Fall Food (for thought) Plot Thread

Canuck5

Food Plot advisor extraordinaire !
I thought I would start a thread looking for idea's, how we/you do things, to get a Fall food plot going. These could be attractant plots or perennial plots or just a plain good food plot.

What do you do different/better/easier/quicker/ or cheaper. When do you do it, how do you do it, what you like about it or don't. What equipment do you have at your disposal, what have you made or what works best for you.

Just thought I would get things warmed up, because we're getting real close to playing in the dirt again. Feel free to add anything that can help us who are long in the tooth and those who are starting out!

My first pic is of my Grandfathers 1965 set of 8 foot wide disc harrows working up the soil this spring. I'll be back doing that in the next few weeks (when it dries out), to work the 9 tons of AG lime we had spread. I think we paid $45/ton delivered and spread by Cedar Rock Farm Services.

This is really just to work into the ground, the lime, the dead clover, & cereal grains (& weeds) to get ready for a late September planting.
 

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Canuck5

Food Plot advisor extraordinaire !
I'll be doing this, knowing that I still have a food source, available to the deer on the property. I won't be working up all the food plots.

There will still be clover, Iron & Clay peas and chicory available, which I think is important .... give the deer a reason to stay around. That's aside from what Mother Nature will provide!
 

catch22

Senior Member
I hunt in very South GA. I see people down here that plant their plots way too early. Most folks are planting some type of oats/wheat/rye mix and I see them planting it very early.

We try to wait as close to rifle season as possible before planting. This ensures that the plots will be young and tender and will not have gotten knee high and yellow.

I am only speaking for the part of GA where we hunt....I can't speak for Central or N. GA.
 

win280

Guest
I would rather put down the proper amount of lime and no fert. if I had to choose because of $$$$$$$.
 

Canuck5

Food Plot advisor extraordinaire !

Canuck5

Food Plot advisor extraordinaire !
I hunt in very South GA. I see people down here that plant their plots way too early. Most folks are planting some type of oats/wheat/rye mix and I see them planting it very early.

We try to wait as close to rifle season as possible before planting. This ensures that the plots will be young and tender and will not have gotten knee high and yellow.

I am only speaking for the part of GA where we hunt....I can't speak for Central or N. GA.

LOL ..... we'll have a thread on "Army Worms" started soon enough!
 

Canuck5

Food Plot advisor extraordinaire !
 

win280

Guest
I think in 1/3s for food plots.
1/3 starting to grow
1/3 growing
1/3 maturing.
Never have and empty food source.
Deer will always find the most palatable food source.
Always PRAY for rain during Sept/ Oct.
 

Canuck5

Food Plot advisor extraordinaire !
:rofl:
 

win280

Guest
1. Mow food plots to keep the weeds/grasses from going to seed.
I planted a pure clover patch 4 years ago. No siclepod for last 2 years. With the rain this year I have a bunch germinated and I bushhogged to keep from going to seed until I can pull them.

2. Siclepod and perennial ryegrass are the devil.
3. You will never get all weeds/ grasses out of the food plot because of the wildlife using the food plot.
 

BriarPatch99

Senior Member
Looks like you got a good setup to tend the plots with... nice tractor and the old harrow looks like it is doing a good job too... the older stuff is probably built better than some of the newer stuff...

I'm down in South Ga. and we always plant later than you middle/upper Ga folks ... I always plant a mixture of different stuff ... seems the deer will eat one type plant ... then later eat another ... our summer plots drowned this spring/summer ... so we'll wait until Sept. to plant again ...

Good luck with your plots!!
 

Canuck5

Food Plot advisor extraordinaire !
Thanks! Yeah, my Grandfather took good care of his things!
 

drawedback

Senior Member
This thread is a great idea, maybe we can start inserting some pictures of some plots from start to finish for the begginers. I just started spraying my plots this week, I will begin to plow in about 2 weeks, weather permitting. I farm for a living, and started planting food plots about 20-25 years ago, people used to laugh at us for planting food plots. I will be planting around 50 acres of plots, ranging in size from 1/4 acre up to 12 acres. I plant my own mixture of Wrenns abbruzzi rye, Buck forage oats, and dwarf essex rape. I usually try to get some peas and beans in, but its been too wet here this year. I've never had to worry about getting a tractor stuck in the field in July before.
 

Canuck5

Food Plot advisor extraordinaire !
This thread is a great idea, maybe we can start inserting some pictures of some plots from start to finish for the begginers. I just started spraying my plots this week, I will begin to plow in about 2 weeks, weather permitting. I farm for a living, and started planting food plots about 20-25 years ago, people used to laugh at us for planting food plots. I will be planting around 50 acres of plots, ranging in size from 1/4 acre up to 12 acres. I plant my own mixture of Wrenns abbruzzi rye, Buck forage oats, and dwarf essex rape. I usually try to get some peas and beans in, but its been too wet here this year. I've never had to worry about getting a tractor stuck in the field in July before.

I think that's a great idea!
 

Canuck5

Food Plot advisor extraordinaire !
I think one of the first things to buy, for small food plotters, is a hand crank spreader. It's a pretty versatile tool that can spreader small seeds like clovers and larger seeds like cereal grains. It can spread fertilizers and pelletized lime too, but just make sure you clean it out real good, because fertilizer will eat away at the metal parts.

I just bought this one, to spread my small seeds with. It had some good reviews and I think I paid less than $60 for it. Solo 421S spreader

http://www.solousa.com/store/flypage/spreader/421-s_.html
 

Canuck5

Food Plot advisor extraordinaire !
Solo 421s spreader
 

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Triple C

Senior Member
[ATTACH[/ATTACH][/ATTACH]Here's our plottin' arsenal: Branson 47HP tractor, Plotmaster 600, broadcast spreader, boom sprayer and all-purpose plow. Food plottin' can be addictive! Bout as much enjoyment as actual hunting!

Plotmaster is a workhorse. Not a true 1 time pass but as advertised but definitely a great piece of equipment for us. Plants just about any seed. Weighs just over 1300# and cultipacker does a good job. All purpose plow doesn't get used that much. After harrowing we run the AP plow sort of as a wannabe sub-soiler if needed.

Looking forward to seeing whatever anyone else uses to do their plottin'. Would love to see a pic of someone using a mule for plowing. Bet some ol' timer out there still plowing with old school.
 

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triton196

Senior Member
I plant an old log landing in middle ga. about qtr acre ill disc it around labor day then put out about 9 backs of lime then 3 bags of fertilizer. then I put out pennington elite and then purple top turnips and broad leaf mustard. the deer loved it last year. after I plant it I run it over with the four wheeler and it grows pretty good.
 
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