Eagle Seed Beans

For those of you that have planted plots using Eagle Seed I’ve got a question. Are they worth the money? And did you notice a difference in deer using them vs non Eagle seed products.


I’m looking to plant soybeans this spring in a couple of my larger plants and always hear good things about Eagle seed beans but almost stroked when I saw the price of a 40# bag.

deerbuster said:

For those of you that have planted plots using Eagle Seed I’ve got a question. Are they worth the money? And did you notice a difference in deer using them vs non Eagle seed products.

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Yes.
And yes.

But you will still need to protect them from browsing for the first 2-3 weeks until they are about 16” tall, or they will never get big & lush. Regular Ag beans that are RR or LL will cost about half what Eagles run, but cannot withstand browse damage like Eagles will. Other forage types like Tyrone are not RR nor are they as vigorous as Eagle. You need to be able to use a post emerge herbicide in most food plot situations. Even with pre’s & a good canopy, you will get weed competition as the deer remove leaves & open the ground to sunlight.

If you don’t keep the deer out initially the plants will stay short & the deer will keep them mowed like a bush hog, preventing the tonnage they are capable of producing.

Forest Grump said:

Yes.
And yes.

But you will still need to protect them from browsing for the first 2-3 weeks until they are about 16” tall, or they will never get big & lush. Regular Ag beans that are RR or LL will cost about half what Eagles run, but cannot withstand browse damage like Eagles will. Other forage types like Tyrone are not RR nor are they as vigorous as Eagle. You need to be able to use a post emerge herbicide in most food plot situations. Even with pre’s & a good canopy, you will get weed competition as the deer remove leaves & open the ground to sunlight.

If you don’t keep the deer out initially the plants will stay short & the deer will keep them mowed like a bush hog, preventing the tonnage they are capable of producing.

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What would be the best way to keep deer out initially? Milorganite? Electric fence?

I think the preferred method would be with an electric fence, if your plot is small enough (ie not 10 acre$). If it is large, then fencing off as big an area as you can afford and then use milorganite on the rest, till the beans get big enough, might be an option, or something to try.

Just depends on your budget. I used to plant 5 acres of iron & clay cowpeas, unprotected, and the deer kept them wiped out and weeds took over.

How big of a plot are you considering?

I planted eagle beans once in Georgia and they did great..The downside is that they don't put on beans like AG beans do..So in the winter you probably wont have the food source like AG beans offer...

Canuck5 said:

I think the preferred method would be with an electric fence, if your plot is small enough (ie not 10 acre$). If it is large, then fencing off as big an area as you can afford and then use milorganite on the rest, till the beans get big enough, might be an option, or something to try.

Just depends on your budget. I used to plant 5 acres of iron & clay cowpeas, unprotected, and the deer kept them wiped out and weeds took over.

How big of a plot are you considering?

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They’ll range from 1.25 acres to almost 3 acres

You look like an adventurous young man! One thing I thought might be worth a try would be a mix of:

Buckwheat: https://www.qdma.com/food-plot-species-profile-buckwheat/
and
Cowpeas: https://www.qdma.com/food-plot-species-profile-iron-clay-cowpeas/

There will be no herbicide that you can use here (that I am aware of), however the buckwheat is fast growing and has some weed controlling benefits. The cowpeas will just keep trying to grow, even if they get nipped off, unlike soybeans. Deer do love cowpeas.

Buckwheat grows quickly and "may" help the cowpeas get established, so maybe no need for a fence or maybe just one application of milorganite?

Anyway, at about the 5:40 minute mark, you'll see the mix there. If you decide to try it, take some pictures and let us know how it works!

Deer would find soybeans more tasty, but this might be a less expensive, less maintenance option.

deerbuster said:

They’ll range from 1.25 acres to almost 3 acres

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Then you absolutely must use a fence or don’t plant soybeans. Especially year 2 & beyond (1st year you might get lucky & deer won’t know what soybeans are; once they learn, they’ll never get 6” tall without protection). With what you spend for Eagle beans, a fence is well worth the cost & aggravation.

I have never been a buckwheat fan; grows great, feeds the bees, but protein is low, & in my experience, so is usage. Sunflowers get heavy damage early, but their protein is comparable to native verge...

I like a combo of ICP’s + Sunn Hemp for small plots. Herbicide choices will still be limited, but it can recover from hard damage & you can discourage the deer until it gets going with Milorganite (NOT an effective deterrent for soybeans, in my experience). For beans you need at least 7000 volts, constant hot.

Peanuts are another option; but I have been discouraged by lack of early usage. Peanuts are more difficult to plant & harder to find, but have a growing point at ground level, so they withstand heavy browse pressure. They prefer a sandy soil.

^^^^^ I think soybeans are great .... Eagle Soybeans are even better, but I do think, there are some less expensive summer plantings (mixes), with lower maintenance, lower equipment cost options out there, to be successful. http://www.deerage.com/eagle_seed/ ($150/acre in seed?) In particular for smaller plots and smaller budgets, like mine!