Soybeans?

[GatorHeuss]

Want to start planting soybeans in the spring/summer. My concern is them getting wiped out before they can get started. I have about 25 acres of food plots on 315 acres with my 3 biggest plots being 5, 4, & 3. The remaining 13 acres are made up of 1.5 - 2 acre plots. Will the deer clean out 25 acres of soybeans due to the smaller plot sizes?

 

[Canuck5]

I suppose with 25 acres, it will depend on your deer density. If a soybean gets nipped off below the first 2 leaves it will die. Done! So, you might have areas around the perimeter of your plots that will be dirt, maybe.

Iron and clay cowpeas, which the deer still love (not quite as much as soybeans) and they will wear them out, as well, they will continue to try to grow, if they get nipped off. Having said that, I stopped planting the cowpeas when they still turned 5 acres into dirt and weeds/grass came thru. This was a mix of cowpeas and soybeans, in the 2nd pic.

 

[Canuck5]

If you end up with a good stand of cowpeas come fall, you can just broadcast your cereal grain, clovers, radish, turnips, rape, right over top and have the best of both worlds.

 

[Canuck5]

First pic is a cowpea nipped 25 times and kept trying to grow. 2nd pic ...... I just didn't have enough acres of cowpeas, the next year.

 

[Canuck5]

With either soybeans or cowpeas .... use innoculant.

 

[Ihunt]

Forage soybeans will handle the browse pressure better.
I think you will be fine if you can get the majority of them planted close together. A divide and conquer type of thing.

 

[GatorHeuss]

My plot groups are all within a few hundred yards each other. I was also considering doing a mix of soybeans, cowpeas and lablab. Not sure which would be the best option. Just don't want to drop $ on 25 acres, twice.

 

[Gadestroyer74]

I planted soybeans and lab lab in different spots and put milorganite in them as soon as they broke ground had beautiful bean fields and deer wore them out after I let the milirganite weee off . Once these beans get up and have multiple leaves they wilk
Make it and be fine

 

[GatorHeuss]

How many #/acre did you put the milorganite out at?

 

[Gadestroyer74]

About 5 acres. One area I didn’t get to that weekend I put it out and they moved it down. I applied it the following weekend and the plot came back. Likely because I seeded alittle heavy. They wouldn’t touch it for like a month. If it comes a heavy rain you main need to reapply. It stands for Milwaukee or antic nitrogen. It stinks to high heaven. It does add nitrogen to the soil. I spread mine alittle on the light side with a pull behind broadcast spreader.. with you having as many acres as you do this will surely work.. if your planting beans you may also want to add a few acres of corn and use it as screens and food. You then can rotate it where the beans are this year plant corn there next year since beans add nitrogen to them soil and corn needs it. That’s what I did and it made a huge difference in the property I hunted on.

 

[mattb78]

I am certain you can get your soybeans to make it. That's a ton of food plot acreage. I would listen to some podcasts by Dr. Craig Harper who talks alot about improving your native browse. If large bean plots can't make it that basically tells you that you must work on native browse in your timber stands/open fields.

At that acreage you can probably make it even without great native forage, but if it does get hit hard then you may need to supplement your woods with burning/discing/spraying to take some pressure off your soybeans.

If you have that acreage of beans and even moderate amounts of native browse you will have more deer than you know what to do with.

 

[Gut_Pile]

How many deer do you typically see on a hunt?

 

[GatorHeuss]

Other than a friend who comes up 2 weekends a year I am the only one hunting the 315. On average I see 5-8 deer a sit but have had some 20 deer evenings. Note while I'm sitting watching the deer in front of me my cell cameras are binging with deer at feeders and in other plots. I would say an average evening there are probably at least 5 deer in each plot.

 

[Canuck5]

That's a lot of deer and you're pulling them over from other properties! Good job there!

If your 315 acres were pure pine forest, it could provide enough food, annually, for maybe 16 deer. Your added 25 acres of food plots, can certainly add enough food for more deer!

I always refer back to this article, because I think it does say a lot.

Are Your Deer Hungry? - North American Whitetail

If you're not providing the local herd with enough of the right groceries for maximum antler and body size, as well as high fawn survival, you're not enjoying the full benefits of sound management.

www.northamericanwhitetail.com

 

[Bigearl68]

Unless you have a farm near by that is also planting substantial acres of beans, yours won’t make it. If you’re seeing 15-20 deer in one sit you can bet that ain’t half of them. You will pull deer from the surrounding 1500 acres with soybeans. I know this isn’t what you wanted to hear and your most likely going to plant them anyways. So knock yourself out and send us some pics of the bare dirt you have in June after the herd moves in.

 

[GatorHeuss]

We have about 1500 acres of corn, cotton and soybeans that are to my east. Only separation between my place and them is a hard road. I see deer in those fields quite often. We supplement feed and keep feeders full all year with 4s protein, have feeders at every plot total of about #6000. We are burning and plan on doing some TSI to help with the natural browse. Was thinking of going the milorganite route to get them up, but also considering doing a blend.

 

[Gut_Pile]

With the ag near by you might be okay. Give it a shot and if it doesn't work, you'll know next time. Really only one way to find out

 

[antharper]

I’d find out if my neighbors were planning to plant soybeans this year . If so I’d try to time mine a couple weeks after, good luck . I have probably 20 acres to plant on a few hundred and have tried soybeans and ICP and have been disappointed every time . Started planting grain sorghum a few years ago and have been pleased . Easy to grow and cheap

 

[Bigearl68]

Sorghum would be my choice as well. Deer won’t mess with it much until the heads mature in the fall and isn’t that when you actually want to see that big buck everyone is apparently after? Not to mention it will actually benefit a few other critters like turkeys as well.

 

[antharper]

I’ve got one field that’s about 6-8 acres I’m planning on planting strips of corn, soybeans and sorghum in this year . But I may just skip the soybeans . My neighbor planted about 30-40 acres of soybeans a couple years ago to harvest . He didn’t bother picking them.