Small Plot

[cybball]

My inlaws have a 3 acre section behind their home that is all weeds and thisle. I would love to clear it and plant something for deer. Should I burn it first? I don't have a tractor to till it either. Any suggestions? He's got a skid loader, which I'm going to use to grade the field somewhat, but wondered what the best way of doing this is. The field will be full sun during summer months too.

 

[bjkpharmd]

Depends on your budget. Given that you won't be tilling anything- I'd get it burned off then spray it once it starts to green up. You can get someone to no-till a patch for you. Otherwise burn and frost seed a clover but you would need a way to mow or spray weeds to get soemthing decent established.

 

[Old Buck]

Seems to me a narrow, curvey clover patch in the middle of the weeds would be very attractive to deer. Plan it around potential tree stand locations or future ground blinds. Consider predominant wind directions and how you will sneak in and out. I'd go with a mix of legumes. You would need a way of mowing it, as pharmer said. Also, if you do it, take the time to lime and fertilize. The deer know the difference.

 

[FarmlandQDM]

Great advice guys, clover is the best way to go.

If the weeds are not too thick you might be able to get away with simply frost seeding on top of the snow in Feb or March without mowing it. Then buy a hand sprayer and when the forbs(weeds) start growing again spray it by hand with a herbicide that is safe to use on clover but will kill annual weeds. You need to talk to an ag chem dealer but I think Poast+ is a good one for that purpose. Be sure and take a soil test too. Many fertilizer coops will do the test for free if you buy the lime from them. If your pH is too low you won't grow much clover. Spreading a little pell-lime by hand isn't fun but it is probably something you will need to do. Like Old Buck said, leaving a ring of weeds around will probably make the plot even more attractive to deer and other wildlife.

Mowing is a better option but if you don't have access to a mower, try it without. Burning is a great option too but if you don't have much grass or foxtail in the stand to carry a fire, I think you will find burning it not very effective.

After you do all this and you have a beautiful lush clover plot ... don't forget to put up a small 4x4 exclusion cage. This way you will be able to really measure how the plot is doing and how the deer are utilizing it. Sometimes the difference is amazing.