Richard,

How long to protect the plot depends on the amount of expected browse pressure and your mission for the plot.  The higher the deer herd’s density relative to the plot’s size, the longer protection will be needed to allow the Eagle Seed forage soybeans to produce sufficient tonnage.  If the goal for the forage beans is to provide attraction during the hunting season, not nutrition during antler and fawn development, then protect the crop from browsing until a week before you plan to hunt.  If you don’t plan to hunt the crop until later in the season, I’d protect the crop until the bean pods have matured.  It’s tough to have a plot large enough to provide enough forage throughout the entire growing season and small enough to be ideal for hunting.  Protecting all or a portion of the plot from browsing is a good management plan.

Define your mission, and then you can determine the best option.  Let me know how it turns out!

Growing Deer together,

Grant