Aldeer.com Forums Alabama Deer Talk Quality Deer Management Summer Plots?

Alright lets say money is not an option, what would be the best crop or crops to plant to feed, pull and hold deer during the spring and summer in Barbour County? These would be planted in several medium sized food plots. Soybeans, clover, peas i.e. Looking for the best and most productive food sources. And then what would you follow up with for the fall?

there's a whole lot of choices as to what to plant, but if you've got many deer, you'd better plant a big plot or fence it. If you don't, you'll waste your time and money.

I would establish some of them in clover (a white variety such as Durana or Patriot), and crimson or arrowleaf. Once established they will last several years and it cuts back on planting costs each year. All you need is a little herbicide treatment and mowing.

Iron and Clay peas are a very good choice too. We usually plant them with grain sorghum to provide a little structure. Once the sorghum matures in the fall it provides a nutritious high carb winter food.

what kind of fertilizer do you use with the peas?

do yourself a favor and do a soil test prior to planting. The QDMA book says 200 lbs 19-19-19/acre.Be sure and use an innoculant on the peas before planting if it is the first time planting peas in the plot.

I agree with ronfromramer about getting a soil sample. It will tell you exactly what you need. I get all of mine done at Auburn. The nice thing is they will keep your soil info in a database. This allows you to input anything you might want to plant in that food plot and it will in turn give you the fertilizer needed.

With that said, I wouldn't ever put anything with nitrogen (the first number) on peas. The peas don't need it and all it will do is help the weeds grow.

We got soil samples on everyone of our plots. Some of them only needed the middle number (phosphorous) and some needed the middle and last number (phosphorous and potassium) for planting peas. It just depends on the soil.

Eagle Forage Beans

Also as Matt said clover plots are great. We have ours set up around 60% annual and 40% perennial. The perennials we have are Durana, Patriot and Chicory mixes. I also keep Crimson and Arrowleaf going all the time.

Plant soybeans soybeans and then some more soybeans. You will draw deer from everywhere and during bow season you will probably see more deer in those fields than u have ever seen in a food plot during bow season They eat the leaves mainly in the summer and when they dry up they eat the beans It's a year round food plot

I've had great success with Eagle beans but as previously stated plant at least a couple of acres. They will wipe out a small plot pretty quick.

I have always wondered what the law states about hunting over corn that has been planted? Can someone clear this up?

As far as I know you can hunt over corn or anything else you plant, even tho it is suppose to be agricultural in theory. One of those "it's bait, but it isn't bait" things.

Warden told me u could hunt over planted corn but he better not find any corn that did not come off the stalks. He said u could bushog it strip it off the stalks or leave it standing did not matter. It's just like hunting over acorns if u collect acorns out of your front yard and pour it in front of your stand it is considered baiting but hunting over oak trees is legal