fall plots?

[00buck]

well field is actually mowed to like a lawn length right now and the farmer is next door getting ready to turn up field since he just harvested the winter wheat maybe i should talk to him but here is the real question the property that i have has will and already have corn planted and soy beans and the farmer is going to plant the field they just harvested with beans or wheat again when i talked to him earlier in the year will the food plot be beneficial to me during the season or not i have 2 fulltime feeders running year round and minerals year round also and 15 apple trees on property that are mature and deer eat them till they are gone

[mrbb]

well if its mowed to almost lawn like, that will make planting it very easy
and will a food plot help, if you have lots of corn beans about you, YES
all food plots help
think of it like this, if you plant a fall plot of say turnips, Brassicia, Rape
, well this stuff pulls deer like crazy, all the more so when a few frosts gets to it, turns them sweet
and your deer have been eating beans and corn for weks
its a new food source, maybe closer to cover water for them, if you ate the same thing for weeks, you will be glad to have a new food source
second, corn and beans will be harvested come late oct mid nov in most places , then what, where do your deer go, having a standing plot of Good food after harvest of crops is a major draw to your property
NOW if you decided to plant something like clover, or chicory, well, again, it is a new food source, one that actually makes better protien than corn and beans
it will not be a huge draw after heavy frosts, well the clover will not for sure as it will pucker up, the chicory will hold its own , BUT it will re grow come spring time, LONG before a farmer plants anything
thus giving your deer a jump on food and protien in spring time, making a healthier herd /hevier weight gains come spring, which can maybe lead to bigger racks come fall
deer are what they eat to a point!
having a food plot on your property makes your property more attractive to wildlife in general
will it be a 100% all gains
well NO
having a food plot is like having an open feeder, deer learn if pressured, to visit it in safest hours, as the food is there for eating 24/7
BUT it will draw deer as long as its there
meaning come fall rut, doe's will hit a food plot , bucks will follow, and rape/turnips/brassicia, is a better food source come winter time too, provides deer with better intake than just corn , making surviving winter easier on them, and again, making deer come into spring with a better heads up
so yes, I believe a food plot is always a plus for a property

I have 50+ acres of corn and 5 + acres or so of beans right now, and I am still planting fall food plots
and I expect to kill my buck in a fall food plot, or hope to anyways LOl

[00buck]

ok so i think i am going to put in a small fall food plot what do you recommend as far as seed and when do i need to have it in by i will be planting it in central ohio morrow county if that helps at all first time for a plot any advice to make it easier would be nice

[mrbb]

well advice again is , get a soil test
then decide how much $$ you want to spend
that will help a lot on the what and how
as for seeds, or what type of seed to plant
well again, that can be decided with the soil test, and or your budget
as
lets say, you plant "X" seed, and your soil is ready NOW for it
as to wanting to plant"Z" and it means you need to add tons of fertilizer and lime
and then also, consider, do you want to plant something that will be just for THIS fall, or do you want to plant something that will grow for a few yrs
if your budget allows to plant what ever you want, when ever
then, you have to ask yourself , what crops are not the norm in your area
thus making your lands more attractive to deer in hunting season
a simple Fall plot that is very easy and not so costly will be forage rape seed, will need pending seed variety between 50-90 days before heavy frosts
tips,
burn down the site NOW, get that sil test done NOW, and as soon as you get results back, add that lime, even if its before you turn it over, but AFTER you spray it

then when you turn it over you will mix that lime , as lime takes time to work , and has to make contact with soil to work
there are many different types of rape/brassicia
all are great fall food plots
the one's that make bulbs/turnips, can double the food a plot can make, as to just greens, and they will also hold deer longer once they eat the tops off!

SHot Plot from evolved habitat, and many of the other brnad names all are good seeds, and all will tell you how many days they need to grow before a frost
CHEAP no brand name seeds from your local Ag store will work too, as for forage rape(no bulp on most of these) or turnips, and what variety they have/can get
many sell by the lb
most brand names also sell smaller 1 lb bags too, you can also get a a bag or 2 of different seeds and mix them
giving a couple different types for deer to pick through
you can add and mix all types of seeds, add some clover, or chicory to a brassicia plot or??
sky's the limit
sorry if this isn't what you want, But I don't live in Ohio, so, not exactly sure where your at or your frost dates
but feel free to ask me anything, I'm glad to help if I can!

[JMax510]

I'm going all out in food plots this year. I have about 40 acres tillable on my farm which I rent to a local farmer. I have him do the majority of my planting in exchange for him getting to farm the rest. I had him plant 6 acres of corn for me last year but the field didn't amount to much because the deer grazed it off before it even had a chance to grow. This year after he planted the 6 acre field in corn I put an electric fence around it. I couldn't believe the results. I never thought 2 fences 30" high would keep deer out but it did! We received some good rain this year and the corn looks really good.

The farmer had 12 acres of winter wheat planted which he recently took off and I'm having him plant that field in clover and radishes as cover crop for the winter. I also am planting about 2 acres in buck forage oats. I had excellent success with the bfo last year. Also this year I planted 26 Realtree Dunstan Chestnuts from Walmart. They've grown about 2 feet since I planted them.

Foodplots and habitat improvements is a lot of work, time and money but is rewarding. My neighboring farmers are all brown and down hunters so I try to give the deer everything they could want on my property.

[mrbb]

Food plots get addicting too, after you see improvements they can make too
but again, the price to get one going doesn't have to be hunge
there are prime expensive seeds and then cheap seeds, to almost free seeds
again, being a member of NTF, they sell left over seeds dirt cheap, that can save hundreds when planting time come