Wildlife Food Plot Mixes

[GAFarmer]

Does anyone know if these new "food plot mixes" actually work? Talking about Biologic type stuff. If so, what do you recommend?

[Michael]

Its hit and miss, if your soil is not the same type that it was engineered for or it doesn't get the right amount of water or sun, you've wasted your money. My advice would be to use rye grass or something that the deer are used to seeing and hang a bottle of "Pee Willy Wick" each time you go out.

[GAFarmer]

Reason I ask, Wally World always gets those kind of mixes in every year fairly cheap. I thought if there was any chance of it coming up I might try it in a little patch we don't have anything planted in this year. How would I know what kind of soil the mix is engineered for?

[Michael]

I should have said engineered in and not "for", sorry. I don't know if it tells you on the container or not.If you were not planning on using the plot anyway, it would probably worth testing.

[GAFarmer]

Thanks, I think I will. I wish I still had a digital camera that worked. That way, I could take pictures of our beautiful place!!! [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[theboman]

They work great if they have proper soil conditions. It's not too hard to get the soil in better shape (most the time). Just a PH check, some lime and you should be in business.

On food plots, it's rarely works to throw it down and pray for rain.... Throw it down and try to drag it, or get dirt onto the seed some how. Straw is pretty expensive for this. Most don't have the seeders.... How ever you do it... You then pray for rain.

I heard on TV this morning on an outdoor show that using 5% of the land as a food plot increases the carrying capacity of the land by 40%.... So it's all good.

[stevef]

GAFARMER, I don't post much in this venue I'm usually found in the tractor site but I ran across your food plot question and had to respond. We started wildlife management at our ranch in 1999 and have found the only predictably good result seed for food plots is a formulation from a local source in your immediate area. We tried em all with varying degrees of success but none as good as seed mixes grown and packaged in our area. Call around to all the suppliers in your area until you find one that grows, harvest and packages their own and has fertility/germination ratings test listed on their packaging and don't accept last years seed its a waste of money you want the last growing season harvest seed. In addition to this you'll be pleasantly surprised how inexpensive it is to buy from a grower instead of Wally World with far better results.
Steve

[GAFarmer]

Don't worry theboman, I am a lot smarter then that. I was thinking about bringing that old manure drag out of retirement. Think it will work well??? And I don't give a rip about what the TV says, we have more then that in food plots and fields now and STILL don't have any deer to amount to anything. Let me put it this way, last year deer hunting time became more of a nap time then an actual hunting time!!! [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[GAFarmer]

Well stevef, I have tried to find local mixes but can't seem to do so. I should be going to the seed store soon, and I think that that is where I would find any if there is any in town. Wish me luck!!!! [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[egon]

You want Bambi's? Come on up to the farm, maybe even a black bear or two. [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

As for what the deer eat its more like what will they not eat. List is much shorter.

Egon [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]