First attempt at a food plot.

[Orange Dust]

Take a look at the DR Tow behind Rotto tiller

Forgot about those. We keep on and Jim is going to have to want a tractor bad to get one. did I mention a tractor will BEAT YOU TO DEATH using it? I dread getting on ours....

 

[JimFromTN]

I have actually looked at those as well. DR makes good equipment. I already have one of their pull behind brush mowers.

 

[FromAfar1969]

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

Do you have a 4 wheeler? They make some pretty good attachments for them when you can't reach areas with equipment or don't have any? You can rent rubber track equipment fairly cheap and can move it with a pickup truck and trailer or get them to drop off and pickup. Just a thought if not ready to buy yet. Austrian winter peas, oates, and beets do well.

 

[dan1953]

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.

Rent one.

 

[Stonyman88]

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

Great job, also throw out some rape, I know the name, but ask the elevator for it. deer up here love it. Nice looking place and food supply too, but looks more like a Zoo,, lol

 

[Steve Hannon]

Just my two bits, so take it as you will.
Having a farming plot is a great idea. Rent or borrow a atv of some type or rent a bobcat for a day or two to give you some help in clearing what you need to clear. Keeping some of the woodland around it is also beneficial, so long as it doesn't block out the light. Think of the circular nature of, well…nature.
Unless you feel a need to use fertilizer, try your best not to. It's a hot commodity and as such, is a major Russian export, so until then, do it the way that it was done before. Crop rotation was around long before chemical fertilizers.
Unless you decide to fence it off with 6 or 8 foot fencing, the deer are going to come in. Maybe a portion of crops you don't want eaten and leave the rest to chance? Protein meats a re necessary as well.
Need help with clearing? Work with trusted neighbors and networked friends. Let them add to the grow area with their own parts. We're not perfect and can benefit from mutual contributions of knowledge and skill.
Above all, nature has been doing it long before man. It finds a way

 

[dan1953]

If you let me shoot one of those bucks I have an ATV PLOW attachment I will bring with me. I used it on a place that won't allow me to hunt there anymore in Georgia. Or if your in central florida you can have it.

 

[dan1953]

I always put a rebar staked fence around a 6' section to keep the deer out of a little bit of it. That will show you how much the plot is really growing. You might be amazed, especially at turnip and clover. Clover will add to the nitrogen content and some of it will come up for 5 years in a row.

 

[skipglo]

Why change what you're doing? It obviously is working, I don't think I change the a #2%^ Thing, how many deer are you allowed to shoot in a year? It looks like you're off to a great start I'd be thrilled if it was me

It's .......2#%^&!₩......get it right! And a great start indeed!

 

[skipglo]

If you let me shoot one of those bucks I have an ATV PLOW attachment I will bring with me. I used it on a place that won't allow me to hunt there anymore in Georgia. Or if your in central florida you can have it.

Shot his dog didn't you? Thought it was a coyote!

 

[bls8433]

I am putting in my first food plot this year(about 3 acres). I grew up on a farm and have access to a tractor but won't be using any typical farm equipment. I will be using no-till methods. This 3 acres has some CRP, woods and cropland surrounding it. I would suggest spending some time investigating all the informative YouTube video's. There is a wealth of information by individuals who have proven what works. Farm practices are not well scalable down to a food plot. Churning the soil is not always best for the soil either. A lot of individuals building food plots use Whitail Habitat Solutions methods. Jeff Sturgis has a long track record of results. If you are in farming area, you don't need to provide food during the summer, it is a waste of resources. Concentrate on the Fall when you want to pull in the bucks. I would suggest gaining information from those who have been doing this and coming up with a plan for your plot. Many food plots fail until a good plan is established. Then determine what equipment you will need. I am using a hand seeder, backpack sprayer and a small cultipacker for ATV to put in and maintain my plot. I have fun running my 1958 Oliver tractor but it won't be used here. My two Cents.

 

[Buck1970]

Why change what you're doing? It obviously is working, I don't think I change the a #2%^ Thing, how many deer are you allowed to shoot in a year? It looks like you're off to a great start I'd be thrilled if it was me

I was just thinking the same thing Good looking crop of bucks for this fall.
Lots of good advice given already.
It looks to be very brushy and if it's cut over there will be stumps.
Looks very similar to east tx were overgrowth will take over annually if the plots are not mowed and tended to.
I used to do a lot of work for the "Dallas hunters". Guys who live in the city and have a lease. So you might check on area farmers who will do side hustle work, much cheaper than a new tractor.
Check the gun shops and feed stores locally, some advertise for This type of work.
Also, you can day rent a skid steer with a mulcher and other attachments and get alot of work accomplished in a day or weekend.
Remember, deer like edges and being close to escape cover, so long and narrow is a good idea.
This will enhance your long range shooting opportunities as well. Lol
Good luck.

 

[dan1953]

Shot his dog didn't you? Thought it was a coyote!

I shot a doe, completely legal but I didn't tell him until the next morning. I only talked about the buck i shot and the one my son shot the night before. He was a bit eccentric and I should have told him that night. I learned a hard lesson, be 100% truthful and always do what someone wants whether convenient or not. It is not something I am proud of. He had a six deer limit for me and my sons and thought I was trying to cheat him. Maybe deep down I was. But in the morning I called to clear it up, but I had already lost his trust. That was 10 years ago but it still really bothers me.

 

[skipglo]

I shot a doe, completely legal but I didn't tell him until the next morning. I only talked about the buck i shot and the one my son shot the night before. He was a bit eccentric and I should have told him that night. I learned a hard lesson, be 100% truthful and always do what someone wants whether convenient or not. It is not something I am proud of. He had a six deer limit for me and my sons and thought I was trying to cheat him. Maybe deep down I was. But in the morning I called to clear it up, but I had already lost his trust. That was 10 years ago but it still really bothers me.

Life's hard lesson. ( I didn't mean for you to confess...lmao) Personally when kids are involved I would have cut you some slack!