Food Plots - Eye Opening

[miniwhitetails]

First time doing food plot this year and it's been exciting. Food plot is a 1/2 acre of turnips and radishes. On the perimeter I planted a chicory, alfalfa, clover, mix with winter rye as a nurse crop (planted it this fall well after the turnips and radishes went in). The turnip and radish grew amazing, I fertilized both at planting and then again 3 weeks later and was blown away with how much green they produced and also the size of the bulbs. Looked like something out of a magazine. Was down there to put a scrape tree in on September 6th and noticed they had been eating the tops a little. Threw a couple cameras up.

Fast forward to September 22nd, radishes GONE. Pretty much ate all of the tops and most of the radish itself. Tops of the turnips? 75% gone. Checked the cameras and about 6-8 deer a night hammering the plot, lots of pics with food hanging from mouth. Thank god I planted the WR and chicory because that is looking very good and isn't getting hammered. Also the bulbs of the turnips will probably be good late season. The clover and alfalfa is coming good too. Now I planted even more WR and also some buck forage oats, basically in every thin spot. Next year it is getting put either all into clover or else its getting fenced off until closer to oct 1. I've noticed they take 1-2 bites out of the turnip bulb and just leave it? With the bulb still in the ground. Is this deer or maybe its mice eating them? Some of them they just pull up and leave.

Anyone that says they don't hit the tops until after a couple frosts is strongly mistaken. I get that every farm is different but it certainly didn't take a frost here. I now know why food plots are common, it is unreal the usage I'm seeing. I'm primarily a timber hunter though, sitting on a ridge in late October/early November just cant be beat IMO. The plot was meant for more of an early season/late season option. Its been fun but also a lot of work. Thought I would add the poll to make it this a funner (is that a word?) discussion

 

[Bassattackr]

Can you expand your planting area?

If not, I would go to a clover plot. Fencing off doesn't do anything to help the nutrition of the local herd. Clearly there is a void.

Lastly, if you cannot plant more, may be time to take more deer.

 

[miniwhitetails]

Can you expand your planting area?

If not, I would go to a clover plot. Fencing off doesn't do anything to help the nutrition of the local herd. Clearly there is a void.

Lastly, if you cannot plant more, may be time to take more deer.

No I can't, it surrounded by timber. Leads to a large ag field that this year is alfalfa.

The deer are like steers big bodies and healthy, we are in a large ag area and there is food everywhere. I don't think they lack nutrition, I think they just prefer the candy I just so happen to plant next to their bedding. And its secluded so even more of a reason for the use I suppose.

I agree on shooting more and I do think that could help. It's just not that practical though, my wife and I can only eat so much.

 

[Hawk32]

I personally had 0 success with turnip/raddish plots until we started fencing them. Granted they were mostly 1/4 to 1/2 acre plots and not multiple acres but they were eaten off to bare dirt every time. Fenced in a couple and had great success.

 

[ridgeview72]

Overseed your turnips and radishes with cereal rye to provide more food.

 

[ridgeview72]

We're they purple top turnips you planted?

 

[Muskrat24]

That is crazy because the first year I planted brassicas in a food plot the deer hardly touched them. I’ve read here that sometimes it takes a year for deer to develop a taste for them. Sounds like the size of the plot and proximity to bedding may have fast forwarded the deer’s taste.

 

[Sligh1]

When deer get a taste for turnips & radish- they can destroy em fast!!! I’ve seen even 3-4 years before they figure em out on some farms.
I kinda “do it all”. I always have parts of plots in any situation get ruined- those all go to cereal grain plots. I usually seed some areas to brassicas and all my areas have at least a 1/4 acre of clover there. I’m good at some things and not good at some others…. Patience with fencing, tangles & deer still getting through is still an obstacle for me.

In a magic world or the world where u farm so can make the calls …. Not combining certain areas is clearly the easiest. I bet less than 1% hunters have that ability though. It’s pretty funny running my no till drill over my ag corn or beans that got pummeled or even making some paths through corn fields. or just leaving some for the critters while no farming neighbor leaves a single scrap.

 

[miniwhitetails]

We're they purple top turnips you planted?

Yes they were

 

[miniwhitetails]

I personally had 0 success with turnip/raddish plots until we started fencing them. Granted they were mostly 1/4 to 1/2 acre plots and not multiple acres but they were eaten off to bare dirt every time. Fenced in a couple and had great success.

going to try that next year with a battery powered fencer I have. I've also done two rows of fishing line before too and it actually worked pretty good

 

[miniwhitetails]

When deer get a taste for turnips & radish- they can destroy em fast!!! I’ve seen even 3-4 years before they figure em out on some farms.
I kinda “do it all”. I always have parts of plots in any situation get ruined- those all go to cereal grain plots. I usually seed some areas to brassicas and all my areas have at least a 1/4 acre of clover there. I’m good at some things and not good at some others…. Patience with fencing, tangles & deer still getting through is still an obstacle for me.

In a magic world or the world where u farm so can make the calls …. Not combining certain areas is clearly the easiest. I bet less than 1% hunters have that ability though. It’s pretty funny running my no till drill over my ag corn or beans that got pummeled or even making some paths through corn fields. or just leaving some for the critters while no farming neighbor leaves a single scrap.

The cereal grain part of it is just so easy so it makes for an attractive option. I pretty much threw some down anywhere I thought would get sunlight. I do think if the whole thing was clover it would be hard for them to "overgraze" it so much.

Funny about the farming, I once hunted a farm that was rented by an old boy farmer who farmed it for years. I stopped him one day and asked if I could "buy" a couple acres of his standing crops and have him essentially leave them. He said with a big smile on his face "The deer aint eatin anymore of my crops than they already do" haha that settled that idea!

 

[Duckriver]

Add more food thru your timber management. Create browse for deer to take pressure off your food plots. There is a reason why they are hitting plots so hard right now. It indicates a food stresser period. On many farms food plot management without forest management is Like trying to fill your bathtub with the drain open.....