[pinwheel]

I was hanging out on QDMA before I came over here. Some of the seeds that are pushed there & on other sites I'm very skeptical about. If it's got a pic of a deer on it, I'm skeptical. Every where you look, someone is pushing brasicas, but I can't find anyone in my area that has actually had any luck with the wildlife eating them. The only thing I know about chicory is its that weed that grows along gravel roads with the blue flower. Birdsfoot trefoil is another one I hear about. I guess I'm looking for feedback from guys in my part of the world, instead of PA, FL & GA.

Does any of this exotic stuff really work, or is it mostly seed sellers trying to dupe hard working hunters out of their money? In this day & age, I'm very skeptical with all the hype.

So far, Ive mainly followed the landowner guide book I got from the conservation Dept & fell I'm having some really good results.

Just wanted to hear from some local boys (& girls).

 

[nontypical]

The are using a variety of plants that address different feeding stages throughout the yearly feeding cycle. In our plots the bracicas is only utilized after a very severe winter temperature drop. At that time the plant undergoes a transformation and becomes desirable because of the high sugar/energy content brought on by the freezing temperatures.

The chicory(s) they speak of are specially developed for late summer feeding when clovers are dormant because of the heat. These chicory varieties are not the same as the roadside variety. The food plot chicory has a wide, edible leaf that is high in protein and digestibility. That along with the deep tap root to bring up nutrients makes it a choice morsel for deer in the summer heat.

Birdsfoot trefoil has been a favorite of deer for many years. Horses also love it in a pasture. It's a bit of a challenge to get established but a good fill in species as a food plot variety.

 

[SmokinBarrel]

Chicory! I'll always include it in my mixes. I wish I had enough property, or food plots, then I'd plant it on it's own, 70% Chicory & 30% Clover. That would be a great mix. Personally, if I were you Pinwheel, and with the property you have, I'd plant some Chicory. They absolutely tear mine up! And my spot isn't far from you, Near Jacksonville, MO south of Macon. And, during that drough of last summer, the Chicory still looked good (deep taproot).

I use Alfa-Rack, Whitetail Inst Clover, Synergy Clover, Ameri-Graze Alfalfa, and Chicory I received from Henry on this site. No complaints here!! They all work great.

I can't keep alflafa around long enough for the deer, they completely destroy it!! Good stuff.

my .02

 

[PYseeker]

Pinwheel, one of my neighbors about 2 miles up the road planted a brassica mix last fall. At first it got little use, but they absolutely hammered the stuff come late December. He said he will plant it again this fall and see what happens. I have heard that it takes a year for deer to get turned on to it, but once they do they will flock to it. But it usely takes about 3 hard frosts to bring the sugars up from the roots in to the leaf of the plant. I want to plant it, but I wont get a chance to this fall, so maybe next year. I'm in Mercer county, I guess about an hour from you.

 

[MUHunter]

our farm is in Shelby County just east of ya Pinwheel and we have tried some canola/rape with very little luck. As many said when they did hit it, it was very late. I have had much better luck with clover and winter oats over there.....

 

[Hoytshooter]

I planted a rape mixture this past season and they ate it to the ground and dug up the turnips, but it was VERY late and alot of it after the season.

As for chicory, I won't plant a perennial plot without it. The seed price is a little high, but it's well worth it in my book. In my perennial plots the deer utilize the chicory at least as much as the clovers throughout the year, not only in the heat.
I've used alot of commercial blends, and I've mixed my own. In my opinion, most of the commercial blends, at least the ones I have used are great products. That being said, you can create an equally good, sometimes better plot by buying and mixing your own seed, and for far cheaper usually.
The commercial seeds blends i have tried and like are Biologic Premium Perennial, Biologic clover plus, biologic new zealand(brassicas). I'm going to plant some monster mix from tecomate this year, have heard awesome things, and had a $40 bag given to me so we'll see what happens. I have also used some tecomate products, the names escape me. In my opinion, the tecomate blends are hard to beat.

 

[SmokinBarrel]

Hoyt - Well said! I use Tecomate too, and love it! It's great.

I'll say, I'd like to try the Biologic Premium Perennial too!

 

[oneshot 1]

If I had large enough area I would go with two things Alfalfa and Corn.

The Alfalfa is harder than Clover to mess with but it is consistant in bringing Deer and Turkey in.

oneshot
Awful rich for the Big Grin.

 

[huntforfunnfood]

most of the conola rape and turnips get hit late do to the fact they get sweeter after frost and usually by then the acrons are gone as well

when the acrons fall nothing is going to attract deer other than a pile of acorns


the brids foot is a little know mircel in my opinion its better than alfalfa. got a patch up north and it stays mowed unreal stuff.

 

[TOBRYAN]

My big 3 are alfalfa, synergy jumbo white clover and forage chicory!
However my sunflowers are getting hammered pretty good.
The neighbor (Stan you met him) had 3 huge fields drilled with timothy, orchard grass and lespedeza and the deer are out in the fields every evening eating the heck out of the lespedeza.