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Wild Bill Bucks · January 5, 2006, 01:31 PM

Soy Bean is the best protein plant you can plant (up to about 38% protein)
Deer love the stuff but it may not grow well where you are.
As far as maintaining a food plot where you intend to hunt (FORGET IT)
To much time spent on your food plot and you will have most of your game run out by season.
Plant crops that are natural to your area and will grow naturally ( talk to your local Agriculture Dept. and find out what the farmers in your area have trouble keeping the deer out of)
If you are going to plant small food plots (Less than 20 acres) you are probably wasting your time, but if you choose to do this you will have to plant crops that will re-generate after being chomped on.
4 or 5 deer will eat a food plot to the bare ground in a matter of a couple of days and nights. If the plants can't re-juvinate quickly, you will lose your draw for the deer before season gets here.
Strips of plots around the edge of openings always seems to produce better than putting all your plot in one location, I think it keeps the deer more spread out and gives crops more time to "Come Back" between feedings.
Although deer are foragers and not grazers, they will visit a plot several times through-out the day or night and eat a little at a time, then go back to the woods and forage for a while, then return. If your plots are scattered around they don't do to much damage to the same one over and over.
I am in Oklahoma, and I can't get the Bio-Logic stuff to grow here without dying off before season starts.( Bad soil, low water table,Hot weather,Hard to fertilize)
Best I have done here is put mixes of Turnips, Winter wheat, rye, Red Clover,Soy bean, Sweet potatoes all out in the same plots. This gives me a little bit of something growing almost year around.
Austrian Winter peas is probably the #1 thing that the deer like in MY area, but I can't get them out of the ground more than 1/2 inch before they are desimated by the deer.
Last year I put a "Straight Shot Feeder" about 20 feet in the air, over some good soil, and filled it with rye and wheat seed as well as Whole Soy Beans.
When the feeder went off it scattered the seed in the wind for quite a distance and the seeds came up all over everywhere. The Whole soy bean was eaten by the deer and their hooves pushed a lot of the seeds in the ground.
Isn't working this year because we haven't had any rain(AT ALL )
but might work well in your area.
We are so low on rain here that the fish in our lakes are coughing.
Hope this helps a little.

January 5, 2006, 01:31 PM	#6
Wild Bill Bucks Senior Member Join Date: December 28, 2005 Location: Southeastern Oklahoma, Next door to Sasquatch Posts: 1,266	Soy Bean is the best protein plant you can plant (up to about 38% protein) Deer love the stuff but it may not grow well where you are. As far as maintaining a food plot where you intend to hunt (FORGET IT) To much time spent on your food plot and you will have most of your game run out by season. Plant crops that are natural to your area and will grow naturally ( talk to your local Agriculture Dept. and find out what the farmers in your area have trouble keeping the deer out of) If you are going to plant small food plots (Less than 20 acres) you are probably wasting your time, but if you choose to do this you will have to plant crops that will re-generate after being chomped on. 4 or 5 deer will eat a food plot to the bare ground in a matter of a couple of days and nights. If the plants can't re-juvinate quickly, you will lose your draw for the deer before season gets here. Strips of plots around the edge of openings always seems to produce better than putting all your plot in one location, I think it keeps the deer more spread out and gives crops more time to "Come Back" between feedings. Although deer are foragers and not grazers, they will visit a plot several times through-out the day or night and eat a little at a time, then go back to the woods and forage for a while, then return. If your plots are scattered around they don't do to much damage to the same one over and over. I am in Oklahoma, and I can't get the Bio-Logic stuff to grow here without dying off before season starts.( Bad soil, low water table,Hot weather,Hard to fertilize) Best I have done here is put mixes of Turnips, Winter wheat, rye, Red Clover,Soy bean, Sweet potatoes all out in the same plots. This gives me a little bit of something growing almost year around. Austrian Winter peas is probably the #1 thing that the deer like in MY area, but I can't get them out of the ground more than 1/2 inch before they are desimated by the deer. Last year I put a "Straight Shot Feeder" about 20 feet in the air, over some good soil, and filled it with rye and wheat seed as well as Whole Soy Beans. When the feeder went off it scattered the seed in the wind for quite a distance and the seeds came up all over everywhere. The Whole soy bean was eaten by the deer and their hooves pushed a lot of the seeds in the ground. Isn't working this year because we haven't had any rain(AT ALL ) but might work well in your area. We are so low on rain here that the fish in our lakes are coughing. Hope this helps a little.