Anyone Tried Winter Peas?

[Cabin Fever]

Has anyone planted any Austrian winter peas or 4010 peas in their foodplots over the years? Curious how they worked out for you? Been reading a lot about them over the years and they are said to be like "candy to deer".

I have 100lbs of 4010 winter pea (BTW, 1/2 the price of AWP) seed that I never got around to planting last year. Planning on getting them in the ground for this fall. I must have some well fed/picky eating deer around my place, as nothing I plant in my plots can compete with the attractiveness of neighboring ag fields and apple orchards.

[Bballhunter11]

It is true cabin that peas are like candy to deer and that is on of the problems usually the deer will hardly ever let them grow especially if just planted alone in a small planting. Not sure how many acres you are looking at planting but mixing the peas with something else to try and protect them would be an effective solution. They will bring the deer running especially if they get established and growing.  Have you done a soil test on your other plots sometimes bad pH or low nutrients will lessen a food plots attractiveness to the deer.

[WNYBuckHunter]

I tested them out in my little plot last year. They dont do well in the shade at all, and the deer wiped them out before they got 10 inches tall, which was a month before bow season started. If you plant them, plant alot of them, and maybe youll still have some left by the time bow starts.

[growalot]

Never planted them but another ?...would they grow fast enough to compete with a light sowing of turnips?....being deer really like turnips mostly after a hard frost...they may not notice them as much....giving them a chance to grow longer before getting hit

[G-Man]

I've planted peas over an acre of them and ended up with 3 pea plants making it to produce peas. the deer will wipe them out! I have the same problem with sunflower and soybeans. you need a big acreage to have them stand a chance of making it if you have ANY KIND OF DEER POPULATION. You can try mixing them with a cover crop as to increase their chance,or plant late so the deer will be in them when hunting season is here(this will more possible if an oct bow season is established) but remember most peas/beans and such are not frost tollerent,perhaps a mix of winter wheat and peas will keep em coming,fencing/plotsaver is also an option.                                                                                                                                              As for competing with the surrounding farms there can be a lot of factors, Your soil might be sour producing less palatable plants, you might not have suffient cover to make the deer feel secure(if you can see 50 or more yards into your woods after stepping 5 yards inside the woods line surrounding the field its not thick enough), Land use(is your plot seeing to much human traffic?) The good news all this is correctable!! select cutting for firewood or timber will thicken up a staging area next to your plot, proper lime and fert will sweeten your crops, closing down the atv/hiking trail will help eliminate human traffic.

[Cabin Fever]

I'll have to test out this "candy" theory! I don't have a high deer population at all. I don't even consider it decent! It'll be interesting to see what happens with the winter peas. I'm surrounded by soybean fields, corn fields, and apple orchards. My foodplots grow great and produce, but they just don't compete with the ag fields I guess. If I didn't already have the seed, I wouldn't even bother planting foodplots this year. Not worth the bother or expense.

[G-Man]

sounds like you need to improve habitat on your place and let the farmers feed the game! Make your place what game will call home!

[bubba]

I plant alfalfa, clover and sugar beets.  The alfalfa serves a dual purpose.  The deer love it and I cut the field and bale of for the beef cattle a buddy and I raise on his farm. Low key 8 cattle and growing.  They love the alfalfa all winter and I love putting one in the freezer every year.  The sugar beets seem to work well after the ag fields are harvested.  And they do dig them up  during the winter.  I was thinking some soybeans next year in a small plot to see how they do.

[Dave]

I plant alfalfa, clover and sugar beets.  The alfalfa serves a dual purpose.  The deer love it and I cut the field and bale of for the beef cattle a buddy and I raise on his farm. Low key 8 cattle and growing.  They love the alfalfa all winter and I love putting one in the freezer every year.  The sugar beets seem to work well after the ag fields are harvested.  And they do dig them up  during the winter.  I was thinking some soybeans next year in a small plot to see how they do.

Bubba, do you raise the cattle for sale?

Dave

[bubba]

we are planning to.  We are just building up enough to be able to.  Right now, we each butcher one a year, but in the next 5 years we hope to sell off two or three a year as the herd builds a bit.  This is part of why we plant so much at the deer camp.  We can cut and bail as we go and it also keeps it fresh for the deer.  Kind of double bang for the buck. 

[Dave]

we are planning to.  We are just building up enough to be able to.  Right now, we each butcher one a year, but in the next 5 years we hope to sell off two or three a year as the herd builds a bit.  This is part of why we plant so much at the deer camp.  We can cut and bail as we go and it also keeps it fresh for the deer.  Kind of double bang for the buck.

Bubba, how much do they weigh when they are ready to butcher.

Dave

[growalot]

It's rained ...it's rained...so tomorrow I'll be planting a 1/2 acre of a trical...oats...pea...clover...and chicory mix...and a 1/2 of turnips and a 1/2 acre of clover mix...the seeds I threw out in the dried up soybean plot have started to grow...think that unmarked bag may have been rape seed..deer love it...I don't ...but now its gone ...waste not want not

[wdswtr]

Heres a tip for you guys that canot keep the deer out of your plots before it matures.  PLotsaver is great.  I use it and it does the job.  A tad on the expensive side but for under 50 bucks its worth it to me.  All the hard work the lime and fertilizer lus the cost of the seed and the plot gets wiped out before it matures seems like a bigger waste of money to me.  I dont buy the plastic ribbon tape from them though.  I save buy using the plastic skid banding material I use at my warehouse.  Same stuff and cheaper since I buy it in bulk.  You literaly just put it up about waist high around your plot with whateve stakes you deem fit.  Spray the plot saver on the plastic ribbon and your good.  When your ready to let deer access it they will dive right in.  I wouldnt plant a plot without it.  Heres a link http://www.forestry-suppliers.com/product_pages/View_Catalog_Page.asp?mi=4505

[WNYBuckHunter]

A couple of years ago I discovered that roping off the plot and hanging chunks of Irish Spring bar soap keeps them out quite well. It took a few rains after I took the fence down before they started coming to it.

[growalot]

Milorganite ...it's a fertilizer as well and lots less work and cheaper

[growalot]

I got the plots all finished ...walked in the door and the skies opened up for a good but gentle 15 min rain...now the suns out ;D