2013 Wildlife Food Plots; Better Late Than Never

Develop game strips between ag fields and woodlands

Adding seed to the spreader is one step in the food plot process

So far in August portions of the Lowcountry have seen less rain, allowing for some agricultural practices to resume. It has been so wet that farmers could not cut hay, grow cotton, harvest corn or plant food plots for wildlife. Just as there was a window to plant the corn crop in late spring, there seems to be a window now to plant for wildlife. Planting late for deer and doves today, will provide hunting opportunities down the road that are still 'right on time.' One thing for sure is that property managers are all in the same boat when it comes to the wet conditions. Perhaps waterfowl impoundment managers have had it the worst, trying to drain wetlands for planting that are continually being flooded by rain. Even common practices like mowing access roads was limited in June and July due to soft conditions and swamps overflowing their normal confines. The break in the weather may be short-lived with tropical rains possibly skirting through in September. The first order of business is to use a bushhog to mow any food plots or game strips that may be grown up. Then disc the cuttings into the dirt and let them rot for at least a week, lest the vegetation cause seed germination rates to plummet. Before planting remember to use the tractor spreader to add 10-10-10 fertilizer to the areas to be planted, and then disc that in. Iron clay peas are a popular item with deer and with the moisture content already in the soil, the peas are sure to jump up out of the ground almost as fast as whitetails will be waiting to mow them down. Try planting some other seed in with the peas that will develop grain later such as sorghum. Browntop millet is a good bet for attracting doves, and works well in strips in conjunction with corn or sunflowers. Broadcast the millet on the dirt and lightly disc it in, just so the doves don’t come and clean up all of your seed. Any browntop planted now will most likely produce plenty of seed by the Thanksgiving dove season. Finally, game strips around the borders of fields or throughout the woodlands can be an effective tool to create premium wildlife habitat. These game strips offer cover to smaller birds like quail and doves, and also creates more natural edge habitat that wildlife frequent.

Fertilizer is necessary with any wildlife planting

For past blog entries about food plot planting for wildlife click here.

Chufa in hand, and soon to be underground