Fields / Seed

[burmjohn]

My brother, father and I just got a few acres upstate in Lake Huntington, and we are planning on doing one or two fields.  I'd like to get that attachment for the ATV that will turn up the ground, and then I'd like to plant something that is friendly to the soil in NY.  In addition, I need something that is low maintenance because it will be way back in the woods.  Any suggestions?  Clover perhaps?

[JCTheGC]

I'd love to know this as well... I am planning on doing at least one small field / feeding area for deer and others to feast on.  I'd prefer something low maint. because I am not up there all the time to keep an eye on it.

[TheHunter]

Same here, I'd love to know more about this.

[Doc]

Well, I'm no help either. The only thing I've ever put in was a field of birdsfoot trefoil. The deer do seem to like it, it's easy to grow, and it is the toughest stuff I've ever come across..... nearly indestructible once it has been established. However I have never heard anybody recommend it for deer food-plots. Most everybody that I've ever heard seems to be hung up on commercial food-plot seed that is especially formulated for deer. Probably that isn't the cheapest way to go, but it is what is recommended for drawing in deer by those that claim to know. The one thing that I have never seen in their ads though is any comments on whether it is low or high maintenance.

My theory is that almost anything green will attract deer if it is the only green-field around. I have hunted down in north-central PA and the area I was hunting had little tiny hay lots right in the middle of the woods. They were mostly alfalfa. That's not on most hunter's food-plot recommendation list, but it sure did draw the deer anyway.

Doc

[burmjohn]

I may just stick to some hay or something easy to start... I have seen all that crap they sell, its never ending.  I did find this "No Plow" stuff that looked interesting...

http://www.whitetailinstitute.com/products/noplow/

I was considering getting one of these : http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_07126055000P?vName=Lawn%20&%20Garden=&cName=ATVAttachments&sName=Rakes%20&%20Levelers=&psid=FROOGLE01&sid=IAx20090815x000001&aff=Y

or this:

http://www.atvplowsplus.com/shop/pc/viewprd.asp?idcategory=&idproduct=47

[Doc]

Boy! the price is right. You'll probably have to put a pile of weight on top of either one of those units, but given enough time they should work.

That pull-behind roto-tiller looks like an interesting critter. Of course the price tag isn't nearly as nice. But that would work up a much nicer seed-bed.

Doc

[NYBowhunter]

I have put in clover plots and turnips on my property and have done some extensive research along  with working with my local agway . The only downfall to clover for most people is that it does need to be maintained (mowed) when they reach 6" or so, the reasons for mowing is that it keeps the clovers new and fresh (more desirable to deer) and mowing helps to keep weeds and grasses in check. Theres the right way and wrong way of doing food plots. The right way is the way I decided to go with, which  like anything new will require you to learn as much as possible before getting started, and most importantly get your soil tested and add what is needed to the soil based on what your platning and the size of your plot. Let me know if anyone has specific questions about putting in a plot as I maybe able to help.

[burmjohn]

Thanks for the advise... I hope to have a tractor once we get setup on the property and have a garage (thats the plan at least), right now we literally just got started with the road to where the cabin will be built.  How fast does clover grow? How often do you mow it? I would def get the soil tested, I do that at home with my own grass and realize how important it is with liming and everything else.  I'm a grass / garden nut, just never done food plots

[NYBowhunter]

Clover grows pretty fast within a few weeks should see good results assuming it had rained. As for the mowing, how often will depend on heat and how often it rains. Typically every couple to few weeks it will need to be mowed, but by rule of thumb you want to mow the clover when it gets to 6".

[Doc]

But when you mow it, you have to remove it from the plot .... right? Unless you've got some kind of mower that chops it up real fine won't you have a problem with it choking out additional growth. Would a bush-hog mulch it up enough so you wouldn't have to find some way of picking it up?

Also, what are the sunlight requirements for food plot crops. I can see where a lot of the plots might be real small and be in the middle of a mature woods which would cut down the number of hours of direct sunlight. Is that a problem, or is there some food plot plantings that might do better than others in such conditions?

Doc

[burmjohn]

I think its better to leave it from what I read, the clover provides some good nitrogen.

[NYBowhunter]

We just mow the clover with a small johndeer sitdown mower and leave the clippings.  BurmJohn is correct in that clover will produce thier own nitrogen. The key to when you 1st grow clover in your plot is to use a higher nItrogen in your fertilizer and your second season you can fertilizer with minimal nitrogen as Clover produces its own nitrogen. I found that the more you mow the clover once its established the plot will become more clover dominant and will choke out alot of the native grasses. I personally dont like and dont want to use chemicals in my plots, so I have to mow more then others to keep grasses at bay to give clover the advantage. Others use chemicals and can probably get away with more time in between their mowings.

[burmjohn]

I wont mind mowing as long as we have a small tractor Otherwise it will be impossible to get up to where we want to do the field.

[NYBowhunter]

I was fortunate in that I had two fields already cleared when I bought the property, but like you I also have one other field on my property that I would love to put in a plot however getting to that field with my tractor would be too dangerous.

[Doc]

I guess what I was thinking of when I mentioned taking some of the mowed material off the plot was the massive amounts of hay that you typically see laying on top of hayfields when farmers mow. It looks like a large enough volume to suffocate what is trying to grow if it was all just left there. I suppose that if you mow it often enough and don't let it get like a hay crop, it might not be a problem. Also, as long as you're not using a sickle-bar mower, the stuff might get mulched up fine enough to sift its way back down to the dirt like what happens on your lawn.

Doc

[sampotter]

Usually there isn't enough material when you mow clover to be a problem. Depending on where you are in NY, you might want to consider cereal rye. All you have to do is broadcast it before a rain and apply a little fertilizer (high nitrogen). Don't plant it until late August or September though, as deer only use it when it is young and juicy. I had great luch doing this last year on skid roads in the middle of the Adirondacks. However, if there are better forages nearby (farmers' fields) you might want to consider the clover, chicory, brassicas, etc. Try www.welterseed.com. They sell all the individual seeds at a fraction of the cost of commercial mixed food plot blends. Also http://foodplotresources.com is really helpful. They even tell you how much the commercial blends cost per acre and what those companies use to "cheapen" up the blend. Pretty interesting. Food plots are a lot of fun and rewarding. I was plowing one yesterday with a doe and fawn in it 50 yds away the whole time. Also found 2 antlers, one in my tire.

[sampotter]

Irony

[burmjohn]

Wow, LOL.  Right in the tire, thats crazy.  Thanks for the info and site links too.

[Dom]

im sure if youall just plant a good grass seed you will atract just as many deer deer are not as fussy as you think they are allways in my back yard no cameras to show but they are there