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Winter rye question

EatSleepHunt

Active Member
Has anyone ever left winter Rye standing until the following fall all the way through hunting season? I am trying to shorten up a food plot that has Rye planted in it right now. It it's about 300 yards long, in my effective range is about 200 yards. So you see my problem they like that last 100 yards the best. It is surrounded by CRP I was planning to get some switchgrass in after next fall.
If you have left the winter rye in, how how well did it stand up through winter?
Thanks
 
Fall planted winter rye will normally be eaten down very low by the end of the fall and be nearly bare dirt into and through the winter, when it is pretty much dormant. It will start to regrow right about now as the soils warm. If left alone it will bump along, with the deer using it fairly well, until about May and then it will go CRAZY and grow very fast for about a month or so and then the plants will die off. You will have 4' tall light brown plants that can be good nursery cover for fawns and turkey broods, etc. but not much food value at that time.

Although the dead rye plant will have a seed head on it, I have not experienced a lot of regrowth from rye left standing like that. But I suppose it is possible. Drill your switch in then next fall.
 
...sounds like you just need a 300 yard gun. ;)
That didn't take long! I would love a smokeless muzzleloader, not an option right now.
What about frost seeding switch into the rye now? Would it make it competing with the rye or would I have to kill the rye before the switch germinates?
 
That didn't take long! I would love a smokeless muzzleloader, not an option right now.
What about frost seeding switch into the rye now? Would it make it competing with the rye or would I have to kill the rye before the switch germinates?

No problem there. Smoke the rye in April with gly when its actively growing. Add atrazine for residual weed control.
 
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