Winter plots

[Slaya]

Who is planting what? My cousin planted about 400 lbs. of oats and two plots worth of Wannamaker's "winter magic carpet" Saturday. The mix is comprised of Blue Lupine and Austrian winter pea. With the good results from the winter peas over the years and the success of the summer "magic carpet", we thought we'd see how it goes. Should have some reports on it soon. I finally saw a deer Saturday night (haven't had much time to hunt), but missed an opportunity to put about a 80-90lb doe in the freezer.

[GBelly]

Oats, wheat, rye, and a heap of yellow gold. Lidino Clover is holding its own where it wasnt flooded. 2th planted some kinda RackMaster blend that is looking pretty good.

Slaya, last year we planted a good bit of Wannamaker's Deer Delight, which I think is this years Winter Magic Carpet. There were mixed results in the crop. Some places got hit pretty good while others were left untouched.

I gave up on the brassicas several years ago at my place and the deer didnt seem to hit them here either.

A feeder slap full of corn in a nice oats/wheat/rye field around mid December is hard to beat.

[Woody2]

I've been trying some different stuff this year myself. Aways planted the peas and beans, they come up, deer destroy them. So this year I have tried the greens stuff, rape, turnips, and biologic.
Now I like turkey hunting as much as anybody but them dang birds will let the greens get up and then total clean the plots.I even mixed in oates this last time and they ate them as well.Anybody got suggestions besides extermination of how to keep the turkeys out at least until the plants get up and going. They will eat everything, green leaf and root. The deer don't stand a chance to get anything green. Now the plots are small but one is about 3/4 acre and they cleaned it.
It's aggravating after a while trying to plant with no results. I guess I'll stay with the yellow corn twice a week.

Woody2

[Slaya]

Got about 10 bushels of wheat lined up as well. Depending on the results fromt he two test plots, we will probably go with clovers or the wannamaker mix in the hunting plots. The clover plots from last season have been cut, but it doesn't look like we got a good enough reseeding to establish the plots this year. Woody, I feel your pain on the turkeys. Our place gets slap loaded up with them in the fall-there were 10 eating sorghum and corn in the cutover last Saturday, but come spring they are on the neighbor's chufa plots and wheat fields.

[GBelly]

Woody, next year give this a try! with your peas and beans.

The browse tolerance is great.

[Sportin' Woodies]

have planted at least 2000 lbs of rye, oats, wheat, clovers, peas, and turnips (rape). some of course isnt merely for deer.

cant compete with the oak groves. banner year for acorns. 15 ac oats/ryegrass field is attracting up to 20 couple does but no bucks.

[GBelly]

I agree on the acorns, Sportin. Its been a while since I have seen them this thick.

[mirroman]

How do the deer do on plain ol' rye grass???

[Slaya]

They will eat it, but I would think wheat, oats, or rye (grain) would be cheaper to plant and provide a similar if not superior amount of protein, etc.

[mirroman]

Yea, I have wheat and oats planted. Have some leftover rye seed I figured I would just broadcast out and let em eat...

[Just Killing Time]

We have been planting the Pennington RackMaster last couple of years with good success. Think it really helps that we have been heavily liming the plots 60-90 days prior to planting. We have the same problems with the turkeys and ditto on the acorns - a person could get hurt walking through the woods there are so many.