Aldeer.com Forums Alabama Deer Talk Quality Deer Management summer plots

what is the best thing to plant now for a summer plot?

It's according to what your goals are. What's your deer density like? How large are your plots? I like iron and clay cowpea's along with some sunn hemp and maybe even some buckwheat thrown in. High deer density's and small plots are a waste of time, so keep that in mind. I personally would wait a couple more weeks and let the soil temps rise, they're calling for some upper 30's Monday or Tuesday morning. Be patient and wait for the conditions to get right. I usually wait until the first of may to plant.

Corn and soybeans

Soybeans if you have the budget and acreage.

What they said if you have the budget and acreage. If you do not have that, then I would bush hog the fields and hit them with some fertilizer and lime. The deer will eat on the tender natural vegetation that grows. If there is plenty of acreage, then everything these guys have said will do well.

This ^^^^^........If you don't have the acreage to grow summer plots then don't beat your head against the wall trying. Do like blahblah said and hit your field with some lime and fert during the summer.

If I was going to plant a summer forage plant it would probably be Lablab. It stands up to heavy grazing well, unlike soybeans.

its about 4 acres and the deer population around here is decent. I have 50lbs of sunn hemp left I planted last year for livestock. ill see about getting some cowpeas also. there is nothing there , its where timber was cut and cleared but the ground is rich so maybe we will have some success growing

What would be the ideal planting rate for this mixture?

I use a mix of red ripper cowpeas which is a lot like iron and clay, sunn hemp, and buckwheat. I go heavy on cowpeas 75 lbs an acre, 15 lbs an acre sunn hemp, and 5 lbs am acre on buckwheat. The buckwheat will seed out mid summer and sprout again.

Really interested in the bush hog, Fert, and Lime idea. Dont think we are gunna have the funds to pull off summer plots currently but definitely need to get the ph right anyway. Since everything is fairly green and young at the moment would it be more beneficial to wait and bush hog?

This early, I would lime and hit it with a disk of the ph is low. Then I'd let my native vegetation grow and hit it with a dose of fertilizer. That way you work your lime in and get it working.

I would go with 50lbs pea's,10lbs sunn hemp, and 10lbs buckwheat/acre. That's a little heavy, but the deer may hammer your pea's, so I like to make sure you have something left.