I know it's off topic but I was just watching one of your hunts from 2006 where you killed a heavy tall narrow monster buck and took the kids out after dark to recover it, and was reminded of how great a gentleman and sportsman and ambassador for hunting that you are and have always been. Thank you so much for your commitment to being a class act in the hunting industry. Good luck this season Bill!
Thank you very much for that comment. It was one of my most memorable hunts because of the family's involvement. By the way, Nick Mundt filmed that hunt before he was part of the Bone Collector team. He was (and still is) a great friend though I rarely see him now. Have a great day.
Great advice! I have about 14 acres of corn/beans, 2 1/2 acres of clove/chicory and 2 acres of brassicas and all the browse and acorns the deer have all they need. Great video as always! Have a great Memorial Day week end🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
I'm still working on building the soil on my WV mountain property, so I've been using a summer and fall soil builder blend. The summer blend is about 40 percent sorghum, and I can say the deer absolutely love it. It's not the reason I plant it, it's a great way to add organic matter to the soil as their root mass is very large, but just an added benefit. As far as winter rye, with the late green up at my elevation, the deer just hammer it early spring as it's the only green available when all else is still brown. Even after the soil is built up, I will continue to add rye to my plots to give the herd just what they need coming out of winter.
That is a good system. I am starting to plant more sorghum. I think that is very much under-appreciated by people planting food plots. Have a great day.
It is our annual controversy lol, we did alternate rows of corn and beans but a large portion in the middle just soy beans, the sorghum as a boundry to plots , these videos help , so thanks for sharing your wisdom , i constantly tell my brother bill winke says ?? He just stares at me lol
Don, thanks for the comment and the support. I am going to plant corn, beans and sorghum this year and will learn more about what they like and when. I do think that there are even varieties of sorghum they prefer over others and I will test that too. Have a great day.
A spring planted Whitetail Institute Oats Plus under seeded by a fast growing annual clover makes a fabulous early to mid season plot. You can also use perennial clovers to establish a clover plot. Only down side that I have found so far is that it also attracts bears as they love both the clover and the oats. An added bonus is the turkeys also love both of these. My spring turkey this year was full of leftover oats and clover.
That is good advice. Fortunately, here in NE Iowa we don't have bears. The very rare wandering bear, but none that actually live here. Have a great day.
great advice !! hard to figure out why the deer didn't really hit the corn last season even here in georgia didn't eat the corn as much as in the past !!
One of my favorite tactics is to broadcast my greens into standing beans late summer. As the beans drop there leaves you have a lush carpet of greens in your standing soybeans. Works amazing. Winter wheat, winter rye, brassicas etc
Here in SE Kansas, in a normal year, the corn is harvested in August. Most of the scattered corn sprouts after the first rain on it. So, by late season it's long gone. I'm sure a corn plot would work down here, but it's gonna have to be a BIG plot to have anything left by mid-late December. On the other hand, wheat or rye, which is MUCH cheaper to plant, will draw deer in like crazy. It's not uncommon to see huge numbers of deer on wheat fields in the late season, nothing compares in drawing potential. This is the same reason wheat fields are the best hotspots for sheds a couple months later. Beans can be a big draw when it comes to plots, but once again, it's gonna have to be BIG to have anything left by late season.
Interesting. Yes, I have hunted KS some and the deer definitely love the fall sprouting winter wheat. I also saw them working harvested sorghum fields too. Alfalfa where it existed was also a big draw. Good luck.
Bill up until 3 years ago I would’ve argued that soybeans in the summer are the preferred food choice. Not anymore. In the summer of 2021, I had high hopes of seeing good bucks in a 40 acre bean field. This field was in a rotation of corn and beans every other year. I saw a few does, and some small bucks all during the summer. I could not figure out where all the deer we’re at. The farmer said he had turned an old cornfield into a new hay field using red and white clover along with alfalfa. It was only about a 10 acre field but I think every deer in the county was in it the first time I checked it out. This field is tucked back in against a block of timber and surrounded by a fence row with trees and a small creek lined with trees. Also with no roads anywhere close. Very secluded. There were so many deer in the field and a lot of them came out right at last light that I couldn’t even keep track of them all. Half of them were bucks. That whole summer you so very few deer in the bean field in that surrounding area. Thx for the video Dan
Yep, I have seen that too. One year the three acres below our house was in alfalfa. There were 42 bucks out there one night! Most nights there were at least 25. They came from a long ways away for that alfalfa. Good input.
Alex, it has worked well for me. I am trying two different varieties this year to see which they prefer. I will keep everyone posted. Have a great day.
Yes, that would be a good option, but you can't plant them every year. It is best to have a rotation. I would plant the brassicas this summer and then frost seed clover into it late winter. I would then have clover a couple years before killing the clover and tilling it under and planting brassicas again for one fall, etc. This rotation works well in small plots. Good luck.
I carry a bottle of absobine jr around with me it has a roll on spunge top. Very effective for gnats and sandflies. You can use it for your sore muscles too! 😄
That is good advice Keith. Mosquito repellent doesn't do anything for those gnats. Like I said, the only thing I have found that turns them is Bug Soother and you have to apply it about every hour to keep it fresh. I think it is aroma that either drives them away or confuses them.
As the various planting times come into season would you cover sorghum planting process. I’ve never planted it as a food source and you’ve got me interested? Thank you
I would need to do that fairly soon as the ideal time in the Midwest is around early June. It is pretty easy to plant. The biggest challenge with sorghum is weed control as I have not found a Roundup or herbicide tolerant sorghum that allows you to remove grass. (Sorghum is in the grass family). Good luck.
As with most things in life, variables set the equation... adaptability - the unspoken universal law - dismiss it or embrace at your own peril lol!!! Appreciate the insights here Bill.
Agree. Would take an hour long episode to go into all the variables in this one - and even then I would only be scratching the surface! Have a great day.
They definitely eat it. Maybe not as heavily as they do corn and beans, but they definitely eat it. I like the fact that they won't touch it in the summer so you are sure to have fall food.
Hey Bill, where do acorns fall into the deer's preference/nutrition? We have lot's of water and white oaks in Alabama, and deer LOVE white oak acorns here.
Clay, I believe they rank above anything else. At least that is what I saw last fall when the deer ate acorns instead of my food plots. The only thing they may like better than acorns in October and November is soybeans. Not sure on that, but my deer definitely prefer acorns over corn. Good luck.
Gary, there is a lot of information out there on how to do that. Usually you have to kill what's there and get it into shape first. Remove small saplings, level things out, etc. In my experience, it is easiest to do that by spraying and then burning the residue off in the spring. Take a look at what you have to work with at that point. Hopefully it is smooth enough that you don't need to do a bunch of dirt work. You can then plant clover and see how it does. If it fails to take, you can plant brassicas (turnips, etc. - I like the Winter-Greens from Whitetail Institute - the deer here really seem to like them) in July/August. Again, there is a lot of information out there. I even did a video on how to create the plots without equipment. You can see that here: th-cam.com/video/D9b-TvWxJ-I/w-d-xo.htmlsi=pTiR5kKDuSSbS93y
Bill i am 42yo and i have been watching ur shows since i was a kid and watching now i can only hope i am half as good at trying to do the stuff u do. Plots, takin trophies, the whole nine yards. U are a great inspiration. I have a question for my going on now three yr trial plot. I only have 10acres of my own property with mainly timber/ creek and i have 1/2 acres i have put into beans. Tried corn, pearl millet and beans this summer and the millet came up great beans were short but think choked out. I have couple bags of boss buffet, which is a blend of wheat,oats, cow peas, turnips, and a couple other fall plant that id like to plant for fall. Should i just broadcast it into what i have planted or mow a bit of it down and then plant it. And when should i put it in the ground? I am in North Central Oklahoma. Any advice id greatly appreciate sir.
John, I appreciate the comment and the years of support. Thanks. In your situation, I would definitely kill part of the plot to plant the fall blend. That probably means spraying it with some kind of glyphosate herbicide (RoundUp is one option). Then you should either till it up before spreading the seed blend or (if you aren't going to till) spread the seed and then mow the plot to work the seed down to the ground and cover it with residue that will help hold moisture. In your area, I would try to have that blend planted by late August. Good luck.
Normally, late May/early June. Get the soil temp in the mid-sixties first (if possible). I like to drill it, but you can for sure broadcast as long as you till the ground first and then drag the seed in (birds will hammer it if you leave it on top of the ground). Keep the rate at around 10 pounds per acre for broadcasting. If drilling drop down to around 8 pounds per acre. Good luck.
Hey Bill alittle off subject but me and my family are going to be on vacation next week. Going to swing through Iowa a couple days in southeast to check out the hype. Any suggestions to check out?
Southeast Iowa has Shimek State Forest otherwise lots of private land. Tons of big deer killed there, but mostly on private land. The Mississippi River bluffs aren't as pretty in SE Iowa as in NE Iowa because they aren't as steep so there are less "tourist" attractions there. I would not call SE the prettiest part of Iowa, but there are a few attractions. Have a great trip.
You didn't discuss fruit trees as part of your "food plot" strategy. Was that by design. Do you consider that something totally different? Just curious since I've incorporated those into my strategy. Thanks.
I consider those a different project. I look at food plots as those things you plant and cultivate regularly. For sure, fruit trees are a big part of any property. The farm we have now has hundreds of wild apple trees that produce tons (many tons) of apples. The deer can't even eat it all - or just choose other things instead. They definitely eat them, but they don't wipe them out. Good luck.
They are starting to. I looked at them a couple of days ago, but they aren't showing many tiny apples yet. I think it is still too early for that here.
Agreed, and I like the fact that you can broadcast the Winter-Greens right into them in the late summer and get two crops in that plot each fall. Good luck.
I know it's off topic but I was just watching one of your hunts from 2006 where you killed a heavy tall narrow monster buck and took the kids out after dark to recover it, and was reminded of how great a gentleman and sportsman and ambassador for hunting that you are and have always been. Thank you so much for your commitment to being a class act in the hunting industry. Good luck this season Bill!
Thank you very much for that comment. It was one of my most memorable hunts because of the family's involvement. By the way, Nick Mundt filmed that hunt before he was part of the Bone Collector team. He was (and still is) a great friend though I rarely see him now. Have a great day.
Great advice! I have about 14 acres of corn/beans, 2 1/2 acres of clove/chicory and 2 acres of brassicas and all the browse and acorns the deer have all they need. Great video as always! Have a great Memorial Day week end🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
Thanks for the comment and the input. That sounds like a great mix of food sources. Have a great week also.
I'm still working on building the soil on my WV mountain property, so I've been using a summer and fall soil builder blend. The summer blend is about 40 percent sorghum, and I can say the deer absolutely love it. It's not the reason I plant it, it's a great way to add organic matter to the soil as their root mass is very large, but just an added benefit. As far as winter rye, with the late green up at my elevation, the deer just hammer it early spring as it's the only green available when all else is still brown. Even after the soil is built up, I will continue to add rye to my plots to give the herd just what they need coming out of winter.
Same here in IL. Rye, crimson and balsana clover is putting organic matter and nutrients in my plots.
That is a good system. I am starting to plant more sorghum. I think that is very much under-appreciated by people planting food plots. Have a great day.
It is our annual controversy lol, we did alternate rows of corn and beans but a large portion in the middle just soy beans, the sorghum as a boundry to plots , these videos help , so thanks for sharing your wisdom , i constantly tell my brother bill winke says ?? He just stares at me lol
Don, thanks for the comment and the support. I am going to plant corn, beans and sorghum this year and will learn more about what they like and when. I do think that there are even varieties of sorghum they prefer over others and I will test that too. Have a great day.
A spring planted Whitetail Institute Oats Plus under seeded by a fast growing annual clover makes a fabulous early to mid season plot. You can also use perennial clovers to establish a clover plot. Only down side that I have found so far is that it also attracts bears as they love both the clover and the oats. An added bonus is the turkeys also love both of these. My spring turkey this year was full of leftover oats and clover.
That is good advice. Fortunately, here in NE Iowa we don't have bears. The very rare wandering bear, but none that actually live here. Have a great day.
great advice !! hard to figure out why the deer didn't really hit the corn last season even here in georgia didn't eat the corn as much as in the past !!
Did you have a lot of acorns? We were loaded up with them in the Midwest.
One of my favorite tactics is to broadcast my greens into standing beans late summer. As the beans drop there leaves you have a lush carpet of greens in your standing soybeans. Works amazing. Winter wheat, winter rye, brassicas etc
Agree. That is what I do also and one of the main reasons I like soybeans vs other grain options. Good input.
Under-neth seeding brassicas into a cultivated corn crop works well if you can bend over far enough to get your seeder under the canopy.
Here in SE Kansas, in a normal year, the corn is harvested in August. Most of the scattered corn sprouts after the first rain on it. So, by late season it's long gone. I'm sure a corn plot would work down here, but it's gonna have to be a BIG plot to have anything left by mid-late December. On the other hand, wheat or rye, which is MUCH cheaper to plant, will draw deer in like crazy. It's not uncommon to see huge numbers of deer on wheat fields in the late season, nothing compares in drawing potential. This is the same reason wheat fields are the best hotspots for sheds a couple months later. Beans can be a big draw when it comes to plots, but once again, it's gonna have to be BIG to have anything left by late season.
Interesting. Yes, I have hunted KS some and the deer definitely love the fall sprouting winter wheat. I also saw them working harvested sorghum fields too. Alfalfa where it existed was also a big draw. Good luck.
Bill up until 3 years ago I would’ve argued that soybeans in the summer are the preferred food choice. Not anymore. In the summer of 2021, I had high hopes of seeing good bucks in a 40 acre bean field. This field was in a rotation of corn and beans every other year. I saw a few does, and some small bucks all during the summer. I could not figure out where all the deer we’re at. The farmer said he had turned an old cornfield into a new hay field using red and white clover along with alfalfa. It was only about a 10 acre field but I think every deer in the county was in it the first time I checked it out. This field is tucked back in against a block of timber and surrounded by a fence row with trees and a small creek lined with trees. Also with no roads anywhere close. Very secluded. There were so many deer in the field and a lot of them came out right at last light that I couldn’t even keep track of them all. Half of them were bucks. That whole summer you so very few deer in the bean field in that surrounding area. Thx for the video
Dan
Yep, I have seen that too. One year the three acres below our house was in alfalfa. There were 42 bucks out there one night! Most nights there were at least 25. They came from a long ways away for that alfalfa. Good input.
Would really like to try out sorghum one of these years for some late season grains
Alex, it has worked well for me. I am trying two different varieties this year to see which they prefer. I will keep everyone posted. Have a great day.
Most down to earth person in the outdoor industry imo.
Thanks for the comment and the support Rich. Much appreciated.
If you had a 1/4 acre opening in the woods next to grain field could you plant a brassica there as a transitional food plot?
Yes, that would be a good option, but you can't plant them every year. It is best to have a rotation. I would plant the brassicas this summer and then frost seed clover into it late winter. I would then have clover a couple years before killing the clover and tilling it under and planting brassicas again for one fall, etc. This rotation works well in small plots. Good luck.
Also when planting sorghum what is the best time of the year to plant it? I'm just across the river from you in Wisconsin
I would say early June. It likes a soil temperature in the mid 60s. Good luck.
I carry a bottle of absobine jr around with me it has a roll on spunge top. Very effective for gnats and sandflies. You can use it for your sore muscles too! 😄
That is good advice Keith. Mosquito repellent doesn't do anything for those gnats. Like I said, the only thing I have found that turns them is Bug Soother and you have to apply it about every hour to keep it fresh. I think it is aroma that either drives them away or confuses them.
As the various planting times come into season would you cover sorghum planting process. I’ve never planted it as a food source and you’ve got me interested? Thank you
I would need to do that fairly soon as the ideal time in the Midwest is around early June. It is pretty easy to plant. The biggest challenge with sorghum is weed control as I have not found a Roundup or herbicide tolerant sorghum that allows you to remove grass. (Sorghum is in the grass family). Good luck.
As with most things in life, variables set the equation... adaptability - the unspoken universal law - dismiss it or embrace at your own peril lol!!! Appreciate the insights here Bill.
Agree. Would take an hour long episode to go into all the variables in this one - and even then I would only be scratching the surface! Have a great day.
How do the deer like the sorghum in the winter?
They definitely eat it. Maybe not as heavily as they do corn and beans, but they definitely eat it. I like the fact that they won't touch it in the summer so you are sure to have fall food.
Hey Bill, where do acorns fall into the deer's preference/nutrition? We have lot's of water and white oaks in Alabama, and deer LOVE white oak acorns here.
Clay, I believe they rank above anything else. At least that is what I saw last fall when the deer ate acorns instead of my food plots. The only thing they may like better than acorns in October and November is soybeans. Not sure on that, but my deer definitely prefer acorns over corn. Good luck.
Here in central ky most of our untilled ground naturally grows white and red clover,
That is nice. Makes it a lot easier to create deer food.
Need help with our new place we bought. Want to turn my back field in food plot and advice
Gary, there is a lot of information out there on how to do that. Usually you have to kill what's there and get it into shape first. Remove small saplings, level things out, etc. In my experience, it is easiest to do that by spraying and then burning the residue off in the spring. Take a look at what you have to work with at that point. Hopefully it is smooth enough that you don't need to do a bunch of dirt work. You can then plant clover and see how it does. If it fails to take, you can plant brassicas (turnips, etc. - I like the Winter-Greens from Whitetail Institute - the deer here really seem to like them) in July/August. Again, there is a lot of information out there. I even did a video on how to create the plots without equipment. You can see that here: th-cam.com/video/D9b-TvWxJ-I/w-d-xo.htmlsi=pTiR5kKDuSSbS93y
Bill i am 42yo and i have been watching ur shows since i was a kid and watching now i can only hope i am half as good at trying to do the stuff u do. Plots, takin trophies, the whole nine yards. U are a great inspiration. I have a question for my going on now three yr trial plot. I only have 10acres of my own property with mainly timber/ creek and i have 1/2 acres i have put into beans. Tried corn, pearl millet and beans this summer and the millet came up great beans were short but think choked out. I have couple bags of boss buffet, which is a blend of wheat,oats, cow peas, turnips, and a couple other fall plant that id like to plant for fall. Should i just broadcast it into what i have planted or mow a bit of it down and then plant it. And when should i put it in the ground? I am in North Central Oklahoma. Any advice id greatly appreciate sir.
John, I appreciate the comment and the years of support. Thanks. In your situation, I would definitely kill part of the plot to plant the fall blend. That probably means spraying it with some kind of glyphosate herbicide (RoundUp is one option). Then you should either till it up before spreading the seed blend or (if you aren't going to till) spread the seed and then mow the plot to work the seed down to the ground and cover it with residue that will help hold moisture. In your area, I would try to have that blend planted by late August. Good luck.
@@bill-winke excellent. Thank u so much for the feed back Bill. Best of luck to u and ur daughter.
@billwinke when do you plant sorghum in Midwest? I’m in SE MN so just an hour north of you. Also will broadcasting it work vs drilling it?
Normally, late May/early June. Get the soil temp in the mid-sixties first (if possible). I like to drill it, but you can for sure broadcast as long as you till the ground first and then drag the seed in (birds will hammer it if you leave it on top of the ground). Keep the rate at around 10 pounds per acre for broadcasting. If drilling drop down to around 8 pounds per acre. Good luck.
Hey Bill alittle off subject but me and my family are going to be on vacation next week. Going to swing through Iowa a couple days in southeast to check out the hype. Any suggestions to check out?
Southeast Iowa has Shimek State Forest otherwise lots of private land. Tons of big deer killed there, but mostly on private land. The Mississippi River bluffs aren't as pretty in SE Iowa as in NE Iowa because they aren't as steep so there are less "tourist" attractions there. I would not call SE the prettiest part of Iowa, but there are a few attractions. Have a great trip.
@@bill-winke thanks for the insight, always enjoy your content
You didn't discuss fruit trees as part of your "food plot" strategy. Was that by design. Do you consider that something totally different? Just curious since I've incorporated those into my strategy. Thanks.
I consider those a different project. I look at food plots as those things you plant and cultivate regularly. For sure, fruit trees are a big part of any property. The farm we have now has hundreds of wild apple trees that produce tons (many tons) of apples. The deer can't even eat it all - or just choose other things instead. They definitely eat them, but they don't wipe them out. Good luck.
How are your apples doing? They set fruit?
They are starting to. I looked at them a couple of days ago, but they aren't showing many tiny apples yet. I think it is still too early for that here.
Dream Big brother 🙏
Thanks Edward. Same to you.
The beans can be both greens and grain, my #1 choice. Alfalfa/ clover second.
Agreed, and I like the fact that you can broadcast the Winter-Greens right into them in the late summer and get two crops in that plot each fall. Good luck.
I plant my green grains in August, I don’t plant summer food.
Hopefully the deer find plenty of native browse during the summer, but otherwise that is a good plan.
@@bill-winke yes i have multiple areas of hinge cuts, and Ive done 2 TSI projects in the last 6 years, I've opened up the canopy quite a bit. Thanks