Well, if the Lord blesses me with another deer someday, I'm keeping the heart and liver, just to try them out!
Day 257 Corn patch food plot
I have to express my disappointment so far in the corn patch food plot. There is plenty of sign but daytime movement is just not happening. I've only killed 2 little bucks so far and I feel that this corn patch may not be what I had hoped it to be. The weather has still not killed all the green stuff in the woods and this maybe a factor. Previous seasons there was a lot of early morning and late afternoon deer movement in the oats, rye, or clover plantings. The corn patch is being used but it appears to be only at night. The shooting house is secure enough that I feel that a smart old doe is not out there calling the shots, when to feed and when to lay low. It's been intresting to say the least and there are several more weeks 0f hunting left in our zone. I've neglected hunting on the lease just to see what would show up here at the house. Still have several deer on camera but very few in the daytime.
Treefarmer
You are blessed Treefarmer. Someday I will hopefully be as fortunate as you and your family.
Treefarmer, in your opinion what is the best combo for planting in the fall for the fall/winter plot?
Iluv2hunt, the best food plot to me so far has been a Imperial whitetail clover planting.
I have alternated between the clovers, the cereal grains, rye grain (not rye grass) and various brands of oats and wheat. I did a blend a couple of years ago that had all sorts of seeds, oats, wheat, turnips, a couple of clovers, even had Austrian winter peas in it. They all work if you have a good season. Planting some of the cereal grains too early usually results in a bad stand as they wont tolerate the late summer/early fall heat.
Back to the clover plot, the Imperial Whitetail Clover is a perennial, it is rather expensive so I did a small experiment. I planted the Imperial whitetail Clover in a well prepared seed bed, about an acre and across a little branch I planted some White Ladino Clover from the feed store. It was less than a 1/4 acre. Planted in the fall of 2000, it did not do anything for that years hunting season but it took off in the sprimg and summer and was unbelievable! The deer couldn't tell the difference between the high dollar clover and the clover seed from the feed store. We had 7 bucks that stayed in those little patches all the way up till just before hunting season. I was able to kill one of the bigger 8 points on Thanksgiving afternoon, 2001. Once these perennial clovers are established they are a year round plot.
Clover needs a smooth level seed bed and should not be covered with a disk! Planting guides only say 1/4 inch deep!! If the tiny little seeds are too deep they are not able to make it to the surface as they germinate. We put them out with a little hand seeder and then drag the field with a chain-link drag.
I found that it is a big job to maintain a clover patch. There are lots of issues with grasses and weeds that need to be controlled. The clover should be mowed about once a month during the growing season to help stimulate growth. Some herbicides will take out the grass but there is not much you can do about broad leaf weeds except keep 'em mowed so they don't reseed. Clover seemed to do best when mowed to 8-10 inches. My larger patch lasted several years and I just neglected it and finally there were to many weeds to contend with so I went back oats and then this time to the corn.
I believe there will be another clover patch down below the house! PM me if I've muddied the water!
Treefarmer
