Food Plots For Deer

thanks for your input on the bait thread,ill move to this thread for my next question.do you have any ideas for planting in a damp spot.dont know what is growing in there now,it is thin stemmed,long and turns bright yellow in the fall,was thinking some kind of saw grass.never seen any deer eating it.in some springs it gets kind of wet so whatever i plant has to be tolerant of moisture. thanx again.

My radishes, PTT and rape were really not worked over until sometime in the last 2 weeks all the tops disappeared. All of our plots since gun season have really been hit hard.

Thanks for the info!

Agreed, turnips will not come back although do to our very mild winter in WI last year I had a few PTT that did not freeze out and started growing again this spring. That was rariety and will probly not see it agian for a long time. February and early march seems to be the time table for frost seeding in Wisconsin. Basically whenever the snow is just about gone and its freezing at night and then getting to 45 or 50 daytime. That thaw and unthaw action is what gets your seed to soil contact. Most guy will up the seeding rate when overseeding as well. Good luck.

Goose, you'll want to wait for a warm spell so that the surface is muddy and not frozen. The refreezing of the surface will draw the seed into the mud. Turnips don't come back. They are an annual, so one shot an they are done. You may have some ungerminated seeds take off next spring, but it would be minor.

I was thinking about winter seeding my turnip plot with clover around the beginning of jan. What do people think? Also does anyone know if the turnips with come back in the spring?

Just wondering what types of food plots the deer are hitting right now.

Planted Buck forage oats along with bucks banquet, deer are in it thick, they keep it mowed down pretty good, shot a doe at closing opening night out of it and a 4 1/2 yr old 9ptr 4 days later

one of my other turnip plots. this one is to attract humans, mainly my uncle who harvests most of them from this plot. early pic is from Sep 6, later pic is from Sep 13

Here's a turnip plot. Early pic is Sep 6. Later pic is Sep 16. Planted Aug 13.

I've planted winter wheat with little luck in the past down here in southern WI. They just didn't use it like I hoped. I had really good luck with forage oats last year and will be planting more those of tnext year.

When I plant plots to feed deer all season long I plant clover, beans, corn....but when I plant plots to kill deer I use turnips or my favorite...winter wheat. Cheap, easy to plant, re-seeds itself in spring to provide some feed for the turkeys and other gamebirds in summer when I mow it and did I forget to mention cheap!!!!! Last year, two weeks before bow season started and two weeks into the season, at least 20 deer a night on a 6 acre wheat patch. Up north in the big woods.

Agreed with gonefishn just proadcast and maybe roll/cultipacker for small brassicas then wait for rain. There so small they dont need much.

Winter Wheat or Winter Rye on sandy soils. Not Rye Grass.... I don't drag brassicas after planting... just broadcast and pray for a good rain.

This what I do I drag it then seed it and then roll it with some kind of roller. If you notice were your four wheeler tires go the seeds come up the best because of the compaction. when I started doing it like this me food plots have been allot better. I started putting less seed down because my germination rate was so good. Good luck this is what works for me.

I used to drag my brassica and clover plots but I quit doing it. I firmly believe you're better off just letting the rain pound it in.