Northern Food Plots

[mjtlhunter]

This spring I will be planting my first food plots here in New York and am looking for any info. someone might have about what types of seed and products they have had success with in northern areas such as NY, PA, etc

[sagittarius]

winter rye, white clovers (ladino, dutch), Kura clover, birdsfoot trefoil.

[jfwalker]

I have had good luck with Korean lespedeza and ladino clover.

[Michael Powers]

I'am also in NY . This is my 3 year with foodplots and am still learning . I have had luck with Bucks Banquet it last about 3-5 years and Imperial Clover

[charlieb]

mjtlhunter I am also in NY (Delaware County) and have had very good performance with Imperial Whitetail Clover. Where in NY are you located?

[mjtlhunter]

Charlieb

I am in Cattaraugus county in Western NY. How succesful has your Imperial clover been? Have you tried any other products?

[Luv2hunteup]

The first step you should do is get a soil test.

2nd step buy a copy of Food Plots 1-2-3 by Ed Spin and/or a copy of "Grow 'Em Right" by Neil and Craig Dougherty.

The first book is Michigan based and the second is New York based. The guys who wrote these books are very active in QDMA. Great reads and very helpful. It will be the best money you spend.

I'm in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, my plots are based on clover, either Imperial Whitetail or Biologic Premium Perennia. Each one draws deer at a different time of the season. I also believe in diversity.

Late summer plantings seem to do best. I also include brassica with most plantings for a fall draw. The brassica is either dwarf essex rape, tyfon turnips or Biologic Maximum.

[Bob S]

"2nd step buy a copy of Food Plots 1-2-3 by Ed Spin and/or a copy of "Grow 'Em Right" by Neil and Craig Dougherty."

Food Plots Easy as 1, 2, 3. (http://members.tripod.com/~mmbqdm/PDFFiles/foodplotbookorderflyer.pdf)

Ed Spinazzola is a national QDMA board member. He has over 30 years experimenting with food plots in Michigan. Everything in his book has proven to work in northern climates.

I also second Luv2hunteup`s recommendation to get a copy of "Grow `Em Right". It is a great book for overall habitat improvement.

[mjtlhunter]

Love2hunteup:

My understanding is that the Imperial clover is a much better spring and summer plot than the Biologic and that the deer seem to have no interest in the Biologic until the 1st frost, which increases the sugar content in the Biologic. After the 1st frost they hammer the Biologic. Based on this despite the Premium Perennial being advertised as a summer plot it really is more of a fall plot. Also the Full Draw which is planted in the fall claims to grow well after hunting season. In northern climates that means snow, so is the Full Draw really worth planting when the other summer products wil still be around and it is only going to be around for a month or maybe 2 before snow cover?? As I said earlier I am new to this and want to get the most production from my limited arceage of food plots.

[charlieb]

The 2 books that were mentioned earlier are both excellent. A third book is "Quality Deer Management - The Basics and Beyond" is also excellent and it is written by fellow New Yorker Charlie Alsheimer. Another is "Planting FoodPlots For Deer And Other Wildlife" by John Weiss. They are both available through QDMA.

[Michael Powers]

Charlieb and mjtlhunter I have been looking at your posts and I to am from NY. ( Steuben Co. Close to mjtlhunter) I have planted Biologic and I was not to impressed with it. could have been a fluke of just me. look forward to hearing from you both.

[Bob S]

I have Charles Alsheimer`s book "Quality Deer Management". A very good read also.

[mjtlhunter]

Michael Powers
Was it that the Biologic didn't grow or did the deer not just take to it. Neil Dougherty seems to recomend it based on his use on his farm in NY.(northcountrywhitetails.com) His farm is the northern test site for Biologic so maybe he is biased?? The brassicas are suppose to be an excellent food source for fall and winter. Also has anyone had any success planting Chicory?

[sulcotaylor]

I have personally had success in Sullivan County with Red and Crimson Clovers; so much so that I had to re-seed due to over grazing. I used rye gass as a cover crop until the clover established. The clover established but was mowed-down by the deer before it ever went to seed.
The neighboring property owner and I have had very good success with various biologic products as well.
This year I do plan on throwing in 2 new plots dedicated to brassicas and some other deer yum-yums.

Possible List of Priorities for the pre-season.
1) Get soil tests for your plots.
2) Ammend the soil as per tests.
The following site should get you started as a resource; county cooperative agents are key to the success of establishing your plots. You will have to approach them with the types of forage that you intend to plant.
http://www.cce.cornell.edu/
Read and learn as much as possible from the afforementioned books, I actually finnished re-reading Planting Food Plots for Deer and other wildlife last night,and the Producing Quality Whitetails the night before that. Good luck, keep us posted. GT

[Michael Powers]

mjtlhunter, I had trouble growing Biologic , and what did grow the deer did not touch much till after the first frost ,I had been told by other food plot growers in my area that they would start after the frost I guess it is like candy to them . The next spring nothing grew back.

[mjtlhunter]

michael powers

Did you have a soil test done then lime and fertilize acccordingly? Dont know what it is with Biologic some people have great success with, others say it sucks????!!!

[MNQDMer]

Check out the RR soybean discussion. I expect beans would work well in NY as they do for me in Northern Minnesota and others have used in MI.

[Catskill]

I have place in Delaware Cnty NY and have had good sucsess with imperial clover. This past May I planted a plot of Biologic Premium Perennial.The brassica came up great and the deer started hitting it about the end of Sept. . By the last weekend of muzzleloader it was mowed to the ground and I had 14 does in it .I should have taken one of them but I was hopeful a nice buck might step out , but no luck. I plan on expanding this plot this spring. All the info on this post is great read the books do your soil test , plant and don't forget to use your chain saw. I almost forgot I had nice black bear eating the brassica from August to November

[mjtlhunter]

Catskill:

How large of an area did you plant with the Biologic? Also how well did the clovers and the chicory in the premeium perenial perform? I am reallly interested in that stuff because of it being a year roound plot with the clovers and the brassicas

[dogdoc]

Check out www.hamannfarms.com he makes a great northern seed blend for spring and winter plots.

todd

[Catskill]

mjtlhunter:

The brassica is an annual so this spring I would need to over seed the clover/chicory with the brassica. This plot is currently about a half acre in size, soon to be about an acre. The clover/chicory had good growth but I can't be sure till I see it this spring. My area is big timber high on a mountain not to many farms around so the brassica is a real good option it not only keeps them aroud during the hunting season but it also gives the deer a good start going into the winter.

[Buckacc]

I've had excellent luck with food plots of Imperial Whitetail Clover and Shot Plot( Turnips & Rape). The deer
feed on the clover from spring till the snow falls then they switch to the Shot Plot. Last night I had 33 deer feeding in the Shot Plot. I'm amazed that the deer feed on my clover and my Shot Plot as often as they do , because all the way around me is soybean and corn fields.

[mjtlhunter]

Catskill:
I have the same situation, big timber not much open area or farm fields around. Have you tried planting along logging/skid roads? I am planning on trying it but am concerned about the overhead canopy preventing enough light to reach the plots.

[MNdeerhunter]

I am fom northern Minnesota and anyone looking for a food plot that will attract deer in the fall and winter in northern climates, Biologic Maximum is what you want to plant! I planted about a 3 acre plot this past August and had great success with both growth and attracting deer onto our property. I had deer feeding on this blend right away in September, before we had any freezing temps but after we starting getting some frost, the deer started feeding very heavily on it and are still digging thru the snow to get to it now in January and we have had temps of 20 below zero and a foot of snow on the ground! And on the last day of our firearms season in mid November we had 25 deer feeding in this 3 acre plot when I left my stand. Great Product!

[Catskill]

mjtlhunter:

I have not been planting my roads because like you said the canopy keeps it pretty well shaded. My property is in the NY state timber 480 plan so it limits the amount of clearing I can do but the tax savings is worth it. You say you are in Stuben Cty ,you are very close to north country whitetails run by the Doughertys they run tours of their property in the summer. It is well worth the fee to go on one of these tours.

Hey charlieb maybe we could compare notes on QDM in Delaware cty sometime.

[charlieb]

Catskill - where in Delaware Cty are you located? I have had my place for 18 years. It is mostly wooded. I performed quite a bit of TSI and that had a dramatic impact on the wildlife, to say nothing of the hunting. When you first start cutting, you say "what have I done?". The following spring answers the question, it's is just beautiful for the deer, turkeys, grouse and other furry/feathered species. The new growth is just amazing. If you have woods, TSI should be one of the first (and cheapest) things that you do for your animals, to say nothing of the improvement to your forest. At that point I planted shurbs for wildlife each year. I bought them from the Delaware Cty Soil & Water Conservation District. These provided food and cover for game and non-game alike. I then planted "foodplots" wherever I could find open space, including trails. I mostly utilized Whitetail clover and have been very satisfied with the results. Almost forgot my apple trees. Many old and neglected trees were trimmed and released over a period of years.
Last year we bought a new/old place. Nicer house, much more land. I'm just getting to know it and will be starting my very informal program again. With the additional land, I expect that I will be doing a lot of experimenting with food plots. I'm glad to see that there are several fellow New Yorkers here and look forward to sharing results with the group.

[mjtlhunter]

Charlieb:
You indicated you planted Imperial Clover on trrails. Were those trails completely clear of an overhead canopy? I want to do the same and would like to know if I can get away with the clover not being in direct sunlight all day long.

[charlieb]

mjtlhunter - at the time I started on the trails, I knew even less than I know now. I didn't know that Whitetail Clover was supposed to have a large portion of the day in sunlight. I planted it in sections that had sun, had some sun and some that hardly had any sun. I did have access to lots of hay/straw and cvered the seeds with it. Don't ask me why, I just thought it was a good idea. Next thing that I knew, I had clover just about everywhere. Some spots much better than others, but everywhere just the same. Since that time, I have opened more of the canopy and just keep seeding. Some spots are better than others but I do have lots of clover. I have learned, however, that this "spottyness" works to my favor. I set my stands overlooking the heavier areas while the lighter areas act like a tease and lead the deer to me.

[Catskill]

charlieb

I'm located in the south east section of Hamden Township. I bought the place about six years ago. I have been doing the TSI work as perscibed in my forestry tax plan. I did leave a good portion of woods out of the plan where I have been doing clear cuts and travel corridors from 1/4 to 1 acre in size. I just recieved my tree and shrub cat. from the DEC and plan on putting an order in. In referance to apple trees I knew I had some on the property so I did a count I stopped at 60. This past March I released and fertilized about 20 of them and am hopeful to do at least that many this March.

So cherlieb are we neighbors or are you located at the other end of the county.

[charlieb]

Catskill - we are closer than we might imagine. My first property is located in Hamden. We are now about 20 miles going north on Rt 10. When you say "south east section of Hamden Township" are you talking about the area around Terry Clove or Basin Clove roads? Are you a full time resident? It seems that we have a lot in common. Is there a way that we can get together? By the way, you said that you just received a tree & shrub catalog from the DEC, I just got mine from the Delaware Cty Soil & Water Conservation District. I have been buying from them for over 16 years and have been very satisfied. Talk soon.

[Catskill]

charlieb

I'm just to the west by gregory hollow and no I'm not a resident. Maybe late winter or early spring I could by you a beer at one of the local watering holes.

[charlieb]

Catskill - how does the Hamden Inn sound to you? Let me know when it is good for you. Where is your full time residence?

[Catskill]

charlieb

The Hamden Inn sounds fine and I live in NJ

[charlieb]

Catskill - Hamden Inn it is! The food there is very good, maybe we should make it for dinner. Do you get up there very often this time of the year? Try to give me a little notice of when might be good for us to get together.

[Catskill]

Charlieb

How should I contact you

[charlieb]

Catskill - send me an email.

[Catskill]

Charlieb

I dont know your e-mail address

[charlieb]

Catskill - look at my profile. Please include a tel# that I can reach you at.