either.
Yes, we do have quite a few turkeys. Should have been a really good year for them too as they are also acorn eaters. I should buy a cheap corn picker. Even a self-propelled gas 4 row combine is just a $2,000 to $3,000. I can sell it to the elevator just a couple miles away, but getting it out of the field was the issue. That plot was just too small to get a local farmer excited about pulling his combine out of storage in the spring. I will just plant less corn this coming year and more of other stuff. Have a great day. Thanks for the support.
@@bill-winke Yep I have a little John Deere 3300 3 row I use but I also raise a few hundred ringneck pheasants every year so I have something to feed it to. With the combine you almost need a shed to keep it in to keep it functional also. Corns only $4 now a few years back at $7 it would be hard to leave it out there. 😬🙂
It sounds like you're making some planting decisions for next season based on this winter that is the oddest in living memory, and possibly the biggest acorn drop in living memory. You're talking about planting less corn, but couldn't it be the case that you'd wish you had it if next winter turns out to be a mean one? Or do you think you have more than enough corn for even that scenario?
Keith, you are right and that is the big question now. I know the deer really loved the beans I planted here in the past, possibly because there is so little of it planted in this area. I may plant more beans especially in key areas. I also like the fact that I can overseed bean plots with sorghum and Winter-Greens if the beans aren't doing well in the early-to-mid summer. It is a really good question. I have not decided 100% yet. I am guessing I will still plant some corn, but I won't rely on it as my number one go-to for the spots where I think the bucks I am hunting will be living. I think I will lean toward beans/sorghum/Winter-Greens in those areas. I will do an episode about this once I decide on the best plan.
I have found the deer Destroy the Heads when they mature but are still green .
That is the downside once they get used to sorghum and know what is coming. Once I see that, I will have to pull back on sorghum. I am hoping they are slow to figure that out here.
@@bill-winke I have found that it takes a few seasons .This year it will just be mixed planted with the Cover on the edges I plant .It makes a perfect mix with Egyptian wheat grass, Sudan grass or Elephant grass Two birds one bush as it were . I like Proso millet grows fast fast 60 days to head mid late summer planting for me after the sorgum takes a hit .
@@bill-winke FYI Good luck
Have you thought of planting. Real World Whitetail products? Supposedly deer can’t resist nutri crave corn
Might be worth looking at, but I have never seen deer resist any kind of corn in the places I have hunted and managed in the past. But this place is unique with its herd dynamic and this year was unique with the heavy acorn production, so I am not going to make too many management decisions based on just the results from this past winter. Have a great day.
didn't you plant some sun flowers ?
We did but the deer ate them back in the summer because they just grew too slowly due to the drought. They never got more than about a foot tall. I may try them again this year and hope the weather cooperates this year.
might take some pressure off your beans.@@bill-winke
Ive noticed that some areas allways hold deer. Some have potential if you leave the land alone. Your spot just doesnt seem like a generational spot. Fools gold land as i call it. I hate to say it but id sell and look for river bottom land.
I will give it a few more years. I think since this area has been cattle pasture forever it will take some time to change the habits of the deer that live here.
If your open to it try some nutri crave corn none GMO veri high nutrition high oil There wont be any left !
I will have to check that out. I have always gone the cheap route and just planted what the conservation groups have that I can get for free. The seed companies have to do something with their leftover corn (and other seeds) that fall out of their germination range so they donate them to the conservation groups (Pheasants Forever, Whitetails Unlimited, state DNR, etc.) and write off the seed cost. I just up the seeding rate about 10% to make up for the lower germination rate and it works well - usually.
Probably there wont be as many acorns this year.
That's what I am guessing too James. Will look a lot different next winter if there are normal amounts of acorns on the place. Have a great day.
Ya forgot the apples.
Robert, yes, I will cover that in a separate episode, but from what I saw back in November, they sure didn't eat them all. In spots with isolated trees they hammered them, but in the areas with lots of apple trees they didn't come even close to eating them all.
really can't compete with acorns lol
No, we sure learned that the hard way, Nelson. Have a great day.
Normal year would pull new deer in eat all your food
I am sure you are right. I don't think we pulled hardly any deer this year - at least the sign was not heavy and there were not trails coming in off neighboring farms. Have a great day.