Category: Food Plots

We are experiencing the third consecutive growing season drought at my place. There hasn’t been a drop of rain in many weeks. Clover usually doesn’t tolerate such drought conditions very well. In fact, clover rarely is productive on rocky ridge tops that simply don’t hold much soil moisture.

If you look at the feet of the bucks in this recent picture, you will notice the clover looks good – great for being in a long, severe drought and on a rocky ridge top!

When planting your clover food plots, don’t forget to consider adding a good cover crop.

There are a couple of reasons this is the case. For years, I’ve used Antler Dirt fertilizer. Antler Dirt is composted and humified poultry litter. It’s full of great nutrients, naturally balances the soil’s pH, and adds a HUGE amount of organic matter. Regular pelletized fertilizer is acid (lime must be added to balance the pH in most cases) and has no organic matter.

Organic matter is the key to holding soil moisture! The great soils of the prairie states had a bunch of organic matter.

Second is the cover crop! Clover, especially new stands of clover, almost always benefit from a cover crop. My favorite cover crop for clover is wheat. It seems most food plot farmers consider all wheat the same. That’s absolutely not the case. Many universities perform extensive wheat variety comparisons year after year. Wheat is a very important crop in America.

Some wheat varieties produce more heads, some ripen quicker, etc. For the purpose of a cover crop, I like a wheat variety that produces a lot of forage (stays in the blade stage longer before making a stem in the spring) and stands erect even in windy/tough weather. I also want the wheat to produce a lot of grain and hold the grain so it doesn’t shatter easily.

You will note those characteristics in the wheat pictured above. Eagle Seed picked this wheat variety years ago based on several university studies. They call it Monster Wheat. I simply like it because it meets all my requirements. It does a great job of protecting the clover, continues standing even after it dries out and yields a lot of grain.

Even if the clover in this plot goes dormant due to the drought, the standing wheat grain will continue feeding the bucks and other deer and turkey using this plot – probably until the next rain and the clover starts providing quality forage again.

When planting your clover food plots, don’t forget to consider adding a good cover crop. It is a great tool that is easy to include in your food plot program – benefiting other crops plus providing quality food for wildlife during the stress season.

Growing food plots and deer together,

Grant

There are numerous types of clover that hunters use across the nation to provide quality food plot forage for deer and other wildlife. Here at The Proving Grounds it’s no different.  We typically plant Eagle Seed soybeans in our food plots. They are awesome for providing food for whitetails, turkey, and other critters  for 11 months out of the year. By combining a healthy stand of clover with Eagle Seed soybeans you can continue attracting  and holding whitetails on your property.

We try to plant 10% of our food plot acreage in clover.

We typically try to plant at least 10% of our food plot acreage in some type of clover. Clover is an essential food plot crop as it is one of the varieties that  helps  fill the void in early spring when our Eagle seed beans have matured and the pods have been completely removed by wildlife. This time period usually falls middle to late February and lasts through late March. If you’re familiar with clover you’ve probably noticed that during that time of year clover can provide lots of forage.  This is important as our Eagle seed beans are at their lowest point of productivity. Clover and Eagle Seed soybeans fill each other’s void beautifully, and together they are quite the deadly duo of food plots.

This past week we’ve worked managing our clover to ensure it’s in the best form it can be. There are two simple steps that need to be performed  on clover food plots. First,  provide clover with a high quality fertilizer so it doesn’t starve; we do this by adding Antler Dirt! The second important part in clover management is weed control, especially in first year stands of clover. We use a broadleaf herbicide combined with a grass specific herbicide and then add a non-ionic surfactant to form a clover cocktail.  We then use the cocktail to spot spray our clover fields. There are benefits to using herbicide in a clover plot instead of mowing. The herbicide is taken in by the plant, killing it all the way to the roots, preventing any future growth of that plant. When mowing, you’re just removing the top section of the weeds and probably not killing the plant roots, resulting in regrowth.

Clover and Eagle Seed soybeans were the deadly duo of food plots for this mature doe.

Clover should be a part of every wildlife manager’s arsenal because it not only provides tons of forage for wildlife but it also can create a great spot for hunting!  Check out episode #165 to see the GrowingDeer Team take advantage of the clover at The Kentucky Proving Grounds!

Daydreaming of Whitetails,

Adam

Deer love grain (carbohydrates/energy) during deer season. This is why they are so attracted to acorns, corn, etc. Corn can be very tough to grow in a food plot environment, especially small food plots. Another source for carbohydrates are Eagle Seed forage soybeans. They are easy to grow even in small plots! Deer LOVE to browse on soybeans, especially young soybeans.

However, depending on the number of deer and amount of food in the area deer can damage young soybeans by browsing them so intensively they can’t grow. Since deer love soybean pods I want to ensure some soybeans in smaller food plots aren’t over browsed and mature to make pods!

A Hot Zone Deer Exclosure System is a great tool to create a honey hole.

A few years ago I started using electric fences to successfully protect food plot crops until it was time to hunt over them. I was amazed that a two foot tall electric fence will keep deer out of a food plot that had tasty young soybeans!

The fence works because of the overall design. The key is to place one ½” white electric fence tape 18” above the ground around the outside edge of the forage you wish to protect. Go in toward the forage three feet and place another layer of fence with two wires – one 10” and one 24” above the ground. There are great diagrams and instructions at the Hot Zone Deer Exclosure System webpage.

The system is powered by a solar panel that trickle charges a battery – so the fence is hot 24/7. I’ve been amazed at forage growth inside versus outside the fence. I’ve seen soybeans be lip high outside the fence and over four feet tall inside the fence! When I’m ready to hunt I will simply remove the fence or create a gap! Deer will find the gap within just a few days so it’s important to have a stand in place before hunting season!

I’ve reused the same fence for multiple years. It’s a great tool to create a honey hole where you want it – where you can approach or exit the stand without spooking deer and the common wind direction is favorable for hunting!

I didn’t like putting up fences on our farm as a kid. I really enjoy it now knowing the payoff is a red hot stand location!

Growing (and hunting) deer together,

Grant

I’ve noticed a trend during recent years of an increasing number of reports of groundhogs damaging food plots. Groundhogs, called woodchucks in some areas, are rodents and strict vegetarians. They love to eat and prosper on soybeans, peas, and clover – all common warm season food plot crops.

Groundhogs breed during the early spring and usually have 2 to 6 offspring with 4 being the most common. It’s easy to see how groundhog sightings can go from rare and novel to common in a few years. Similarly, damage to food plot crops can go rapidly from non-existent to extensive.

Groundhog damage is almost always in a semi circular pattern.

A few years ago groundhog sign and sightings were rare at my place. Now there’s evidence of groundhogs at every one of my food plots. Some of my food plots show sign of extensive damage. Groundhogs tend to begin eating soybeans and other annual forages as soon as they germinate and literally kill the plants by eating them to the ground. Their damage is fairly obvious as it is almost always in a semi circular pattern from the edge of the field where their dens usually are.

I like groundhogs, but I don’t like them destroying food plot crops and depriving other forms of wildlife from access to quality forage. Therefore it’s necessary to attempt to reduce the population to a level where the damage they cause is acceptable.

Groundhogs have a good sense of smell and vision. They are very challenging to hunt and make tasty table fair! Small calibers like a .223 are perfect for groundhogs, especially when paired with rapidly expanding ammo like Winchester Varmint X!

Trapping is a better solution where groundhogs are a serious problem. I use the same Duke cage traps I use for catching raccoons during the winter. Almost any type of fresh fruit works well as bait. I prefer cantaloupe as it has a very strong aroma that will last for a few days, even during the heat of the summer. The best success occurs when the trap can be placed within a few feet of the groundhog’s den or directly in the trails that lead from their den to where they feed.

In good habitat (like by a lush food plot) groundhogs often have very small home ranges of 200’ or less. Groundhogs tend to be territorial and it’s common to have multiple groundhogs staking out territories on opposites sides of food plots. In these situations, groundhogs will certainly take more than their share of forage and do extensive damage to the food plot crop. As part of this damage, they limit the amount of quality forage available to other species including deer, turkey, and other foraging wildlife.

Hunting groundhogs is a great way to tune up your whitetail skills with either a gun or bow and provide some good fresh meat before deer season! However, if groundhogs are doing substantial damage to food plot crops, trapping them is the best solution.

Growing Deer (and managing food plots) together,

Grant

This time of year I receive lots of questions about planting warm season food plots. Recently it has been raining or snowing throughout much of the whitetail’s range. It’s literally too cold or wet to plant in many regions.

Large, soft seeds readily absorb water as part of their germination process.

Most crops that are planted this time of year have a relatively large and soft seed, such as Eagle Seed forage soybeans, corn, sunflowers, etc. These large and soft seeds readily absorb water as part of their germination process. In addition to needing water to break dormancy, they also require a minimal temperature to begin the germination process and a higher temperature to stimulate rapid germination and development.

Cold water without an increase in soil temperature will often result in the seeds simply swelling but not germinating. The longer a seed, especially a relatively soft seed, remains in the soil without germinating there are more chances for insects, diseases, or funguses to attack.

The result of delayed germination of soft seeds is almost always a reduced seed and/or plant vigor. It’s common for 50% or more of large soft seeds that are planted during bad conditions (especially when it’s too cold and wet) to die in the ground before they germinate. The surviving seeds can have reduced vitality even as a maturing plant (like a fawn that received poor nutrition during development or the first few months of life).

Even though it is time to plant based on tradition, the real indicator of when it’s time to plant is based on local conditions. For example, soybeans have the best germination rate when there’s adequate but not too much soil moisture and the soil temperature is a minimum of 60 degrees.

The real indicator of when it’s time to plant food plots is based on local conditions.

The soil temperature at my place has just reached 60 degrees at 9 am. Soil scientists monitor the soil temperature at 9 am as this is usually the coldest time of day at 2” deep in the soil. The soil cools all night and begins to warm once the sun is at an angle that its radiant heat impacts the soil.

If you plan to plant food plots soon, don’t count on going by traditional or published planting dates. Give your crops the best chance of success and plant when the local conditions are appropriate. As we’ve all seen recently it’s vitally important to keep an eye on the extended weather forecast!

Growing Deer together,

Grant

In most states April is the beginning of turkey hunting and warm season food plot planting season! Both of these activities are very dependent on the weather!

Research has shown that more turkeys are likely to gobble when it’s a warm sunny day. Overcast, rainy, or snowing conditions tend to result in fewer turkeys gobbling. It’s tougher to hear turkeys gobbling on windy days.

I’d like to hunt every day, but I have tasks that must be completed so I can hunt. So, I try to schedule the days I get to hunt on the days the weather conditions are the most favorable. I’m not aware of any accurate long-term weather forecast (if you are please let me know). The most reliable forecast I’ve found that doesn’t include any advertisements or hype is from the National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center. I often check their website and look at the cool maps on the 3-7, 6-10, and 8-14 day forecast.

Last week I used these forecasts to change the days of a scheduled turkey hunting trip to Nebraska. I avoided a couple of windy/snowy days and arrived two days later to sunny 50+ degree weather! The turkeys responded well and I was able to tag a 28 pound tom with my Prime bow!

Research has shown that more turkeys are likely to gobble when it’s a warm sunny day.

I’m also very interested in the soil temperature this time of year. My clients and I plant corn when the soil temperature is about 50 degrees and soybeans when it’s about 60 degrees. I use a soil thermometer at my place but use data collected daily by universities in many states when helping others determine when to plant. For example, the soils are still a bit cold to plant in Iowa based on data Iowa State University publishes daily on the web.

We are preparing to plant soybeans for wildlife at one of my projects on the North Carolina coast. Even though I’m in Missouri, I can check the soil temperature and help the guys onsite determine when to plant by checking the North Carolina State University website.

Weather has a huge influence on deer and turkey activity and the success of food plot crops. Check out the sources above before planning your next hunting or habitat management activity!

Growing Deer (and turkeys) together,

Grant

I receive a lot of questions like this one from Kyle…

Once again it is spring and I am eager to make it up north to my proving grounds to start my spring and summer habitat projects. I have been fall planting a brassica mix for a couple of years and love the success I have had with it. I even got my first buck with a bow two years ago. This past year I got my second buck, a true dandy 5 year old 8 point. I have more land I want to plant this year. Are the brand name seeds more attractive or better to plant than the clover, wheat or brassicas I buy at the local feed mill? Is there a difference other than a huge mark up on price? A lot of companies say they specially design their product for deer. Is that a marketing gimmick or is there a benefit?

Unfortunately there’s not a simple “yes” or “no” answer to Kyle’s question. I’m sure some  food plot companies do create fancy names for their food plot seed products and hike up the price. Others offer quality seed varieties that are more drought resistant, cold tolerant, etc.

One way to check is to read the seed labels. By law, all seed products must be labeled with the varieties and germination rates. If the variety is called something like “big buck turnips” then it’s probably more marketing than value. Another term commonly on food plot seed product labels is VNS – which stands for Varity Not Specified. It’s a good sign that there may be more marketing than value to a product when the bag is beautiful but the label states it’s composed of VNS seeds.

I plant the majority of my food plot acres in crops I have tried before. Eagle Seed has actively selected traits such as maximum forage and bean production, drought resistance, browse tolerance, etc.

I like to experiment with forage varieties that are new to me (but not necessarily new). I usually dedicate a small percentage of my food plot acres to such tests to see what works best on my land. However, the majority of my food plot acres will be planted with a variety/crop that I have tried before or that has been researched by a trusted university.

To my knowledge, no forage variety that’s marketed for deer has been tested by more universities that Eagle Seed forage soybeans. Eagle Seed is a family owned company that’s literally been breeding and researching forage soybeans (not just production beans relabeled as forage soybeans) for more than 40 years. That’s why their forage soybeans often grow to six feet tall when planted in good conditions while normal production beans planted at the same site only grow three feet tall.

The family that owns Eagle Seed has actively selected traits such as maximum forage and bean production, drought resistance, browse tolerance, etc. Simply stated, they’ve been crossing soybean varieties and selecting for these traits for decades before most other food plot companies were in business.

So, I suggest you do what I do – carefully read the labels, do some research on Google, talk to other food plot farmers and then make the best choice for crops that meet your objectives and growing conditions.

Growing Deer together,

Grant

It’s March 1st and we’ve officially survived the month of February. Now we’re taking on March. This time of year can be very boring for a whitetail hunter. Cabin fever can be a deer hunter’s worst enemy if they haven’t started shed hunting or found some off season management projects to keep themselves occupied until turkey season. One of these management projects that we are currently doing here at The Proving Grounds is frost seeding clover. We’ve posted a few pictures of the team frost seeding on our Facebook and Twitter pages. After posting, we’ve had some questions about what frost seeding is.

When frost seeding clover we plant at 10 lbs/acre.

Frost seeding is the technique of broadcasting a small hard seed onto the ground and using the natural act of frosting or the freezing and thawing of the ground to help pull the seed into the soil. This technique is usually practiced from mid-February to the beginning of March. This allows seeds, like clover, or other small hard seeds to lie in the soil until adequate warmth and moisture are available to germinate. This technique does not work well with large soft seeds like corn or soybeans because they can soak in moisture before it is warm enough to germinate and this causes them to rot and not grow, which can be costly.

When we’re frost seeding clover we tend to plant more seed per acre than we typically would in a fall or spring planting. Generally we plant 5 lbs/acre for a new stand of clover. When we’re frost seeding we will double that and plant 10lbs/acre. We do this because the seed may lie on the ground for weeks before germinating with the possibility of things like birds carrying some off or heavy rain washing seed away, so we want to have plenty of seed left for growing.

Clover along with Eagle Seed beans allows us to provide deer forage 12 months a year!

The additional seed cost is well worth it in the time savings for not having to employ more sophisticated equipment. A broadcast seeder is quick and inexpensive, making it a tool that everyone can use.

We are planting clover here at The Proving Grounds to help carry that void of growth in early spring. You’ve probably heard Grant talk about soybeans and how they provide forage eleven months out of the year. Clover can be that forage for the twelfth month. By providing enough clover along with Eagle Seed beans you can provide deer forage twelve months out of the year!

You can catch more information about frost seeding on the upcoming episode of GrowingDeer.tv (GDTV 171)!

As we head into March I hope you all can get out and cure your cabin fever with various management projects, combine it with a little shed hunting or maybe do a little scouting for turkeys!

Dreaming of Giant Whitetails,

Adam

It’s certain that the quality of forage bucks consume is a huge factor in the size of antlers they produce.  If your goal is to manage deer to produce better antlers, you must improve the quality of their diet. Establishing and maintaining food plots is probably the most practiced method of improving the quality of forage available to a local deer herd.

The phrase “food plots” is a very generic term. It’s used to describe everything from very small hidey hole plots best used to attract deer into shooting range to large ag fields that are capable of providing most of the quality forage necessary for all the deer in that area.

Unfortunately the lack of a precise definition has created some unsatisfied hunters. Some folks plant a hidey hole sized food plot and are upset when they don’t see an increase in average antler size.

Bucks Eating An Abundance of High Quality Forage Like Soybeans Grow Bigger Antlers

Deer will consume several pounds of forage daily. At one end of the spectrum, it’s easy for a few deer to consume all the forage in a small plot before it provides any measurable advantage toward the herd’s health. The other end of the spectrum is the large production soybean fields in the Midwest. There are so many acres of soybeans in many areas that deer densities of even 100+ deer per square mile still have plenty to eat. This is a primary reason that deer in these areas produce larger antlers and more fawns than in areas where the landscape is primarily covered with trees.

Research has shown that in areas with relatively poor habitat (all trees, no crops, limited early succession habitat), just 1-2% of land in high quality food plots can make noticeable increases in average antler size!

However, to have this type of success, it requires more than simply scratching the dirt in an acre or two for each 100 acres. To increase the average antler size the deer must consume the forage, the forage must be available throughout the early and mid growing season and year round is better. The forage must transfer nutrients to deer.

This means the forage must be high quality (Eagle Seed forage soybeans have tested among the highest in digestible protein of all forage crops by multiple universities), and produce enough tons of forage to feed the herd.

Food plots can be a great hunting and herd quality tool. However, like most things in life, you rarely get more out of them than you put into them. There is no magic recipe. Food plots designed to improve herd quality require time and effort to establish. They also require ample soil moisture – which is currently missing from much of the whitetail’s range. I hope there is adequate soil moisture where you plant food plots!

Growing Deer together,

Grant

I’m returning from the Kentucky Proving Grounds as I write this. The Kentucky Proving Grounds is a tract of land owned by my friend, Mr.  Hamby.  His mission is to produce and hunt quality white-tailed deer and turkey and share those experiences with family and friends.

Timber Management for Improved Deer Habitat

This week we started another project toward meeting Mr. Hamby’s mission. There are about 140 acres of loblolly pines in seven different stands that were planted 18 years ago at The Kentucky Proving Grounds. If pine trees are planted at a normal density (about 750 trees per acre), they will become so crowded that each tree will grow slower, be weakened and susceptible to disease and or insects.

Most critters or plants that are crowded don’t prosper for the same reasons. For example, deer herds that are overcrowded don’t express their full potential and are more susceptible to disease and/or insects.

When deer herds are overcrowded and damaging their habitat the best solution is to harvest excess reproductive units (does). The goal is to harvest some of the population to allow the rest to be healthier and not damage the habitat.

It’s the same with pine trees. By harvesting the excess trees, the remaining trees will grow faster and be less susceptible to most disease and insect threats. However a big difference is that the landowner can generate revenue by thinning trees! So when appropriate, thinning trees is a great way to improve the habitat, maybe clear food plot location, and make some revenue.

At The Kentucky Proving Grounds, Mr. Hamby has had me designate the flat and accessible locations to be clearcut (remove all trees) and establish new food plots. In the other portions of the pine stands, I instructed the loggers to remove the trees with less than desirable form, smaller diameter, etc., and insure that each residual tree has space around it’s crown so it can receive ample sunlight, moisture, and nutrients from the soil.

Good timber management is usually good deer management.

Growing Deer together,

Grant