Likelihood of food plot recovery?

Panhandler80

So, two weeks ago my plots were getting hit hard. This past week was pretty much catastrophic deer pressure. I really should have reapplied milorganite when each stalk still had half their leaves

As of now it's pretty much an acre strip of just stalks. They all have little tiny leaves trying to gro. Think it's worth putting more milorganite out to give plants a break, or are they toast at this stage even if browsing ceased?

Panhandler80

Trying to post picture but having bet herd time. Have tried from two phones.

Picture ICP stalks about knee high with no mature leaves, but little guys trying to pop out.

woodsrunner

The roots are alive and well, and if its trying to set new blades then there are adventicious buds that will put out. I'd stick some milo to it. **** but you've got too many deer! Bust plenty of does this year!

Panhandler80

Here's how 90% or more looked yesterday.

Putting out enough milorganite to keep the deer out is not exactly a cheap proposition. Think it would be worth it?

What is purpose of milo? It comes up quick and make some cover, or what? Will it take if it's just broadcast, or does it need be bedded somehow? How would I go about getting it covered with peas already established?

Geetch

milo = milorganite in this case.

dilligaf84

Ive never had much luck getting the peas to come back after that much browse. In my opinion ICPs are more of a hunt plot than a feed plot because once they are found they are usually gone within a week or two. You'd probably need a 5acre plot to be able to withstand the constant browsing.

Panhandler80

Geetch wrote: »

milo = milorganite in this case.

Haha... Not my brightest moment.

gator4ever

This is why I don't plant peas of any kind. They will not come back.

micci_man

replant, still plenty of time for peas or soybeans to make it. If this plot is too far to check on a few times a week I wouldn't worry about it then.

capt louie

I think I planted too early. ICP did not come up and only the millet showed ? guess I need to replant next month. ?

Panhandler80

Y'all say too early but my whole goal was to provide some protein during gestation, fawn dropping and antler growth... not to hunt over.

My mistake was thinkimg that one acre would be enough to withstand browsing from an average density deer herd. When the milorganite kept them out for the first 30 days and plants had leaves galore, I thought it might last a while. Guess not. Maybe next year I'll try and plant when neighbors do so I'm not the only show in town.

capt louie

Panhandler80 wrote: »

Y'all say too early but my whole goal was to provide some protein during gestation, fawn dropping and antler growth... not to hunt over. .

What I was shooting for. Didn't "pan" out.

woodsrunner

On second thought about your situation I will change my opinion and agree with micci-man. You've got plenty of time.

And once again I'll "beat my drum and pound my tambourine" on a little trick that no one in the past has paid any attention to, but its a trick that WORKS!

Deer are by nature browsers like goats and not grazers like cattle. Grazing food plots like we're talking about will definitely attract them, but there are much better ways of getting nutrients into the deer's system than by food plots. On a rather rough scale deer need at least 12% or more of virtually all of the major and minor elements found in fertilizers. If you have a custom blend fertilizer source (farmer's feed-seed sources) get a custom blend of at least 15-15-15 or even a little higher, and make sure trace elements are included. (We used to think there were 8-9 trace elements needed, but now we know its more like 32!) Use this on food plots with about an equal amount of milogranet and apply it jointly. The sole purpose of the milogranet in the mix is the ODOR! This fertilizer, as I've said before, is the product of human sewage deposits from some of the major cities in the Upper Lake States where the heavy metals that require removal before use is much lower. The odor lingers for a while keeping the deer at bay. But a better method of getting nutrients into the deer is this:

If your lease will permit, take a chainsaw and cut down all small scrub hardwoods in about a half acre radius. Small scrub hardwoods like maybe 1 to 3-4 inches at the stump. Late winter, early spring is the best time, but any time will work ok, too. THEN---scatter some of the custom blend 15-15-15+ over the area at maybe a rate of 150-200 pounds per acre. The severed hardwood stumps will suck this fertilizer up like crazy and will re-sprout growth shoots that are loaded with what Whitetails really need. Its not all going to happen in one year, but in 2-4 years you'll have bigger bodied and more healthy deer, and--importantly--the bucks will be producing larger racks. Higher rates of the P205 element in fertilizer will put mass and size on antlers within a couple of years.

If you have bottomland hardwoods on your lease look these areas over and put some flagging tape on large White Oaks, especially Swamp White Oaks--and the larger Red Oak species too--and scatter the fertilizer blend around these trees out to just beyond the length of the limbs from the trunk at a rate of about a pound for every inch of diameter of the tree. Very early spring with a light (maybe half the above rate) scattering of fertilizer is best with a follow-up in late July thru August with the other half. This will promote forming acorns, and these acorns will be high in nutrient content. You will honestly see deer passing by other fallen acorns to get to those fertilized before consuming un-fertilized acorns. You can pull deer during the hunting season to specific areas by doing this.