Lat season food plot ?

[Gofishleech]

I am in northern minnesota and am getting a late start on my food plots. I am wondering what I should plant that will come up fast and grow fast,, and also attract some deer. I still have a couple day of ground prep. I hear rye grass grows fast and deer like it but just wanting some opinions,,Thanks

[PerchJerker]

Don't plant grass, plant cereal grains. They'll be great for bowhunting, if you want them to last until gun season you'll be at the mercy of the weather.

http://www.fishingminnesota.com/forum/showflat.php?Cat=&Number=591170&page=1&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=&fpart=1

[GottaGo]

I also am planning on planting really soon, probably this weekend. I am hoping to plant some rye and some brassicas so I will have something for early and late in the season. My plot is a bit on the small side, so I was thinking about planting them together. Will this work, or would it be best to plant the rye in one area and the brassicas in another? Any input would be great

[Chris_Wallace]

I have the Fridgid Forage Monster Buck blend in my spring plot, I will be adding in a new no till food plot called Imperial, awesome stuff, here are some pictures of the Monster Buck Blend.

Here are a couple more pics from the last few days, some different animals that I haven't seen yet.

I am getting excited that there are more than a few critters around. Its awesome to go out after a few days and have over 120 pictures.

GOT SOME AWESOME PICTURES HERE!

Look Closely at the above picture, you will see the fawn.

Those are just the bucks so far 6 possibly seven are different, lots of different does wandering through the area too. Shaping up to be a great looking season from here.

I have one other picture from this trail camera and some video, the picture will wait though but is it AWESOME!

If people want doe picks and others let me know.

If anyone is interested in watching some video clips shoot me an email.

[PerchJerker]

I think you're too late with your brassicas, they need 10-12 weeks to get full grown. If you plant them now you might get enough growth this year to make it worth-while, but you'll be pushing it. Brassicas are great, but plant them earlier.

I would not plant rye and brassicas together unless you're going very light with the brassicas. Brassicas get tall and leafy and need lots of space, and would shade the rye eventually. Also, rye is best planted in the fall and brassicas are earlier.

Don't worry about having a small plot, plant cereal grains (oats, wheat, rye). They come up quick, are preferred by the deer when they're just starting to grow, and they withstand heavy browsing pressure. But plant them in the fall - September is OK - you don't want them to mature.

[duckhunter]

Chris,

I was just wondering what kind of mineral block that is? We have been experimenting with different kinds and it seems like they are using it quite frequently. Thanks.

[Chris_Wallace]

its a fridgid forage monster buck block its the big 35 pound block, works great, I have film of them licking and pawing at it.

[Mark Christianson]

I am going up the weekend of Aug 27/28 to plant winter rye, winter wheat and Buck Forage Oats. Never done any fall planting before, but we have 5 acres ready for something, and weeds aint an option....

I have the Plotmaster lined up to rent from the West Metro MDHA chapter, so hopefully that helps my success. I plan on doing a little test plot area with each seed type planted alone.

Otherwise the remainder of the plot is gonna be a mish-mash of seeds. I am just going to mix them all together.

I love this plot stuff. Way too fun.

[jlm]

I will be up that same weekend planting all my food plots as well. Great time for cereal grains. You will love it BLB, it is a great attractant plot and it will bring deer from all over. Spread it on thick! Good luck!

[BLACKJACK]

blb, let us know how the different grains do and which ones the deer like the best. I tried the Buck Forage oats one year and I wasn't impressed, the deer didn't use it very well. I did plant some rye last year and the deer liked that, so I planted another patch last weekend. Now if it ever rains again...

You're right, these food plots are addicting. I was just looking at another spot to work up next spring on the edge of a CRP field. Don't know what I'll plant yet, but I'm sure I'll find something!! Do you know where I could get any seed????

[Mark Christianson]

Come to think of it, I have about 100 lbs of seed in my garage. I can sell it to you for a great deal...

[WB make the CUT]

Hey BLB what do you have, I'm in the same boat, I have 5 small plots I will till up in the next week or so, was thinking winter rye, I'm up north near duluth, so do you have any tips or do you think the rye will take?

[BLACKJACK]

One tip I have is use some fertilizer. When I first started with my food plots, I just scratched the ground planted some seed. Now that I've started working in some fertilizer, they're really growing. A good drag helps too, so you can get a firm seed bed, you don't want to plant most of the seed too deep.

I would say if you got your rye planted in the next week, you'll get some growth before frost. Only one way to find out!!

[Mark Christianson]

Hey WB

My post was a little sarcastic. I have Blackjacks seed in my garage actually. We just havent hooked up to deliver it.

I am all new to this fall plot stuff, so I don't have a lot of advice. But I will agree with Blackjack. One way to find out, and the price is pretty cheap on winter rye/wheat, so it wont break the bank if it fails.

If you need, I can get you some MDHA clover and clover/annual mix still.

But I see you are in Duluth.... Hmmm. Not real close by.

[jlm]

Fall food plot tips, here we go! Rye and other cereal grains do best with a well tilled seed bed that is packed. In other words, it needs to worked up really well so there is little to no lumps and no debris in the soil such as lumps of sod. You can pack it by driving over it with a 4 wheeler or rolling a log on it. If you are solid planting by broadcasting (which most do if they don't have a drill) you will need to over plant the seed. I pretty much double what is recommended. Last year I put 100 to 150 pounds on per acre. The reason for overseeding is that you will have an irregular planting depth which will decrease your level of germination. If it is drug in too deep, it won't grow. Fertilizer can always be a good thing to do but is not required in most instances. Because the rye only get a few inches tall, it will not require much fertilizer. If you have bad soil, add some fertilizer. If it looks rich or you have just worked the area up for the first time, skip the fertilizer. I highly recommend this though. If you have a bow stand or real large food plots, you would want to fertilize an area within shooting range (bow or rifle) because the deer will be drawn to the most lush plants in the plot. It is a real bummer when you have Mr. big in your plot but he is just out of range. A little trickery is a good thing and will increase your odds of scoring. Another good tip is to place a rubbing post in the middle of the plot (or near a stand) so the bucks have a good splot to casue some damage. It works well sometimes to get bucks within range. You will want to plant your rye from about now until the second weekend in September. If you have a lot of deer and over grazing is probable, plant as soon as possible to give the rye a chance to get up and established before they start mowing it down. Once the deer find it, it will not take long for even a few deer to mow down an acre or two. If you have fewer deer, you can get away with planting a little later. Cereal grains stay green well after the frost has come. Mine are usually still green well beyond the rifle season (sometimes all year if it does not thaw and refreeze). Fall food plots have very little weed competition which make them easy to work with. An added bonus is that they will continue to grow next Spring and give the deer early Spring browse which is very important for antler development. If you are just starting your food plot career (because it will become an addiction), Fall food plots are a great way to start. Very cheap and nothing to take care of. Good luck all!

[WB make the CUT]

Thanks guys great info, I'll let you know how I end up.

[GottaGo]

I have been working on a food plot for a couple months and finally planted rye on it a little over a week ago. I went to check on it this past weekend and all the seed was still sitting on top of the soil. I feel I have done most of the steps right, there is plenty of sun, the pH is balanced, and I thoroughly tilled up the soil twice. Then I threw the seed directly on top of the tilled soil. I may just be getting paranoid, but with all the time and effort I have put into it, I don't want one little mistake to ruin the plot. It may just be a lack of rain (it didn't rain until 2-3 days before I checked for growth), but I just don't know. I'm getting worried now, am I just overreacting??

[Mark Christianson]

You cant just put seed on top of the ground and not work it into the soil at all.

You didnt take a drag and make a run over the plot after you spread seed?

I got 3+ acres planted this past weekend. Wheat, Rye and Oats.

Hoping it works out too.

[JEV]

Yah, you may have a problem. I planted my rye plots last week. I checked them last night and the rye is already at least an inch high. It's looking real good....

[GottaGo]

I didn't think I would have to drag it with how well I worked up the soil, guess I was wrong. Hopefully it will still take if I do it this weekend. Maybe even throw out some fertilizer to help it grow a little faster

[Mark Christianson]

If you can get your hands on more seed, I would put some more down and drag it all into the ground....

[jlm]

Are you being serious with us or jerking our chain? Anyway, if we get a real heavy rain, it might help push the seed into the ground. If you leave it on top, the birds will eat it all so you better do something quick. Put on more seed and drag it in. Otherwise you will have a very poor food plot for deer but a great feed pile for crows! Good luck!

[GottaGo]

I am sad to say that I am being serious. This is only my second season trying this, and last year I am pretty sure I made every single mistake possible in doing so. I thought I had it all figured out this year... Maybe in the another couple years I'll have it down

[jlm]

Where are you located? If you are close enough, I would be happy to come over for a few hours and help you out!

[GottaGo]

Thanks for the offer, but when I went to drag it this weekend, my seed was growing, and growing very well at that. I guess I lucked out this year, now all I have to do is be patient for 2 more weeks