Food plot

[YFKI1983]

Hey I have a couple Of questions. I am having someone who does food plots come check out a field I've been wanting to plant to see if it's doable and how much it would cost on June 21.

1- Is that too late? I can't really get up to my property before then.

2- Does anyone know what someone might charge for a plot about an acre in size

3- what should I plant

4- can more than 1 thing be planted in the same field.

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[Catskill Hunter]

I would say wait until end of July and plant some deer radishes and turnips. I planted in late july last yr and had great results. but depends on your soil test. PH, fertilizer etc. I also encourage you to join the QDMA,com forum. Great people on there that will be more than happy to help you

 

Last years plot of Frigid Forests Big N Beasty I planted

 

 

 

This year I planted Buckwheat, clover and chicory. will plant brassicas end of summer

Edited May 28, 2014 by Catskill Hunter

[Catskill Hunter]

Plots I just planted

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 28, 2014 by Catskill Hunter

[G-Man]

not not to late, 60$ to 80$ an hour. depending on size of his/her equipment.(not including lime, fert, seed costs).. 2- 6 hours.. i would stay simple and do a clover, sugarbeet, turnip mix... (i didnt say brassica as that also includes kale,radish,rape, ect)... i have had very good luck with turnips/red clover mix...the clover will boost nitrogen levels and =an be plowed under in the spring but also provides some spring green up.. if your looking in to july before planting, buck wheat and turnips/sugar beets for sure... Next spring i would look into whitetail institutes , imperial clover. best attractant, by far. but seems to do better in a spring planting than trying to establish in fall . in my own experiance...an acre isnt a big area and imperial/clover will attract year round and take the grazing pressure. 4-5 deer can clean out an acre of turnips in about 2 weeks eating all night. i have a fairly high deer population and use some smaller 1/2 acre plots for hunting, but i do nutritional plots from 3-10 acres . the deer will wipe out 6-9 acres of corn in a few months...

[Meat Manager]

I am not using farm/4wd equipment and I've done it all myself so I have no sense of cost; however I am planting my own mixed crops.

I have buckwheat, peas and clover on my spring planted warm season plots now.

I'm gonna turn that over in early July and plant WGF Sorghum and peas on half of my plots and then a little later plant clover/brass on the other halves.

http://huntingny.com/forums/index.php?/topic/22241-First-Plots/page__view__findpost__p__304411

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Edited May 29, 2014 by Meat Manager

[Pav2704]

Hey Catskill... where did you get the roller for the atv?

[YFKI1983]

I would say wait until end of July and plant some deer radishes and turnips. I planted in late july last yr and had great results. but depends on your soil test. PH, fertilizer etc. I also encourage you to join the QDMA,com forum. Great people on there that will be more than happy to help you

Last years plot of Frigid Forests Big N Beasty I planted

This year I planted Buckwheat, clover and chicory. will plant brassicas end of summer

This looks good...if I do an acre will it last into hunting season??

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[YFKI1983]

I am not using farm/4wd equipment and I've done it all myself so I have no sense of cost; however I am planting my own mixed crops.

I have buckwheat, peas and clover on my spring planted warm season plots now.

I'm gonna turn that over in early July and plant WGF Sorghum and peas on half of my plots and then a little later plant clover/brass on the other halves.

http://huntingny.com/forums/index.php?/topic/22241-First-Plots/page__view__findpost__p__304411

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i

I wish I could do my own work but when you live 3 hours away it's tough

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[Meat Manager]

I wish I could do my own work but when you live 3 hours away it's tough

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I was not trying to be snarky sorry if it sounded that way I really just meant that I haven't got a clue what people charge to do it.

Sounds like gman has a better idea about that, and those prices seem reasonable.

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[Catskill Hunter]

This looks good...if I do an acre will it last into hunting season??

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Yes, I only did 1/2 acre last yr. you want to plant around last week in july right before rain. Brassicas need 60 to 80 days before first hard frost. Deer usually won't eat it until after a freeze which brings the sugars up. As a precaution though I spread Milorganite (sold in lowes. Google it) and I didn't see a track in my plots for a month Edited May 29, 2014 by Catskill Hunter

[YFKI1983]

I was not trying to be snarky sorry if it sounded that way I really just meant that I haven't got a clue what people charge to do it.

Sounds like gman has a better idea about that, and those prices seem reasonable.

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No you didn't sound snarky at all. I'm just saying it's frustrating for me that whenever I want to do something I basically have to plan it weeks ahead of time because of the travel time

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[Meat Manager]

No you didn't sound snarky at all. I'm just saying it's frustrating for me that whenever I want to do something I basically have to plan it weeks ahead of time because of the travel time

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Yes planning seems to be best done by weather/ground conditions which doesn't always line up with work, kids, travel, etc...

I got lucky with a nearby lease this season...although it has it's own headaches to deal with.

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Edited May 29, 2014 by Meat Manager

[Catskill Hunter]

Hey Catskill... where did you get the roller for the atv?

I made it. Here is some more info on how I did it

http://www.qdma.com/forums/showthread.php?t=58065

[Catskill Hunter]

No you didn't sound snarky at all. I'm just saying it's frustrating for me that whenever I want to do something I basically have to plan it weeks ahead of time because of the travel time

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Time is always an issue when not living where your food plots are. My advice to you is focus on the late summer plantings, brassicas, turnips, radishes etc, for a couple of yrs. Gives you time to work the soil all spring and summer, then when you get the ph and weeds under control put in a perennial, maybe clover and chicory. With some help and mowing it will last a few yrs.

[Meat Manager]

I made it. Here is some more info on how I did it

http://www.qdma.com/forums/showthread.php?t=58065

I'll be making a smaller man powered (or maybe dog) version of this for my summer plantings... Thanks!

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Edited May 29, 2014 by Meat Manager

[VT Outfitter]

I usually plant brassica in the late summer say first week of August. In good conditions it needs 60 days to mature and VT's archery season starts first week of October so it will be ready for season by then. The deer will eat the green tops through the summer and into season. After a good freeze or two, the deer really start chewing on the bulbs.

 

In my opinion it is never too late or early (unless everything is frozen) to do food plot work. Maybe this week you have time to work on it and wont get time to do work when the timing would be perfect for planting. If you have something started, something growing, the deer will eat it. Plus next time you get the chance to improve your food plot, it will be that much easier to break ground, remove stone, less brush to cut, and the deer will already know something is there to eat. 

 

I made a homemade roller to pull behind my ATV. I used a heavy duty plastic 55 gallon drum. I cut a hole in each end in the center of the drum. I then pushed a metal pipe slightly smaller than the hole I drilled. Then I made a frame out of leftover hardwood floor planks to connect to the metal pipe on each end and around the drum. Then I made a drop pin connection point to hook onto the ATV draw bar. I fill the drum half full of water through one of the screw caps on the top of the drum then replace the cap to hold the water in. Water will leak out where the metal pipe goes through the drum until it brings the level down when it will stop leaking for the most part. The drum half full (or so) with water and the hardwood frame weighs about 200 lbs. It works well to pull over a well prepared food plot bed to push the seed down for good germination contact. If anyone would like a picture, I can post one if someone asked me to.  

 

Good luck this season!

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