So, Had great success with my two deer food plots this last season. Used Buck Forage Oats and some winter wheat on both. They are still nice and green and have even got a little greener the last couple weeks with the rain and warm weather. I have one of my food plots (call it the small food plot) about 200 yards from the back deck of our house that seem to really attract the dove and even the dove that aren't migrating. See dove all the time and a ton of them in the mid to late Fall. The small plot is about half acre and has a feeder on it but used it really just to watch deer from the back deck.
Here is my plan. Let me know what you all think as this is my first go at putting something together for the Sept/Oct dove season. Take corn/deer feeder down. Going to take about half the existing area of the small food plot and then another half acre of pasture that hasn't been touched yet and rent a rototiller for my Kubota and till up the dirt. Will spread some similar fertilizer that I used on the deer plots just after I till the ground so I have better opportunity for growth. Ideally, will have about an acre of freshly tilled dirt for sunflowers.
Everything I've research tells me I need to have the sunflowers seeded by mid April. My plan is to use one of the little walk behind single row seeders I can get at Atwoods. THis will give me 4 months for the sunflowers to mature then early August I need to kill the sunflowers but still manage to do it keeping them standing. Lots of info I've read says to use a herbicide but I;m not sure how keen I am on this method to kill them off. Doing this I guess it give the plants enough time to die and dry out and drop their sunflower seed just in time for THe start of Dove season.
This is the basics I'm working with so if any of you have any advice or recommendations please chime in. Appreciate the help.
Here is my plan. Let me know what you all think as this is my first go at putting something together for the Sept/Oct dove season. Take corn/deer feeder down. Going to take about half the existing area of the small food plot and then another half acre of pasture that hasn't been touched yet and rent a rototiller for my Kubota and till up the dirt. Will spread some similar fertilizer that I used on the deer plots just after I till the ground so I have better opportunity for growth. Ideally, will have about an acre of freshly tilled dirt for sunflowers.
Everything I've research tells me I need to have the sunflowers seeded by mid April. My plan is to use one of the little walk behind single row seeders I can get at Atwoods. THis will give me 4 months for the sunflowers to mature then early August I need to kill the sunflowers but still manage to do it keeping them standing. Lots of info I've read says to use a herbicide but I;m not sure how keen I am on this method to kill them off. Doing this I guess it give the plants enough time to die and dry out and drop their sunflower seed just in time for THe start of Dove season.
This is the basics I'm working with so if any of you have any advice or recommendations please chime in. Appreciate the help.