Food Plots

[MTY]

I must be getting cabin fever. I have been contemplating putting in a few small food plots for deer. I have no real interest in hunting over them. I have 968 trees being planted in the old hay field this spring, and I have been thinking of putting deer food plots in to replace the feed they will lose when the trees go in.
If any of you have put in food plots and wish to offer advice, I would appreciate it.

 

[DJ_Brutus]

Where are you located MTY? What type of soil are you dealing with?

 

[MTY]

Idaho, three feet of pretty good topsoil, then clay. I was thinking of putting it outside the vegtable garden fence and expanding the watering around the garden. I have a spring with a cistern that I water with. There is about 2000 gallons a day available.

 

[Shorty]

Clover is easily top dressed, need soil ph of at least 6. Grows easy, deer love it, great soil nitrogen builder. Apply early spring before snow melts, after it starts growing, mow that area a few times a year. Deer and turkeys will find it...

 

[Hausser1]

Have you considered marijuana? Once they get the munchies they don't care what you feed them. As a bonus, they'll just continue eating once the shooting starts, so bring a buddy/relative in need of filling a tag

 

[michiganmuzzy]

Have you considered marijuana? Once they get the munchies they don't care what you feed them. As a bonus, they'll just continue eating once the shooting starts, so bring a buddy/relative in need of filling a tag

...or a bag?

 

[Hausser1]

more reasoning to spend time at the reloading scale(s)?

 

[DJ_Brutus]

Like Shorty said, clover is relatively easy and gets good usage early spring to fall. Depending on existing vegetation, you can frost seed like he said (and I’ve had very good results with, seeding into sparse grassy areas) or if you have heavier vegetation (2-4’ grass/weeds), spray with glyphosate after green-up, and once browned out (week or two), spread your seed and then brush-hog dead vegetation. It acts a mulch to hold moisture and help with germination rates. Other option is to go full tillage late spring. All said and done, the possibilities are endless. Check out habitat-talk.com (excellent forum for all things concerning wildlife habitat) for all sorts of food plot info.

 

[MTY]

I have mowed grass, actually old hay field, around the veggie garden. I will sprinkle clover seed around that prior to the snow melting. It gets watered to keep fire hazard down.
I will also take a look at habitat-talk. I wonder if I could also seed clover around the trees in the old orchards.

 

[toytruck]

Might want to fence in your garden if not already done. Deer don't need much of a invitation...

 

[michiganmuzzy]

7' fence around my wifes garden keeps the deer out but not the bunnies. I like clover and alfalfa for food plots and some of the wifes hostas for an additional attractant, its like real deer crack.

 

[MTY]

There is a tall fence around the garden already. I am going to expand it this year. I put 2' high fence with small opening around the bottom, but it was not small enough.

Last year I used a bunch of watering tanks for raised beds. That kept the bunnies out, but wasted an awful lot of room. When I expand, I will run chicken wire around the bottom, keep the raised beds, and plant directly in the ground in the new portion.