Food plots

[jwingman]

Has anyone in the central New York area planted food plots? I am looking to put some clover and other food plots in and I am looking for recommendations regarding seed and suppliers of seed that you might have used or had good luck with. Any information would be appreciated. I would also like to know the size of your food plots and how long you have had them planted. Are they working well for you as far as attracting deer and maybe turkey?
Thanks - jwingman

[Hooper]

PM sent

[Pat B]

Get your soil tested by the state and they will tell you what you need to add to the soil for the crop you intend to grow. In many states this is a free service.

[Izzy]

Jim, I planted rye grass about 1 1/2 hours east of you in some big woods.I did not use any fertilizer, just tilled up the ground with a rake and pick and it grew well. It seems like the deer didnt eat it til late in the season after my tags were already full. When they turned onto it they were really hitting it hard but it took freezing temps to get them started.

[jwingman]

Thanks for the information. I have soil test kits coming. The winter snow has hindered my ability to get out and clear some of the land I want to turn into plots but I have several areas that I can get planted this year.
  My buddies have planted brassica on their property and the deer hit it hard as soon as the first frost hits. I will definitely get some winter greens out but I also want to add some clover or chicory or similar spring planting.
Seed prices vary greatly so I am hoping to find some people that have purchased locally and had good results.
  I have some seed sample kits coming from the Whitetail Institute. I will plant several of their varieties in small plots and see what seems to work the best. Losts of work to do but it's all fun when it is on your own place.

[Bob Palmer]

I planted a lot of food plots over the years...some worked and most didn't. It can be a costly endeavor!! In the last few years I have experimented with simply fertilizing the "native" plants and browse they seem to like more anyway! The best results I get are the plots that have a lot of native rye…it’s a wide bladed grass that stays green throughout the year.  I mow once in the spring and then mow and fertilize in August! It has been incredible over the past two years! I also transplant and fertilize honeysuckle...late in the year, it’s a huge draw! And last, in the spring, I fertilize selected apples and white oak trees. Just makes a good thing better! I have deer walking through fallen acorns to get to my trees!

Of the food plots I have tried, clover always seemed to be the best! Good old ladino clover. Buy your own from Southern States and forget paying extra for the monster deer pictures on the commercial brands   :rolleyes:

[Bow man]

You need to look at Whitetail Inst. Products there serivice is the best you can call them anytime for info and they will give you all the info you need to be successful with food plots
  http://www.whitetailinstitute.com/

You can also cotact me I do Habitat management programs for people I would be happy to answer any questions you have

[Stumpkiller]

Toss in some parsnips.  Deer eat the tops in the summer and thereafter paw up the roots right through to Spring.  

I call my food plot "The Garden" and it attracts them any time after dark from mid October through December and day & night the rest of the year.  

I toss out buckwheat and winter wheat as a green-manure cover crop after tilling up the gardens at the end of the season for their benefit in the winter they seem to like that.

[overbo]

I'm w/ Bob Palmer,
Been doing this food plot thing FOREVER and NOTHING beats inhancing the native forage.The only thing we've added to our properties is APPLE TREES.All that big buck in a bag stuff is for suckers.Do some clearing ,plant apple trees,and fertilize w/ 10-10-10 your natural forage.

[Spectre]

Originally posted by overbo:
I'm w/ Bob Palmer,
Been doing this food plot thing FOREVER and NOTHING beats inhancing the native forage.The only thing we've added to our properties is APPLE TREES.All that big buck in a bag stuff is for suckers.Do some clearing ,plant apple trees,and fertilize w/ 10-10-10 your natural forage.

+1
 The deer sure do like them apples. They view a watermelon patch like we view the dessert bar at Sizzler, too. Alfalfa and clover are a sure bet---and easy to grow. The local feed store should have a 50/50 hay blend seed.

[Builder]

I've had great success with food plots. We are in Western Wi. I have had the best success with the Winter Greens Whitettail Institute which is a Burrassica planted in the fall, it turns very sweet after a couple of frosts. The next best plots would be the clovers. We track them with several game cameras. In the Winter Greens we get as many as 300 pictures in a week with the clovers coming in at around 220 per week. In our natural forage areas of acorns, young popple browse and just plain heavy cover we average about 70 pictures a week on our heavy trails. We also have six apple trees planted throughout the property.

[Mechslasher]

i've lost count of the cash i've planted in the ground for deer on my farm.  i have used most of the "name brand" stuff over the years and have come to the conclusion that plain ole winter wheat and oats work great for early to mid/late season and  rape works great after a hard frost.  i have planted several varities of apple trees, and they draw deer like crazy, but the apples are gone just before our season opens in sept.  i even had one nice 8 pt. this year develop a craving for granny smith apples.  i never got a pic of him under any other apple tree.  this past dec. i planted several varities of asian persimmons.  they trees grow fast, the fruit is big and sweet.  best of all, they ripen in oct. and nov.