Kicking Off Fall Planting, Wildlife

This weekend and in the weekends to come, more men will be outdoors preparing soil and planting small parcels of land deep in the woods. And they won’t be looking forward to a vegetable or grain harvest; they will be doing it for the sole purpose of enhancing the forage available for wildlife and drawing in a big buck

Labor Day weekend is the kick-off for many a deer lease to start their food plots. I just got word that my own hunting lease partners would be planting on Oct. 1.  Indeed, these next few weeks are prime for getting cool season vegetation planted that will benefit wildlife in addition to a few hunters.

Whether you hunt or not, this late summer/early fall planting can do several things: attract wildlife, enrich your soil, and beautify your place. For deer, dove, quail and even waterfowl, you are providing a nutritious choice that will bridge the hard time between acorn drop and spring green-up.

And it can do it all if you choose options such as winter peas, greens, small grains, or clovers.

There is all manner of seed combinations sold to bring in white tailed deer as well as some old favorites that shouldn’t be overlooked. While there are a lot more exotic seed choices out there, consider the tried and true ones.

Small grains are a term applied to Elbon rye, wheat and oats. Unlike less desirable grasses such as ryegrass, these make early, nutritious growth and can produce an abundance of nutrient dense grain. By far our best producer grain in East Texas is Elbon rye.

For clovers, try Arrowleaf, Crimson, or Red. Crimson gives the showiest and darkest colors and will bloom earlier in spring. Arrowleaf on the other hand will grow the most forage but can last into early summer, competing with summer grasses. Winter pea varieties include vetch, Singletary pea and Austrian winter peas.  

Greens can include, turnip, mustard and others. If you study the contents of many commercially available seed blends, they will list a “brassica” seed variety. Brassica is simply the scientific name for the species that includes turnip, mustard, and collard greens! Every local feed store will have these for sale for the gall gardener and you can use them on your food plot just as well.

Clovers and greens are certainly easiest to establish as you can broadcast the seed with minimal soil preparation. Peas and grains on the other hand will greatly benefit from heavy disking and being covered one-inch-deep in the ground.  

Several years ago I was asked to speak to a hunting group about getting a successful food plot going. These guys were hard core hunters and nary a one had ever planted a garden.  The idea of preparing soil to raise crop was foreign to them.

Timing of plantings is critical for successful wildlife food plantings. Many wildlife food plants have differing optimum planting times that are often only a few weeks in length. Scheduling planting during the range of best planting dates often means the difference between a successful food plot and one that is doomed to failure. For the recommended varieties listed above, a late September to early October planting should work well.

If seeding rates are too low, weed competition and germination problems can cause a wildlife food plot to fail. As a rule of thumb, seeding rates for establishing wildlife food plots should be higher than the rates recommended for commercial production of the same variety. Higher seeding rates help to ensure that a significant portion of the seeds germinate and grow.

Nutrient deficiencies in the soil can be corrected by applying the proper rates of fertilizers and lime. The only way to really know how much fertilizer and lime to apply is to have the soil tested.

Proper seed selection and site preparation won’t guarantee a big buck this season, but will certainly enhance the nutrient availability and will benefit a variety of wildlife.