Nathan Vlcek
New Member
Posts:60
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| 23 May 2012 08:40 AM |
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Anybody getting started with thier food plots? I'm planning on getting the ground worked up this weekend and may have to mow the clover already. I might disc my clover up and reseed with a different variety. Also I've got a small plot that I'm trying to decide what to plant in it down in a river bottom. Any suggestions, it would be more of a shot plot, but I want food to be there when the rut kicks in. Last year most of the food was gone by that time. |
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Jeff Schmitz
New Member
Posts:73
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| 23 May 2012 09:27 PM |
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We are putting in 18 acres of food plots on our land. The guys are breaking ground next week. We probably won't be able to plant anything until August so it will mainly be fall forage this year. Next year we are putting in alot of soy beans and then corn when the soil is ready. Can't wait though, going to be a fun year. |
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Nathan Vlcek
New Member
Posts:60
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| 21 Jun 2012 04:51 PM |
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It's taking longer to get the ground worked than I had hoped, but I plan on planting soon. I will be putting turnips in on part of our food plot before the fourth of July. I will wait until late august and then reseed our clover plots, and then I will be putting in some oats right after labor day weekend (maybe even on labor day). Gotta watch the weather and plant right before a rain. Hopefully August doesn't get too dry. |
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Jeff Schmitz
New Member
Posts:73
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| 27 Jun 2012 08:58 PM |
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We need rain!!! I am heading up next week to pull the chips on my cameras. I will be posting as soon as I get them. Big things coming to BGL. Should be fun. |
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Nathan Vlcek
New Member
Posts:60
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| 03 Jul 2012 01:08 PM |
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Rain last night and the turnips are in today!!! Now it's time to wait and see how they come in and keep some of the other ground turned over for planting the oats and clover in the fall. |
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Nathan Vlcek
New Member
Posts:60
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| 07 Jul 2012 12:29 PM |
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I decided to put turnips in the plot by the river. If they don't do very well, I can put oats in around labor day. I hope the deer leave them alone so they can grow until a good freeze. It'll be interesting to see what is traveling through the area. Found a great sopt for a ground blind for my dad and hung two stands. Glad I had my brothers there to help!
Hopefully I'll have some good pictures of the plot later this summer with deer in it |
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Nathan Vlcek
New Member
Posts:60
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| 18 Jul 2012 03:08 PM |
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the first plot with turnips looks awesome right now. Got some more rain today so they should do great for this fall. I won't be checking my river plot until late next week at the earliest, but I'm guessing it will be doin really well. I need to get some alfalfa seed now. I am going to put clover on half of a plot with alfalfa on the other half. The alfalfa should be more drought tolerant and grow well in the sandy half of the plot and the clover will do well in the shaded and heavier soil. I'll put in oats with the alfalfa and clover as a good cover crop for this fall. Waiting until labor day to do that though! Getting excited though after seeing the turnips! I'll have to put some pictures on here if I remember to take some. |
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Kevon Wendler
New Member
Posts:16
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| 02 Aug 2012 12:30 PM |
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I also put in my turnips and other brassicas on July 3. Will be planting the winter rye mix Aug 10. Oneida County, had OK rain this yr. I am moving to more annuals and less perennial every yr, and I need to because I started with about 90% clover/alfalfa in my plots. |
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Nathan Vlcek
New Member
Posts:60
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| 03 Aug 2012 09:12 PM |
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I think it takes a few years to get to a balance you are satisfied with. We've been at it for three years now I think and I still am making a lot of adjustments. I'm hoping for rain tonight or my turnips may not make it. I haven't had a good turnip year yet. The first year they were put in too late, then too thick, then I tried sugar beets and they were terrible and now the dry weather. I guess that makes it four years! We put 8 apple trees out this year and hope they will be a big draw in the future!
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Kevon Wendler
New Member
Posts:16
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| 08 Aug 2012 07:18 AM |
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I think we all make the same food plot mistakes, and hopefully learn something. Overseeding the brassica is really bad, and way to easy to do. I am alot more careful about measuring exacly the area to be seeded, and measuring out the right amount of seed for the area. I think this is yr 4 or 5 for me also. I planted apples too, but crab apples, but not holding much hope for them as we are overrun with bears, in addition to wolves. |
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Aaron Schmitz
New Member
Posts:13
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| 12 Aug 2012 08:38 PM |
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Did you guys put fences around your apple trees? We planted some apple trees two years ago and never got around to putting up a fence. The deer wiped out all but one that winter. |
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Nathan Vlcek
New Member
Posts:60
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| 13 Aug 2012 04:58 AM |
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Yes I put cages around each tree...I knew the deer would be hard on them otherwise. I even put a fence around each tree I planted in my yard. Of course the fencing doesn't protect against tractors...but that's another story!
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Kevon Wendler
New Member
Posts:16
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| 13 Aug 2012 04:17 PM |
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Yes, I do cage out trees, but the cage wire ends up almost as much as the trees, but I would have nothing otherwise. |
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Kevon Wendler
New Member
Posts:16
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| 13 Aug 2012 04:25 PM |
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Caged Trees, mine do not protect against kids riding ATV's in the dark. |
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Jeff Schmitz
New Member
Posts:73
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| 20 Aug 2012 12:04 PM |
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They are planting our 18 acres of plots this week. All fall forage and rye this year. Can't wait to see how it changes the patterns. Will be a completely different year. |
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Kevon Wendler
New Member
Posts:16
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| 22 Aug 2012 02:52 PM |
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wow, 18 acres, that will keep them fed. They will find and use your new plots the first year, but it will just keep getting better and better(if you keep them up), need to try not to over intrude / over hunt them. The goal is 4-5 yrs from now, the fawns that eat at your plots this coming spring, are all grown up and have a pattern of coming to the plots during light. Good luck, and keep it fun. |
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Nathan Vlcek
New Member
Posts:60
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| 24 Aug 2012 08:03 PM |
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I checked our mini plot early in August and thought it was going to be doing pretty well. The first picture shows what the plot was starting to look like right after that check-up. I went out today and discovered the deer have been hammering the plot...to the point they have pretty much devoured all the turnips that were growing (there is stubble left) Fortunately I brought some oats to sow just in case the turnips were not doing so well. Hopefully the oats take off, but I know the deer will be eating them up too if they come up.
 
I plan on working on our large plots on a different property tomorrow and putting in oats in one 3/4 acre plot and then Rye in another plot that is about 1 acre. I already have about a quarter of an acre in turnips and am anxious to see how they look. |
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Jeff Schmitz
New Member
Posts:73
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| 24 Aug 2012 08:28 PM |
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Its amazing how much they can devestate a crop. Last year, we thought that the soy beans in our small field were real bad, they didn't look healthy. But when you really look, you can see the deer were eating the tops like crazy. That's why putting up a fence over a small area will really tell you how the crops are doing. |
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