Food Plots

[jltimm]

I haven't seen anyone talking about their food plots yet. I'm thinking on getting some in here soon, and cutting my clover down because it's getting to tall. Has anyone tried any of the newer atv implements? If so, how did they work?

[fishermatt]

I rent a tractor/tiller/bush-hog to do my food plots. I use my ATV for pulling my drag, seeding and spraying. I think those ATV disks are Ok if you already have the sod busted up, but if you have grass you're trying to work up I think you can go over your area 1000 times and not have much tillage done, unless it's been sprayed with roundup a couple weeks before. My corn and rapeseed plots are doing great. Also prepping a fall alfalfa plot to plant in the next few days.

[vister]

Well, i'd have to say my plots are doing great. In one plot i have 3 different brands of seed going monitored by cameras, just to see what the deer prefer different times of day and year, so i'll better know next year when and where to plant what. turnips are already the size of baseballs. other brassicas are knee high, however the clover and chicory blend has gotten off to a slow start. that'll go like heck next spring though i'm hoping.

as far as atv implement goes, i have the luxury of farm equipment to do the ground work. then i broadcast the seed with a handheld unit(the canvas bag, red metal body, and handcrank guy) then hook up a pallet to the 4-wheeler, throw on a few rocks for weight, then drag the seed in. works well.

i have noticed the deer taking a liking to something out there though. one of the blends has rye grass in it, a sweeter, more pallatable grass, and the deer have been in it like crazy. It also grew fast as heck, and thick too!

from last years experience to this year, turnips and other brassicas of the liking with heavy foliage need 1/2 a day of sun or better, so field plots work better than in-woods plots.

also, the best thing you can do is spray with round up beforehand. mow, or brush hog first, then let 'er have it. just let roundup kill for a week before tilling. this was done with an atv sprayer, and a heavy concentration of good ol' round up. the only plants in my plot are meant to be there!