Food Plots?????

I have 280 acres of hunting land near Park Rapids, MN and I am going to start some food plots this spring. I wanted to get some of your inputs as what to grow so that my land will hold larger bucks longer. I believe that I can get about 4-5 total acres throughout the property. Right now I am planning to start the plots with clover mixed with pea seed. In the mid-summer, I would like to disc and replant something that will still be green while I am hunting in late October and November (maybe winter wheat). The soil is very sandy so I am worried about every drying up.

Are there better crops to grow in sandy soils? Are 4-5 acres of food plots going to be worth the effort?

Thanks
MM

Get on the net and go to http://www.bigracktrophyproducts.com and check it out. The owner, Jeff, will help you out with suggestions as to what to put in.

Get on the net and go to http://www.bigracktrophyproducts.com and check it out. The owner, Jeff, will help you out with suggestions as to what to put in.

I feel anytime you can add food plots, it is worth it. I am not sure on what you should plant, but there is sure to be somebody on here with some good advice

I feel anytime you can add food plots, it is worth it. I am not sure on what you should plant, but there is sure to be somebody on here with some good advice

I think the clovers are a great idea. Clover should last several years. Plant as soon as it’s fit. I would consider turnips planted later, the deer just love them. They will feed on the tops until it freezes, then they go after the fruit, will actually eat down into the ground. Frank

I think the clovers are a great idea. Clover should last several years. Plant as soon as it’s fit. I would consider turnips planted later, the deer just love them. They will feed on the tops until it freezes, then they go after the fruit, will actually eat down into the ground. Frank

Food plots are a excellent way to produce big bucks and keep the deer in your area. WHEN you start making giant food plots and plan on bringing in deer be ready to keep these going YEAR ROUND and continuously. The biggest thing people dont think about is that deer will start to depend on this for a food source. and if you just keep it around when its conveint for you, you could be hurting/killing off the deer because they have gone away from their normal eating habbits b/c they have this easy accesable food source. With that said

RAPE seed is the best bang for the buck seed i have seen yet.

Its a perinial and will come back every year if you can keep the deer off of it for a time so it can grow back.

Clover is also good mix in with the RAPE seed.

What i do is plant a 75 clover/25 RAPE seed mix EARLY spring.

MId summer i plant a HEAVY concentrate of pure RAPE seed

and fall if you can get it in anthor mix of half rape half clover.

The rape seed will grow the biggest turnups you have ever seen.

If you could fence in some rape seed untill your gun season opens up that would be the best b/c i have a hard time from teh deer not eating all the top forage before the season opens up they absolutly love this stuff

Food plots are a excellent way to produce big bucks and keep the deer in your area. WHEN you start making giant food plots and plan on bringing in deer be ready to keep these going YEAR ROUND and continuously. The biggest thing people dont think about is that deer will start to depend on this for a food source. and if you just keep it around when its conveint for you, you could be hurting/killing off the deer because they have gone away from their normal eating habbits b/c they have this easy accesable food source. With that said

RAPE seed is the best bang for the buck seed i have seen yet.

Its a perinial and will come back every year if you can keep the deer off of it for a time so it can grow back.

Clover is also good mix in with the RAPE seed.

What i do is plant a 75 clover/25 RAPE seed mix EARLY spring.

MId summer i plant a HEAVY concentrate of pure RAPE seed

and fall if you can get it in anthor mix of half rape half clover.

The rape seed will grow the biggest turnups you have ever seen.

If you could fence in some rape seed untill your gun season opens up that would be the best b/c i have a hard time from teh deer not eating all the top forage before the season opens up they absolutly love this stuff

All my land is sand and it doesnt have one bit growing.

With you till your soil first go to menards or somewere and get 10/10/10 fertilizer spread that on top and then till then let it sit till you get a good rain

then it will be golden

All my land is sand and it doesnt have one bit growing.

With you till your soil first go to menards or somewere and get 10/10/10 fertilizer spread that on top and then till then let it sit till you get a good rain

then it will be golden

Antlerking’s fall/winter/spring works great for me. Turnips,rape, etc. I use their mini-max and Honey-hole also. but anything is better than nothing. Be sure to test your soil first.

http://www.antlerking.com

Antlerking’s fall/winter/spring works great for me. Turnips,rape, etc. I use their mini-max and Honey-hole also. but anything is better than nothing. Be sure to test your soil first.

http://www.antlerking.com

We recently made a food plot, only about 2 acres worth and planted turnips. They are hardy and grow easily, definately seeing a huge improvement with numbers.

We recently made a food plot, only about 2 acres worth and planted turnips. They are hardy and grow easily, definately seeing a huge improvement with numbers.

WOW!

Thanks for the input guys. I am in my garage right now working on making a disc for my 4 wheeler and I am getting excited to get stuff done. I think you are addicted to this site, when you get a laptop and wireless internet so that I can sit in the garage and surf IDA. There is currently nothing “tillable” on the land. I am going to pick out as many pockets, and old logging trails as possible and get these into food plots. I will definately look into the RAPE seed/clover mix. I would like to also get some pea seed in the mix since I have an abundance of it already.

Thanks again for all of the inputs. I grew up on a farm, but this type of farming is a lot different.

Thanks,
MM

WOW!

Thanks for the input guys. I am in my garage right now working on making a disc for my 4 wheeler and I am getting excited to get stuff done. I think you are addicted to this site, when you get a laptop and wireless internet so that I can sit in the garage and surf IDA. There is currently nothing “tillable” on the land. I am going to pick out as many pockets, and old logging trails as possible and get these into food plots. I will definately look into the RAPE seed/clover mix. I would like to also get some pea seed in the mix since I have an abundance of it already.

Thanks again for all of the inputs. I grew up on a farm, but this type of farming is a lot different.

Thanks,
MM

Question for you guys: Is it a waste of time to plant a food plot in a couple of my meadows, as there is already 95 acres of corn, beans and alfalfa planted on the farm? I did one small meadow last year, a mix of mostly clover and purple turnip. I don’t know that I saw any increase in deer/ deer traffic. Should I keep it up this year? Or am I wasting my $$$?

Question for you guys: Is it a waste of time to plant a food plot in a couple of my meadows, as there is already 95 acres of corn, beans and alfalfa planted on the farm? I did one small meadow last year, a mix of mostly clover and purple turnip. I don’t know that I saw any increase in deer/ deer traffic. Should I keep it up this year? Or am I wasting my $$$?

if you have that much corn im assuming thats their main source of food and they probably arent going to be feeding mainly on a new food plot but you might get some of the young ones to come try that out. might be wasting your money and might not, that little plot might be the place Mr. Big stops because its something new or it might be a place he just runs right through so its really a choice your going to have to make

if you have that much corn im assuming thats their main source of food and they probably arent going to be feeding mainly on a new food plot but you might get some of the young ones to come try that out. might be wasting your money and might not, that little plot might be the place Mr. Big stops because its something new or it might be a place he just runs right through so its really a choice your going to have to make

I can tell you from experience NO….keep planting it. If your medows have more cover don’t stop planting them. Deer like the little clearings and cover when they eat. They would rather eat there than go out into a big field. You will notice this year if your small medows have more cover you will see more deer. The more mature bucks will probably hit these during the day or early in the evening because of the cover and then make their way out too the bigger fields at night under the cover of darkness….

I can tell you from experience NO….keep planting it. If your medows have more cover don’t stop planting them. Deer like the little clearings and cover when they eat. They would rather eat there than go out into a big field. You will notice this year if your small medows have more cover you will see more deer. The more mature bucks will probably hit these during the day or early in the evening because of the cover and then make their way out too the bigger fields at night under the cover of darkness….

While I don’t know squat about food plots, I do agree with Krisko. The property where I hunt has multiple fields ranging from 2-40 acres. The smaller ones are off the road and surrounded by cover. The bigger ones are corn fields and also surrounded by cover and the main unmaintained gravel road. Anyway, I always see more deer in the smaller fields. All the bigger bucks I have seen in these fields have been out much earlier in the evenings and stay out longer. The only problem I have with hunting the one field is there is not a decent tree anywhere to hang a stand on But, it is a great field to set the Double Bull blind on to watch and study the deer. So, I would plant the little plots and I believe you will have success on them

While I don’t know squat about food plots, I do agree with Krisko. The property where I hunt has multiple fields ranging from 2-40 acres. The smaller ones are off the road and surrounded by cover. The bigger ones are corn fields and also surrounded by cover and the main unmaintained gravel road. Anyway, I always see more deer in the smaller fields. All the bigger bucks I have seen in these fields have been out much earlier in the evenings and stay out longer. The only problem I have with hunting the one field is there is not a decent tree anywhere to hang a stand on But, it is a great field to set the Double Bull blind on to watch and study the deer. So, I would plant the little plots and I believe you will have success on them

Is it too late to get started on putting in a plot for this fall?

Is it too late to get started on putting in a plot for this fall?

Not at all. As a matter a fact, I am going to try and get up to Park Rapids and re-plant some of ours next weekend. It has been pretty dry up there so I think we have to rework some of the earlier food plots.

Not at all. As a matter a fact, I am going to try and get up to Park Rapids and re-plant some of ours next weekend. It has been pretty dry up there so I think we have to rework some of the earlier food plots.

What would you recommend to plant in a shaded 1/2 acre clearing that may attract deer for this fall?