Last Minutes Fall Food Plots - Larry Weishuhn…

It was the first week of October, our Texas Archery and Managed Land Deer Permit deer

hunting seasons had been open several days. I should have been on the Choctaw Hunting

Lodge’s property in southeastern Oklahoma hunting black bear with my crossbow. Mother

Nature had thrown me a curve and I was between hospital visits when I got a call from

someone I had met at the biennial Conroe Taxidermy/Ox Ranch/DSC Foundation event held

every other August. “As a quick reminder,” said he, “I’m the one who told you I was trying to

buy property just up from the Katy Prairie not far west from Attwater Prairie Chicken Refuge.”

Before I could respond he added, “I closed on the property yesterday and I want to start on a

wildlife management program as soon as possible. My first question, is it too late to plant a

food plot with emphasis mostly on whitetail deer, and if not, what should I consider planting?”

I knew something about the area. My ancestors ago had grazed cattle in the area back in the

late 1800’s and early 1900’s. Too, my brother had property not far from where the individual

asking about food plots had bought property and as a wildlife biologist I had set up several

programs in the region. I congratulated him on his purchase, then listened.

“I’m fortunate, my father-in-law farms a bunch of land southwest of Navasota. He has all sorts

of farming equipment. So, wee can do something quickly, if there’s still time to put in some

food plots.” He explained he had bought 300-acres, a large place these day for the area.

According to him, the property had shrub brush and trees, as well as a winding all-weather

creek that meandering through the middle of it. He said he too had lots of tall grass and weeds

that he thought should provide more than ample cover for deer. And, from what he could

determine the adjoining properties had much the same vegetation as his. Before I could ask

him about hunting pressure he added, “From what I could see, there are no deer blinds in the

area of my property or on my property. If someone has hunted the immediate area, they

hunted it on foot and/or ground blinds.” He went to to explain the real estate agent had told

him neither the former owner, nor any of his neighbors were hunters.

“You certainly have time to plant some food plots and should be able to hunt them by late

November and December, plus provide good forage for wildlife on your property.” Said I, then

explained if his father-in-law had a bushhog, a plow and a disc, a seeder or even a hand-seeder

plus something to drag over the recently sewed seeds we’d have him in the food plot business

in no time!

I suggested he go into the interior of the property and there “bushhog” several clover-shaped

areas, to start the food plots. And, normally I would suggest a soil test and then fertilize

accordingly, but that was something I hoped he would do after the first planting. “Make clover-

leaf shaped food plots that are about 50 to 70 yards in diameter. Lay them out so you can hunt

a portion of them no matter what the wind direction. Then told him the predominant winds in

the area were southeasterly and northwesterly. “Once you “bushhog” these potential food

plots, plow them, follow with a disc to further break up the turf, seed those areas, then pull a

drag to shallowly cover the seeds you planted.”

“We can do that pretty quickly!” said he. “What should I plant?”

“My go-to food plot seeds are triticale and Austrian winter peas. Triticale is a wheat-rye cross.

It does well in wide variety of soils, is bot cold and drought tolerant. Triticale is also higher in

nutrients then wheat, oats, rye even some of the fancy oat strains, and it can take more

“grazing”. Triticale also stays green longer into the spring. I’ve used it from Mexico to Canada

with great success. It’s good for deer and they always seem to go to it quickly. You can buy it

at your local feed and seed dealer. And since it doesn’t come in a fancy bag it’s quite

economical. Over-seed the triticale with Austrian winter pea. It too grows in a wide variety of

soil types and like triticale deer tend to take to it quickly and indeed it’s good for them. I

generally recommend a seeding rate of 40 pounds per acre, of each Triticale and Austrian

winter pea.” I further suggested he consider spring food plots on those same areas, planting

either Iron Clay peas or Chinese Red Cow Peas, but he had time to think of about spring plots

later.

Totally apart from planting food plots, I suggested he keep a running tally of the bucks, does

and fawns he saw each time he was on the property, and possibly record the bucks as

immature or mature. And, he do this throughout the time he could distinguish bucks from does

and fawns, and to record them no matter how often he saw the same deer. I explained doing so

on an ongoing basis was a good way to estimate his buck to doe ratio as well as his fawn

survival rate…

I also suggested he started using Vineyard Max, (www.vineyardmax.net) as a bait, but one that

is also good for deer. Comprised of essentially dried crushed red and white grape skins, rice

bran and some cracked corn the bait is high in energy, something many deer lack in their daily

diets.

With that I wished him the best of luck with his new property…