Top 5 Spring Food Plot Plantings
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- Опубліковано 1 жов 2024
- There are 5 top food plot plantings that you should be considering right now, and perennial plantings do not make the cut (check link below). When should perennial crops like clover and chicory be established? Not in the Spring. Instead, perennials should be planted during the late Summer where they can aided by a cool season cover crop that deer crave, at a time when moisture is increasing and weeds are dying. However, there are 5 great food plot varieties that you should be planting during the Spring, to get a jump on your Fall whitetail success. Because let's face it folks, great deer herds on parcels 500-1000 acres or less are built during the Fall, and not during the Summer. If your Spring food plot plantings aren't gearing you towards Fall whitetail success, then those Spring food plot plantings are not contributing much towards a quality herd, habitat or hunt. These top 5 Spring food plantings can give your Fall whitetail goals on small parcels, 1 big giant boost of success!
Check out my One Year food plot rotation strategy that I originated over the late 90s/early 2000s, and first wrote about in Quality Whitetails for the QDMA during the mid 2000s: www.whitetailh...
There are 5 top food plot plantings that you should be considering right now, and perennial plantings do not make the cut. Perrennial crops like clover and chicory be established during the late Summer, and not in the Spring. Perennials should be planted during the late Summer where they can be aided by a cool season cover crop that deer crave, at a time when moisture is increasing and weeds are dying. Your success rate for establishing perennial food plots will skyrocket when they are planted during the late Summer. I have a video coming soon but for now...check this out 🙂
This is a one year food plot rotation strategy I originated over the late 90s/early 2000s, and first wrote about in Quality Whitetails for the QDMA, during the mid 2000s: www.whitetailhabitatsolutions.com/blog/one-year-food-plot-program
So for Mature bucks plant "buck"wheat ? It seems so obvious I don't know why I never thought of that before
@@haroldcallahan4887 ha ..maybe that's why the call it that? 🙂 It does work tho!
We're trying to attract more deer to our 30 acres in Southern mi. Mind you about 10ish acres is going to be ag soy beans this year. You think the buckwheat would be a good spring attractant followed by fall brassica. I just found your channel and subscribed and have been watching all your videos..Great channel!
Hi Kris, good luck with your project! Check out my 2021...or 2020 best food plot mix videos. They will help your a lot...and you want to plant s lot more diversity. You can find them by searching those titles pretty easily 😊 Thanks a lot for watching!
Hey man you should have a giveaway for a free 1day talk on one of your subs land I would say 90% of subs are poor folk that cant hire someone of your feild but we all have very small lands in very unique places like mine is half surrounded by game land that's all pine and the other half is all pine tree farms leased out everything is very over hunted I'm in nc so it would also be nice if you did any videos of us southern hunters
Maybe some day I will do that...I have been thinking about it! The one bad thing is that I need to figure out how to do it without building hollow subscribers who just subscribe to potentially win a site visit...very bad for the channel. Hurts the channel.
In the meantime though the concepts are all the same no matter where a whitetail roams. Also, man I hope that folks appreciate the nearly 1000 whitetail articles and videos I have on my site between my channel and my website. Also I have 5 books out...the most expensive is $29.90 with shipping 🙂 I truly hope it helps and that giveaway may be right around the corner...
I have had plans since the middle of April to get 2 acres of food plots on one of my farms in southeast Iowa. Unfortunately where my plots are located is in an area that hasn't had more than two dry days in a row in the last month-and-a-half. It is a sopping wet mess down there! Hopefully it will dry out soon so I can get some soybeans in! It's going to be a tough year in this area for the farmers and the deer if it doesn't dry out. Not a single ag field within 25 miles has been planted!
Matthew that is really too bad! The deer will do great still...no worries for them. But the farmers...dang, a bad year and that is not good. So many high quality food plots can be planted still in early to mid August in your area 🙂 Can still be a great year for herd and hunt! Really worry about those farmers tho!!
In my area deer eat off corn and beans before it can grow. Fall planting is the only option.
For sure Jesse...I try to warn folks before they find out on their own. I would estimate that your experience applies to well over 1/2 of all food plotters - in particular the beans!
hey they are on your land, thats the most important thing
Love the videos. I have read food plot success by design and found it very helpful.
That's great to hear Nathan!! Love hearing that it helps...
103 days until deer season!
That deserves a hearty AMEN to that ☺️!!
Quick question Jeff. when killing off weeds, at what height of weed growth you you decide that the weeds need to mowed before spraying? I would think that ones the weed or non desirable growth is too high that just killing if off will not allow for good soil exposure. Any thoughts or tips ?
Doug...I really like to kill the weeds before they hit 12-25" high. This first spraying is so important because you are eliminating future weed debris. Once you get to 18-20" high you can still kill and plant small seeds in early August...but too much debris will block a lot of larger seeds.
@@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751 Good then I am ahead of the curve. I will be doing a 3rd spraying in July and every thing is just about dead as it now. I was just thinking about how much dead mulch on the ground would be to much,but I thing as long as I have good soil contact with the seed I should be good to go at seeding time. Thank you somuch for all the great information you put out. It is helpful in more ways than you know Sir
@@dougbarber3400 3 quarts round up powermat per acre per year. Dont over kill your soil cause of residual effect kill it once put cover crop in. Then till cover crop then plant deer kill plot. Dont over chemical your property just good cover crooks and management does same thing
@@williamlasure6301 Thank you sir. will do
I’m goin to be planting very soon LORD WILLING AMEN. We got rain comin this week. I’m goin to bush hog after the rains helps with the dust. Thanks for sharing brother. Great info video. Be safe out there GOD BLESS Amen.
Thanks Randle! You be safe too. We have very little if any rain in the forecast...but all good!
Jeff correct if I’m wrong after bulldozing don’t I need to spread lime 1st then fertilizer & seed based on whatever my ph comes back at what do you mean #100s sorry baby steps all new to me
100#s of seed per acre. You should seed right away...lime as soon as possible and fertilizer...but getting seed on the ground is critical.
Hey Jeff how you doing buddy looks like at this time gonna put the food plots in sometime in mid August waiting on bulldozer guy cause of all the rain we have been getting he is backed up on his jobs anyway do you think I should still go with rye & would it be a perineal or annual remember looking for instant gratification something that’s actually take based on my property what do you think
Sounds good Paul! Timing will work for sure. You will start with 100#s of Winter rye per acre as soon as he is done dozing...rye GRAIN, it is an annual. Then you will add up to 200#s more rye spaced about 3 weeks apart thru September...check out this article: www.whitetailhabitatsolutions.com/blog/layered-food-plots-for-whitetails
That's a layered food plot planting method I came up with in the mid 2000s. It will work very well for you!! Perfect...
Oh man watching videos about food plots...while getting pictures of bucks and does in my clover/chicory from my wireless cams....while eating venison for breakfast....man it's going to be a long summer. Thanks for the awesome video Jeff.
Ha, what a perfect start to the day Chris! Real nice! Well you are very welcome and I hope that it helps...and man, sounds like it is going to be a great summer!
Clover and chicory works best in my area with a touch of maximum. They dig through the snow to get it.
@@williamlasure6301 that's a pretty good system...something I originated back in 99/2000....actually published that rotation years ago in the Quality Whitetails magazine for the QDMA in the mid 2000s. I would always plant 1/2 of the plot in a mix of clover, about 1# of chicory and brassicas. This was prior to the premium perennial blend, biologic maximum, etc. I would plant 1/2 every year around 8/1, so that it would turn to pure clover and chicory the following year. I would replant each 1/2 of the plot every 2 years...alternating years.
I eventually relealized the clover and chicory was the week link for mid October and later, so I migrated to other higher volume Fall food sources...layers of rye, peas, brassicas and early planted oats. Good system tho but you have to watch the clover volumes during late October and November. If it is down the ground by then it needs to be replaced...if not, then it is a great system! That depends largely on the number if deer, other food sources, etc...
Here...check out the system I came up with nearly 20 years ago. Used this for at least 6-7 years with a lot of success! www.whitetailhabitatsolutions.com/blog/one-year-food-plot-program
@@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751 I have pesticide liceance. Peoole think it's the cure all. But there creating round up tolarant weeds. That's why they developed 2-4-d corn. What's next !! I use herbicides but try to minimize with crop rotation like u. Thank for you great ingo
@@williamlasure6301 oh definitely! I go between tilling or using chemicals. I prefer to not till or disc but that means using more chemicals...a good balance is key, for sure.
Here’s a video idea.. The best equipment to own for a land owner for minimally invasive land management and hunting practices👌🏽
Great idea Alex...I like that! It would be a very short list. Shovel, chainsaw, hand saw, pole saw, habitat hook (if need to hinge cut), planting dibble, ATV, hand held spreader, ATV sprayer and a Packermaxx cultipacker. That's all I use off the top of my head...
Great tips Jeff, thank you very much
Thank you and you are very welcome!
Jeff I have a silly question. If my hunt areas are surrounded by ag fields should I waste my time and make a small plot?
Yes definitely...relying on ag land takes your level of control away from you. It is always changing, leaves portions of your land potentially unused during the seasons. I use 2-3 acres of food plots on 40 acres to control the daylight deer movement in the area...and then when it gets dark they leave the land to go to the neighbors ag...but I do not want then on the neighboring ag until AFTER dark. Planting my plots allows me to do that and by using a high level of green food plots, I give the deer something they crave other than beans and corn or hay. I hope that makes sense!
Now do you take in consideration of the farm fields surrounding your clients land? My small parcel of is surrounded by Ag fields east, west and south....so it's constantly either soybeans....or soybeans and corn. Last year was corn all three sides of me and my clover plot was literally left bare...I had barely any pics of deer in it all year until the corn was harvested. And I didn't see a buck on the hoof while hunting until October 26th...right after the corn came down. I never had corn up all around me before in one year and I couldn't believe the lack of deer we saw until it came down. So what's the right food plot to compete against the power of hundreds of acres of beans and corn?
Would love to know this as well. I'm in the same situation
sweet corn will bring deer out of corn fields and into yours the only problem is keeping them out enough for it to grow to maturity
Where do you buy your buckwheat? So far I cannot find any place that sells it locally in NE Ohio. I have found it as low as $.70 per pound online but they want $120 for shipping.
If I were to plant brassicas, alfalfa, clover, in the spring would they last until deer season in mi? Ty
Ok Suzie explained the terminology lol sorry I’m 20th century didn’t know # meant ponds Suzie to the rescue but still first doze then do the rest I understand seed critical to get down but need the bulldozer 1st are you saying I can seed 1st then worry bout lime & fertilizer based on the seed I’m going to put down
I love using buckwheat during spring,summer and early fall. I have ground I'm trying to build up but I just just disc in the buckwheat and then plant my fall blend. I was wondering if I should spread seed,cultipac and then spray like you said unless I heard you wrong? I just worry about spraying after I have already spread the seed. I appreciate and thank you for sharing all your knowledge from Years of hard work.I been at it for over 12 Years and I love to find different ways of making my ground better for the local deer and wildlife.
I really appreciate you sharing your experience...got to live buckwheat! Spraying glyphosate on the seed doesn't hurt it in any way...gly is a post emergence so it actually has to be in full open growth to kill. Been doing it for at least a couple of decades...works extremely well!!
I like not tilling, because I don't bring up any more weed seeds and I can conserve soil moisture...not to mention it helps ward against soil erosion.
Thanks again for your help and I'll be sure to try it this year.
@@Fall_Legends sounds great Chad...good luck!
Great video Jeff! Which of your books would you recommend as the first to buy for starting food plots?
Thank you very much, I really appreciate it! Definitely the green one..."Food Plot Success By Design". You can buy it from my site and Diane will ship it out tomorrow...or we sell thru Amazon and there are dozens of reviews that you can read there too before you buy 🙂
@@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751 Thank you!! Just ordered your book. Looking forward to reading it. I enjoy all your videos.
@@backcreekcabin4994 you are very welcome and thank YOU! Let me know how you like the book. Diane will have it out in the mail tomorrow...
@@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751 Will do. I am sure I will enjoy it. You and Diane have a great day.
Hi Jeff. What kind "safe" spray do you use to keep the weeds down until ready to plant the fall food plot?
Jesse I use Glyphosate and 2-4D mostly...I basically use what my local farming neighbors are using and have been using for decades...
I own 380 acers in mid missouri made up of thick stuff to oaks to prairy grasses to hay feilds that have cattle on it different parts if the year. But I have troubles hunting and trying to plant food plots to hunt with a "good wind" because the property runs long ways north and south and our only access is from the east so it's hard to get to where alot of the deer are or plant a food plot and trying to hunt it with out blowing them out with a bad wind. I need help because I'm getting frustrated
This is Season two for our 'first' food plot...inside a hardwood that boarders 'Agriculture' & a Marsh. Deer bed and trail through the woods. Last season we began prepping the area in late July. We had success, then learned a valuable lesson. We had great early growth, then drought, followed up by heavy and continuous rain. Then the Fall leaf drop.
This spring we are going to hit the plot area hard this spring, solid testing...expanding the plot...give the heard a good cafeteria to use
Great info Jeff. What do you think of planting Sunn-hemp.? Would it have the same effect as buckwheat? Thanks again for making the videos
I have tried sun hemp. This year I mixed it in with wheat. They ate it too. The problem with sunn hemp is it doesn't regrow after the top gets taken off like buckwheat.
@@darkspruce thanks for the help.
It is a great soil builder, but like Steve said it does not tolerate browse well. It isn't much if a smother crop either. - in it's ability to control weed growth.
I bought a 25 pound bag of hard red spring wheat berries, can them be planted for deer also?
I got 20 Acer's I hunt and I'm wanting to put a small plot on it but on one side of the land there a huge corn field and soiebeen should I try to grow something different or grow the soiebeen
I'll second the book, "Food Plot Success by Design", a great resource. I really like that Jeff shows us how to do this without buying expensive equipment...
Thanks a lot for the feedback Sam! There are so fee that actually need big equipment...I think some just want to own it to say they own it 🙂 In 2006 I planted 18 acres of plots in 3 states...over 30 food plot with a hand held spreader, cultipacker, and an ATV. I did cheat and spread seeds on 3 acres with a hand held spreader while sitting on the tail gate of a truck. Bottom line...you can still have great plots with very little equipment...even great rotations!!
@@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751 LOL, sounds like a great way to stay in shape! Sprayer, earthway bag and lots of steps! Thanks Jeff
After dozing correct for lime
As soon as you can. I've liked fertilized and seeded all in the same day. Yes after dozing, then lime
1, Soybean, expensive and needs to be drilled, hard to spread. And deers mow it down. Iron Clay Peas, much easier and cheaper.
2. Buckwheat, dont know anyone grows it in the South. Alfafa sounds great, but good luck with that.
3. Wheat. duh. But Winter Oats better and cheaper for fall planting.
4, Corn. Oh really? Ok, Ill break out the tiller and American Express, Or you could just do Sorghum, cheaper, and easier and you can spread it.
5. Screening blends.. HAHAHA
This is what works for me:
Clover (perennial and annual), Peas (summer), Oats (winter). Maybe rape, some rye grass in the hard to reach spots, and yeah toss some corn out.
RoseCo, were you bullied as a child? Really no reason to be a jerk. Jeff probably has forgotten more about wildlife management then you will ever know, if you don't like the information he provides, simple move along, no need to leave rude comments for the many that appreciate the information and knowledge he passes along to his subscribers.
Hello, i was curious as to the best way to get the pre emerging chemical simazine?
I think spraying plots is my favorite part of the whole process
Planted winter rye last fall on small 1acre plot. The rye has gone to seed. The seeds are green right now. Should I spray this now and plant a different crop or let it go till early august.?
Definitely get rid of it...at this point mow and spray is the best! If no mower than just spray...but you definitely don't want it to go back to viable seed.
Thanks for your help.
@@proudpennsylvanian330 you are very welcome!
Mow then spray OR spray then mow. I'm not sure if the timing.
You ever use oats, red/white clover and alfalfa
Great video ! It's like you have a video for every question I have. This is great thank you so much
Great info again... sharing!
You are welcome Annie!
Love it! Been working hard on cutting entry and exit trails to my stand locations. Planting buck wheat, clover and corn next few days if it will just rain..
Thank you! Man that all sounds perfect!! Where are you at with no rain?
@@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751 Henderson Tennessee which is south of Jackson.
@@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751 I need to fertilize as well. I've been using palletized chicken manure from my local co-op as a fertilizer and it works great but I need a good rain as you know before I spread it so it will do the best it can do.
@@Grizzlife oh definitely...bet the crops love that! I think all the rain must have been North of you...we've had plenty but looks like a drier period coming up.
@@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751 we had a little shower a week ago but not much since. But I've got time. I'll just get the plots ready and be ready to plant when that front moves in.
The deer here are enjoying the Mulberrys right now
Buckwheat for my deer. Has been a total hit. It grows so much faster than the soybeans, peas and bell peas. It provided a powerful source to give the other food sources a chance to grow. Now my bean are about 5in tall with minimal consumption. My deer do not like annual Rye. But they love barely, also love sweet oats. I got 55lbs of Whitetail Institute sweet oats for a steal of a price. 2nd year planting the oats and it works great
Do they hit oats hard In fall ?
That swich grass hasnt grown sprouted nothing in vt. Everything else I grew looks beautiful. Switch grass just wont take. Probably go Back to winter rye. Or maybe try that Egyptian wheat. Or am I just doing something wrong growing it?
If you're talking about this year, if it's up it would be very small at this point. Switch comes up very late as it needs warm soil temp. Also does not deal with shade well at all.
@@blazeice111 I put in in April. Everything else is beautiful. Switch grass didn't do anything. Maybe too wet and too cold. My sweet corn is way behind cause of our ice age winters as of late. Yea switch grass did absolutely nothing. Does eygyptiin wheat grow fast
It just hasn't come up yet. Have faith in it. Last year ours didn't come up until mid July.
@@blazeice111 so it dosent come. up till you ground temp is 60 ish. . I know it's not that. Water temps in lakes haven't hit t 50 yet tough grow year. 2nd wettest and coldest In 125 years here
@@blazeice111 thank bud !!
Hey brother I’ve been waiting on this video.
That's good Randle 🙂
Whitetail Habitat Solutions rains comin after tomorrow here I’m goin to bush hog after the rain quits. Settles the dust good then goin to disc and get some seed in the dirt GOD BLESS.
Thanks for the vid Jeff!
You are welcome Dan!
Any tips for a winter food plot so deer have food during the harch winter months
Cedars and hemlock. In new England
@@williamlasure6301 does the hemlock and the cedars provide winter cover or do they eat the bark
@@theroughandtoughhunter2429they eat the woody browse. And hemlock and small pines give them cover. I cut cedar down to feed them in winter
@@williamlasure6301 thank you william lasure for the advise
@@theroughandtoughhunter2429 your welcome! In our area deer eat in winter to stay regular. Not for nutrition. High fiber and next to nothing in protein. There stomach changes.
Jeff, I beg to differ about 0 deer attraction from wheat :) Not in my area.
Just during the Summer Steve....very rare that it is eaten during the summer. Actually extremely rare. I would guess there are entire states where it isn't eaten during the summer months...at least nothing more than in passing😉 High deer numbers and very low quality habitat areas could show a little browse...even the deer didn't touch it on my UP of MI land...wheat or rye, during the Summer. Very rare but you can never say never when it comes to deer 🙂
@@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751 yeah I suppose they let it be a little then. The problem is that there usually isn't much left of it. Still trying to build soil. Am thinking about getting some trucked in.
Great info Jeff.
Do you think we should be planting anything now in our food plots, or just keep them free of weeds and plant them in Aug.?
As you know the farmer has alfalfa, and is in the process fo planting corn and beans.
Thanks, Bob
Thanks Bob! Definitely no food in your plots right now...instead wait til that August 1st date. A crop like wheat isn't a bad green manure crop that you could plant right now...then kill and till around August 1st. Would help improve the soil!
Thanks......how many lbs. per acre of wheat would you suggest?
@@rfb7117 I would go with 100#s per acre Bob.