Experimenting with Forage Types

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I want to start off by saying I love GrowingDeer.tv and everything you do for wildlife and helping others help wildlife.

I bought a 1 acre bag of Eagle Seed Wildlife Managers Mix and would like to know if you have tried that type of Eagle Seed and how it worked for you? If you have tried it what kind of fertilizer did you use? I also purchased a bag of inoculant from Eagle Seed and wondered if I should also put a packet of DeltAg on it? Could you give a rough estimate on how long this Eagle Seed will stay green? I am also planting a 1/2 acre of another brand (Ev-H) that has corn and soybeans with another 1/2 acre of Milo, peas and soybeans (Teco) from a third company. I already have a 1/2 acre of clover and chicory coming up great this spring. I have farms all around me that plant beans, corn and alfalfa. I have to plant all the different seed types in pretty much the same 4-1/2 acre area due to lack of other space on my 17 acres. I am not mixing them together so I can see what works best and will provide the wildlife forage all year. I planted the Milo, bean and pea mixture last year and it held up pretty well, but it never got totally mature because of over grazing. Do you think I have enough seed now to just go ahead and plant this year or should I buy some type of plot protector? I might also try to fit in a 1/4 acre of corn to block visibility from the road and a 1/4 acre of brassicas for late winter (if I have enough space). If you could give me a good suggestion on the corn and brassica types that would be great. I had only 1 acre planted last year and deer sightings increased greatly. It also allowed me to harvest a 5-1/2 year old or greater whitetail buck with a 20″ inside spread. It was my first ever harvest with a bow and it was also my largest whitetail to date. I am 32 years of age and live in central Pennsylvania and the first frost usually does not hit until mid-October. Also, the deer population dropped greatly because of severe poaching in the area and some were probably taken due to a bad winter! It makes me sick to my stomach because they still have not caught the poachers and so far at least 15 deer were shot. I thought you should know so it will make it a little easier on some of my questions. Any other helpful information will be greatly appreciated. Thank you very much for your time and have a wonderful 4 seasons.

God bless,

Chad

Chad,

Congratulations for harvesting a mature buck!! Sounds like you are being wise and experimenting to determine what forage crops work best at your site! I strongly suggest using a utilization cage for each forage type, so preference and production can be accurately monitored.

I have tried the Eagle Seed Wildlife Manager’s Mix. In fact, I’m planting it again this year at The Proving Grounds. It typically remains green until the first frost, especially at the latitude of your property. I use innoculant, but not any other seed additive when planting Eagle Seed beans. If over browsing is a problem, Non-Typical Wildlife Solutions offers some good solutions. Over browsing is always a great indicator of too many deer for the quantity of quality forage available. So, consider the mission for your food plots and develop a plan to meet that mission. If it is protecting crops on relatively small acreage until hunting season, then a fence may be a great tool!!

You might wish to reconsider planting corn by a public road. Corn is an attractant for deer, especially during deer season. Planting corn by the road may have the opposite effect that you desire.

There are several quality brassica blends on the market. I assume you will plant the brassicas during the late summer? If so, always make sure there is plenty of quality food left on the property when you prepare to plant the brassicas to ensure you don’t clean the table and invite the deer to seek food elsewhere just before deer season.

Growing Deer together,

Grant