more on food plots....??

[buckslayer]

i don't have a tiller or tractor to prepare a seed bed. the spots i want to plant are small(1/6, 1/4, 1/2 acre) shaded(3-4 hours sunlight) naturel openings in wood lots. i have 80 acres of woods w/ two corn fields on each side. the corn is cut in oct. the plots i want to plant/hunt will be for rifle season in the middle of nov. after the corn is cut. if i get a good growth of clover will the deer pick this over old cut corn???. i will use either imperial(whitetail institute) clover or imperial no-plow. no matter what i choose i will rake the leaves away and dig about 1'' of loose dirt, spread the seed then cover w/ about 1/4'' of dirt. will this grow?? the two seed blends i talked about will grow in a minimum of 3 hours of sunlight so it looks like i'm okay there, but will my dirt prep and planting work??? THANKS FOR ANY INFO!!!!!!!  also i would like to hear any one who has found a shade plant that grows good................. :wink:

[JPSaxMan]

A shade plant...that's an oxymoron.

All plants need sun. So that's shot out of the sky right there.

Prep sounds good, I dunno bout the deer's preferences. You can ask them that  :wink: . I think they'll hit both, you just have to time when the deer are coming into your food plots, find the trails to or from it and hunt the trails. After all, hunting over the plot is illegal b/c it is baiting.  

[jhm]

Be certain of the soil and have it tested at the county extension office they can tell you the correct fertilizer to use, I would consider planting some corn if you have a area to do so as the deer will be looking for some when they harvest that which is on both sides of you,   JIM

[rickt300]

You might want to open up the areas a bit that you want to plant so they get more light. Radishes, wild onions, turnips and Kale are easy to get started and you can fill in the blanks with the clover. Sweet peas will grow pretty late in the year also and they are a gauranteed attractor of deer.

[clodbuster]

There are plants that are more shade tolerant than others.  In the book Deer of North America by Rue I believe there is a list of deer's food preferences.  That might give some ideas of species that would work in semi shade.  Not illegal to hunt over food plots here.  Not considered baiting I guess.  Anyway its a definitive book on everything about deer.

[riddleofsteel]

Consider fertilizing the plants that are already there. Deer have a sixth sense about which plants have luxuriant growth and higher nutritional value. You can pack in a couple of bags of regular 10-10-10 and fertilize a patch of honeysuckle or mixed thicket of green briars, honeysuckle and briars. we did this on public game lands and within one season our fertilized patches became thick, green and overgrown. Deer were drawn to them and they provided food long after other patches had died back in the winter.
Also consider fertilizing trees. Oaks, beeches, persimmons, and sweet locust trees all benefit from fertilizer and will bear thicker nut and fruit crops after fertilization.
We regularly fertilize a huge white oak tree on my current hunting land and the honeysuckle, green briar thickets in the creek bottom below it. I can honestly say it has attracted more deer and turkey to the area, year round, than out old corn piles ever did.

[Whelen Nut]

Buckslayer

There are clovers that will do quite well with the amount of sunlight you have mentioned.  I have one plot that has very little direct sunlight and it grows like crazy.  

BEFORE you start digging up the area, spray it with Roundup to kill everything.  Wait a week or two, then breakup the sod--a small rototiller works fairly well if the ground is moist.  Put your fertilizer and lime on (based upon the soil test recommendations)and work it again.  Then seed it and cover VERY LIGHTLY by dragging a leaf rake.  I've even used lawn clippings to LIGHTLY cover the seed (instead of raking) to keep it moist until it sprouts.

This process has worked for me.  Food plot success is directionally proportional to the amount of effort you put into them.

WN

[thayerqdma]

Find some white dutch clovers and spread, cover lightly, cultipack, if possible, follow your soil test and let her grow.  
The deer may not like your clovers over the corn, but once they find a plot with good nutrition they will usually stick around.
You might consider a Ladino, red clover, and chicory mix for a main plot...that plot will produce from early spring to late fall with little effort on your part.  Preparation of the ground before you plant will help you a loooonnnggg ways down the road!

Where is it illegal to hunt over a food plot?  Can you not hunt in a patch of white oak trees either?

[DaveP]

I'm with riddle here.I've been fertilizing a couple big oaks on an oak flat every couple years for 10 years or so.I use a digging bar to make a series of small holes every couple feet around the circumference,under the drip line ( out at the edge of the crown).Takes A LOT of 10-10-10 to do a big tree,but it's worth it.Most years,get a real heavy crop of acorns,compared to other trees.Deer must prefer them-hit it first and hardest.Had to go back to the bow-they were ate up before gun season.Hurricane Isabelle blew them all off BEFORE the season! Have heavily  pruned and fert'd old apple trees way back in the woods-they usually come alive and are a good draw. I planted one of the brassica mixes a few years ago.Deer wore a path thru it-On their way to the corn.Either way,it's hard to beat plain old soybeans.Dave

[xs pro-comp]

Don't forget Austrian Peas. They work real well in the fall. I usually mix them with buck oats, winter wheat and a clover mixture. All of these hold up well through the winter months.