Fields for deer?

[JackP]

The past few years I've had a little clover field behind the house and had a decent amount of deer using it.  I would like to try something different this year and am wondering what fields you guys have had some luck with.

[woodchucker]

Place your stands or blinds in the corners,and you should do just fine.  

[Whip]

I've maintained food plots on my property for years.  To be completely honest though, I am becoming less convinced that they help my hunting much.  Here in my part of the country, and I would guess in Michigan as well, by the time the hunting gets good the clover plots have been beaten down by frost and the deer don't use them anymore.  

I rent some of my property to a farmer who has corn in one field and soybeans in another, rotating between them every other year.  The deer will hit the clover very well during the summer and early fall, but from October on they usually walk right through the food plots to get to the field crops.  During the best hunting times of the fall the leftover field crops are the best deer attractant I have on my land.

A couple of things that have worked well for me later in the fall are late planted (August) oats and also brasicas (rape)  They don't reach maturity when planted that late of course, but they do stay green well into the fall and do appeal to the deer at those times.  But they are not a long term plot, and you need to do something else with it the following spring.

[Gatekeeper]

I agree with Whip. The clover stands are beaten down by frost around here by mid to late November and don’t see much action on them. My purpose of planting green food plots is to provide the deer with a high protein food source through the spring and summer during antler growth. I do a mix of Ladino clover, alfalfa, chicory and Korean Lespedeza. All of these will have good growth during the cool season and the alfalfa, chicory and Korean Lespedeza will continue to grow during the warmer drier months of summer.

I have also planted purple top turnips but didn’t notice a lot of action in the fields. I have read and heard that the deer hit brassicas hard after a couple of heavy frosts because the plants turn sweet with sugar but I never saw a deer in the plot that I planted. I did see tracks and I saw plants that had been eaten but every show or article that I have watched or read about brassica food plots say the deer will mow these fields down to the ground and then dig up the turnips.

Last year I planted a couple of fields with milo to have a food source that would last through the winter. These fields seem to be an attractant for the deer. Although I never actually saw the deer eating any of the grain, there were heavily used trails leading into and out of both fields. The kind of milo I planted was the Sudan Grass variety, not the 3’ tall kind that a farmer would plant. This stuff was 7’+ tall. I didn’t really care for it because it left a lot a plant material to clean off the field this spring. This year I will plant more milo but it will be the shorter kind. A tip: If you plant milo follow the seed rate per acre. I didn’t do this last year and had way too many plants growing in the field. Milo is very easy to grow. If you have a good seed bed and the seed is touching the ground it will grow.

Good luck.

[va]

Hey Gatekeeper -

Sudan grass milo can make a rough hay so i bet you did have load of fiber in that field.

va

[trapperDave]

corn, if you leave it, you'll have every deer in a 2 mile radius in the late season

[bowmaster12]

corn and soybeans in same field corn in the center of file soy beans on the edge within shooting range the tall corn will give cover and you can bild it to funel deer to your hunting locations  you can also cut paths in teh corn and the deer will use these paths you can really build a road system for the deer.depends on how far you want to take it.  As for me i dont do this becaus eof personal reasons but i know it works.  If yoru interested i have a dvd that talks about it and other food plot ideas if you would like i could send it to you to take a look at

[Roy Steele]

I beleive that in later season after the deer start to leave the clover along  mainly because deer resort to internial instinces.And start to use natural food scources(browse) this may be because of the cover that go's along with it.
  I believe this is why corn if left sranding works so good.I seen corn nocked down around one field and they only vist a night but left strand in the field beside it and you can see deer walking the rows feeding anytime.Ofcorse these deer have some pressure on them.But only a little  and it's only bow and we exture care.

[JackP]

Thanks guys for your input ... I'm thinkin about throwin some corn in. When is the best time to plant?

[leatherneck]

Corn fields are the cats meow! I love my farmer.

[Mo. Huntin]

I see a lot of deer in winter wheat feilds in the late season here. But also the soybeans in the early season until they begin to yellow or a corn field is picked.  Once a cornfield is picked every deer in the area will be on it.  I don't plant food plots but I prolly would if I had the money and equiptment.

[ksbowman]

I have visited gatekeepers food plots and they are incredable.I've never seen any clover fields taller or thicker and his chickory that is mixed in does extremly well too!  Ben

[Gatekeeper]

Ahhhh shucks… Ben you’re making my avatar blush.

[trapperDave]

Originally posted by JackP:
Thanks guys for your input ... I'm thinkin about throwin some corn in. When is the best time to plant?

mid-late may

[rg176bnc]

CORN BABY!!!!  When its cold cant beat it.  Alfalfa aint bad either.

[Hattrick]

They say ur suppose to make 1  last cut on ur clover in early fall before the 1st frost, this will keep it green threw January(ladino clover , biologic or alfalfa).. I  believe alfalfa is the best if u can grow it, in MD the biggest deer (over 200pds dressed) in the state come from Kent County which is a dairy farm aria that plants a lot of alfalfa..I`ve seen deer by the groves in late season Jan an Feb in alfalfa feeds..Winter wheat is the easiest to plant an grow , it stays green thru winter but u need to plant alot....GOOD LUCK