Author Topic: Food Plot Prep and Expectations of Fall... (Read 3189 times)

Land_Owner · « **on:** August 02, 2012, 04:50:15 AM »

Once again, into the breech. Glyphosate has been applied. The dead battery in the tractor recharged. Now to see if there is a short or just too little use. Dead fall trees have been pushed aside with the box blade. Deer trails are being photographed. One lone 10-point in velvet has been seen. Big deer. A bear has been foraging. Pigs are tearing up the forest under the oak trees looking for grubs and early acorns. The white acorn trees are LOADED and it looks like a bumper crop this year, but real early and before archery season. Wild grapes are maturing and falling. A few turkeys are still in residence. Time to tune up the hunting rifle and reloads. Making plans to trailer the tractor and disc to SC again for food plot preparation there in late August. Looking forward to working hard, accomplishing a lot, camaraderie with old friends, and the expectation that shorter days, longer nights, and the approaching season of cold will bring the much sought wildlife.

Blue Duck · « **Reply #1 on:** August 02, 2012, 12:29:01 PM »

Sounds like your right on schedule. I just sprayed a couple of plots and plan to disk them in about 2 weeks. I put in a new clover plot this spring. While most of the country has been real dry, we have had record rainfall up into the middle of July. The clover is thick and lush. Going to try some winter wheat this fall and a few turnups. The trail cameras show a couple of nice bucks, and several smaller ones hanging around. Looking forward to fall.

Land_Owner · « **Reply #2 on:** August 02, 2012, 11:58:16 PM »

I purchased some year-old Throw and Go, Iron and Clay peas, some Tricale interspersed with annual rye, and a smattering of clover mixed in. I am not so keen on annual rye, but it does make a beautiful field over which to hunt, like a huge lush green lawn. The wildlife don't eat it though. Still, the effort will be made on the wildlife's behalf and they will get the benefit for more than 90% of the time unobserved. Historically, they eat the peas to the dirt line within a week of its germination. This year, I am including an innoculant in the mix. Hasn't been one in the soil for 15 years, so it is past due. Not so sure about fertilizer though. Getting so that it is too darn expensive per ton, per bag, per whatever, and is about 20% more expensive than last year, which was too high. Starting to cost more to own than to lease. Now that is a switch. Kind of like the state of the American Housing Market.

kynardsj · « **Reply #3 on:** August 03, 2012, 12:27:53 AM »

Going down to the hunting land on Sunday afternoon to ride around and make some plans. Have bush-hogged the roads and fields once and will hit them again in September to get ready to disc up the fields. My partner and I don't bowhunt much so we won't plant until October. It's just the two of us on 220 leased acres. We keep things pretty simple and the deer seem to like it. We plant oats and sweeten things up with some 13-13-13. The rain did us right last year and we had some beautiful fields. Really ready for a break from this hot and humid weather here in Alabama. I'll get like a kid at Christmas when the first frost comes around.

Land_Owner · « **Reply #4 on:** August 03, 2012, 11:45:43 PM »

Frost? What is that? If we get two or three days of "sweater weather" down here it is notable. We're battling mosquitoes and yellow flies through Christmas in some seasons. Short sleeves and shorts - almost. A Florida Native will freeze to death if the temperature drops below 72 degrees F.

alan in ga · « **Reply #5 on:** August 04, 2012, 01:24:51 AM »

My 120' x 50' food plot is plowed. Now I'm not sure what to plant and when. Rain is scarce. It's August 4th. Last year I planted BioLogic [2 kinds] and wow what fantastic results! Deer loved it. I found 12 bags at a greatly reduced price [75% OFF] at a home supply store last February, kept them until September I think, and it was the most beautiful and deer attracting food plot I've ever had.
My farmer friend that owns the land is suggesting white clover now, and whatever fall crop I want about October, or whenever the best time to plant is [I need to research].
All I know is I never want to 'not' have a food plot again. Makes for very exciting evenings. My hunting spot is 5 minutes away....18 minutes from my driveway to 'strapped in' my hang on stand.

Land_Owner · « **Reply #6 on:** August 07, 2012, 07:11:17 AM »

...and I thought "Lucky Dawg" was only a Nascar term...

When I hunt in SC, it is a 10 minute ride to the gate and not more than 30 minutes from out of bed, feet on the floor, and into the stand.

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #7 on:** August 07, 2012, 08:33:43 AM »

Here in Va. I will spray weed killer this week or next . Let it work about 5 days to 7 then plow , disc , maybe use a rake backwards to smooth then plant with mostly turnips , a patch of kale (for the wife) and a couple of bags of wildlife mix I got on sale in the spring Fall mix . I have about an acre or a little more . Then in the woods a patch that might be 15 yards X 15 yards . Both places are drawing deer now as one was my garden before the deer got to it and the other always does.

Cecil · « **Reply #8 on:** August 13, 2012, 03:16:32 PM »

You guys are lucky been feeding hay to stock for a month and a half,Last 2 years have been the worst drought I have ever seen. Be lucky to have a food plot this year!

hillbill · « **Reply #9 on:** August 13, 2012, 05:24:10 PM »

Quote from: Cecil on August 13, 2012, 03:16:32 PM

You guys are lucky been feeding hay to stock for a month and a half,Last 2 years have been the worst drought I have ever seen. Be lucky to have a food plot this year!

yeah me too!disced ,planted and cultipacked.planted wheat and turnips.be really surprised if it makes tho as dry as it is

Land_Owner · « **Reply #10 on:** August 14, 2012, 05:19:59 AM »

Quote from: hillbill on August 13, 2012, 05:24:10 PM

Quote from: Cecil on August 13, 2012, 03:16:32 PM
You guys are lucky been feeding hay to stock for a month and a half,Last 2 years have been the worst drought I have ever seen. Be lucky to have a food plot this year!
yeah me too!disced ,planted and cultipacked.planted wheat and turnips.be really surprised if it makes tho as dry as it is

Hard to say where you guys are located. Please explain.

I went to the property half-days on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Friday I disked. Saturday I planted 300#'s of Iron and Clay Peas covered with inoculant and 100#'s of corn in 6-foot wide strips around the field edges. Sunday I found the hogs had eaten ALL of the corn strips and the turkeys were having a field day sucking up as much of the I&C peas as they could stomach. Sunday afternoon it rained HARD 2.55 inches. Sunday and Monday were spent clearing shooting lanes. Monday it rained HARD another 1 inch. There is about 95% germination in the I&C peas following Sunday's rain. Inoculant is a good thing.

Cecil · « **Reply #11 on:** August 18, 2012, 02:13:35 AM »

Eastern Oklahoma , News claims it would take 15in of rain to break the drought in my area. Land Owner this two years in row we have been in extreme drought.

Land_Owner · « **Reply #12 on:** August 18, 2012, 06:43:10 AM »

Since the commencement of this "drought" discussion, it has rained 7.5-inches at my hunting property. All of the rain you need is falling here. Please come and claim it before it drowns all of my germinating peas... ;-)

hillbill · « **Reply #13 on:** August 18, 2012, 01:21:22 PM »

we are still bad off here in MO. we did get 2 10ths of rain the other day.it has cooled off a lot also.jus inspected my plots today and the turnips are about 1" high and thick as hair on a dogs back.the wheat has not shown yet. chance of rain tonite but im not holding my breath. every rain system has split and went around us for the last few months. if we dont get rain soon ill have to replant.

on a good note, a buddy of mine was driveing past my main hunting property and noticed a nice large buck getting ready to cross the road from my property to the next.and yesterday a turkey hen and 5 half grown turkeys came up within 40 yrds of my house last nite.been a few years since i saw a turkey anywhere near my property.

Cecil · « **Reply #14 on:** August 23, 2012, 01:11:11 PM »

Land Owner give it a big push this way we could sure use it

Land_Owner · « **Reply #15 on:** August 28, 2012, 04:42:17 PM »

Iassic skirted Florida and is headed to the Heartland as this is typed. Whether Issac is enough to give you guys a good soaking is to be determined. I had the difficult duty tonight to bury my Gernam Shepherd of 16 years on the hunting property, after dark, by flashlight, in the rain and mosquitoes, under the pines, through the roots, 3-feet deep and 2.5 feet below the rain soaked ground water table. It was a Labor of Love for 2.5 hours to place him next to his Mother who was buried there 10 years ago. As I drove away on a driveway that is slicker than an eel's back, I noted how much standing water there has accumulated in the peas, on the driveways, in the ditches, in every shallow place where water could accumulate. There is very little ground above water and most of the peas are still standing tall after 15-inches of rainfall over 10 days. Where do the wildlife go when it rains heavily for days on end? They congregate on the upland. I own a piece of that upland and it is currently saturated and covered with water. It must be a hard life to be a prey species.

streak · « **Reply #16 on:** August 28, 2012, 05:01:36 PM »

Land_Owner,
Sorry to hear about the loss of your pup! Kind of hard to give them up after that many years.
Lot`s of luck on your food plots!! Good to hear the white oaks look good this year, I am anxious to get down to E.Texas on my property to check out the white oaks and acorn crop for this year!!

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #17 on:** August 29, 2012, 02:45:58 AM »

sorry to hear about the loss of you friend

alan in ga · « **Reply #18 on:** August 29, 2012, 03:04:19 AM »

It is amazing how attached we can get to a dog.....I've had to bury a few as well. My German Shepard went downhill pretty quick after only 11 years. You had yours a good while and I know you are 'wounded' now. Focus on the happy days you had her/him.

Land_Owner · « **Reply #19 on:** August 29, 2012, 08:41:02 AM »

My deer hunting partner of 20-years tells me that the loss of your Best Friend is the only time a grown man is allowed to weep openly. The way it went down is going to be more difficult for my boys who were both there on their own and watched the end as I and their mother, from separate directions, tried to get to the house. I was 20-minutes too late. Collectively, and by phone, we decided the only resting place was 30-minutes north and on the hunting property. Nothing else would have been right. No darn hurricane, tropical depression, rain, lightning, wind, bugs, nightfall, or any other "roadblock" would have stopped our determination. When it is right, it feels right and we did right by that dog who did right by us. We caught up with their mother at the grave. This is gonna take a few days to wear thin. Work isn't cutting the edge off as I thought it might. Right now, I just don't care as much (for work) as before. Guess that wears off soon enough too. Good memories. Thanks for ALL of the kind words. They help....

Cecil · « **Reply #20 on:** August 29, 2012, 11:25:06 AM »

Landowner, Sorry to here about your friend. Watching weather now looks like we might have a chance for rain a at the property hope so. Streak, I don't know what east Texas looks like but eastern Oklahoma will not have much of a mast crop this year

Land_Owner · « **Reply #21 on:** September 03, 2012, 04:08:21 AM »

I went back to remove Camera Cards yesterday. There remain pockets of standing water and the ground water table is only inches from the surface. The driveways are roughly passable in 4x4, but don't stray. They rut badly too, so the cumulative effect is detrimental. The deer have been active on the south road nipping off nearly all of the emerging peas. The Big Field and interior strips are still green with peas, which is a sign that the resident deer population isn't so large this season. Trail Cameras confirm, only eight deer are active, one of them a spotted fawn. However, two Yotes and almost a dozen pigs are in residence. So far, the pigs remain nocturnal and what little hunting pressure we've put on them hasn't intercepted them during the daylight.

Cecil · « **Reply #22 on:** September 20, 2012, 04:29:02 PM »

Well finely got the fields plowed and planted hopeing for more rain .Red winter wheat and Austrian snow peas will see what happens now.

Land_Owner · « **Reply #23 on:** September 21, 2012, 01:20:29 AM »

I tried Australian Winter Peas 2 years ago. No Go for me. I hope yours do well. A lot of plants that deer will eat, up north, don't grow well for me in FL. No frost to make the sugar rise in brassicas, turnips, greens, etc. Wheat and Oats grow OK. Deer don;t eat them much here. Snooty deer in my woods prefer Iron and Clay Peas. The turkeys here enjoy sorghum and rye grain.

streak · « **Reply #24 on:** September 21, 2012, 09:33:04 AM »

Land_Owner,
Have you got any honeysuckle thickets on your property or clover patches?
These on our property in E.Texas are quite an attraction for the wiley whitetails!

Land_Owner · « **Reply #25 on:** September 21, 2012, 01:39:14 PM »

Zero honeysuckle. Clover though is a reasonable draw. I have a new 4# bag of Imperial Whitetail clover to overseed with before October 1. I also have 100# of Throw and Grow from 2011 that has about 25% clover and 40% annual rye grass. Rye grass is a No Go as the deer won't touch it, but it is a pleasure to hunt over as the fields and strips look like manicured lawns.

streak · « **Reply #26 on:** September 21, 2012, 05:21:48 PM »

Yeah!
That rye grass really looks great in the dead of winter down in E.Texas!
We have it down our old logging roads and patches along sides of some of th e old footpaths.

Land_Owner · « **Reply #27 on:** September 22, 2012, 12:39:28 AM »

IR Trail cameras are "funny" things. One is blurry. One doesn't "wake up" very fast and we see deer and hog butts instead of foreheads and shoulders. Same make and model on those two. Two expensive IR cameras take excellent pics out to 40 yards, but two others quit working after 3-years - one of them lost its programming, the other burned up with batteries in the right orientation. Still, I can play with the red lazer but there is little consolation in that for how much the thing cost.

We put up a new model of the first two and it wakes up RIGHT NOW, shoots pics like an automatic weapon, and in two weeks out shot all of the other cameras combined work over a year! Wow! Now I can scroll through 1-minute time lapse exposures, 750 of them, and see the hogs doing the left-turn NASCAR shuffle around and around and around the pig pipe that is staked to the ground.

We have pictures of a real nice 8-point, a decent 6-point, a 12-inch long tinned spike, and a 3-inch spike. They like to eat peas at 2:30-4:30 AM in different fields. Rarely do they show themselves in daylight. We're not seeing the coyotes (2) or the black bear (1) right now and, fortunately, they have been seen rarely in the past. Two archers have set-ups along the main wildlife trails, but so far, the game has been wiley.

There is a sounder of pigs, the largest of which is approaching 150#'s. One of the sows comes every day. She is hungry and probably expecting more porklings, but even the pigs don't show often in the daylight. Still, hunting pigs on my land is 24/7/365, or can be. I have a Gun and Light permit from the State for night hunting, but I don't go at night (or have not), cause I have a day job that requires I get a decent night's sleep.

Cecil · « **Reply #28 on:** September 24, 2012, 03:04:47 PM »

I have not had much luck with snow peas ethier, But partner came up with them well see.Early camera was seeing a six pointer and a few hogs , hogs were small thow