timbercruiser

I overseeded one of my favorite plots (about 1 1/2 acres) with Euchee Arrowleaf clover just before hunting season and had a nice young stand by the end of the season. There is also some scattered Crimson Clover in the plot. Yesterday I went out and checked on it. Very nice, good color, probably a foot or more high. Trouble was that there was zero evidence of it being used by the deer for grazing. Very little sign of deer even walking through the plot, and this is a high population deer area. I guess there is too much briars, honeysuckle and other browse that they prefer.

Rebel Hog

Timber,
Red Clover, Alfafa, Triticale, Oats, Sorghum and Sudan Grass seed's
mixed together and spread on your deer plot. They will graze it in the
summer and fall. This is what the North American Hunting Club recomends
for seeding a deer and other wild game plots.

hogboss

Timber,
I have planted Yuchee and crimson in the past too. It looks good but almost everything I have read says they are 2 of the many clovers that provide very low levels of nutrition in the spring and summer because of the heavy seeding they do.

When I had it planted I noticed the same thing as you, very little, if any usage in the spring and summer.

Rebel,
Is that really what North American hunt club recommends?

Alfalfa for a perennial I can see. Oats in the fall is probably good. The rest I would have to scratch my head over. It just adds to the confusion I've experienced over the years. There is obviously no shortage of experts on the subject but some of the things I read and hear are in my humble opinion humorous.

adams

TC,

To be honest I noticed the same thing last year. I planted Imperial Clover in the spring and it came up strong and flourished through the summer with very little grazing. I was about disappointed until after the frost hit and killed my annual plot of Powerplant(which the deer loved from the time I planted on Memorial Day until it was killed by frost in October.) Once the browse started to brown up with fall the deer took to the clover that hit it hard until it was burried in snow. Then this spring the deer were concentrated on about 150 sq' that was under the drip line of the trees that border the plot. The deer were eating around the feces and virtually ate the plot to the ground. Luckily some rain melted off the rest of the snow and the deer spread out their grazing in the plot.

I would stick with it and if you have some extra room think about planting an annual like powerplant or the like. Give the deer some variety so they can eat what they choose and when the other prefered foods dies off (fall/rut) the deer will know where the clover is and they will be hitting.

This is just my experience but I would imagine you will see similar results.

Rebel Hog

hogboss, I read it off the seed package's that they sent me.
Don't believe me or have any question's , contact them.
I have the packages right here in front of me!
I do 20 acres out of 40. I have a 1200ft driveway and at night we have
to be very careful, because of the deer on the sides. Last October
I had an 8pt, two 6pts and 7 does by my bedroom window. I'm not
saying that it's just the seed mixture that is causing it, but it has really
attracted more deer than ever.There's about 200 Live Oak tree's,
30 Wild Persimmon tree's and over 100 Crab Apple tree's on my property.
Forgot to mention the Pigeon Pea bushes I also have.
Plus I put out 6 mineral salt blocks.I have been manageing wild life for
38yrs here. Also have the quail feeders out. I also plant Millet for Dove's.
I also have a 1/2 acre pond that my son raise's cat fish and bass. A few
week's ago at dusk a 12pt was at the other end watching my son.

About 8yrs ago my neigbor killed an 11pt that had just jumped the fence
from my property to his.

farm hunter

Sometimes the deer tell us what they like - and we should listen.

It could be the deer ignored it for a variety of reasons - (bitter - too low Ph) or they might just be getting enough protein elsewhere.

I say - Learn from the experience - and go on.


I've had the same type results with Brassica Plantings - in the Northeast - I don't know why - but it was a real observence. I'm going to try another brassica planting this spring ( 2nd in 5 yrs) if its no better than before - then NIX on the Brassicas!!!

Maybe in FL - another plot is the ticket.

Keep good notes - and learn from your experiences.

Good Luck!

FH

slobbyrobby33

Timber Coming from the midwest farming country I have noticed that during the Late spring and through out summer that the deer avoid the clovers. I don't know if this is due to just the amount of other food sources availible or the old timers tell me it is to much protien during the heat of the year ( IE protien equals heat) and it will burn up there intestines if they eat to much. I do not kn ow this to be the case but the old timers swear buy it.

Slumpbuster

My plots don't show a lot of grazing either but the deer are there. My cameras take shots of them every day. I think the clover regenerates so quickly in the spring, unless you're out there all the time you won't notice the grazing.

I know when I mow this time of year it puts on about 6" of growth in a week or two.

Also, as mentioned earlier they don't have to go far to get young tender native plants. It keeps them from having to concrentrate on the clover as much as later in the summer and fall when the native forages get more mature and tough.

Slumpbuster

Hog, I'm with you. I'm a member of the NAHC, so I called them and they put me in touch with a guy who claimed to be the assistant editor. I won't mention his name. He said that NAHC doesn't recommend any specific planting. He didn't know where Rebel's info came from, maybe a story in their book that listed that as the writers perference.

He didn't offer much info but I wanted to know why they would choose that as their plot of choice. Sounded strange when I read the post.

SO many of the writers are trying to learn about foodplots and get more work by writing about them because the topic is hot. I think they are learning as they go and will use anyone's opinion in their work. The editors at the magazines don't know Jack#*^% about plots and can't proof them for content. They basically just print what comes in. I've seen a few stories, where the info was so outdated that it should have been printed 20 years ago.

Enough ranting, BYE.

Rebel Hog

Slump, I have the package right here in front of me that NAHC sent me and
I posted the the deer attracting mixture on the back of the package.