Aldeer.com Forums Alabama Deer Talk Serious Deer Talk Forum Clover only plots

Kinda the same question as above but is there a certain clover that you can overseed right now in a existing plot that will come up by the spring for turkey?

I was late planting this year, so there was nothing there in October at all. It got high enough for them to eat it sometime in late November, and it's still very green and they are eating it. I'll try to take some pictures of it.

What about the other years? How was usage in your clover plots during that timeframe?

Friday I'm planning to frost plant clover on my only plot down here. Stopped by the local feed store yesterday and they only had 50 pound bags but had several varieties. I settled on Durana for the hardiness of the plant. I may order a little crimson to add to it before Spring but not gonna buy 50lbs at the feed store. 50 pounds of the Durana is a lot more than I needed but I reckon the left over will get planted in TN.

I’ve got a small clover only plot that I planted 3-4 months ago, here at the house. They keep it ate to the ground. I plan on mixing it with some type of grass this spring for more coverage like someone mentioned above.

>>>What about the other years? How was usage in your clover plots during that timeframe?<<<

It seems like a fall drought has just become normal at our place, so it's hard to say how much usage they get in a normal year. I checked one of the unfertilized clover only plots today and it was full of deer sign made since the rain. Nobody has even hunted near it this season. Here's a close picture of the clover:



I think we would probably kill the same number of deer if I did all the plots like this. I'm sure they don't produce as much forage as the fertilized plots, but so what. I have nearly 40 acres of open land, so my situation is kinda unique. Good luck with your plots!

PCP , you doing that much throw in some winter peas .

Turkeys don't eat them, and they are expensive. Deer need to get off welfare and get out and scrap for a living like they should.

I spend way too much money growing chufas, and more than I want to on the deer plots. These clover plots for the turkeys are cheap and easy, and something to do with the extra land besides letting it grow up.

Is that as thick as yours gets or does it fill in over time?

It will get thicker and taller as the year goes by, and how soon depends a lot on the weather. Annual clover like this just doesn't make a whole lot of growth during cold weather, and the deer also keep it from getting very high. A higher seeding rate would make it thicker in January, but I'm not trying to attract deer to these plots.

If you are planting plots for the deer, I would say to fertilize them well and add some elbon rye to the clover. The plots we fix that way produce more forage for sure, but the deer still feed some in the clover only areas.

What rate did you plant that field?

I was meaning , a few not a full planting rate.

It's really hard to say; this isn't a precise practice. . Every year I buy a bag of arrowleaf, 3 bags of crimson, and mix them up in a wash tub. I use some at my house, some in a club I'm in, then take the rest to the farm. I put 10 pounds of clover per acre on the deer plots, along with a bag of rye and 4 to 6 bags of fertilizer, depending on what I can get. I was able to get T19 this year so it was 4 bags per acre.

Then what clover is left goes on the unfertilized turkey plots, and it's always a little different every year. I want to put out all of the seed I have left, so I do a little Jethro Bodine type cyphering and figure out how much to put per field. All I do to prepare the land is to single cut it with the disc, then I put out the seed with the ATV and a very old Moultrie spreader. That spreader is very imprecise so I figure out how many scoops of seed each plot should get and ride until the hamper is empty. I am not likely to win any farming awards for this method, but it gets the seed out.

I would guess that this year it was around 15 lbs per acre. I remember that when I first started doing this I wanted to put out 20 lbs per acre, but I'm covering more land now. There's also some reseeding happening, so I don't think I need as much seed as I did when I started.

I'm sure you would want to use a more intensive and precise practice if you go to clover-only in some of your plots, but maybe this gives you some ideas on what is possible.

I understand, but I am trying to keep the costs down as much as possible. I haven't shot a buck in several years and probably won't shoot one this year. I had a shooter that I would have shot at 20 yds last week, but I was duck hunting and had a shotgun in my hands.

PCP, thanks for the info.

I have some that are "mostly" clover that the deer seem to like. Mainly its Whitetail. I do plant crimson in the fall. I tried a new red clover this fall, and am waiting to see how it does over the summer. I think clover is one of the best forages you can plant, especially if you can keep it year round. Main thing is staying on top of weeds, and getting adequate rainfall over the summer. That's where I hope this new red works.

I am also going to plant some Alyce clover this spring, its more of a summer crop. Along with some deer vetch.

Check with me in the summer and I will tell you how the Barduro red does.

What chemicals do you use to control weeds in clover?

2,4 D-B for broadleaf
Cleth for grass

I have planted 7 acres of Barduro also after seeing the study at Auburn

What did the study conclude?