First attempt at a food plot.

[Moondoggie]

I have been researching the atv implements like the groundhog max. I have also been looking at harrows. I have come close to purchasing both. One of my issues with the groundhog max is it requires a 2 inch receiver hitch and I have a mule with a 1.25 receiver. I spoke with the guy at groundhog and he said it should be ok. Allot of times those types of plows can bend a 1.25 inch receiver. The other thing is that this soil has never been turned and is full of roots a tree stobs and stumps. I was able to get a stump grinder down there last fall. I will probably do it to the new area that I clear out next fall. If you look at the edges around the food plot, thats what it all looked like before I started clearing. I might not need it but I really want something like a bottom plow or moldboard plow to rip it up good. I figure it only really needs to happen once then I can break it up every year with a less aggressive plow. I am not a farmer so this is all new to me and I have been doing allot of googling. A tractor would not only help me with the food plot but would also help me around the property in other ways especially if it has a front end loader. A friend of mine told me I didn't need a tractor. I told that to my neighbor who is a farmer and he just started laughing and said there would be a whole lot fewer tractors sold if only people who needed them bought tractors.

There is a 1.25 to 2" expander hitch sleeve, just Google it.

 

[epags]

I would like to put out some persimmons around the food plot as well as walnut and oaks in some of the clear cut. Finding oaks and walnut are not a problem but I am having an issue finding a good source of persimmon other than starting from seed.

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[Moondoggie]

I would like to put out some persimmons around the food plot as well as walnut and oaks in some of the clear cut. Finding oaks and walnut are not a problem but I am having an issue finding a good source of persimmon other than starting from seed.

I ordered the sawtooths, chesnut (Dunstan variety) and American Persimmon seeds online from eBay and Etsy. I ordered tree tubes from Growers Solutions or Greenhouse Megastore, can't remember which. Started my seedlings after stratifying in the freezer. Beware...the persimmon seeds take 1-3 months to sprout. I have another round of seedlings about 2 start more in the tree tubes for this year.

 

[Moondoggie]

Only problem with clover is I could never get my deer to eat it. Alwys heard how great it was. We always had much better results with ryegrass wheat and turnips. Pared it down to just ryegrass and turnips. Cheap, easy to grow and effective.

If you're planting year around for deer, don't forget peas. Deer love it when it's young, and if they do reach maturity, bonus for other game. Another bonus...they're a nitrogen fixer taking it from the air and not your plot so you're adding nitrogen

 

[Moondoggie]

I brought some clear-cut from my neighbor and have been clearing by hand because I can't get large equipment back in the area. That and I don't have access to large equipment. I am hoping to get a small tractor at some point. Last fall I planted rye in hopes of bringing in deer in the late season. I had no way to turn the soil over so I just defoliated and threw down seed. This was after season but I am happy with the initial results. The year on the camera is off by a year, This is from a month ago. This year I am hoping to expand, get the soil turned as well as put down lime and fertilizer based on soil tests I had done.
View attachment 354028

If you do go the atv route, a cheap attachment is a 6' section of chain link fence. Can be weighted with just about anything including concrete blocks tied on. I've seen this take out grass and bramble, scarify the ground, then all your have to do is scatter some seeds and slowly go back over with the chain link covering the seeds

 

[Moondoggie]

Only problem with clover is I could never get my deer to eat it. Alwys heard how great it was. We always had much better results with ryegrass wheat and turnips. Pared it down to just ryegrass and turnips. Cheap, easy to grow and effective.

Same here, deer would rather have more palatable stuff than clover, like honeysuckle or privet (which both grow like crazy down here. I've even fertilized a honeysuckle fence row for a few years.

 

[Orange Dust]

Same here, deer would rather have more palatable stuff than clover, like honeysuckle or privet (which both grow like crazy down here. I've even fertilized a honeysuckle fence row for a few years.

Yes, between all the acorns and browse available they are not actually hungry. They do like something green to chew on. We have had better luck with pelletized lime than fertilizer with grass. Maybe it makes it taste better??? They love turnips more than my kids did McDonalds. They will neatly eat them right out of the ground leaving the peel in the ground intact. Kinda fun.

 

[Buck1970]

Generally, the nutritional stress periods for whitetail in the south are, late summer and late winter.
So year round plots are beneficial and they help keep them familiar with and in the area.

 

[dan1953]

Clover isn't as much for eating but for soil amending. A good rye and turnip mix with it has been good for me.

 

[WildCard]

I would like to put out some persimmons around the food plot as well as walnut and oaks in some of the clear cut. Finding oaks and walnut are not a problem but I am having an issue finding a good source of persimmon other than starting from seed.

You might also try looking for a state tree nursery that carries them. Indiana, for example, has persimmons for a very reasonable price.