Food plot planning

Yoby · Feb 23, 2017

It is that time where I am starting to plan out what I am going to do for food plots. Last year I did 3 or 4 .25 acre food plots. This year I am planning on tilling up a single 1.3 acre location. Debating on alfalfa but not 100% sold on the alfalfa. Did barassicas last year in on of my plots and once the ground was frozen, the deer hit it hard. After 2 weeks the .25 acre was 2 inches high and the deer parted ways.

Expanding to hopefully last longer and give better nutrition longer. Any other ideas out there?

Putz ND · Feb 23, 2017

In my area alfalfa is great to smack one in velvet over. Good nutrition early, loses its appeal after frost. Brassicas are unreal after frost, like you already said. I'm going to do strips of soybeans with brassicas for my late season kill plots. We had a 2 acre plot of standing soybeans and the deer just funneled right in this last December-January. We'd have 70-100 critters there most nights. Does-fawns-little bucks-big bucks.

NDbowman · Feb 23, 2017

alfalfa is good. The first year the deer will probably keep up with the growth. After that it will grow very fast and tall. You can do nothing and the deer will still use it but I like to keep it mowed down so that it has fresh green lush growth that seems to attract deer even more so. You either have to hay it off or mow it often with a rotary mower. I let mine get to tall once then mowed it with a 15' batwing mower. Had clumps of residue all over the plot so I went over it a second time with the mower as low as I could go and really chewed up what was left. Turned out good. To much residue will eventually kill the alfalfa.

FishinRN · Feb 23, 2017

I plan to plant my first plots this summer in lakes country MN around Fergus Falls. My intent is 2 1/4 acre plots in ATV only accessible locations, I purchased the groundhog Max for first time tillage. My intent is to keep it simple the first year with clover and brassicas. My question is what volume of lime application is typically required, I do not intend to fertilize or spray for first year until I see wildlife patterns to these plots. Everything I read states to not skip lime but for this trial run am going to forego a soil test, fertilizer, and herbicide application.

Putz ND · Feb 23, 2017

I've had good luck using something round-up ready the first year. Allows you to cheaply control volunteer growth and prepare the ground for more of a "designer" type seed selection the following season.

KDM · Feb 24, 2017

Soybeans over brassicas..... The one two punch for the fall and winter deer buffet. Any standing soybeans in my area get absolutely ransacked once it gets colder and after frost. The downside of that is that unless you have at least 20 acres of standing beans, they will eat them all before you can hunt. The brassicas take up the slack when the beans are gone.

Auggie · Feb 24, 2017

A soil sample will run you about $25. NDSU Soils department can run a test. Go out with a garden trowel, take 6-7 samples at the 0-6in depth. Mix in a bucket and send them a pint of soil. That way you know what the pH is and how much, if any lime/fertilizer you'll need.

tman · Mar 1, 2017

For those of you that plant plots do any of you use just atv and utv if so what would plows/disc would you recommend for first time break up and also what seeders do you use. I am wanting to do a food plot of 1 to 2 acres and would need to use my side by side to do it.

USMCDI · Mar 1, 2017

tman said:
For those of you that plant plots do any of you use just atv and utv if so what would plows/disc would you recommend for first time break up and also what seeders do you use. I am wanting to do a food plot of 1 to 2 acres and would need to use my side by side to do it.

Good luck with that, I had an area that I couldn't get a tractor in to mow and disc but I could get an old 8N in there with a finish mower and mowed it down to the dirt after I dumped on a metric shit-ton of round up 2 weeks prior and then mowed it as short as possible. I don't have a small disc for a three point so I bought one of those flip-over atv discs from TSC and ended up welding a cage to hold a bunch of tractor weights to give it some kind of down pressure, it worked ok with a 900 Ranger but those little gear boxes aren't made for that so be careful and watch the temp. The food plot came up perfect and the second year was much easier as the soil mellowed out a bit. A Bobcat with a tiller is the best, I wouldn't use anything else after having one but it can be done the atv way and it sucks having to go over it 10 times in every direction. I used a broadcast spreader and drug it with a small harrow drag after seeding but have since rebuilt our old 6 foot grass drill and it works like a charm.

FishinRN · Mar 2, 2017

I purchased the groundhog max to use on my sportsman. This device uses just the weight of the machine for down pressure on 6 adjustable disks. I figure as long as you slowly increase depth adjustment on the disk and thoroughly work up in several directions it should get the job done without doing much damage to the atv. Probably wouldn't want to do 1+ acre parcels with it but with enough time spent will get the job done. Plenty of videos on YouTube showing it in action.

USMCDI · Mar 2, 2017

Anyone out there have or seen a Firminator in use? The idea looks like the real deal but I have no idea how they work as far as draw bar or 3-point and downpressure.

NDbowman · Mar 2, 2017

USMCDI said:
Anyone out there have or seen a Firminator in use? The idea looks like the real deal but I have no idea how they work as far as draw bar or 3-point and downpressure.

I believe it would work but I'm not that impressed by it. Its basically broadcasting the seed on the ground and then cultipacking it. I think you could use a regular box drill, increase the down pressure, and almost no till with it. Small box drills at auction sales usually go rather cheap. You could also find a cultipacker or some other roller to run over the field and press any seeds down if you felt the box drill wasn't seeding them deep enough. Old IH 620 drills with good discs and enough down pressure will no till into stubble and might work to no till into some prairie as long as there isn't to much thatch. 620s are heavy though and you wouldn't pull one behind an atv or utv. A smaller IH 100 series could possibly be pulled behind a large utv or atv but I'd rather use a tractor.

Traxion · Mar 2, 2017

Even a 100 I would want to use a tractor or pickup. I think the Firminator is marketed towards those low HP tractors that really can't pull a decent disc but can do a little work with a 3 point and narrow width. As far as the ATV and breaking ground, if at all possible I would use a tractor for the first time. I am talking my prairie type soil at least, there may be some areas you could do with an ATV in other areas. The areas we are working on are going to take a decent disc (12' tandem) to break it up and even that will be a bit touchy. May have to call in the big stuff for the first go. But some areas you just gotta use what you can get in there, I get that.

I wouldn't skip the soil samples. It's worth it to spend the time and money to get the soil dialed in, one less variable that way. I kind of like Putz's idea of the strips. Do RR beans and keep things cleaned up. Plant the brassicas in July on clean soil and you have a nice combo. Ready for anything the next year then!

Huskerdu · Mar 2, 2017

Started 15 or so years ago planting corn at that time there was no dry land corn in western ND on one night counted 115 deer in a 8acre plot!
Still planting food plots , put mostly for Pheasants, lost most of our deer to EHD a few years ago. Slowly have upgraded equipment, started planting with a 2 row planter that was made for horses, pulled it with a pickup. Currently have a compact 35hp tractor with loader, mower, 8' disc, atv sprayer, Fertilizer spreder, and a 4 row planter with fertilizer.
Starting to think about no-till with cover crops to stop using 2-3 tons of fertilizer a year and reduce chemicals.

raider · Mar 2, 2017

something to consider...

we disced up an area with native grass along a slough to plant trees... the discing ending planting years worth of dormant thistle and other weed seeds, and we ended up with a real mess...

next time, for trees anyway, we will leave the native grass alone and simply drill holes and plant, then mow instead of trying to keep the area black...

Yoby · Mar 2, 2017

When I moved to my property 5 yrs ago I ended up picking up a 45hp tractor and a 5ft tiller. Thought it would be a good idea to till before planting trees too. Wrong. The only thing that saved most of them was I could mow very regularly. All my food plots had been taken over by thistle unless I till them 3 or 4 times through the year.

Being in the red River valley we have very good soil. All the plots have taken off fairly well. The 1 major thing I lack is a planter. Only have been able to broadcast the seed.

MarbleEyez · Mar 3, 2017

When do you guys like to plant your brassicas? I've been thinking of trying a couple acre plot this year.

arrowdem · Mar 3, 2017

tman said:
For those of you that plant plots do any of you use just atv and utv if so what would plows/disc would you recommend for first time break up and also what seeders do you use. I am wanting to do a food plot of 1 to 2 acres and would need to use my side by side to do it.

I opened up some ground 2 years ago into a very small maybe 1/4 acre food plot with nothing more than a small plot disc on a ranger a pull behind weeder and a actual shit ton of raking shoveling and bustin up of sod, i then expanded that food plot to about a 3/4 acre plot tucked into the trees next to the river no chance of ever getting a tractor in there, and for me being only 30 and enjoying pushing myself on my outdoor activities to keep my self somewhat fit, but this is no joke that first 1/4 acre was 50% by hand and i worked my tail end off to get that worked up nice and it took the first year i had a ton of turnip in there and the deer hit it hard once the cold weather hit, when i expanded the food plot i got in touch with a guy i do some work for in the spring and fall on his farm and he has a skid steer on tracks with a grapple on it for trees... if there is anyway you could get a bobcat or rent or do something along those lines i would for sure to save on time and if you want to bust up virgin ground and are looking at doing a full acre it is no cake walk, and round-up is your best friend, i think that first year i sprayed, sprayed again, worked up the ground as best as i could let it green again then sprayed one more time and waited for at least 10 days then some until we had a good soaking of rain , through out my seed went over it with the weeder and bam i had a lush green turnip plot with turnips the size of sugar beets so there is my .02 the last 5 years has been a ton of food plot work on little food plots both by hand and with some equipment so if you have any questions, or want to learn from my failures dont hesitate to throw me a PM!

MarbleEyez · Mar 3, 2017

arrowdem said:
I opened up some ground 2 years ago into a very small maybe 1/4 acre food plot with nothing more than a small plot disc on a ranger a pull behind weeder and a actual shit ton of raking shoveling and bustin up of sod, i then expanded that food plot to about a 3/4 acre plot tucked into the trees next to the river no chance of ever getting a tractor in there, and for me being only 30 and enjoying pushing myself on my outdoor activities to keep my self somewhat fit, but this is no joke that first 1/4 acre was 50% by hand and i worked my tail end off to get that worked up nice and it took the first year i had a ton of turnip in there and the deer hit it hard once the cold weather hit, when i expanded the food plot i got in touch with a guy i do some work for in the spring and fall on his farm and he has a skid steer on tracks with a grapple on it for trees... if there is anyway you could get a bobcat or rent or do something along those lines i would for sure to save on time and if you want to bust up virgin ground and are looking at doing a full acre it is no cake walk, and round-up is your best friend, i think that first year i sprayed, sprayed again, worked up the ground as best as i could let it green again then sprayed one more time and waited for at least 10 days then some until we had a good soaking of rain , through out my seed went over it with the weeder and bam i had a lush green turnip plot with turnips the size of sugar beets so there is my .02 the last 5 years has been a ton of food plot work on little food plots both by hand and with some equipment so if you have any questions, or want to learn from my failures dont hesitate to throw me a PM!

Did you work it up with a tiller attachment on the Bobcat?

arrowdem · Mar 3, 2017

no that grapple in the front i was the type where there is no bucket its more so a caged bucket and then the grapple, so once i got the trees and whatever else moved out of that way that grapple attachment worked really well to get just under the sod and kinda either break it up of just remove the sod completely then i took a 10 ft weeder we have and drug it over a few times then seeded it and drug it again and i couldnt get into the plot til later in the year because i have to wait for crop to get off so my planting was a little late but i did clover and rye grass and it came up very good and looked like it would have been a good stand, deer were eating it but it never got too tall because there wasnt enough time before frost, im reseeding it this spring before all the snow is gone, possibly this weekend and do just a frost seed to help it out but that clover should hopefully come back this year but either way im gonna lay down some extra seed.

Food plot planning

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