When do deer

[rachunter]

When do deer typically start hitting food plots. Mine have wheat,clover,radishes,peas and some turnips. The only thing getting hit is the wheat and that’s by turkey.

 

 

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[land 1]

my clover gets hit year round well until it dies in winter, grains normally get hit from the time they sprout until die off radishes late sounds like the deer may  on another food source.... acorns crop fields etc...

[turkeyfeathers]

Surprised peas and clover not being hit. You sure ? Have cams over them? Pretty sure turnips and radishes will start to get hit late gun n ml season after hard frosts. The starches become sugar. They’ll dig them up 

[grampy]

Usually after the first hard frost, is when they will start hitting the plots harder. As stuff like like turnips, beets and such will be more tasty to them, after a hard freeze, with a higher sugar content. Right now there is an abundance of natural food for them like acorns, wild apples, berries, sumac...ect. But as soon as that stuff starts to become less available, and everything starts to brown up, or even better, we get some snow. That is when they really seem to hit the food plots hard. Be patient, they will come!!

[moog5050]

I am surprised they are not hitting the plots now.  Both my brassica and clover plots are mowed down.  Perhaps the deer just need time to find them and perhaps there is another preferred source as Grampy mentioned.  When that goes away, the deer will come.

Hopefully those brassica roots are like gold come late season.

[G-Man]

You must have a good mast crop right now competing with your plots, right now the deer by me are on apples heavy.. soon will switch to corn and acorns

[rachunter]

I didn’t put out any cams out I think they scar off the bucks.
There’s definitely a good apple and berry crop up there this year. Hopefully by the muzzle loader or rifle season they’ll start using it. Last year they beat them up pretty good but I don’t remember when. I’m going to start writing things down this year.
Thanks guys


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[corydd7]

The first year i did radishes and turnips they were barely touched till late November and even them some rotted without being touched. Last year they hit them at first frost, this year by the first week of September they were already hitting them hard. From what I've read and my experiences it might take a year till they learn to like them. 

[nybuckboy]

2 hours ago, turkeyfeathers said:

Surprised peas and clover not being hit. You sure ? Have cams over them? Pretty sure turnips and radishes will start to get hit late gun n ml season after hard frosts. The starches become sugar. They’ll dig them up 

My radish tops have been getting hammered almost since they came up 2 months ago. Them been in the peas for a while as well. 

Edited September 30, 2019 by nybuckboy

[UpStateRedNeck]

I checked my cam on my new plot, not much of anything yet.  There's just carpets of apples and acorns everywhere though.  When I get out I'm going to hunt travel corridors for acorns in the morning, and apples in the evening.

[moog5050]

1 hour ago, corydd7 said:

The first year i did radishes and turnips they were barely touched till late November and even them some rotted without being touched. Last year they hit them at first frost, this year by the first week of September they were already hitting them hard. From what I've read and my experiences it might take a year till they learn to like them. 

Be careful to rotate Cory.  Most don't recommend brassicas more than 2 consecutive years.  Clover is a nice alternative to add nitrogen back to soil.

[corydd7]

Yup thats actually exactly what I did. Three different plots the original plot planted in brassicas the last two years was flipped to clover this year. Radishes planted this year was a brand spanking new plot. I will even give you some credit, I decided no-till after reading some of your post.

[land 1]

put a small cage up that will tell you for sure if they are getting hit

[WNYBuckHunter]

Depends on your area. My plots are getting hit pretty good.

[outdoorstom]

19 hours ago, land 1 said:

put a small cage up that will tell you for sure if they are getting hit

Yep - what he said!