Food Plots

[alphawolf]

Not to derail the Bait thread, but wanted to get some info on what you guys up here in the North East do for food plots or I should say deer plots. I was given a few private acres to hunt and am throwing the idea of creating a couple of small 1/8 -1/4 plots.
Antler King, Whitetail Institute, Biologic.....wtf!

I cant roll in there with any equipment, so good old fashioned rake will have to do the trick. I see those no plow formulas, but honestly know nothing.

 

[lancecolonel]

I don't know how helpful this will be for you but.....the national wild turkey federation (they have a central mass chapter) sends out order forms to members every year for subsidized food plot seed. I bet they can get all your questions answered if you touch base with them. Good luck.

 

[pastera]

Very interested in this - have 3.6 acres that is backed up by hundreds of acres of mixed upland/swamp.

I want to create a few food plots but can't get any equipment in to clear land so I can't till or amend like all of the seed suppliers recommend.

Any success just leaving stumps in place and planting right in the forest mat? Dump a ton of lime or will it be fine to just plant?

Also on the turkey front, I get turkeys some years but not others. Would actually like to attract and keep them as I see a direct link between more turkeys and less ticks.

 

[NautiBuoys]

We plant about 1 acre at my buddy's place. We started with the 'Throw & Grow' but the natural plants and weeds over-shadowed them bigtime. Waste of $$. We then bought a disc to tow behind his ATV and it made a slight difference, but the natural plants came back. It was only after we RoundUp the entire acre, and then disc'd that we saw a HUGE difference. We had the soil tested for correct Ph; and bought a Ph tester at local plant/Home Depot for about $7.00. Definitely increased the deer sightings in the Spring and summer; but not very much in the Fall. We tried the white clover, rape, radishes etc, etc. The deer liked it but won't say they ran to it. We also tried oats; it came up great but the deer didn't touch it; the turkeys however did. We tried alphafa last year and it did not come up. We are finding there is more to be a farmer than we thought, and still have mixed perceptions if its worth it.

 

[pastera]

Thanks for the info

Discing the area would be hard - first because I can't easily pull the stumps and second, I don't have a 4-wheeler to pull a disc

While I hate using chemicals I might have to knock everything down with roundup if that is what it takes to establish some food plots.

I do know that the local deer population love turnips, parsley, green beans, kale and collards from first hand experience - Funny thing is they don't normally go anywhere near the garden until well after a hard frost.

 

[alphawolf]

your all saying some things that have come up in my initial research. Thanks!

Pastera, I was reading about something happens to crops after a hard frost that causes them to get sweeter instead of being as bitter. I will try to find the link.