First Plots

[Meat Manager]

I plan to start perennial growth from the start

Trim many nearby branches to leave in as much sun as possible.

Spray anything green in area with round up.

In a week cultivate atleast with a rake.

Broadcast fertilizer mixed with several varieties of annual and perennial clovers.

Rake it or drag a chain or something to get some seed to soil contact.

If you can and it needs it, water it...otherwise plant prior to rain.

Overseed and spray/weed as needed...good luck.

I would say the problem with planting such small plots now is if the deer use them, they will be destroyed before they ever serve a purpose.

You may just want to wait until late summer, atleast you can hunt over them early before they get mowed quick.

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Edited May 16, 2014 by Meat Manager

[phade]

Not only that but small perrennial plots have trouble in timber staying clear of weeds and competition.

 

Other than logging trails and similar. Interior plots with little means of maintenance are poor choices for perennials....much buck luck with annuals in my opinion. Faster growth, better time to plant for browse competition, etc.

[Meat Manager]

I overseeded all the plots with 6lbs of mixed clovers:

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[Meat Manager]

Diamond plot is really starting to look lush:

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[thphm]

Put the seed down about a week ago,rain and heat kicked it off.

 

Edited May 18, 2014 by lurking

[landtracdeerhunter]

It all looks great! I can just barely walk on my fields. Canadian geese are hatching goslings on it this year.

[Meat Manager]

I'm really happy with how this first warm season planting has gone:

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Edited May 20, 2014 by Meat Manager

[Meat Manager]

I'm happy to be nourishing big mamma right before she pops:

Time stamp is slow 30 mins.

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Edited May 24, 2014 by Meat Manager

[Meat Manager]

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[burmjohn]

Looks great!

[Meat Manager]

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[Dr. Honk]

Looks like you have put in a lot of time and hard work. The pictures look like that work is paying off already. I have enjoyed reading about your progress.

[Meat Manager]

Looks like you have put in a lot of time and hard work. The pictures look like that work is paying off already. I have enjoyed reading about your progress.

Thanks so far I've been lucky to plant with well timed and properly forecasted weather.

Now that all the warm season stuff is established it is up to Mother Nature to continue to cooperate.

The local long range forecast of mild temps and little to no rain looks good for my early summer lakeside activities...I just hope there's enough moisture at the lease to keep everything green.

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Edited May 28, 2014 by Meat Manager

[Meat Manager]

Thought I'd do a before and after on my plots so far:

Planted the Logging Trail Utility Plot 04/14:

05/28:

Started working on the Diamond Forage Plot 04/14:

Planted 05/08:

05/28:

Started work on the Boomerang Forage Plot 05/08:

Planted 05/15:

05/28:

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Edited May 29, 2014 by Meat Manager

[ncountry]

I am envious of your food plots M M. Great work!

[Meat Manager]

Just got a text of a budded-out fella enjoying the buckwheat, peas and clovers:

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Edited May 29, 2014 by Meat Manager

[Meat Manager]

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[Meat Manager]

I'll be heading over to the lease this week to till under and mow alternating rows of the buckwheat/peas on the diamond plot...it's tall and just started flowering:

I'll be planting Wgf sorghum and peas in the tilled rows, and over seeding that with alyce/crimson clovers.

Then I'll mow the strips of remaining buckwheat with my Stihl trimmer using the clippings as a green manure mulch.

I will also be planting my Egyptian Wheat screens prior to 06/15.

Later this summer I'll be tilling the remaining alternating rows of buckwheat and planting peas and beans in those rows then I'll also overseed with annual clovers.

I ordered the rest of my late summer seeds as well...the boomerang plot is going to be tilled and planted with purple top turnips, sugar beats, bf oats and annual clovers late summer.

It's bittersweet to till such a lush plot now, but I am confident I have a good plan for 2 nice all-season hunting plots.

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Edited June 10, 2014 by Meat Manager

[Meat Manager]

Put the above plan into action today on the Diamond Food Plot.

Tall and lush buckwheat before:

Mowed strips w/my Stihl trimmer:

Tilled strips:

Planted WGF Milo, FM Peas, Alyce & Dixie Clovers, and a just a touch of Buckwheat in the strips:

Mowed remaining buckwheat strips to cover planted strips with buckwheat mulch:

In a couple weeks I'll be tilling the remaining strips and planting WGF Milo, Soybeans, Annual Clovers and a lil Buckwheat.

I also mowed the Logging Trail Plot:

And checked on the Boomerang Plot...looking lush:

I'll be tilling the Boomerang in about a month and planting BF Oats, PT Turnips, Sugar Beets, Annual Clovers, and a sprinkle of Buckwheat.

The farmer also brush-hogged the 5ish acres where he will be planting corn on my lease:

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Edited June 14, 2014 by Meat Manager

[Meat Manager]

I'm reviewing some plotwatcher footage and the Diamond plot was seeing tons of daytime action this spring...this roman-nose got up close and personal yesterday evening:

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Edited June 14, 2014 by Meat Manager

[Meat Manager]

Everyone is wondering what happened:

Mom and a lil one:

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Edited June 15, 2014 by Meat Manager

[Meat Manager]

4th deer on the mowed plot in 45 minutes:

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Edited June 15, 2014 by Meat Manager

[Pav2704]

Hey meat manager... When is the farmer going to plant the corn? It isn't too late? Food plots look great by the way!

[Meat Manager]

Thanks.

He is fast tracking to plant ASAP but I am pretty sure some varieties only need 65 frost free days.

I'm not real worried about it as it is a last minute added bonus.

The farmer also brush hogged me about 2/3 acre that I am going to plant in native grasses and wild flowers for bedding and escape cover.

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Edited June 15, 2014 by Meat Manager

[Berniez]

If you are going to plant native warm season grasses you might want to roundup the field and get it ready for next year.  Switchgrass and bluestem both need ground (dirt)  not  just mowed or dead sod in order to grow.  You can get a great field of warm season native grasses the year following a field of corn (escpecially) if atrazine was used.  I have one 6 acre switchgrass field (Blackwell variety) and another 3 long  10-15 yard strips about 500ft long.  THe big field holds bacehelor buck groups in ths summer and  use all the others as travel lanes allyear long.  The grass is over 6 ft tall and the deer can walk in it unobserved.  If you plant a 6-10 ft wide strips of clover along the edge of the grass the deer travel that and if disturbed can vanish in the grass in a flash.  

Good luck and keep planting.

I just got my last been field (2acres) in this afternoon.  I could not get the planter in the field so I had to broadcast and then covered it with a tined harrow.(Much more time consuming and expensive than using a planter but we do what we can with what we got..  EWHo knows if it stops raining  we may actually get some crops.  We shall see what happens.

BTW Happy Fathers day to all you out there.  Enjoy the day and the kids they kind of give you something to do iin between the hunting seasons