# Time for deer attractant plots, what's yours?



## Guest (Jun 22, 2004)

Getting on nigh time to thinking about our attractant type plots. Starting about the middle of July is a good time to start putting them in. Some of us might not of even gotten in any plot, with all this rain and there is more coming.

Curious about what you guys have experienced in what really draws them in? Let's share our secrets.

You first!


Keep the fun in hunting!


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## Brad Gehman (Jun 6, 2004)

I'm going to try some winter wheat, with some rape thrown in this summer. Seeding the end of July. Going to lime the plot this weekend with 2500 lbs of pelletized lime. Never tried this before, but this is a large log landing and I figured this would be a good first crop for it.


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## johnhunter (Jun 17, 2000)

The Quagmire of '04 has put a big dent in soys/corn plans. 

Hey, but the clover plots are all kicking butt. Mowed Memorial Day weekend, thought I really over-scalped them when I got done, leaving tons of clipped clover on top. But back they are with a vengeance, and the deer are hittin' 'em hard. The frost-seeded plot that I'd P&M'd about even looks salvageble, and while two brassica plots from last year have re-seeded themselves - they almost look like they were spring-planted!

My most reliable fall attractant, hands down, has been winter wheat. I'll always put at least one wheat plot into the rotation.


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## BEARKILL (May 2, 2001)

I planted some lab lab in about an acre strip. This is the first planting of lab lab for me. I got it at cabelas. It said the bag would plant about an acre so I got two bags. The seeds are pretty large so I spread them with my atv spreader on the one acre strip. I am not sure what lab lab looks like but it looks like I have more weeds coming up and old clover then what I planted. Should I have also planted something else with it like rape or clover. I did not want to take away from the lab lab. 

By the way Ed that june article in woods and water is exatly how I plant my fields in hillsdale. Always corn and beans. I thought I planted to early this year but I am glad I did to beat the rain. I also took some of your advice and planted two ac of SWEET CORN. It is looking great except in the places it had some standing water. Thanks for all of you info and I have your bible (book) and always refere to it. 

bearkill

Also got my bear permit for red oak. Took 5 years of putting in. GREAT!!!


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## bishs (Aug 30, 2000)

I have never been able to tell if they prefer, wheat, or oats. They all seem to be very attractive. I am going to stick with wheat because it will stay green though the winter. I struggle watching crops die after the frosts hit hard. I am going to broadcast wheat into my soybeans when the leaves turn yellow. I was also surprised to find out that you can broadcast rye into standing corn, and will grow in the shade. Might give it a try. 

I have a small band of bucks summering on my place. They are spending a lot of time feeding in my prairie grass/wild flowers. The fields are really a sight this year. They are covered in bright yellow flowers that surround my ponds. There is also tons of clover growing in there from all the rain. The deer will pay more attention to the beans when they dry off, and get growing!!


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## ThumbBum (Oct 13, 2003)

I kind of torn on this one
This is my first year with seperate attractant plots. I cleared and planted three small plots in buckwheat earlier in June as part of the soil buider program and to get deer used to feeding in those plots during the summer. The second part of the plan was to spray in mid Aug and plant a cereal grain and cowpea mix like Tecomates Max Attract 50/50 around Labor day. But after listening to so many of the guys on this site rave about winter wheat and BFO (except farmlegend) Im thinking about giving these a try as well. 

Does anyone know the best fall planinting time for winter wheat in the Thumb area???


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## Neal (Mar 20, 2001)

I'm planning (hoping), to get Ed' Brassica mix in my new plot (1/2 acre, along side of a huge swamp. I fear that if I plant a more palatable species it will be wiped out, before it grows. My hopes are the deer will avoid it, for the most part until the first frost and the brassica sweeten up.

I am open for constructive critism :chillin: 

Neal


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## drwink (Oct 15, 2003)

Spent the whole weekend discing, liming, discing again & planting the areas I plowed back in mid to late april.
This rain really screwed me on planting corn this year but ITS OK !

This year on the farm across the street they planted corn this year, which they haven't done for 3 years. The last 3 years they planted soy beans & come hunting season they were gone & nothing but one big bare 160 acres.
Now the deer use my land as a funnel to cross the road to the corn which is south of me. to the north is bedding area so this will work out fine without me having corn.

This last weekend I planted, Brassica/turnip mix, as an experiment as some say southern deer don't care for, but had to try. Also planted a gamebird mix wich is mostly Sorghum. And also planted a last ditch effort at clover, although late should be ok.
If anybody has any other suggestions for me I would appreciate it.
Other wise I still have one other option..................
THIS
.


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## NATTY BUMPO (May 12, 2001)

I have only three years of results/experience so you can take it FWIW.
1. Winter wheat planted AFTER Labor Day in Mid-Lower (around Sept 7-10 given adequate rain) I think they want it young and tender.
2. Mid-MI QDMA Brassica mix for late Gun-ML seasons (I guess these deer arent "spoiled" like SG's :lol: )
3. BFO? I'd heard so much - both pro and con - re this stuff that I succumbed and bot a bag. Will plant side by side w/ wheat and let the deer decide!

Thanks , Ed for a good thread.  

Note: All M-S Field Testers Reports due by Jan 1!

Natty B.


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## Archer212 (Mar 15, 2004)

I'm glad EdSpin posted this question because I am stumbling with this. This is the first year I am attempting to plant an attractant plot. I have five areas (1/2 to 1 acre in size) sprayed and limed. I am going to plant in July but after a ton of research, I still don't know what is best for me in PA. I know one is going to be EdSpin's mix, and another I may plant in chicory with some Biologic Max mixed in, but after that HELP!


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## bishs (Aug 30, 2000)

My opinion from my land in southern mi:
Young wheat/oats/rye/soybeans great early fall attractant.

corn/soybeans best foodplot from fall through winter. Assuming you plant enough to last.

clover best foodplot year round


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## Jeff Sturgis (Mar 28, 2002)

Over 1/2 my plots will be planted in Buck Forage Oats/Rye/Anter Kings clover mix around 8/15 with adequate moisture. The other portion is a combination of existing clover/chicory/brassicas, and will remain that way until next year, at which time it will be killed,tilled, and planted with most likely another grain/clover combo. The portion planted in August of this year will be frost seeded next spring with a clover/brassica mix, resulting in the same planting rotation of each 1/2 of the planting with a resulting life of 2 years.


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## WDGibby (Dec 14, 2003)

Got about 3/4 of acrea of corn, two smaller plots with buck wheat, which they are hitting and one plot planted this spring with chicory and clover they have not touched. My buck wheat plots I turn to rye in Sept. But may try winter wheat and oats for a change and see what happens.

Gibby


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## Luv2hunteup (Mar 22, 2003)

I did my spring plot maintenance last weekend. It got me thinking that my ideal fall atractant planting date is coming up in about 4 weeks. A very short growing season this year to say the least.

I stopped and bought a 9# bag of Maximum on the way home from work today. I'll be adding that to the mid Michigan branch brassica seed blend that I got directly from Ed. I've got about 2 plus acres that I want to plant with that mix next month. I don't skimp on fertilizer for this planting, triple 19 at 300lbs per acre will give this planting a big boost.

If my May clover frost seeding still shows any soil I'll be broadcasting in some dwarf essex rape to give those plots some variety. It will be fertilized again this year with triple 19 instead of my usual 6-24-24 to give it a fall growth spurt.

I already know I'll be complaining that I did not plant enough brassica. It's much easier than complaining about not seeing any deer. :lol:


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## NATTY BUMPO (May 12, 2001)

Luv2,

I've got a hunch that the guys who responded to this thread with their food plot plans.... wont have that problem! :lol:   

Natty B.


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## Flintlock (Jun 16, 2004)

I feel like I am way behind for as far South as I am (this plot is on the Ohio river)(that is as close as you'll get Brad lol). Plans are to notill about an acre and a half for my main plot with a quarter acre attractant plot close by. I wanted to have my first application of Round-up on by now but it hasn't happened. This weekend I thought of coming to Grand Rapids, but have chosen to stay and work on the plots instead. If all goes well I want to mow this weekend and get the first app of round-up on July 4 weekend. As for my attractant plot I was thinking Turnups, but my local seed dealer is really talking up winter hardy oats. I think that is the way I will go this year.


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## DEERSLAYER (Mar 29, 2000)

Flintlock,

What variety of "winter hardy oats" is your seed dealer talking about?


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## Guest (Jun 23, 2004)

Just thought I would mention one of my experiences on the value of attractant type food plots and how they can make a differance.

I bought this 80 acre property in Clare County in 1974. The previous owner called it the ranch, when aked why "the ranch" he replied "There are a zillion deer going after the apples when they ripen". Oh really! Strange as it might seem I didn't hunt the zillion deer property till 1990 because I already belonged to a fine hunting club, Mid Forest Lodge in Roscommon County of 18,000 acres. I did farm 30 of the tillable acres.

It turns out the apples were planted by cattle eating apples from the orginal homestead orchard and dropping seeds throughout the pasture area located primarily in the back forty.

From 1991 to 1993 I added another 80 acres, which was located in the back of this orginal 80. This location is along a river that has good farm soil. rolling landscape, with some land too rolly to farm. The area is about 50-50 woods and farming with plenty of drainages, which is ideal.

I started to bow hunt the back 80 primarily, with a few bow blinds in the more than 700 mature apple trees located in the front 80.

700 apple trees are a lot of trees and I noticed that about two weeks after the apples started to fall, early September that the deer would actually migrate from all surronding property and gorge themselves on the apples. They did not stop eating them till they were all gone even if it took till mid December. Some of these trees would produce several bushel of apples.

As mentioned I normally set up my bow blinds in the back 80 and no matter where I located my blind the deer would come from all directions mosey around the planted food plot and eventually all deer gravitated toward the apples. I had to walk through the apples to get to my truck in the evening and since the whole 1/4 mile width in the back of the orginal 80 was loaded with apple trees I heard what seemed dozens of deer snorts as I tried to sneak back to the truck.

This scene repeated itself until 2001 when we got a late heavy frost that killed the apple blossoms. For some reason it also left an apple blight of several fungeses, including fire blight and apple scab. for the last three years I lost about ten trees and grew hardly any apples. The few that did grow were much diseased. 

You probably know the rest of the story, the deer stopped travling from all directions to the apples, big time. We pruned heavily 70 trees this spring, sprayed an oil spray in April and tried to spray a fungicide, insecticide this spring. It should be sprayed after every rain. With all this rain I could only get in one spraying and hope to get in at least two more. We sprayed about 300 of these apple trees and expect about a 25% crop of apples, which is not bad. 

Will we see the return of this massive deer movement to and from the apples? I think and hope so. The deer have a way of finding out, what's out there they really like. 

Keep the fun in Huting!


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## Andy (May 20, 2004)

Ed,


That is amazing how they would go after the apples until they were gone....on 700 trees!!! wow! Translate that to a field of fall brassicas....I always see people writing about not planting enough brassicas...if this was the preferred forage in a 10 mile radius it wouldn't really matter how many acres you plant of it....they will still wipe it out. that's amazing. I guess the only good side to planting more and more acres is that it will take them longer and longer to eat it all. And that means they will be on your property longer and longer.

andy


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## KrazyKletus (Feb 6, 2002)

This is my first year owning property. I'm hoping the soybeans/clover plots will attract some deer. Looks like my corn will be a "bust" due to the rainfall. There are only a handful of small ag fields within a mile of my property. Last time I checked, the farmers hadn't even worked those fields yet. This was definitely a challenging spring from a learning standpoint.
One thing I have learned is that corn won't grow under 3 inches of water! :lol: Oh well, there's always next year.


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## mike hartges (Jun 9, 2003)

I plant corn, soybeans, clover, Imperial Powerplant, BFO and I plan to broadcast wheat into my soybean plots in mid September. Per Ed's recommendation, I also planted a small plot of brassicas. I'm holding my breath on that one. :lol:


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## Flintlock (Jun 16, 2004)

Deerslayer,

Sorry it took me a while to find the anwser, Buck Forage Oats is what he is promoting.


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## fairfax1 (Jun 12, 2003)

Winter wheat for us. Late August or first week of September depending upon moisture.

We had a big field (20+acres) of W.W. near us last fall and it was a terrific draw right into December. I could always see a dozen to 3 dozen deer come into the field just before dusk....from early October on. 

For the plot we are designating as our 'draw' plot -a half-acre - we've round-up once and will again after we disc it up in a couple of weeks...then broadcast the wheat, like I said, hopefully in late August.


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## DEERSLAYER (Mar 29, 2000)

Thanks Flintlock, that's what I figured. I just wanted to make sure there wasn't a new comer that I hadn't heard about yet. Thanks again. 


P.S. mike hartges, I see you ain't play'n no games! The deer on your place will think they died and went to heaven. Then come this fall I suspect some of them will! :lol:


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