8/15 Food Plot update.............

Went out to the plot this past Friday- the deer are eating the clover & extreme right down to the ground.  They're wiping it out!! 

On 8/3, I planted some Whitetail Institute Wintergreens in hopes of trying to save the plot.  Well- it took real quick!  Check it out:


That's the Wintergreens on the right/top edge of the plot 12 days after I planted it.

Here's what the rest of the plot looks like:



Note the top/back portion of the plot in the last picture- one month ago, I had good coverage of emergent Clover all over this area of the plot.  I have 100's of pictures of deer browsing this area right down to the dirt!

Rob

May your arrow fly true & avoid all timber

Hungry little buggers aren't they!!!

Mike Stephenson
aka Topgun----30-06

ORIGINAL: Topgun 3006

Hungry little buggers aren't they!!!

Ya' think?? 
Someone suggested I broadcast some Milorganite so as to keep the deer away for about two weeks.  Milorganite is an organic fertilizer (5-2-0) that doesn't burn the emergent grasses/plants & doesn't required to be watered in.  It eventually dissapates into the soil system- but until then, it keeps the deer from feeding as it's sterilized people poop.

This way, the plants have a chance to re-establish themselves...........

Rob

May your arrow fly true & avoid all timber

That may be a good idea or you might not have anything left but dirt by the time bow season opens!!!

Mike Stephenson
aka Topgun----30-06

ORIGINAL: Denali

Sounds like interesting stuff.  I hope it works for you if you use it.  Those deer can sure tear up a food plot if your not carefull.  How does the cost compare to Plot Saver??   Just curious.

The Milorganite is $10.99 for a 40lb. bag (pelletized) at Home Depot.

The Plot Saver costs $49.99 for the starter kit which doesn't include stakes- the stakes (30 of them) cost another $49.99.  So I could buy roughly nine 40 lb. bags of Milorganite for what it would cost me to get in at the ground level with the Plot Saver system.  One bag of the Milorganite is all I'll need, so I think this is a no-brainer.

Rob

May your arrow fly true & avoid all timber

I'd definitely agree with that one Rob, LOL!  Even an old fart like me could figure out which way to go on that one, heehee!!!

Mike Stephenson
aka Topgun----30-06

 
Well, the deer have been hitting my little plot pretty hard. So much so, that last Friday (8/29) in a move of desperation to save the plot for hunting season, I put down about 10 lbs. of Milorganite in an attempt to keep the deer away from the plants for 2-3 weeks in order to let the plants re-establish themselves.

Milorganite is an organic fertilizer- purified "people poo" produced by the City of Milwaukee. All I can say is this stuff works! Not only can you put it down without harming/burning existing emergent plants, but it also doesn't require watering in! On top of that- the deer don't like the smell, so they won't browse the plants. My Extreme, Secret Spot & No Plow were eaten down to the dirt. My Alfa-Rack/Imperial Clover was on it's last leg. The Wintergreens was the only thing still holding up because:

a) I planted it on 8/3
b) it's not appealing to the deer until after the first frost

The Milorganite provided a much-needed boost for the Alfa-Rack/Imperial Clover. In just one week, they're both making a comeback. I threw some Double-Cross down about two weeks ago and that seems to have sprouted as well. We haven't had much rain here in the last 2-3 weeks, so I find this amazing that I was actually able to get the Double-Cross going with only the initial watering (via hand sprayer) when I planted it.

The deer are still going in & eating the corn thrown from the feeder & eating the Cutting Edge Optimize, but the plants have been given a reprieve. We're supposed to get alot of rain tomorrow, so the Milorganite will begin to wash away & dissapate into the soil. Here's what the plot looks like as of today- sorry, I forgot my camera & had to use my mobile phone (only 1 Megapixel).



That's the Wintergreens on the front/left. The Double-Cross, Alfa-Rack & Imperial Clover is in the back. The bare strip in the center is where the Extreme, Secret Spot & No Plow used to be!



Rob

May your arrow fly true & avoid all timber

Here is my plot as of yesterday- 9/28.  The POV of this picture is exactly what I expect the deer to see if they come out of the swamp (behind where I was standing when I took the picture).  For reference- If you look to the right in the photo of my previous post- that's where I'm standing when I took this photo.  That's my stand straight ahead- I've put up a custom blind on the bottom (up to my waist) and the rear of both sides.  The stuff you see in the front are two separate panels of shoot-thru mesh netting that are hanging from the top outter edge of the umbrella.  The mesh netting is extremely light and I can easily brush it to the side if need be for a shot.

What do you think?  Season opens 2 weeks from today!

Rob

[image]local://136/C34D4F3979B54B78A6BC1DAF816B3479.jpg[/image]

Attached Image(s)

May your arrow fly true & avoid all timber

 I just hope the deer maintain the timing of their travel patterns.............. 
 

 
Rob

May your arrow fly true & avoid all timber

  Good luck on that "puppy!"

ORIGINAL: Denali

Good luck to you.

You know we are expecting a success report soon what with all the good bucks running around your neck of the woods.

 
I will try in earnest NOT to dissapoint !!
 
Rob

May your arrow fly true & avoid all timber