zone 5 suggestions

[forgeblast]

Hi all I am looking for a few suggestions on food plots for various parts of my property.

The top of our property is a pole line, there is a lot of golden rod up there. I am going to be cutting down some of the sappllings and making a snake fence. I would like to put some type of food/bedding mix up at the top since it would get the most sun.

the middle of the property is mixed hardwoods. I will be doing some release cuts but it will still have shade. One part is well drained the other stays damp most of the year(depending on the amount of rain). I would like to have some type of feed in the middle since this is the major deer highway through the property.

The bottom part of the property is an old field that I have enrolled in crep and it has no till clover planted in there and apple trees. Its pretty much doing real good, the game cam has captured some very nice deer.

Do you have any suggestion for seed mixes for deer/turkey and eventually game birds.
any suggestions for the damp shaded areas?
thanks

 

[Briar Hill Brittanys]

One of the things you might want to think about, is what you want to plant for what time of year. I'm in SW Missouri with ALOT of oak trees on our property, and bean/corn fields close. The deer have plenty to eat during the spring and summer. When the corn is coming or beans are ready, we seldom see them. When the acorns fall, they seem to glut themselves. In the past, once the acorns had fallen, we'd see them in the field going for the clover until it got too cold. A couple of years back, we started planting winter wheat or rye and purple top turnips about Labor Day. The turnips mature in 45 - 60 days providing lush tops while growing. The rye or wheat would come up and grow pretty good, but then slow down as the temps got cooler. After several good hard frosts or freezes, the turnip tops wilt down. That's when they'd go for the bulbs. I've read that many people don't get that kind of response to them, but we do. Even with snow on the ground, they paw the turnips up. The rye or wheat will stay green all winter. Come spring time, the turnips are gone, either eaten or decomposed from the winter freeze/thaw. The rye starts growing early in the late winter providing some lush greens. As the spring progresses and all the other plants start coming up, the deer find plenty to eat again. The rye gets taller, then the turkeys move in finding bugs and such. I've found deer beds in rye that was starting to head. As the rye or wheat mature, the turkeys eat the heck out of it. About early summer I'll disc down the rye. Long story, but that's what I plant. It works good for us. I think next year I'll change it up some for the summer and plant more sunflowers. I didn't plant enough this year, all of em were toast when they came up. The plot pics are from last year, but it looks about the same this year. In the pictures from May of this year you can see how tall the rye got. HTH Mark

 

[forgeblast]

Thats real good advice, I see them at the beginning of archery when the apples are dropping. And all summer long when the clover is up and growing.
I lost them once the frost hit. I am guessing that some turnips would be a good idea.
Most of the trees that I planted for my crep were oak, butternut, hickory nut. The shrubs are hazlenut, highbush cranberry, and elderberry. I am hoping that I can start taking some of the tubes off them. The deer go after the elderberry like crazy.

 

[Smallplot]

Check out "Bedding in a bag" by Real World Seeds. It is a mixture of native grasses. They have another mixture with legumes to act as a companion crop. Something like this would work for your top pole line.

In the middle you said there are wet spots. Does this place stay wet or just a lower place that remains damp? There is a difference. I would suggest clovers there if it just stays damp. Maybe have another plot in well drained soil alternate 2 crops a year, forage soybeans followed by late summer planting of rye and turnips

As far as the bottom Do you mean CRP? If so they have guidelines of what can or can not be planted and you should check with your local extension office to make sure your within their set guidelines.

 

[forgeblast]

Bedding in a bag sounds great!!
The middle has two parts, one part is always draining (water on the surface or muddy) so even in the summer its damp when it rains it is wet due to the water that it drains. It is like a weep. The second part of the middle doesnt get wet (water on the surface) but does stay damp and cool.
Crep/crp is all done so I will not be messing with it. Right now I am going into year 3 of it so all I have to do is spray weeds.

 

[Smallplot]

The middle has two parts, one part is always draining (water on the surface or muddy) so even in the summer its damp when it rains it is wet due to the water that it drains. It is like a weep. The second part of the middle doesnt get wet (water on the surface) but does stay damp and cool.

As far as the part that stays wet you will have a hard time getting anything to grow there without working on drainage first. The second part sounds ideal for some clover.

 

[forgeblast]

I walked the area again, I was clearing some brush out of it to see whats happening with the water there and I came to the same conclusion that I need to do some drainage work.
I did buy seed from stock seed company, I was able to get their upland bird seed and the deer and turkey mix. I also got their shade wildflower mix for an area in our yard.