We manage DEER food plots for TURKEYS

In this video, @DrDisturbance gives a step by step on how to balance your fall deer plots to increase turkey productivity in the spring. Note that the seed blend can be adjusted to suit your individual needs but we recommend that the cereal grain be secondary to the crimson clover. Also, crimson is preferable because it senesces early and allows desirable forbs to colonize to support brooding. If your undesirable weeds are forbs, you can change the initial planting to be wheat and oats without the clover to use broadleaf selective herbicides. Always make sure you follow the label on herbicide applications!
Check out these episodes of Wild Turkey Science for an in depth discussion of brood field management!
Brooding and nesting cover (Part 1/2): • Brooding and nesting c...
Brooding and nesting cover (Part 2/2): • Brooding and nesting c...
Donate to wild turkey research: www.uff.ufl.ed...
Dr. Marcus Lashley (DrDisturbance) / drdisturbance
UF DEER Lab (ufdeerlab) / ufdeerlab
Wild Turkey Science: • Wild Turkey Science
Edited by Charlotte Nowak

[@redlineoutdooradventures4863]

Thanks for all of the recent turkey info and podcasts. When you plant the second season, do you disc all of the forbs under or just broadcast the fall seeds into the standing forbs?

[@ufdeerlab]

We appreciate the support! In the example in this video, we disked in the fall to prep for planting as usual. However, I have used light disking to stimulate the crimson and top sewed wheat before as well. That can work well and is a great way to manage the plots as long as you continue to get desirable forbs responding in the spring. We have kept crimson going without replanting for many years in several plots.

[@BlackEagleFeather]

When is the big question? They do a great job of telling you what to do and not so great at being detailed on when and how to reach those objectives. I think they believe most of us have farmed and hunted all of our lives. You've got to break this down step by step. In May do this, then cut, then after you see this spray this, then wait until August and cut again or some type or landmarks that tell you when to act to reach the objective.

[@ufdeerlab]

Thanks for the feedback. We are trying to cover all the bases and we cant get everything in one video. This video is an example with visualizations of how we took a fall food plot to a spring poult rearing plot (which many people have been asking for us to do). For in depth discussion on specifics of how to do with each problem you may face and when to address them we linked two of our other videos in the caption. Those are the most in-depth specific step by step resources that we are aware of and should provide you the "when".

[@BlackEagleFeather]

@ufdeerlab thank you! I watch all of the podcasts and love the work yall do. I own 150 acres in middle GA and I have opportunity to incorporate much of this. Still have a healthy but declining turkey population. The question I hear the most is what is brood cover? How do I create and maintain it?