Attract Deer: An Easy, Low Maintenance Small Food Plot (645)
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- Опубліковано 9 сер 2021
- This small food plot was planted and managed with hand tools, no heavy equipment needed! Deer will be hammering it in the early season!
See how to create a hidey-hole food plot that will be both a fantastic hunting spot and an easy jump start to the fall crop.
See the seed mixes that we use here: greencover.com/foodplots
Equipment - Tractors - www.caseih.com/northamerica/e...
Equipment - No-till Drill, Crimper - www.rtpoutdoors.com/ - Спорт
Great example using a control field. Contrast and providing an answer to everyone's WHAT IF. Thanks Dr. Grant.
Welcome!
I live that I am on the Growing Deer TV email list, I watched this video twice online. I just broadcasted the “Fall Release” during a rain and as soon as it was all out, a downpour hit. We have had a steady amount of rain since. I can’t wait to see it grow and see how the deer love it. Thank you Dr. Grant for teaming up with Green Cover. Your food plot mixes are amazing. ✝️🇺🇸🦌
Phil - Nice work!
Really like the seeding into existing plot. Anything that creates…and doesn’t damage turkey nests…I’m 100% in!
We have a great turkey population!
Oh I’ve seen! I try not to miss an episode. I’ve been doing my best to sound the alarm about the turkey decline. I can’t afford a legit no till drill or crimper but, I try to get it done with round-up and modified conventional drill. I’m convinced your “ Buffalo System “ is not only beneficial to deer…but turkeys as well! Sorry about writing a book in response… but you and Ray Archuleta are my UA-cam favorites!
Great info. Looking forward to seeing more on your blends for the hidy hole food plots. As always may God bless you and your family each and every day
Thanks for the blessing Doug!
Can't wait until this hidey hole food plot summer blend is released for purchase next year!!
Chris - it will be perfect for small plots!
Thank you for the great content Grant! I am trying to improve my ground in Michigan with your techniques.
It's my little "Proving Ground".
Excellent! Keep me posted! We have My Proving Grounds signs at GrowingDeer.com
I love this channel, listening to Grant’s advice and his knowledge..learn alot from this gentleman!👊🏽Glad i am a subscriber, keep’em coming!👍🏽
Thanks Jeff!
A small Plot mix that lasts all summer into the fall/northern winter would be great. Less trips through my small property and still something for my deep woods deer to eat..
Nick - Such blend would be nice! However, few forages are productive during both the summer and fall! That's why harvest season for farmer is during the late summer/early fall.
Dr. Woods, Good video/info as usual.
Mik - Welcome!
Great video!!
Thanks!
Fortunately, they tend leave milo alone until it matures. It’s a nice option for carbohydrates vs. corn. We use milo a lot.
Scott - Yes it is! Deer tend to eat it when the seed is in the milk stage and when ripe.
Hi Grant and thank you for all your presentations. I may have missed your comments about adding chicken litter or cow manure to our plots. Your thots on this please. Thanks again for sharing your knowledge.
Chicken litter is much "hotter" (has more nutrients per ton) than cow manure. Both will work if applied in the correct amounts. There's always a chance of spreading disease when spreading manure. Chicken litter is out of balance for what most crops need - more pounds of phosphorus than potassium. Most soils/crops need more potassium than phosphorus. I've learned and practiced that by not disturbing the soil (broadcasting or using a no till) and planting diverse. blends, adding fertilizer isn't necessary. I haven't added any fertilizer, except for test plots, in 8+ years and produce good crops and bucks.
I have 4 small plots. Two (1/8 acre)on my 7acre land in the oaks, and 2 small ones on a hog back ridge in the pines I hunt behind my house. I would like to start and use rotational blends like fall and summer but how do you start, when and which one? I would love to see you start a small remote plot. Covering the starting soil sample, and adding supplements or just starting with soil building mixes. I look forward to more small plot videos like this and others. I don't have the real estate to turn a tractor and drill around even on my pasture where I could have 1/2 acre plot so broadcast into existing mix plots is my best no-till solution.
Congratulations on owning what sounds like a neat property! We have posted a few episodes where we show how we use hand tools to establish small plots. Checkout the food plot play list.
Hey good video
Thanks Tucker!
I just got my buckwheat planted yesterday ahead of a great rain last night. It looks like tomorrow and monday nights will be very cold, but from then on, cold is behind us in the South. I know buckwheat is not cold tolerant. My question is will these next two cold, cold nights impact germination, or is buckwheat sensitive to cold only after germination???
Johnathan - Whew that's early. There may be more cold snaps. The seed may survive. Please let me know how the crop does!
Wish you had one other kind of plot to compare--one like you just let grow all summer but which had annual and plow down clover planted in it last fall. It would have had clover growing in it up until now. This scenario is starting to impress me as the way to go. Only plant one time in the fall of the year and forget about trying to plant a summer blend.
Yep. Could come in with a mower and top clip it and let the clover grow back... potential.
Clark - That works at times in northern states but it's often too hot and dry for a few weeks for it to work in other areas. Yeha - Moving only reduces the volume of clover and allows weeds to grow. As you know from mowing a yard, it doesn't kill many grasses or weeds.
@@GrowingDeerTV Thats fair. I remember the basal meristem 😂 would the idea be that the clover bounces back quicker than the weeds can and shades them out? Genuinely never tried in practice so you would know better than I.
Is there a video about doing this kind of stuff in South Texas? I watched the one about east Texas and how well it worked in the sandy soil, but south Texas has the sandy and rocky soil and the extreme heat and drought making it hard to grow anything. Not doubting the process, just looking for more information on how to get good plots down south. TIA.
Shawn - The principles of soil health work everywhere. Some places will respond quicker than others due to soil and climate conditions. There is some great work in the deserts that amaze even me!
Great information. I live up here in Maine. I was wondering what you would suggest planting that would help the deer out after hunting season before the snow starts piling up. In Maine we can only shoot 1 deer and I want to help some after the season after the rut so they have a better chance at surviving a Maine winter.
I was just in New York speaking in the Catskill Mountains - great area and great folks! Where the snow gets deep and deer don't migrate, growing a taller plant that produces seeds full of carbs like corn, milo, etc., and help deer!
I made a clearing then expanded it. This is the first year I put in a summer crop. The ferns are coming back with a vengeance in my new area. Will crimping alone kill ferns ? I started with clear ground figuring the buckwheat would grow faster and suppress the ferns. The deer have been knocking back the buckwheat allowing the ferns to get ahead. I did not want to spray and kill the buckwheat. I will crimp everything in a few weeks before putting in the fall plants. If need be I will also spray. Thanks for any info.
Crimping works best on annual plants that are flowering. That's when plants are stressed. I doubt crimping will be effective on ferns,
Hey Grant! I love watching your videos as they’re educational and enjoyable to watch! I’m young and a first time food plotter and although I understand the concept behind this I still have some questions. The spot where I’ve decided to make a hidey hole food plot is over grown with weeds so I know I need to terminate with a herbicide. I know you talk a lot about glyphosate and round up but what specific round up would you recommend? I know ideally you like to burn after so you can get a good seed to soil contact but if burning is out of the equation is it just as effective to weed eat and leaf blow or what would you recommend? Sorry for so many questions it’s just hard to see the world through a young mans brain haha. Thank you for your time and God bless!
Michael - There are many generic varieties of glyphosate - the active ingredient in RoundUp. The generics work fine. Treating the weeds with herbicide and then broadcasting seed just before a rain will work - as long as the weeds aren't so tall that you can't see the deer. The weeds will shrink once dead and fall over during the fall.
Yes sir thank you so much! That helps a lot!
👍
Thanks!
Grant - love the channel. Need to improve my program but reluctant to sell my tiller but know from my sandy soil I need to. Can’t quite afford a no till drill just yet so what would be your suggestion on implements instead? Sprayer, spreader, cultipacker as examples. Any tips would be appreciated
Loin - Spray and broadcast sounds like the best option until you have access to a drill. Most NRCS offices rent no-till drills!
@@GrowingDeerTV Thank you!!
I’d be interested in what seed differences would be in the hidey hole blend that differs from the summer blend.
Kevin - the species in a summer hidey hole blend need to be less palatable do deer don't consume all of them early and allow weeds to grow. The blend needs to be designed to improve the soil's health also!
@@GrowingDeerTV Thank you!
Better add buckwheat to that blend
Guy - There's buckwheat in all my blends!
Would you go by this same plan for the south? We have longer growing season than Missouri. If say I planted in may b4 the spring weeds take over that it would mature and dry up allowing summer weeds to come thru before it was time to plant fall release arounf mid to late September. Thoughts on a plan for the Deep South. I’m in north ms.
Josh - Unless killed by browse pressure, the peas, etc., should still be green when it's time to plant the Fall Release blend in your area. If those species are removed or reduced by browse pressure, then some weeds may germinate and grow.
If you would of had a perennial clover planted with that rye last fall you would of had plenty of plants living over the summer. You also have a ton of free rye seed in that plot that is just itching to grow.
Aaron - In many places it's too hot and dry part of the summer for clover to be productive. Alfalfa will weather hot and dry conditions a bit better. If cereal rye is allowed to stand, where one seed was planted, 40, 80, 100+ seeds can be formed. They will fall, many will germinate and be way too thick. It's very rare for volunteer crops to do well. These crop were bred to make a surplus of viable seed. In addition, they will fall and sprout at the wrong time of year for that plant.
Grant if you have hard ground like red clay how will the seeds germinate and break through the dirt if not tilled?
Great question! The same way weeds, cedars, pines, etc., start growing on exposed clay surfaces. Seeds from those plants are blown to the site, deposited by critters, etc. When a plot is broadcast, gads of seeds are put there all at once. This works best if the seeds are broadcast just before a rain! Disking clay will loosen the top few inches and pack the area below the disk very hard. The disked clay will pack again once it rains. By establishing a crop and allowing it to make roots, then not disking again organic matter will be added and the clay loosen by the roots. As the roots decompose, the resulting pores serve to till and aerate the soil and allow water to infiltrate!
What is the optimal field size for release technique? Minimum and maximum? Blessings.
John - I doubt there's an optimal field size. The plot needs to be large enough to produce enough forage to form a mulch. This can be controlled by what's planted. Smaller fields/plot should be planted with less palatable forage. For example, soybeans are a bad choice in relatively small plots, related to the number of deer in the area.
I see you still haven't gotten those bibs George had......lol.
Ha! I was hoping someone would send me a pair!
@@GrowingDeerTV what size?
Hey Grant just curious if a milo and a corn mix would grow together?
Corn and milo are both grasses. It would be much better to mix a legume with a grass - like peas and corn, etc. Milo is easier and less expensive to grow and deer tend to eat it earlier during the season. It' also easier to see deer in. Corn can produce more pounds per acre. You could cut the rate way down on both and add a legume, buckwheat, etc., and create a good blend. However, the Summer Release is a great blend!
I did a food plot this year it ended up getting covered by weeds there's hardly anything left except for some radishes I don't know if I should try to pull the weeds and hope that the clover and radishes grow more or if I should just completely start over
What was in your plot prior to you planting and/or spraying
@@usernamehere6061 it was our field before so it's probably soybeans
@@akwfarms Did you spray when you planted? Just curious for my future plots may could learn from your experience
@@usernamehere6061 no I was looking for something kind of easy to make a pot this year. so I bought throw and grow and I think I'm going to not do that again next year I mean I do like the product it's just it's a mix that works better in the woods in a lowly lit up area instead of a big highly lit up area. it worked pretty good in a smaller plot before but I tried to push it this year in a bigger area in the middle of our field so I'm going to try to make up my own mix this year
AKW - Most through and grow products are based on rye grass - not cereal rye. Ryegrass is considered a weed in many areas and that's why it grows in many places. Deer will consume it while it's young and tender, but not like wheat, cereal rye, or oats. Pending on the size of your plot, pulling weeds or using a herbicide is fine. However, don't let the weeds make seeds!
Instead of herbicide….what about burning that small plot?
Jarrett - That works if the fire will carry! Sometimes it's too green to burn and a herbicide treatment is needed so the fire can carry.
How do you deal with turkeys? My broadcast seeder is a dinner bell to gobblers and the minute I leave after seeding the turkeys are in my plots eating the seed.
Travis - Turkeys and other birds, squirrels, etc. This is one reason why it's very important to broadcast seed just before a rain. Rain will help the seeds contract the soil and germinate much quicker!
Thank you Grant. if you had a small cultipacker (ATV size) would you use it in these small plots in any way?
Wesley - If the soil has been disked cultipackers are good to press the seed into the soil. If using a cultipacker to "crimp" this only works if the standing forage is very mature - very late dough stage. Like driving through your yard, healthy vegetation will stand back up after a cultipacker passes.
@@GrowingDeerTV thank you growing deer team. If you only have 40 acres we’re going to plant 6 acres to help deer health and hunting would you use the same plan as this hidey hole approach in a larger food plot or would you tweak it at all if you didn’t have a crimper and a no till drill? I do have access to a Utv sprayer and cultipacker. And just as an FYI we’re doing TSI and cedar removal in the rest of the 50 acres. This is in Hickory County Missouri.
What time of year are you terminating the fall plot & when are you planting summer release? Thanks
Phil - We plant the Summer Release blend into the standing Fall Release crop when the soil temperature is about 60 degrees at 9 am. That's the ideal soil temp for most summer crops to germinate.
@@GrowingDeerTV thanks guys!
Where can I buy the forage soybeans you guys use? Also, when would you plant forage soybeans instead of the summer release? Does it depend on just the size of the field? Do you only prescribe forage soybeans on newly established plots for the ability to spray glyphosate over them to control weeds for a couple growing seasons?
I’m pretty sure from the same company that they work with
@@anthonyclem107 Yeah I didn't know if they used GreenCover or still used Eagle Seed soybeans
Yeah they use Green now. They did a video as to why they no longer work with Eagle. Eagle still produces quality products for sure. Dr. Grant says as much. They just have different goals now, so they parted ways. I’m sure either will work. Just find the seed/blend you would like to plant from any reputable company and I’m sure it will work just fine.
@@anthonyclem107 Thanks 🙏
Yeha - I can't plant pure stands of soybeans any more due to deer browse destroying the crop within weeks after they were planted. In addition, I've learned that blends are much better for the deer and the soil's health!
What seed blend did you use?
The Summer Release blend from GreenCoverFoodPlots.com
Will you terminate the sorgum before your broadcast the fall release?
Good question and do you knock it down with packer?
Jami - No - in some plots where deer there wasn't enough mulch and weeds grew we'll treat with 2% glyphosate. Otherwise we'll broadcast or drill directly into the Summer Release blend.
Grant me working a job and running my own business im behind the ball as every year. I probably have half Acre of area to plant and never have done that before. Is it too late to plant anything?
It depends on where you are! Even if you are in a northern state, you can broadcast seed now. It may not produce as much as if planted 45 to 60 days before the first frost but it' certainly better than weeds growing! Take care of yourself!