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Favorite Fall Plot?

Waukon1

Waukon1

Well-Known Member
Fall plots that I have planted in the past have been Rape and Annual Rye. They have been pretty good to me but I'm looking for something different. I've got about 2.5 acres for this fall plot that will be put into corn next spring.

Anyone have a blend or something that they have had real good success with?

Thanks,
Waukon1
 
Oats with some cheap red clover thrown in for the early season and rape/turnips for late season.
 
I love our Fall Fusion mix with barley and winter rye as well as brassicas in it. Good for early and late bowseason as well as into the gun season and winter. Also, the deer oats.
 
I like alot of things.

My perfect plot is soybean, with rye broadcasted in it. There is nothing else in this world that will pull the deer in any harder.

Next would be alfalfa fields, never really hunted over an alfalfa "plot".
 
Thanks for the responses. I don't think I want to go with alfalfa. I'm going to be putting it in corn in the spring and I have a good amount of alfafa growing amongst the CRP.
 
Ever heard of Sweet Spot? It features High Sugar Perennial Ryegrasses that are very cold tolerant and attract deer like candy. Stays green well into late muzzy season. Also has a good perennial white clover - "Winter White Clover", red clover, PT turnips and Chicory. You can get it from Naylor Seed 800-747-7333 or Welter Seed 800-728-8450. Des Moines Forage& Turf may have it also 515-965-4425.
 
Corn is king

Folks,

I can't believe no one mentioned corn, which is my favorite fall/winter attraction forage because I have yet to witness anything more attractive to deer in fall & winter than corn. Ideally however, you should never put all of your eggs in one basket with only one type of forage. If you will be hunting from the opener of bow season thru the end of the late muzzleloader season, you will need a variety of forages that peak in attractiveness during different times of the fall & winter. For example, alfalfa & clovers are only attractive during the first portion of the bow season. Brassicas (rape, kale, turnips, etc) are only attractive after frost. If corn or soybeans are used on small plots, it is unlikely any forage will still be available for late muzzleloader season unless split-row farming techniques are used where the standard seeding rate is doubled & in the case of corn, the nitrogen in the fertilizer is also doubled. Standing corn that is hand-seeded to brassica (within the rows between the corn stalks) in August or early September just before a rain is my favorite.

Mick
 
I think corn is a great source but there seems to be SO much of it in our area it doesn't stand out. We've been pretty amazed at the drawing power of alfalfa. Like Nanny said, these are large alfalfa fields, not really plots. Wish we had more beans. Gonna try a oats, rye, and white clover spot this fall, then have it become a pure clover field hopefully next spring.
 
I'm looking to put something in the ground in 2 weeks. CORN really isn't an option.

The corn food plot is about 300 yards away
 
Then you are looking at a cereal grain, brassica, or peas. Its getting kinda late for a solid brassica stand but great timing for a cereal grain!
 
Thanks Loneranger. It is good stuff. It is a robust barley and then winter rye. 20% of each and then the brassicas.
 
OrionWhitetails said:
Folks,

I can't believe no one mentioned corn, which is my favorite fall/winter attraction forage because I have yet to witness anything more attractive to deer in fall & winter than corn. Ideally however, you should never put all of your eggs in one basket with only one type of forage. If you will be hunting from the opener of bow season thru the end of the late muzzleloader season, you will need a variety of forages that peak in attractiveness during different times of the fall & winter. For example, alfalfa & clovers are only attractive during the first portion of the bow season. Brassicas (rape, kale, turnips, etc) are only attractive after frost. If corn or soybeans are used on small plots, it is unlikely any forage will still be available for late muzzleloader season unless split-row farming techniques are used where the standard seeding rate is doubled & in the case of corn, the nitrogen in the fertilizer is also doubled. Standing corn that is hand-seeded to brassica (within the rows between the corn stalks) in August or early September just before a rain is my favorite.

Mick
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During the winter, I would much rather have a high protien source, hench, soybeans. Corn is good, beans are much better.

Also Corn cost $475.00 an acre to put in and maintain.

Beans cost $145.00. Broadcast some winter rye or wheat in there in the last of August, you have yourself a cheap, high protien, deer magnet.
 
I can't believe no one mentioned corn, which is my favorite fall/winter attraction forage because I have yet to witness anything more attractive to deer in fall & winter than corn.
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Ten years ago I would have agreed but they decimate hidden corn fields before hunting season even starts for me and as Brian mentioned the cost is prohibitive to many plotters.

For years I said standing corn was king and I still stand by that for those that can grow it and afford the high costs.

For most small plotters with small hidden plots and light equipment, corn is not an option I'm afraid.

I encourage the use of three way rotations of clover/falcata alfalfa, brassicas/sugarbeets and fall plantings of cereal grains that include rye/oats/peas and more clover, and making sure you have ALL of those things in every plot or field. Those crops are affordable, plantable with light equipment and the combination will provide year around attractants.

Soybeans are hard to beat but like corn they get wiped out... unless one can plant 20 acres or more but for those without my high deer density problems standing soys with rye broadcast into them before leaf turn are awesome!! :way:
 
dbltree --- no mention of wheat. Any reason you prefer rye over wheat as a cereal? I always thought they were pretty equal in speed of growing but wheat was more hardy and would green up earlier in late winter/spring than rye.
 
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