Food Plots Experiment for next year?

[megalomaniac]

Buddy and I have been thinking... wonder what would happen if we planted early Aug (assuming regular rains) before our usual drought hits....

Brassicas would get huge, but wheat would be 12-13in tall by November, so deer wouldn't prefer it any longer... BUT, what if we bushhogged the wheat down to the level of the brassicas mid Oct or so? It 'should' begin to grow again with tender and preferable growth?

Biggest downside I guess is the potential for an extended period of 100 deg temps without rain. Other big downside is potential for crop loss due to bugs, slugs, snails, and army worms.

Right now, I'm sitting on about a 20% survival rate for the seed I've drilled due to lack of moisture.

 

[BSK]

What will happen? IF we get adequate rains, you'll have the most productive plots in the area by mid-September. If we DON'T get adequate rains (like so many years) you'll be replanting everything in October.

Below are my plots planted in early August. Both pictures were taken late September. We had good fall rains both years these pictures were taken.

 

[yellalinehunter]

Could you plant the brassicas, then top sow the cereal grains late?

 

[Popcorn]

Too many challenges as you listed and warm season weeds and grasses getting a big boost when you open soil, fertilize. You are not avoiding the potential drought, only postponing the age of your crop at which it encounters the drought. In a rainy wet year you are absolutely correct but in a dry year or more normal year you may not even have a rain to plant ahead of till the 15th or later. This year most of us west of the timeline started in a deficit and it only got worse.

 

[deerhunter10]

This is the earliest we have planted in 6 years. For what we plant, plant date doesn't matter imo. We aren't trying to grow any brassicas because of all the drought challenges, and focuses more on grains in the spring to off set that. If works it'll work well, unsure on clipping the wheat. But if you miss the rain your replanting. But that's what we have been dealing with for what 3 or I years in a row now.

 

[BSK]

This is the earliest we have planted in 6 years. For what we plant, plant date doesn't matter imo. We aren't trying to grow any brassicas because of all the drought challenges, and focuses more on grains in the spring to off set that. If works it'll work well, unsure on clipping the wheat. But if you miss the rain your replanting. But that's what we have been dealing with for what 3 or I years in a row now.

Three years of La Nina falls - three years of fall droughts.

 

[tellico4x4]

Been thinking while riding around inspecting plots today, if we hadn't had two hurricanes, we'd have no plots this year! Can't remember that ever being the case before.

 

[BSK]

Been thinking while riding around inspecting plots today, if we hadn't had two hurricanes, we'd have no plots this year! Can't remember that ever being the case before.

We had no plots and no acorns during the brutal 2022 drought. Rains stopped in early June and didn't start again until the last week of October. No plots, no acorns. Worst hunting year we've ever had.

 

[JCDEERMAN]

We had no plots and no acorns during the brutal 2022 drought. Rains stopped in early June and didn't start again until the last week of October. No plots, no acorns. Worst hunting year we've ever had.

Same here.

Mega, I'd be worried and killing all the brassicas your tractor tires drive over. Seems like they would crush all the circulatory systems in the brassicas. As someone mentioned above, maybe hand spread the grains overtop (would-be established brassicas) come sept-Oct (whenever rain is predicted).

 

[BSK]

Same here.

What REALLY killed us in 2022 was the adjoining bottomlands. Those sections directly adjacent to us are very swampy. They had water, and the Swamp White and Swamp Chestnut Oaks in those areas had acorns. Deer stayed in the bottoms. There was no reason to move up into the hills. Well, I take that back. Many of the oldest bucks were bedding on the bluffs above the swamps during the day and moving down into the bottoms at night to find the acorns. Unfortunately, my property starts at the second ridge-line from the bottoms. After the season was over I went out onto the bluffs above the bottoms. I've never seen such a concentration of huge rubs and scrapes before. Every buck in the area must have been packed onto those bluffs.

 

[deerhunter10]

We had no plots and no acorns during the brutal 2022 drought. Rains stopped in early June and didn't start again until the last week of October. No plots, no acorns. Worst hunting year we've ever had.

2023 or giant acorn crops makes out places such a headache to hunt. Deer just don't seem to move around much at all.

 

[JCDEERMAN]

What REALLY killed us in 2022 was the adjoining bottomlands. Those sections directly adjacent to us are very swampy. They had water, and the Swamp White and Swamp Chestnut Oaks in those areas had acorns. Deer stayed in the bottoms. There was no reason to move up into the hills. Well, I take that back. Many of the oldest bucks were bedding on the bluffs above the swamps during the day and moving down into the bottoms at night to find the acorns. Unfortunately, my property starts at the second ridge-line from the bottoms. After the season was over I went out onto the bluffs above the bottoms. I've never seen such a concentration of huge rubs and scrapes before. Every buck in the area must have been packed onto those bluffs.

I remember you mentioning that and it makes perfect sense. We have a swamp right off our property and when the next acorn failure occurs, I'm going to that property line and will be listening for acorns dropping in there. We own the hill right above it and would suspect they'd be bedding up on that hill. Will investigate that next time, hopefully no time in the near future.

This year certainly isn't great, but I have found some reds and blacks with acorns. If you find the squirrels, you'll find the acorns based on my 3 adventures last weekend.

 

[BSK]

2023 or giant acorn crops makes out places such a headache to hunt. Deer just don't seem to move around much at all.

We had the best year we've ever had last year. Older buck movement (and sightings by hunters) were through the roof. Why, considering the massive acorn crop? I have no idea. But you're right, normally a huge acorn crop means minimal movement to find food.

 

[megalomaniac]

Same here.

Mega, I'd be worried and killing all the brassicas your tractor tires drive over. Seems like they would crush all the circulatory systems in the brassicas. As someone mentioned above, maybe hand spread the grains overtop (would-be established brassicas) come sept-Oct (whenever rain is predicted).

You definitely damage the brassicas driving over them but most make it.

But right now I'm not sure i will have any plots by mid Nov. All have quit growing, and they won't be able to handle the browse pressure

 

[deerhunter10]

You definitely damage the brassicas driving over them but most make it.

But right now I'm not sure i will have any plots by mid Nov. All have quit growing, and they won't be able to handle the browse pressure

Might be worth drilling wheat in again middle on November.

 

[TnKen]

Planted early August last year. Picture was taken October 1

 

[Wonderland]

It will work if you get enough rain to get enough growth before the rain turns off. I planted early for me in 2023 because of the forecast of rain for the next two weeks and got good growth before the rain shut off and by mid November I was afraid it had gotten too tall for them to utilize it but by mid December they had ate about half the growth and by mid January it was almost ate to the ground. I wouldn't risk mowing it though.

 

[BSK]

This year certainly isn't great, but I have found some reds and blacks with acorns. If you find the squirrels, you'll find the acorns based on my 3 adventures last weekend.

Good point, and I'm going to have to stop and look/listen for the squirrels.

I only found the Chestnut Oak acorns I mentioned in my thread about acorn drop timing because I happened to be working a camera at the time. Started to hear the occasional "plop" in the leaves. I assured myself they had to be hickories but went to investigate anyways. A few Chestnut Oak acorns on that ridge and that ridge alone. Nowhere else on the property.