Experimental Food Plots

[OneCam]

Vman and I planted two food plots this weekend - each about 1 1/2 acres.

The first field we planted 1/3 Name Brand Mix, 1/3 Turnips (3 variety's) and will soon plant 1/3 Buck Forage Oats.

The second field was planted with 1/4 Purple top Turnips, 1/4 Barkant Turnips, 1/4 Mix and will soon plant 1/4 Buck Forage Oats. This plot sits next to beans and clover.

We just happened to get some good rain these last few days as well http://www.iowawhitetail.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/waytogo.gif.

I'll get some pictures to show how everything is coming along.

[vman]

Some rain! I think we got about 5 inches in the last two days, and with this heat we are getting now, Im starting to think Onecam has more luck than any one man should have..

Seriously though,
This will be a very good test food plot. Lots of varietys planted so we should be able to see what the deer like best...

[Fishbonker]

This sounds like a great base for some good comparative research. Are you gonna fence any of it off as a control? It would be great to see a magazine article where brands of seed and/or types of crop were directly compared to each other.

The 'Bonker

[bjkpharmd]

I can already taste the fried turnips!

[Bakes]

Did you guys just mix all the turnip seeds together and broadcast it or did you plant each type of Turnip seperate? Just curious.

[OneCam]

We planted them in 3 seperate strips - Red Top, Appin and Barkant.

It will be interesting to see the results.

[Big Timber]

Awesome,
It will be nice to see/hear how the do. I planted about 2 acres of rape and 3 acres of oats last weekend and the rape is already an inch tall and the oats are nearly two inches tall. I also gave the plots trip 19 as well.

Let us know how the plots are coming.

Did you guys get your control fences put up?

BT

[bjkpharmd]

It has been a little better than a month- what kind of growth have you seen? Have the deer started using them yet? Photos would be great!

[OneCam]

The turnips are coming along very nicely . . .

http://www.iowawhitetail.com/photopost/data/3003/157turnip1.jpg

These were planted on Aug 1 and are currently 6" high.

This was a busy weekend as I planted Buck Forage Oats next to the Turnips . . . I'll keep you posted.

http://www.iowawhitetail.com/photopost/data/3003/157oats1.jpg

[bjkpharmd]

Onecam,
Can you tell the difference in turnip varieties by the leaf? Are they all doing about the same or does one look better than the other? Did you soil test or how did you fertilize? Did you put up any cage to see growth vs growth with any grazing pressure? It would be interesting to see if one turnip is preferred over the others. Ground prep for the oats looks pretty good- be nice to get some rain clouds working on it now that it is seeded.

[OneCam]

Pharmer, to be honest I can't really tell the difference in the leaves between the three varieties. They all seem to be coming up pretty good except for areas where I broadcast the seed to thick. Overall I would say my Appin turnip have a little better "top" growth and I'm starting to see a little grazing. My beans haven't turned yet and they are just hammering them right now.

I didn't do a soil test http://www.iowawhitetail.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/nono.gif but one area had beans the prior year and the other had some higher rated soil from the county.

I need to cage but haven't yet.

For the oats I mowed and sprayed back in July then turned the ground in August. I sprayed again yesterday and just ran a harrow and broadcasted then cultipacked - I didn't have access to a drill. What type of fertilizer would you suggest with the Oat and Rye mix?

Crossing my fingers as it's supposed to rain on Tuesday.

Thanks,
Chris

[bjkpharmd]

I soil tested when setting up the original plots for corn, beans, etc. Since then I have rotated and not added a thing. In the rye or wheat, I was never worried about grain production so I never did anything more than till and broadcast, then drag it to cover seed. Always grew great as long as the moisture was there. Must be a real farmer on the site to tell the right way to do it. Good Luck.

[bjkpharmd]

Onecam,
How about an update?

[Big Timber]

I second the update!
Onecam, how are the plots looking?

BT

[OneCam]

I've hunted these very little but it seems the deer currently prefer the Buck Forage Oats and the Blend. Hope to have some harvest photo's for you in the plots this coming weekend.

[Woody21]

Help?? This was our first year of planting any kind of turnips. We planted a 3 acre patch surrounded by buck oats. The deer seem to be hitting the oats pretty hard right now. My question is..... When will these deer go crazy over them turnips? Don't get me wrong I know they're hitting them now, but from everything I have read and heard. I was expecting more activity by now. I have pulled up some. They sure taste good to me http://www.iowawhitetail.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Thanks

Woody

By the way..... Last Saturday night my hunting partner and his 6 year old son sat over the 5 acre chickory plot. Un believable. 20 deer at the same time, 12 different Bucks. I think we will definately plant some more chickory!

[Old Buck]

Woody,

I've been getting lots of action on my turnips. I don't have any buck forage oats. It may be a matter of preferences. I think the most effective test is the side by side test like you are doing. Sometimes there is also a learning curve on a new food source where it takes deer awhile to figure it out and get used to it.

Please tell us more about the chickory. Where did you get it? What is the cost? How and when do you plant it? When do the deer use it? What other foods nearby are they showing less preference for?

Thanks! http://www.iowawhitetail.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
Old Buck

[Woody21]

Thanks for the reply Larry. You make a very good point about deer taking some time to get used to different food supplys then they're used to. We have seen alot of that since we started planting our own food plots. I also believe deer are "browsers" I still cant beleive the stuff the will eat right next to some of our food plots. They sure aren't picky eaters thats for sure!

The chickory..... this was our first year at a successful stand. Last years was a disaster, but we wont go there. Got the seed from Naylor seed out of Scotch Grove Iowa. pretty expensive, $8 a pound/ takes roughly 4 pounds per acre. we planted in the spring. It says you can also plant in the fall at a month or so from first frost. The deer have been in it all summer long and are still tearing it up. Plus very few times have I not seen turkeys in it to. Right now we don't really have any of our other food plots in the immediate area. It is however very close to a bedding area. We don't spend much time in there, once the season has started. We did plant a samll plot this fall just to see how it does. I will be at the farm this weekend. If the wind and weather cooperate I will try and take a few pics of the plot and a close up of the actual plant.

Good Hunting!

Woody

[FarmlandQDM]

Larry I also planted some chicory I got from Naylor Seed. Last March I cleared off about 1/4 acre area in my timber with a chainsaw that had a south facing slope, burned it, and then when it was still black I broadcast 1# chickory/2# Ladino clover and 600# Pell Lime. The lime was for the clover, chicory can take a low pH. The clover and chickory came up great and the deer really like the plot. I didn't cut my stumps low enough so mowing it was a problem I'll fix this winter.

[Woody21]

Here are a couple of photos I took Sunday, 10-24 of one of our chickory plots. http://www.iowawhitetail.com/photopost/data/500/727chickory_009.jpg

[Woody21]

chickory, http://www.iowawhitetail.com/photopost/data/500/727chickory_006.jpg

[Woody21]

chickory, http://www.iowawhitetail.com/photopost/data/500/727chickory_004.jpg

[bjkpharmd]

WOW- great looking forage field.

[Old Buck]

Guys, thanks for the info. Woody, that plot looks great! Do you keep it mowed like clover? I've got to try some next year.

[OHshedder]

I planted an equal mix of Biologic Green Patch Plus (mostly brassicas), Buck Forage Oats, and winter wheat in early Aug. The mix is about 12" to 18" high now. The deer and turkeys are hammering the brassicas, but I don't see alot of indication that they are touching the wheat or oats. Thinking about top-dressing w/ fertilizer, but not sure since its so close to the 1st frost...

[MNHunter]

We planted a total of about 5 acres of Imperial Whitetail Clover.
From my experience from before planting (about 4 years ago) to now I can say the deer do have bigger racks and really seem to like the clover.

What I really need to find is something to plant on our road in the woods. This part is in the shade at most times. Anybody got ideas? I don't want to plant every year.

[Bowhunt]

Something easy and cheap for roads is red clover. You can frost seed it in feb or march. I have done this on logging roads, in the timber. Deer tend to browse on it as they move through an area and it has pulled deer closer to my stands many times.

[bjkpharmd]

from another site "Tried to grow buckwheat twice but deer ate it all down before it was 3 inches tall"

Isn't this the purpose? http://www.iowawhitetail.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[THEBAD]

I have to admit our fall food plot of Oats and Imperial whitetail clover mix..has been the favorite over everything else except for a patch of 10 acres of standing corn we left. The oats were you every day $8 for 70lbs and the deer have been keeping them mowed. For a week or so they got upto about 9inches tall, now you would be hard pressed to find any over 3 inchs tall anywhere in the three acre patch of them we put in. $ for $ you can bet we will be planting some more fall oats next year. The deer this year have completley changed there patterns by the effect of these two food areas we have put in. They used to hit our small imperial whitetail spots religously but now its anybodys best guess. Good for the deer bad for trying to figure them out. Anyway they are staying on our farms now and thats what the food was put in for.

[hawkeyefan]

Here's a novice foodplot question for the group. Are there varieties of plants that I could use that will do well in a well shaded area? I have some ridgetops that would be great to plant some of the things I've seen in ealier posts but also have a lot of riverbottom area that has a pretty heavy canopy from all the mature oak trees. Do I have some options here?

[deadeye]

Sounds like our setup. Not very big plots at all. Riverbottom ground with lots of oaks. Due to timing we planted winter wheat. We have also planted a shade grass and oats. Grass and oats were flooded out after turkey season. Winter wheat was planted late summer.

[Double_Lung]

Woody - Those are some awesome food plots. Where is your farm and can hunt it too!