Sunn Hemp....again

Never tried. Never even seen it. Has anyone left it standing through the winter? If so, would it be something deer would bed in? What kind of height can be expected?

Someone answered this recently. I think they said it dropped all of its leaves after temps dipped below freezing but said it still made good cover. If you want to use it for bedding cover, the trick is going to be getting it tall enough. If your deer density is high, they'll keep it mowed. I'd suggest milorganite as a deterrent to the browsing if it's not growing high enough.

It will drop its leaves, and can be used for cover in the winter, but there are other plants that would work better, like a tall stand of egyptian wheat.

Where are yall buying sun hemp seed?

We used Sudan sorghum had good luck with it. We used it as a blind from a road. Nothing really ate it that we could tell. It was 4 to 6ft tall and thick. Would of been higher it was kinda a dry this year. The deer did bed in it. We backed a bush hog in it several places and planted some greens. We also cut (2) 3 foot wide trails in it the deer and turkey would walk through the cut trails.

Y'all wouldn't want to read my whole project but I'll give the cliff note version. I planned on 5 years and I'm in year 2. Pines were growing and shading out undergrowth. With a dozer I pushed down about 2 acres at the end of a food plot. Basically like a hinge cut. I left everything where it fell. 2 years now I cleaned it up to the dirt today. I want a PERMENANT bedding area. The plan maybe sunn hemp this year. Then let it go. Honeysuckle and briars. Every year or every other year (judgement call) before spring green up, bush hog it about a foot high with hopes it grows back over the summer 3-5'. In 5 years I want to be complete and seeing results. I will see if this works.

I let my sunn hemp get too big like over tractor cab tall in the summer. Does bedded fawns all in it. Deer hammered it. I killed a lot bush hogging it that big. A frost would kill it dead. It will get blown down in storms and create a mess the stalks get so big. I gramoxoned mine in Sept and disked it in and like to never broke it down. There's better options. I might use tropical corn before sunn hemp and leave it standing.

So how do you think the sun hemp would have done if you kept it mowed to less than 4 feet?

257 made a good point. Does and fawns frequent the sunn hemp when it's tall. This might make a good option for guys who have very little fawn cover, just be careful when and if you decide to mow it.

This is just a this year one time deal. I won't be disking it after it grows. Bush hog about a foot high the next spring. I've considered several options, corn, Egyptian wheat, sorghum,etc. Im thinking after the first frost all will be subject to blow down in storms. I was thinking sunn hemp for a little soil he!p also. 257 says there might be better options but what he describes except for the blow down is appealing to me.

Its sounds to me like you need something like switch grass or some other type of NWSG. I see some kind of stuff being grown on my way to Tallassee on some of the Auburn research land just south of town (or at least that's what I think it is) that I'd love to know what is called. It's at least head high and looks like the thickest patch of switchgrass you've ever seen. They harvest it into bales and it comes right back the next year. It looks like ideal bedding.

I would plant sunn hemp again. The patch I stayed on top of an mowed was awesome. Deer hammered it. Also last year in the major drought my corn held up better where I had the SH previously. I think it's a good asset in the right situation

Stop an ask. I'd like to know also. I'd love to have something I could mow and it come back. I've considered Johnson grass. I have a few weeks before I do something.

I can tell y'all the first 2 seasons over it where I left everything laying where it fell was an horrific failure. I saw 3 deer TOTAL in 2 years in it. But it was a 5 year project for me and I will stay on the original plan.

Plant you some sugar cane

The stuff CNC is talking about looks like something in the pampas grass family. Pampas grass grows thick and comes back every year but I'm not sure if it would have any other benefit that you're looking for.

I'm gonna take a picture of the patch I'm talking about if they haven't cut it yet.

Are you trying to screen anything, or just create bedding? For screening i would plant some cedar tree's and also for short term egyptian wheat until the tree's get big enough. For bedding, just open up the canopy and let mother nature plant it for you and then burn it every 3-5 years.

Bedding only. Not food. Not screen. If they eat it that's fine but not a goal. Don't want to let the gums and yaupon grow more than 1 year. Could spray the gum but yaupon is TOUGH! As I said, just trying something different....keeping a permenant bedding area that is the same from year to year for many, many years.

I would stick to a mixture of corn, lab-lab and iron clay peas.

How many deer do you anticipate to use the 2 acres of bedding?

Anticipate (HOPE!), a lot using it. Now I'm not talking a lot of deer every day. But deer frequent it enough that when the bucks start traveling looking for hot does, this is a place they check. If I could AVERAGE 1 deer per day bedding in it during season I would be ecstatic. Remember though, THIS IS JUST AN EXPERIMENT. I've never heard or read of what I am calling a PERMENANT bedding area. Realistically, I don't know what to expect.

This is not my first "project" just going with an idea that I've never read or heard about. Some have worked. Some have failed. I still haven't found the magic bean but I enjoy looking for it.

In my experience, enhancing areas that deer already want to be in works better than arbitrarily picking a spot. Not saying that you just picked a spot, I'm just saying that you may see some favorable results if they already want to be there. I would be shocked if your results didn't improve more vastly with a feeder in the middle of that bedding area.

You would have to put your eyes on it to fully understand. Deer being there is not a problem now. But as the pines grow and shade undergrowth before first thinning, could get slack. Picture it as a football stadium. The stands on one side is where my stand is (SE corner facing NW for northerly winds). The football field is a food plot. The opposite stands is going to be the bedding area. I'm on a hill, food plot in the bottom, and I'm looking down on the opposite hillside bedding area. 175-200 yards to the START of the bedding area. Can hunt it with any wind from west to ne...nothing south. I can do flips all the way to the stand and out and they can't see me.

I won't do a feeder. I will not step foot any where on the property but to and from stand once established except 1 work day for me which will include planting the plot. I shall see.

If you'll drive your 4-wheeler to the feeder everytime you fill it, it won't bother the deer at all.

My pic turned out looking like crap for some reason. I'll post it anyways so you can get the gist of what I'm talking about but I'll have to take my real camera back with me to get a better pic one day.

I would say you need a drink to steady that hand a little.

I'm blaming it on the lighting.

I have talked to some of the guys that work for the experimental farm and they say that the deer are thick as thieves in Chicago in the switchgrass across from GKN. I am guessing that would be expected anywhere but with the best looking bedding grounds imaginable being right beside it, it says even more.

I'm not following you. What are these best looking bedding grounds grounds you speak of? GKN is surrounded by crop land that butts up to mature woods. I'm not aware of any good bedding grounds near there.

I think it will work out great for you. I try to get the sage grasses growing on my places. Cut it once a year in February or March. You don't have to plant anything, unless you just want to.

You should enter that in anart showing. It actually looks like a painting to me. Should have been horizontal but hey who am I to complain.