# food plots!!



## TreednNC (Jul 1, 2005)

Soils here are a big issue...extremely dry in the summer and stay weeeeet in the fall through early spring. Being a wetland consultant and deer hunter, I used both halves of my brain and did a little research and came up with cow peas. Seem to be a little hardy towards dry conditions but can handle the wet conditions this place offers later in the year. I dont think it will matter later in the year though as theyd probably die before it gets real wet. 

Darin what do you plant? Youre up in Asheboro, my club is just down outside of Mount Gilead. I experimented with rapes, clover, and alfalpha last year with poor results. It was a fairly wet fall and this place stayed fairly wet.


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## Finger_Mullet (Aug 19, 2005)

*I have tried it all!!!!!*

Where I planted is a lot like you said; hot and dry in the summer and too wet in the winter. 

I have a tract of land in Randoph County just a few miles from my house that I plant my largest plot. This old man is a gun smith and he has right around 100 acres. He decided he needed a new range so he went about a 1/4 mile back behind his house and bulldozed a lane 300 yards long and 20-30 yards wide. He has mounds on the side of the lane at 25 yards, 50 yards, 100 yards, 200 yards and 300 yards. The range is hardly ever used. There is a creek on the front side of the range that the beavers keep dammed up. He has a creek ford that gives access to the range but the land stays damp year round. Too wet in the winter. But nice and damp in the summer months. There is a field beside this lane about 200 yards away that is rotated in corn and soy beans. 

I have planted about everything you can think of in this plot. First year, I planted ladino clover. Deer visited the area but I just wasn't pleased. The clover thrived but I mostly watched rabbits with bobcats chasing them in the clover. Year # 2, The other field was in corn so I planted half my range in beans. The other half remainded in clover. I visited the plot and watched from the other side of the creek soon after the beans pusehd up. There were deer in the beans every day I went until dark each day. They walked thru the clover to get to the beans. But the beans were soon eat to the ground and I planted again and they cut them off at the ground again. 

Year # 3, The other field was in beans so I planted Biologic (the kind that had mostly greens, rape, etc) The other 1/2 the plot remained in clover. Let me tell you that it was the prettiest patch of greens that I have ever seen. But the deer would not touch it. I rarely saw a track in it.


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## Finger_Mullet (Aug 19, 2005)

*continued*

The deer started feeding in the clover but nothing like the soybeans. 

Year #4-present, I planted soy beans in 1/2 the plot and iron & clay peas in the other half. Bingo!!! I visited the plot in the late evenings and saw deer every evening I went. I watched some big bucks in that plot that summer. When the beans and peas died out I went back with winter peas. I planted them in September and they lasted up around November. I do not hunt over this plot but I hunt around it. The 2nd year with beans, peas and winter peas I shot a 9 pt that gross scored 144 and net 136 and some change. It was shot within 125 yards of the plot. I laid off this land for the past 3 years. I am going back to it this year. I went and put up a stand over the lane about a month ago. It is all grass now but deer frequent crossing between the field and a pine thicket. It has not been hunted in 3 years so I should be back in business without a plot. The side field is in beans. Next year I will start the plot back and hunt it for 3 years before letting it rest again.
I will hunt it no more than 1 time every other week. I will hunt other land during my off time.

In Chatham County I do not plant food plots. It is basically pine thickets and the soils is buck tallow. I do hunt beside a green field on the front side of the property, I also hunt beside a cow pasture on the back side and on the creek in teh middle. 

My buddy had good luck with clover. I never have. He planted clover with fescue for hay and the deer flock to it all year long.

I suggest, Round Up Ready soy beans, iron & clay peas, winter peas and cover crop rye. I have shot a bunch of deer off a rye field in Montgomery county when I was younger. I hunted 900 acres near Mt Gilead.

I typically leave the deer mixes that you buy at Walmart alone. I buy the beans, peas and rye from Southern States in Asheboro.

Good luck!!
You need to head up to Randolph County and hunt with me some this Fall. My oldest son Tanner just started pulling the trigger last year and he is gung ho now.


Darin


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## TreednNC (Jul 1, 2005)

Yep I was thinking beans and peas. Id like to head up there to hunt with ya sometime. Yeah, our club is trophy managed (anything 15" or wider) which is descent but not that big. Got some pics of a BEAUTIFUL 6 pointer last year that skirted that 13-15" mark with some tall, thick antlers that should be a beauty this year. He stayed pretty close to my stand as well as a few others for most of the year. Had pics of him through mid december until my camera died. I figure he made it as close as he stayed even through the rut. Im kind of excited. I need to get down there and put something in the ground. Maybe my clover has popped up better. Idk. I'll let you know what happens the results.


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## Finger_Mullet (Aug 19, 2005)

*Trophy managed*

I usually try for trophies around the house but on the land in Chatham I shoot whatever I feel like. I generally tag out on does and knock down a buck quickly. The deer are down there. Kinda like fleas on a dogs back. 

Last season one of the guys that hunted with me killed a 14 point with 12" tines. It was only like 15 inches inside but it was a monster. I am not sure what it scored but it had to be way up there. Him and another guy hunted with me but they wanted to get one of their buddies in but couldn't. They treated me like shit and bitched about everything I did. I had to hunt a small section near the road but this year I have it all. They got the boot. So me and my 8 year old have it to ourselves. That is gonna be nice.

I have a 41 acres tract between Siler City and Pittsboro. It is an old home place and the timber was sold 7-8 years ago. It is thick, real thick. A few got shot there last year but nothing big at all. I am hoping for more and bigger bucks this year. There is a stretch of powerlines about 300 yards that a food plot woudl work nicely, but that is a long way to haul a tractor. 

Give me some dates you are available and we can go kill something. If you want to hunt decent bucks we can hunt around the house but if you want to fill up a freezer we can do that in Chatham County. 

Darin


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## TreednNC (Jul 1, 2005)

Sounds good. I generally dont take people up on their offers to come hunting...for one reason only. My places arent really 'visitor friendly'. I have a small farm here in Catawba County that a guy lets me hunt that I kill some afternoons and lazy weekends on, and the club down in Richmond...well Richmond/Montgomery line that only allows me 3 visitor days per year that I generally allow my dad to come down with me on.
Gets a little closer to time we'll see what happens. Maybe I can get up with you and Ryan and them one weekend and talk about it while soaking some bait


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## Finger_Mullet (Aug 19, 2005)

*Invitation*

If you go with me I do not expect you to feel obligated to take me hunting. I have more than enough place to keep me occupied for the Fall.

Good luck!!

I need to put together a couple of fishing trips for July and August. Just as soon as UNCDub starts posting shark pics. 

Darin


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## TreednNC (Jul 1, 2005)

I know. Its not that I mind taking anybody, just that the people that run the places I hunt mind. I like takin people when I can. It gets boring when its just me, bc if I had a dull sit, then aint nobody else to share stories about what happened near me lol


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## Finger_Mullet (Aug 19, 2005)

*That is it!!*

I have to hunt by myself or with my son. He just don't want to go all the time so I go mainly by myself. But I can take someone but have learned about taking the wrong people. 

I took one guy hunting at a place one time. he showed up the next SUNDAY with about 20 people and a pack of dogs. Ran it out and killed several. Then he wondered why I was pissed. 

I have a good friend that hunts with me a lot but he has a son and I can't take 2 people. So I don't ask him very often unless I know his son is doing something else.

It is good to have someone to talk to on the radio or share the hunting story about the one that got away.

Darin


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