Ok... we're going to do an experiment. Your opinion?
Last summer, we soil tested our food plots and properly limed them before the fall planting. We disked and properly leveled our soil before broadcasting seed and dragging or spike harrowing-in the seed.
Location: Extremem NW Clarke Co.
Deer pop: Moderate deer herd. It's not like we see deer every time we go out and our large 4.5 acre food plots planted with Tecomate mix of cereal grains, AWP, etc... performed fairly well and were not browsed-down when I saw them in Feb. Harvested deer weights are good.
In late April, we're going to drill Eagle Brand Soybeans into our existing 4 and 5 acre food plots that we planted in the fall and are still doing well. Once our beans have bifurcated two or three times and reach several inches, we're going to spray the food plot with gly. We hope that the dead matter will provide a "mat or barrier" so to speak, for soil moisture retention as well as organic matter as it decomposes.
Because we're hoping for enough browse availability both in the food plot as well as general area and, the soybeans will not be growing in a field in the wide open and "exposed", we will be able to get the beans to sufficient forage production before we spray and then, the deer will not be able to overbrowse the beans at that point.
There is, however, suspicion that the deer will still browse through and pick through the lush green food plot and single out the bean shoots for consumption.
Anyway, after the beans have established themselves, and we're sprayed, we'll then broadcast sufficient fertilizer.
If we were planting a 10 plus acre field, we'd spray before drilling.
OK, thoughts? Suggestions? Think this method will work?
Last edited by Bucktrot; 03/11/14 09:16 AM.
