Best Bang for the Buck
08-22-2003, 06:38 PM
#1
Nontypical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Central VT/Big Horn WY
Posts: 1,545
Best Bang for the Buck
Which of the following provides the best food source for whitetails and turkeys: corn, soybeans, sunflower, grain sorghum, or winter wheat?
Do they require very different soil types and a lot of maintenance?
If you had the proper soil, which would be your first choice?
Which do you think would last the longest through the winter (in the north east)?
Thanks for your insight . . . Rob
Do they require very different soil types and a lot of maintenance?
If you had the proper soil, which would be your first choice?
Which do you think would last the longest through the winter (in the north east)?
Thanks for your insight . . . Rob
08-22-2003, 10:04 PM
#2
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: cazenovia, NY USA
Posts: 2,973
RE: Best Bang for the Buck
Rob -
If you are looking at the cheapest, most useful plot in the winter - I' d have to go with a fall planted cereal grain like Rye, Buck Forage Oats, or Winter Wheat. Rarely do you need to adjust the soil for Ph, It will grow well, even in poor soil, if you can afford a little fertilizer - the effects are immediate and not that expensive.
One problem in the NE is that snows greater than 1 -2 ft can make them useless. Still, even in heavy snow areas like mine, Rye is excellent in most Oct, Nov, and part of Dec. - More important - its still green and nutritious in March when the snows receed.
The biggest problem with grains is they offer nothing June-Sept. If your looking at a year round plot - clover is best for the $$.
If money was not a concern.............Grain & clover for fall, Clover & Corn for deep winter, Grain & clover for spring, and Soybeans, Alfalfa, & Clover for summer. In all seasons a browse enhancement program would also be in place.
Just my thoughts
If you are looking at the cheapest, most useful plot in the winter - I' d have to go with a fall planted cereal grain like Rye, Buck Forage Oats, or Winter Wheat. Rarely do you need to adjust the soil for Ph, It will grow well, even in poor soil, if you can afford a little fertilizer - the effects are immediate and not that expensive.
One problem in the NE is that snows greater than 1 -2 ft can make them useless. Still, even in heavy snow areas like mine, Rye is excellent in most Oct, Nov, and part of Dec. - More important - its still green and nutritious in March when the snows receed.
The biggest problem with grains is they offer nothing June-Sept. If your looking at a year round plot - clover is best for the $$.
If money was not a concern.............Grain & clover for fall, Clover & Corn for deep winter, Grain & clover for spring, and Soybeans, Alfalfa, & Clover for summer. In all seasons a browse enhancement program would also be in place.
Just my thoughts
08-23-2003, 05:45 PM
#3
Nontypical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Central VT/Big Horn WY
Posts: 1,545
RE: Best Bang for the Buck
Farm, thanks for the reply.
I' m not really looking for the cheapest route. This is through the NWTF. We ususally get about 800 bags of corn each spring to distribute to our members. There are other seeds available which I have listed above. I' m just trying to decide if corn is the way to go, or if we would be better off with another seed or alternate seeds each year. Unfortunately we can' t get a mixed tractor trailer load. It has to be all the same type of seed. Although some of the corn gets harvested, the idea is to leave it standing all winter.
This is also in addition to clover plots that are being put in.
. . . Rob
I' m not really looking for the cheapest route. This is through the NWTF. We ususally get about 800 bags of corn each spring to distribute to our members. There are other seeds available which I have listed above. I' m just trying to decide if corn is the way to go, or if we would be better off with another seed or alternate seeds each year. Unfortunately we can' t get a mixed tractor trailer load. It has to be all the same type of seed. Although some of the corn gets harvested, the idea is to leave it standing all winter.
This is also in addition to clover plots that are being put in.
. . . Rob
08-23-2003, 05:59 PM
#4
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Ontario Canada
Posts: 2,059
RE: Best Bang for the Buck
Rob; you' re kind of comparing apples with oranges. Some of these crops are carbohydrate sources while others supply protein and oil. They should all grow in anything other than sharp sand. With the snow that I' ve skiied on in Vermont I' d stick with your present plans and keep some corn standing over winter. It' ll be interesting to see how farm hunter fairs with his sunflowers as a winter standing crop.
The only question would be the turkeys. They' re supposed to have troubles when the snow depth is greater than 12-14" . If you' re in an area with that little snow the sunflowers and soyabeans may prove to be a good energy source.
Dan O.
The only question would be the turkeys. They' re supposed to have troubles when the snow depth is greater than 12-14" . If you' re in an area with that little snow the sunflowers and soyabeans may prove to be a good energy source.
Dan O.
08-23-2003, 08:56 PM
#5
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: PA
Posts: 1,149
RE: Best Bang for the Buck
So deer eat clover throughout the winter?Didn' t know that.
I read where grouse eat clover,anybody have experience with this?
I would imagine the turks just eat bugs from the clover.
I read where grouse eat clover,anybody have experience with this?
I would imagine the turks just eat bugs from the clover.
08-23-2003, 09:40 PM
#6
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: cazenovia, NY USA
Posts: 2,973
RE: Best Bang for the Buck
Germain -
Turkeys will eat bugs until its too cold as a #1 food - come fall ANY seed in abundance becomes #1. My favorite example is a winter when the snow was very deep - the Turkeys came for miles to a patch of Burdocks ringing a farm pond near my house.
Turkeys turn on & off to several seed drops in my area. Here are the best examples:
Beech Nuts, Wild Cherry, Ash, Apples - When these seeds are availible in abundance - nothing can beat them for turkeys.
Come late Winter - its All about corn (and farmers that spread manure - if you don' t know what I mean - its just as well.) Dan' s right - it will be interesting to see if the sunflowers are still availible to turkeys as a winter food.
Turkeys will eat bugs until its too cold as a #1 food - come fall ANY seed in abundance becomes #1. My favorite example is a winter when the snow was very deep - the Turkeys came for miles to a patch of Burdocks ringing a farm pond near my house.
Turkeys turn on & off to several seed drops in my area. Here are the best examples:
Beech Nuts, Wild Cherry, Ash, Apples - When these seeds are availible in abundance - nothing can beat them for turkeys.
Come late Winter - its All about corn (and farmers that spread manure - if you don' t know what I mean - its just as well.) Dan' s right - it will be interesting to see if the sunflowers are still availible to turkeys as a winter food.
08-26-2003, 07:16 PM
#7
Fork Horn
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: waterville/barre vermont USA
Posts: 337
RE: Best Bang for the Buck
rob, my uncle in walden one year planted oats, i believe it was. turkeys came all winter. where in the fall he started with i think 12, they soon grew to 40? as for corn, just check legare' s in e.montpelier. i believe he has both deer and turkey come in his fields all winter, i also think he leaves some corn standing on purpose for them. stop in and ask him about it, met him once to talk with , good guy, plenty of deer stories, with the pictures to go with them. ome bad thing about him, though, is he is for qdm, lol.
