Let's talk Food Plots

[ahlosojoe]

I would appreciated some first hand info on your knowledge about what works and what won't work for OK food plots.
I have 40 acres between Tishoming and Ada. The land is upland on the sandy side with a limestone base. It gets very dry every summer. I plant about 5 acres every year. Until 2 years I was a wheat and oats man with fair results.
I tried bob oats for the last 2 years and have had exceptional results. It was late this year due to no rain but now they are thriving.
Here is what I want to know. Have you tried the more exotic seeds? Lab Lab, Austrian peas, turnips Imperial clover and all that stuff from New Zealand?

I am thinking about throwing in at least some turnips and peas with my bob oats next year.

Also thinking about planting some sawtooth oaks...what about it?

What do you think? Best regards, Joe

 

[Oklahomabassin]

Deer Slayer has did some extensive testing of different food plot seed mixes. He started a topic that was stickied at the top of the hunting and fishing section. It has some good information in it.
I planted the fall blend mixed by Johnson seed company in Enid, however it is sold all over Oklahoma at various stores. They have more than one mixture but are both really similar. I also pick up feed oats from the co op to plant in addition to the food plot seed. I have added 1/2 pound of turnips to the oats. The food plot mix is around 28 bucks for 50 pounds and is a mix of rye, triticle, wheat, winter peas, turnips, and a brassica. It provides good coverage, whether or not every species sprouts and grows, I don't know. I know the deer are grazing in it constantly.
The oats are around 9 bucks for 50 pounds. It provided good cover and the deer have been grazing in it just as much. I worked the ground a couple passes with a disk in early September and then again in October just before planting. I broadcast spread approximatley 100# of 10-20-10 fertilizer per acre. I then used same spreader pinched back a little more and spread 50 pounds of seed per acre and then drug a cattle panel over to cover seed. Prayed for rain and the rain has been good so far.

This is the third year I have planted this mix for foodplots. I will likely plant my first spring plots this coming spring and I will be researching that soon.

 

[ahlosojoe]

Thanks OKbassin, That is good information. I am getting a little more interested in working at my feed plots and appreciate the help.

 

[Deer Slayer]

ahlosojoe- Oklahomabassin has done a fine job of prepping his food plots and is a fine hunter too. The exotic seeds that you mentioned are not that exotic. Lab lab is an excellant summer plant and is high in protein and very drought resistant. The deer love it. Austrian winter pea is a winter staple seed to plant as are turnips, canola aka rape seed, spinach, kale and radishes. When there has been sufficient frosts the kale,turnips etc will turn sweet because the starch will change to sugar and the deer will devour them. Great for late season. When the time is nearing for your warm weather crops to be planted I will post some suggestions so stay tuned. In the mean time do yourself and your deer a favor. Collect soil samples and send to your local county extension agent and have him send the samples to OSU for a soil analysis.The nalysis will tell you what your soil needs or has an excess of as it pertains to what you want to grow. I am doing some research currently on a soil ammenity that could save a person considerable amount of money on fertilizer expense. I am expecting a savings of 50% or greater and still have the protein content and forage production. I will have my answers by Spring.

 

[Deer Slayer]

If you have specific questions let me know by sending a PM. The Whitetail Clover is an outstanding product if you have sufficient moisture to sustain it. I regularly see deer walk over different seed blends to get to the WTC. I ALWAYS include Whitetail Clover in my moist bottom food plots. The deer will feed on it all year and put on an amazing amount of fat. They will look like a grain fed angus after a year on WTC. I cannot say enough good things about it. The Whitetail Institute of North America is the premier food plot developers in the country. Years of research go into each product before it hits the market. If you have some bottom ground that stays moist year round and has a Ph of around 6.7 to 7.2 then most certainly you and your deer will love Imperial Whitetail Clover. If you want an evaluation of your land and reccommendations as far as what to plant in particular plots I am available.

 

[ahlosojoe]

Well excuse me for my ignorance...really there is no excuse for ignorance!! My apologies Deer Slayer but I had not noticed your sticky. At the suggestion of Okbassin I checked it out for the last 45 minutes and to say the least you have provided a wealth of information.

I am amazed at the time, effort and expense that you have gone to in order to learn all that you know about food plots. I very much appreciate you making this info available to tenderfeet like me who would never make the effort to do the work that you have done.

As I have stated I am becoming more interested in developing a more complex plot with longer lasting results than simply a place that you hope will draw deer for the archery season. I thank you for the inspiration to do even more. I assure you I will stay tuned. It is also nice to know that I have an "on call expert". My very best regards, Joe

 

[dennishoddy]

The Whitetail Clover is an outstanding product if you have sufficient moisture to sustain it. .

Adequate moisture being the key word.
It doesn't matter what you plant, if it doesn't have water, its not going to work.
Consider the annual rainfall in your area before planting anything.

 

[Deer Slayer]

I cannot agree more with Dennis. The first thing I ask people is "Have you performed a soil analysis of your plot"? The second thing I ask is "What is your annual rainfall"? These two pieces of data are part of the foundation needed to build a successful food plot without the information you may be doomed to failure.