# Austrian Winter Peas



## chevyjam2001 (Feb 14, 2002)

At what stage do the AWP become atractive to the deer. I planted them Labor day weekend and with the recent rains they are about 4-6 inches high. The ww, rye and oats are all doing well but they don't seem to be getting utilized. I'm sure that part of the reason is that I am surrounded by 320 acres of corn so they don't need to venture out much. I expect for them to start hitting it hard once the corn is harvested. I just hope I can be in my treestand when the combines arrive.


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## ThumbBum (Oct 13, 2003)

Got mine in the weekend before you hand havent been back to check on them yet. I planted mine in a mix of Winter Wheat and some bio-logic brassiscas thrown in. Ill be at my place this weekend and will check up on them and (if they are doing well) broadcast some urea to make them more atractivce to the deer. I will keep you posted


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## Luv2hunteup (Mar 22, 2003)

It may take a while before the deer figure out your peas are food. You should be happy they are letting your plot get established.

I have a hard time getting peas to establish themselves. The deer are in them too soon and with one bite they're gone. This year I tried to hide them in a companion crop of either buckwheat or brassica. So far it's worked pretty good. 

The buckwheat or brassica gives them something to climb on so they don't lodge. Once the buckwheat is killed by the first heavy frost the only remaining green thing will be the peas. The opposite was tried in the brassica plot, the peas are there to give the deer something to eat until the brassica sweetens.

Time will only tell how well these combination do. Through this experiment I now know it's possible to grow peas on smaller plots when they are combined with a companion plot.


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## Guest (Sep 20, 2005)

Luv2hunteup, thanks for that bit of info about a campanion crop. This really works and seldom is mentioned in food plot books or sites such as this one. 

This also works for soybeans and other choice morsals of forage.

I notice that seed companies are now getting the message. Tecomate's Lab Lab is one such blend with sorghum used as a climber, nurse crop and early protection for cowpeas. 

You think maybe they are reading this site to help them make decisions.


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## chevyjam2001 (Feb 14, 2002)

They are planted in a mix not a stand alone field. I put in about a 2+ acre strip in my back field. I planted 100# of ww, 50# each of rye, oats and winter peas. I also put down 500# of 19-19-19 at planting time, so would I still need to add some urea to improve palatability?


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## ThumbBum (Oct 13, 2003)

Luv2 and or Ed Spin

Question for you
What did you have planted in that plot prior to the winter pea mix??

I am using a pea, WW, Buckwheat, and brassisca mix in my kill plots in conjuction with a spring planting of buckwheat to increase organic contient in my soil. I was using BFO as the fall planiting, but the deer didnt seem to like it much. Too bad beacause its really easy to grow. 

As PH and organic matter improves (I am also hauling in a heck of a lot of composted cow manure) I am considering moving toward a spring planting of soys, lablab, or even cowpeas for added protien and attraction. My kill plots are small (1/4acre or less) and I dont really want to split them to alternate planting, likewise I dont like the idea of tilling under a plot that has good early bow season potential to plant one that may not be as attractive until later. 

Typically, I dont get a good freeze in my area until late October or early November. 

Can winter peas be blended with soys or lablab in a spring planting, will they be suffocated by the plants that thrive in warmer weather or will grazing of the beans or lablab give them some room. Or will the deer just obliterate the beans or lablab in plots that small. 

ALso, could this be overseeded with a brassisca mix in the late summer for added cold tolerance??


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## Guest (Sep 20, 2005)

Certainly plant in the early spring to start and maintain that deer movement. Spring planting is good to grow maximum forage for the winter season. 

For your kill plots, annuals planted in late summer is best for maximum palatability and young and fresh desireable forage just in time for that hunting season.

Choose the most delicious plants known to deer. Plant RR sotbeans July 10-15. Four weeks later spray with Roundup and broadcast forage rape right into that soybean field. End of August Broadcast WW right into that same field. If you have a drill add winter peas and follow with a double pass with a cultipacker. The more variety the better. Lastly for your kill plot broadcast 100 lbs of urea around September 15th. 

If you plant a perennial in your kill plot plant it the first of August for the same palatible peak just in time for the season opener. There is a diferance in forage desireability planting in spring versus late summer in kill plots. The differance can get to be quite large.

Thumb Bum. I have never advised anyone to but my book on this site, but we will have a new book shorthly that the National QDMA is publishing that should be around 200 pages or more and in color. I'm satisfied with my original book "Easy as 1-2-3' but am very pleased with the work the National is doing and the content of the new book. It has a host of planting tips such as mentioned above with detailed instructions. Expect sometime in December for it to be available. I suspect it will answer most of the questions posted on this site. Good luck.


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## ThumbBum (Oct 13, 2003)

Ed
I appreciate your proffesionalism in not hawking your book on this site, even though all proceedes from sales go to QDMA and not in your pocket. 

And to be frank you dont need to promote it, those of us who rely heavily on it sing its paraises loud enough for all to hear. As far as the new one goes, ive been waiting for it for several months now and Im sure it will be worthy of the hype its producing. 

BTW
Is there any way to pre-order it or to reserve a copy??


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## sagittarius (Jun 2, 2004)

These articles by Ed I've read and reread many, many times ...

http://members.tripod.com/~mmbqdm/articles/foodplots.htm


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## Luv2hunteup (Mar 22, 2003)

> Question for you
> What did you have planted in that plot prior to the winter pea mix??


In one plot I've planted just about everything imaginable since '99. It's easily accessible with a southern exposure making it great to experiement with. You'll find it in my gallery with norway spruce in the background. I'll be posting a few more pics when I download the memory card. Only 550 more high resolution pics until it's full. FWIW, I got a pic of the buck my daughter just killed along with another nice buck in this plot. 

The other was carved out of a willow/tag alder thicket. It was planted in IW clover/brassica. It lasted 3 or 4 years till the sedge grasses started to take over. This plot is also in my gallery titled IW Clover.

I've got about 6" of good top soil over yellow clay. My deer population must be too high or plots too small because I can't grow peas without some type of cover crop. I've tried them in both the spring and fall. This is the first years I've been able to grow them and have them reach any kind of height.

Another thought, don't forget to innoculate your seed prior to planting. It will really help with growth.


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## chevyjam2001 (Feb 14, 2002)

I fertilized with 38-0-0 last thursday before all the rain hit to see if it would help. Everything is doing well for the most part. I do have some patches that seem to be coming on slower than others, but overall it is a nice green field. As of yesterday they still don't seem to interested. I can see tracks crossing the field but no signs of browsing yet.  I also put some biologic maximum along the edge of the woods where I will be bow hunting and that is coming up really well too, probably as tall as the grains and peas. hopefully I will be in my treestand when they finally figure out it is food.


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## ThumbBum (Oct 13, 2003)

I finally got to my place to check on mine.

There were definite germination problems due to the 2 1/2 weeks between planting and rain. Areas of fileds with less direct sunlight grew much better then those with a lot of direct sun, Im assuming its due to the dew being able to stick around longer. In the areas that are growing the winter wheat is getting hit really hard along with the peas, brassiscas are getting nipped but not devoured. Lots of action though and pronounced scrapes and rubs around most of my kill plots. 

I re-seeded some bio-logic hotspot into the areas with poor germination and applied urea (60-0-0) to all the kill plots. This was Saturday and we were supposed to get rain Sun and Mon


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## chevyjam2001 (Feb 14, 2002)

In terms of growth nothing is wrong they are growing quite nicely and everything is lush and green. Still nothing seems interested in the peas or grains. I don't get it  . Even the brassicas in my 1/4 acre plot are about a foot tall in some places. But the deer keep running over my tree tubes :rant: . I might have to find that little bugger and take him out :16suspect . I just hope that it doesn't get to mature as to be unpalatable, I just put it in on 9/6.


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## ThumbBum (Oct 13, 2003)

That corn may be the difference
The farmers around me this year planted mostly soybeans and sugarbeets
Deer love to eat that stuff but of course they dont bed in it like corn.
That means deer are seeking out cover during daylight and hitting my plots on the way out and back in. As soon as the corn is down they may find your plots.


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## chevyjam2001 (Feb 14, 2002)

Well so far I havent seen any deer feeding in the food plots but I did have 8 turkeys spend about 1/2 hour in it on Sunday morning. Maybe once the corn is gone they will come around more.


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## chevyjam2001 (Feb 14, 2002)

From what I've seen the deer seem to prefer the grains over the winter peas. they are still not touching the winter peas for some reason but I do still have corn up all around me.


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