What do you recommend for one and two acre sized food plots in southeast Alabama?
Filed under: Food Plots
I am located in south east Alabama and was looking using the eagle seed soybeans. On our property we do not have any fields larger than 2 acres with the majority around 1 acre. My father has been hesitant to plant soybeans due to our wild hog population. From your experience and knowledge with plots that are smaller in size would we be able to get a good return on the soybeans with out having to put up an electric fence system? I believe that our best chance of improving our deer heard is providing more food and we just can not afford to supplemental feed during the off season. Would there be any other product that you would possibly recommend for my situation? Love your show and the desire to teach about conservation and management techniques. The best part of your show is the message about our creator. Please continue your good work.
Cody,
Thank you for the encouraging words!
It’s recently been great growing conditions in southeast Alabama! Whether forage soybeans would do well in one and two acre sized plots depends on how many deer are in that area and what other quality food resources are available. If there are a lot of deer and the surrounding area is primarily timber that has a closed canopy than the soybeans would likely suffer from browse damage before they could mature. That doesn’t mean they didn’t help the herd. As long as the beans get a foot or so tall and continue making new leaves all summer the herd receives much benefit!
Clover isn’t as palatable to deer throughout most of the growing season and may be an option. However, most varieties of clover aren’t as drought hardy as Eagle Seed’s forage soybeans. Clover often turns brown and dormant during the summer in southeast Alabama.
I often plant more pounds (seeds) per acre in areas where there are a lot of deer not enough food plot acres. This technique allows enough stems that the deer can damage some by overbrowsing but others will survive and mature.
Even if deer the soybeans and prevent them from growing five feet tall, as long as they survive and make new leaves all summer it accomplishes the objective of providing high quality forage during the growing season! I have some small plots that I plant with Eagle Seed forage soybeans knowing the deer will limit the height of the beans. However, the soybeans make new leaves all summer and I overseed the plot with the Broadside blend about 60 days before the first frost.
This technique has worked very well and saves time and money. It also results in providing quality forage throughout most of the year.
Enjoy creation,
grant
November 19, 2015
