Fall plots looking good

[Cooter]

We planted some rye on Mon of Labor weekend and got an inch of rain on thurs....the stuff was 2" by Sat! I also planted some forage oats on Tues and the area got a bunch of rain today again - that should turn out well, I bit the bullet to see if it outperforms standard rye or oats.

On a side note, I was east of Eau Claire in some county forest land and the acorns were obnoxious! Like marlbes on the ground and raining down all night. Opener on Sat!!!

[UdeLakeTom]

Then I have some hope...I put mine out on the Sunday of Labor day weekend, and we also got about 2 inches of rain on Thursday. The only problem is, my land is 125 miles away and I won't be going up until we check the stands.

[Scott K]

I planted clover on monday of labor day weekend, up yourway. Hopefully that is doing well also, I will be checking on it next weekend.

[BLACKJACK]

I planted a bunch of clover and the MDHA cold weather blend on Aug 28 and Aug 29, before Labor Day, and we haven't had any rain since. The stuff is barely coming up. Its really dry here. I'll probably end up replanting next spring.

[livintofish]

I planted a bunch of mixed clover as well as a couple food plots last spring (early april) and the clover is all 4 to 6 inches the turnips are doing good. My ? to you guys is....the clover has no flowers, nor did it all summer as far as I know, I was only out there once. It needs to flower to come back correct? This is just the strangest thing ever that its been in since early spring and still not flowering. Will it come back, or flower in the fall yet? Any info from expierience with clover would be greatly appreciated. Well if its not coming back I sure hope all the wildlife pigs out on it before the snow .

[UdeLakeTom]

Whereabouts and did you find anything out?

[Cooter]

Indeed, the rye is looking great as is the forage oats I planted in the woods. Looks like a little yard out in the woods. Time to hunt there, tons of tracks.

[Scott K]

It is planted up in Trego Wi, It wasnt in very good shape maybe 2 inches tall, no flowers on mine either. I am going up again this weekend, I will see how it is now.

With all the leaves falling from the trees should I rake or remove the leaves off the plots, or should I let the deer just scrape them off?

[uplander]

We planted some whitetail extreme from whitetail institute, taking off kind of slow. Anyone else ever use it? The jury is still out on it from my end!!!

[UdeLakeTom]

This is my first year with a plot, so it is all new to me...

I tried turnips/rutabaga this spring, but no rain, so they grew, but no fruit. Hopefully the food plot does ok.

[Scott K]

Quote:

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This is my first year with a plot, so it is all new to me...

I tried turnips/rutabaga this spring, but no rain, so they grew, but no fruit. Hopefully the food plot does ok.

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This is my first year also.

[livintofish]

4WE -

I just talked to the seed co op today and they said that its fine if it doesn't flower the first year, many times it doesn't. It will overwinter and will probably flower early next summer, and will last 4-5 years if its good clover (I'm talking about just clover). If its in a thick wooded shady area like mine is and I'm sure many of yours is too, don't expect super growth, mine is very high quality seed and is 4-6 inches and I planted in April. I personally would not buy any of that junk you pay huge bucks for in a sporting goods store, which is probably just cheap red and white clover anyway, not that there is anything wrong with red and white clover. Red is great, the deer really seem to love it and it comes in thick, as does white. I get a mixture from an ag seed co op which has white,red,ladino,dutch,alsike, and a little rape in it. This is my first year too, but I did my homework. I also got some brassica plots with a bunch of turnip varieties and chicory and some rape. My buddy was just up at the land last weekend and that is the second time hes kicked deer off the food plots, 3 of them this time, and they are already munching down those brassica leaves. This is strange for this early when the leaves are bitter, after a hard frost all the sugar/starches get pulled up into the leaves and they get MOWED. Guys I got the itch, its killing me. I'm sure yall can relate especially when you put so much preparation into the land. I got some ducks to shoot til then. Well good plating, and good huntin.

[livintofish]

4WE

You don't need to rake them, deer are great at finding food, and that is the best food in the area. I was kinda thinking it would take a year or two for the deer to really start hitting my plots. My buddy has been there twice since we planted and kicked 3-4 deer off the plots both times. We call it the Old Country Buffet, and its always open.

[archerystud]

Planted some corn, pumpkins, melon and clover in May in Southern MN. The clover is doing decent, the corn is short with tiny ears and the pumpkins and melons died off.

I planted some rape in Mid August and that is doing outstanding. We'll see how much the deer like it after the first frost.

[Scott K]

Thanks for the info, I will be checking mine out this weekend, there has been alot of rain there since I been there last, so maybe it took off. I will post on how it did.

[livintofish]

Yeah that rape is crazy, isn't it? That stuff really takes off. I planted mine in april and it had to be 8-10 inches tall by mid summer. I can't wait for the frost to get those deer movin and chompin away at those plots.

[Cooter]

Don't know if you guys had similar weather, but with the rain over the weekend and again last night and with warm temps the next couple days things should be rockin!

[vister]

clover should come back in the spring, regardless if it flowered. When it does bloom in the summer, you should mow it down to at least 4 inches tall. this will encourage new shoots to grow that are much more tender that the deer much rather prefer. Trust me, born and raised on a farm Much like alfalfa. cattle and deer alike tend to shy away from clovers and alfalfas in bloom, because they become tougher, and produce more gasses during digestion, and since they are ruminants, multi-chambered stomaches, that gas is not a good thing.

[UdeLakeTom]

Mine is up in the McGregor, Mn area, according to the weather bug and one other weather report and CK, it is still quite dry in that area. I'm hoping though, because they have had some rain, just not a lot.

[Scott K]

Well the clover wasnt more than 1-2 inches tall, it came in thick, but it wasnt very tall, is this normal for the first year?

[Mark Christianson]

When did you plant the clover?

[Scott K]

I planted wildlife blend memorial weekend, it was pretty dry most of the summer. I planted the clover labor day weekend. I know where its planted arent ideal growin conditions. Some of it is shaded by trees, and it is fairly sandy area, but does have an inch or two of black dirt on top. Its planted an hour or so east of Hinckly.

[Mark Christianson]

I wouldnt expect the clover to be much taller than that if it was planted Labor Day. Seems a bit short, but how have conditions been there? My experience with fall planted clover is about that. Next spring it'll pop nice and early and you should have a beauty of a plot by May.

How is the clover in the Wildlife blend you planted this spring? Mine is incredible thick and nice.

[Scott K]

It is about the same hieght, 1-2 inches. It came in really thick, but not very tall. Although it was realy dry early summer.

I was thinking it would take off better in the second year.

[Mark Christianson]

Here is one of my wildlife blend plots planted this spring.

We had horrible lack of rains most of the summer, but its really spruced up since Sep 1.

[Scott K]

Mine doesnt look anything like that. We did have an early freeze up there, that may have effected it also. It did look pretty yellowish.

[livintofish]

They are loving the plots..... I haven't been up to see them in quite a while, but the last 3 consecutive times others have been on the property they have kicked several deer off the plots, and its not even getting cold yet. I expect for them to be almost leveled by the time rifle season is here. Haven't had the trail cam up there either, my buddy has it somewhere else.

[UdeLakeTom]

We went up and checked the stands Saturday...the food plot was green, but real short and lots of droppings in it. The one thing we noticed, there we a lot of bear droppings in the area, a lot more than we usually see...Do these plots pull in the bear also??? Let the countdown begin.