Deer love the ryegrass I plant in late July. By Oct 1 they are all over it. They’ll eat it right through December. Nothing else grows as well in the shade. I have ag fields all around and they still hit this even before the fields are harvested.
I hunt in west central Arkansas. Thanks for the rye grain recommendation. The rye held my soil all winter long and provided a great source of food for the deer. I plant red clover too. The rye grain and red clover are growing like crazy right now. The deer are eating it good.
The one place where I had luck with a blend with ryegrass (which was a cow feed variety, not a lawn variety) was when it was mixed with clovers... it grew faster than the clovers in a shady plot and helped them establish... I went back into the plot in year 2 and sprayed the grass out with a grass-only herbicide and have one of the best clover plots I've ever established... maybe not the most cost effective companion crop but it did work well in this case
What works even better than ryegrass in that situation is a full planting oats or rye grain, with clover, during a late Summer planting. Or Brassicas. Them you have the full benefits of fast growing annual cool season crops, and can establish clover at a time when it will fight off any drought the following year. There is always something better than ryegrass...even if it 1/2 works.
Some mixes have an annual rye that deer actually like. Italian rye is one type. I have planted winter rye in small plots and the deer wouldn't touch it.
Absolutely correct! Rye Grass is junk but some people plant it because it's cheep! I would only recommend it where nothing else would grow but also discourage it!
Had great luck with rye grain in fall and clover in spring. No ag in my area just timber. Going to expand food plots this season do more micro food plots keep deer filtering thru
You really have to get lucky to broadcast rye into clover and get it to grow. If the clover is too thick, it shades out the rye germination and kills it. So the clover has to be really browsed down, short, soil exposed and absolutely no way the rye germination can be shaded out. So that's a tough call in most areas. You either need to be in a non ag area, have small plots, experience drought...but it's definitely a strategy you can't count on every year unless the.abive conditions persist. In some areas that may take place 5% of the time...in some locations 70%. But not a blanket tactic that can be universally recommended without a high degree of failure/risk.
I have to say, never seen deer eat my lawn grass however at times I have seeded annual rye on my garden plot and they love the first fresh 8” sprouts in November. As far as perennial rye i agree w jeff but a small percentage of annual rye is a quick shot of green and fixes moisture and nitro in the roots and stabilizes the ground, this is why annual rye is always sown with fescue or in a contractor blend to stop erosion as quickly as possible.
Jeff, im in west NC on the line just inside the blue-ridge mountain region, I have noticed allot of your tips and content is specific to northern mid west, for example winter wind is not a factor in buck bedding here cause the temp rarely gets below 20f and we dont have kousa dogwoods, don’t have heavy snows, rarely have more than 8” per year and usually cause of temp variation it melts quickly, in my part of my state there is very little legitimate grain farming, way more evergreen and decorative shrub farming therefore soybeans may be a way better attractant. With all this being said can u give us east coastal state guys a special video with specific tips or can u point me to someone you like that is based more towards my area?
Jeff......thanks for explaining the difference between rye grass and rye grain. As I speak to food plotters, many think they are the same. As you pointed out rye grass is useless as a deer food source.
Whitetail Habitat Solutions I have a high fence and have planted big boss ryegrass for years. It is highly palatable, easily digestible and high in protein. Have you ever had any experience with this particular type?
You are right on with the ryegrass, but saying all ryegrass is the same is like saying an F150 is the same as a Peterbuilt because they are both trucks. There are turf type ryegrass and forage type ryegrass that deer love. I also agree that there is turf type ryegrass as filler in most food plot mixes. The forage varieties are worth investigating. They have become a recent staple on many dairy farms because the yield and quality are excellent. Extremely high sugar content & digestibility.
Oh for sure...still all junk tho for deer food olots tho. More like debating an f150 vs a Peterbuilt vs a Chevy Duramax...when the space only allows for a compact car.
Jeff, there is a huge difference between turf-type perennial ryegrass and forage type ryegrasses, and in the world of forage ryegrasses you can have annual types, bi annuals are also known as Italian ryegrass, intermediate type (live about 3 to 4 years) and perennial forage types. there are diploid and tetraploids in the forage ryegrasses as well. I can also tell you this when it comes to feed value forage ryegrass make a lot of protein and are very high in sugar if you chose the right ones. They are not cheap. the most important thing when it comes to using ryegrass is getting it planted at the right time. the rest of your video I agree with and really agree with the higher planting rates.
@@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751 I will disagree. Anytime someone condemns an entire specie I have to question all of their information. Troy is correct in the fact that there are different types, and the higher sugar ryegrasses are extremely favored by deer. Do you reach out to forage companies and trial all the new products?
I'd not seen this one somehow. Good tip. Ryegrass is the cool-season version of Bermuda grass, so unless you're grazing cattle - it no bueno. Dry weather has us behind schedule, but we're looking to put in a mix of iron clay cowpeas, winter hardy rye and Arrowleaf clover on the ground before the next stormfront....if we get one. But pretty pumped to get the show on the road.
@Whitetail Habitat Solutions - Hi, and boy am I super glad to have found this channel. I will get right to it. I live in southern Indiana and have a nice piece of property with lots of deer which I purchased early last year, but it is a mixture of hills valleys, and lots of bottlenecks :) There are some places where there is only about half an acre to 3/4 an acre of flat land, but the woods were logged last year. As part of that, we cleared a lot of canopy so that we could grow plots in the middle of the woods. We had a PH of 5.4, but now we have a PH of 6.8 which we are happy to have gotten the soil to for this year. Basically, I planted a White clover + chicory mix from BioLogic. Since that is now complete/done before having found this channel, what can I do to prepare these two plots for spring, summer and going into the fall? The great thing about these plots are that they are situated to be where the deer are already going to Ag fields of corn or soybean. We are stopping them before they get there, or minimally, we are at least giving them some green to eat on and they are near the "deer highways" we have in our woods. Can you give me a combination of oats, beans and peas we should plant near august 7th to 15th or whatever other combos we should use? Should we stick with the clover until it gets well established? Should we do something other than the clover? We get plenty of sunlight now, but I want to use your advice to do the best we can for these plots. We have implemented a watering hole and "licking stick" today as you suggest in your other videos. We can do whatever is best, and funds aren't currently an issue to change things as needed, etc. Thank you for making your wealth of knowledge available to the plebs like me! I plan to buy your book too!
I have been devouring your videos, and I for one appreciate the information you provide in them. Your logic of not feeding the deer during their plentious summer times seems reasonable to me. Since I have already put clover in, as mentioned above, should I just wait until the August planting time to "redo" these plots, or should I add to them somehow? This was planted before I found you, so what is done is done :)
I have heard that for over 20 years. I think different locations it could be very true. In south Mississippi I’ve seen the deer eat rye grass as well as non rye grass plots. As far as brassicas the deer aren’t touching them in our plots this year, however in the past I’ve seen them eat to the ground and same thing 2 miles away was knee high. Simply soil and fertilizer quality and location.
What’s your opinion on hairy vetch? I was given a bag at a local coop that had gotten wet, 95% of the seed was still good, I planted it with my fall blend, wheat, cereal rye, triticale, and oats. Came up really good but I couldn’t tell if they are eating it or not. Plus we’ve had one heck of an acorn drop this year so they are hammering those.
Almost every big box store , tracktor supply, etc has rye grass seed. Im waiting on my rye cereal to be delivered to the feed store but waiting til almost 3)4 through September to plant it . Im in south east Va, stays wet warm. I like this guy and show but seems all or most of his recommendations are for northern States
I wish i would have seen your videos before I purchased my millborn seed ranch hand mix, IDK if building a plot for my cows is any different but I have terrible sandy soil and their mix seemed like it worked to build and feed.
I used rye grass not for them to eat but to fertilize and weed control where my brassicas and such wouldn't grow. Makes a nice nurse grass. Make sure you kill it with some strong glyphosphate
Other would be seed coating. Sometimes this is good, but many food plot companies use it as a cheap filler to increase their profit margin. Clover & alfalfa should have about 33% seed coating to help with germination.
I only have a few open areas of maybe 1/2 to 2/3 acres each and I used rye grain, brassica and clover with 2 apple trees in 1 and 2 pear trees in another. The trees are still a few years from producing. What would be a better mix or is what I planted okay?
Thanks for the pointers. I'm from northern wisconsin and some of the stuff you mentioned that is "junk" is amazing up here where little to no agriculture exists though. I am not going to name the product because I don't advertise for free but could it be that certain plots just work better in other areas of the country?
Im a born farmer. My folks been farming for over 30yrs. A landowner once told me. His friend has a pet deer. If you give it a banana. It will eat it. But the 2nd banana. It won't eat it. Deer like eating wide variety of foods not just one. Soybeans. Deer feed em in the summer, fall, and late season. Clover. Deer feed em in spring summer and fall to late season depending on how much snow covers it.
The more I hear how bad it is, the more I want to try it. I had 2 floodings put in in 2007 and they seeded the top with something the deer liked quite a bit.
Hi Jeff I’m new to food plots, but I’ve watched many videos and try to learn from your videos. I have someone who lets me hunt on their property and are so gracious to let me plant an acre food plot . I planted Iron Clay Peas last year and the deer loved it. In September, I planted another plot with Winter Wheat and the deer loved it. It lasted into early archery season. I just limed again, fertilized and replanted yesterday with the Cow Peas again and plan to replant with Winter Wheat in September. The ph is good...6.5 .Can I throw winter wheat over the cow peas or do I need to crimp or mow the cow peas first. Any help for this rookie will be appreciated. Thanks
I checked a bag of crap I bought on sale from Tractor Supply last fall. 79% rye grass . 3 percent brassicas and 0 percent (actually says that) clover. On the front picture there is a beautiful dark green brassica plot. Man I feel stupid. Buying my own seeds from now on. Thx. Glad I didn’t plant it yet.
Don't have to feel stupid Roy! Good you are checking now...so many do not. As a side note another great sign that a mix is bad, is when it is mixing rye/wheat/oats with any brassica. The two needed to be planted 4-6 weeks apart and fight each other. Even if that ryegrass has been rye grain...still a bad mix with brassica. I'm just happy you are reading the labels now Roy! Will pay off for you, for sure...
Great video Jeff I’ve been watching your videos for a year now I’ve learned a lot I am going to be planting two one acre plots this year I was wondering what would be the best blend in Central Kentucky where there is no age where I hunt.
Deer is strange.l own a big farm here.l plant 4 food plots every yr ,same plots .sometimes they will eat good on one plot.walk threw the other one to get to the other one .always,always,always,put fertilizer after your seed come up .don't mix it together if you do half of it won't come up .the sweater it is the better they like it.astrian peas just like sugar.
Could you make a video on the different situations on where to put food and cover if the hunters access will be the same? Some examples, I think you might have stated once to put cover next to your neighbors and food more inside. If your neighbors hunt. Another time when someone was next to a golf course or some non-hunting facility. The opposite was recommended. I am just looking to make sure I have my facts straight since I don’t believe there has been a video on food and cover if hunter access will be neutral on placement.
Good Morning Jeff,, I have a area I will planting some cave in the rock switchgrass soon, the area is aprox 20yds by 80 yds. I was thinking about planting some pockets of food inside this and may do a spring planting and a fall planting in on those/ What would be a great food plot seed for these. Its sandy here, full sun . What are your thoughts? I already have clovers in a nearby plot and another plot that will get buckwheat early and fall blend later. Thanks for all your video's
It is a perennial...takes over and an extremely bad cover crop. Very dishonest if that is a strategy. It's really a cheap filler to provide a bunch of green.
Only if it was just a portion of an other wise quality food plot program...but yes. For example if you are were my neighbor and did that...and it was your only plot...I would already have the deer patterned in my food olots and land in August, September and October before you take the fence down and you would only see deer after dark. You have to have quality food plots to establish the pattern of use up until that time... So at times it works? But I would rather have corn first, and it would have to be part of an otherwise great food plot program to begin with.
I live in Missouri, and I have land over in Oklahoma. I can't visit the land very often, but I plan on making a deer plot. What seeds should I use? Whats the best way to get a food plot out there? I do plan on disking, cultipacking, spreading seed, and cultipacking.
Sounds great on the plans! You have to consider neighboring concerns, the soil type, number of deer, planting equipment, number of acres planted. Best to check out my food plot playlist and make sure of the concepts that fit your land. Way too much to discuss herm for example with my clients that is about an hour of conversation during the morning...
@@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751 thank you for answering my question! I do have another one though. This is the first time i'm making a food plot and i want to do your no plowing method. The weeds are really high because i've never touched them. Should I mow first and then spray or just spray?
The Hunterguy just spray then after it’s all dead add fertilizer lime and your rye grain and clover just before a rain !:) the dead grass will protect the seed( like a green house ) , I didn’t believe till I saw it last year
Thanks Jeff, Great video. In one of your other food plot videos you recommend over seeding the existing crop with 200 pounds of winter rye. Would this be the grain that you mentioned in this video? Versus the grass. I will be following your guidelines this summer for my plantings. Thanks!
Winter wheat, buck forage oats, winter rye (the grain) winter pea add alfalfa (red,ladino,white Dutch)clover plant in late august fertilize boom got early-mid-late season and even spring covered with high traffic high quality food for deer...plant it and prove me wrong that it isn’t the best for all hunting season long
Ok so I have seen wair sertain seed you throw right on top of the soil how in the world do you keep the birds out of it in a remote local ...or do you have any remedy ?
Damn it, I planted Imperial Whitetail Secret Spot there is a certain amount of what they call forage annual ryegrass. You say that ryegrass is a perennial and basically is a weed that will come back. Is there a difference between the two types. Great videos!
In Canada southeastern ontario region we harvest deer in the hardwoods where its thick cedar Bush, and our land is not even remotely close to farmland or ag field. I tried a mix last year that consisted of corn, oats, barley and molasses in spots. Had great bucks coming in daylight hours but bears came along and nearly ruined the season. I want to grow green, something that can handle growing in hards woods and not attract bears. Being so far away I cant always maintain the land. What would you recommend for hard woods that has moist land that would grow late summer to fall?
I ordered a blend through Crooked Bend seed that has a mix of Radish + Purple Top Turnip + Cereal Rye + Wheat + Crimson Clover. Is Cereal Rye the same as the rye you’re talking about in the video? It’s a 25lbs bag and says it can plant around 2 acres. Just looking for opinions! Thanks!
Good morning Jeff, I believe I have my switchgrass planting done for the year. I'm planning on spraying glyphosate and 2-4D on Sunday 4/26 for the last time over the seeds. I am wondering if I am trying to build the deer heard if I should plant food in the spring? I was originally just planning on following your no till system with buckwheat in June then spraying, smashing and planting August 1. I am also wondering what you would recommend for planting in shady areas on a trail through the woods? Another great video, thanks for all your hard work!
I have my buckwheat being shipped out now to get ready as well. As for the Spring plot, Jeff can answer better, but going from another of his videos, most areas offer plenty of food in spring, so any plot you provide is probably not going to add a ton of value like a Fall/Winter plot will. I thought about that myself, too. Jeff might correct me, but right now the only thing I`m thinking of planting in spring would be the buckwheat. It does provide great nutrition to the deer herd who may feed off it, but along with the other benefits to the land for weed suppression and land nutrition, that`s all I`m thinking of. I know I`m not Jeff, but hope that helps a little.
Morning Jeff, so the seed I’m looking at has 29% rye grass I should go the other direction? The WHS blend that Northwoods Whitetail has, is that a good year long plot? I’m thinking I would plant it now and replant in the fall? I’m in Northern Minnesota
I feel so stupid right now. I just bought 40 lbs of a blend called Hidden Spot, meant for shady areas like forest slopes. It is Ryegrass, red and white clover, balansa clover, forage chicory, and purple top turnip. It wasn't cheap either, I paid a bit over $100 not including shipping. I should have watched this first. I am tempted to use the seed at this point, on into August (site prep for now), but if you think its better to avoid the blend, it can just be a hundred dollar lesson. My parcel is only 10 acres, of which about 2 acres along the driveway in the woods will be food plot (there is an old logging trail in there).
Jeff I just ordered a bunch of seed from Northwoods whitetails for my destination plot, and I also ordered a few bags of seed from different companies promoted by other TH-cam channels just to test. I found the other seed companies all had near or over 50% rye GRASS! I am extremely impressed by the label on my Northwoods whitetails mixes, should I just throw the others out or would you recommend using them for an early planting to build the soil in those other plots before I replant with good seed in August?
Jerry very interesting and kind of sad too! Yes Northwoods has some very high quality seed. I also like your idea too...use the bad seed blends to plant and work into the soil before planting in late Summer. Make sure to kill that rye grass out before discing it in...it can be hard to get rid of!
@@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751 thanks Jeff! I had a bad feeling when I ordered the other two seed blends, but wanted to support some of these other podcasters I follow. My new rule ( that you could mention) is if they don't show the label on their website, don't order! I am trying to establish two new plots on really bad soil though so I figured the experiment wouldn't be a total waste
Another thing worth mentioning is that of the three companies I ordered from, Northwoods was the same price or cheaper than the others on some seeds, and the customer service was the best! John called me right away to confirm my shipping address and I had my seed in northern WI the next day! I will definitely be ordering more from him!
What’s your opinion on the “sweet” variety’s of ryegrass being offered in the “sweet spot by sugar seed” mix? They claim it’s a very high sugar ryegrass that deer love.
Do not spray the roads at all. The vegitation takes up moisture and you will magnify the problem. I like a road mix of grasses and you can mix in some clover too. Shade tolerant grass and clover. Can oversees 50#s of rye per acre too...then mow when 10-12" high.
Do you have any experience with domain outdoors LLC seed company?the property I hunt only allows for small food plots acre or less in about 4 select areas what do you recommend? Obviously being said proper pH and fertilization
Probably not - Ryegrass will at least hold the soil in place (no erosion), keep the soil from drying out (keeps the worms and bacteria living in the soil) and prevents it from being over taken by weeds. What he’s saying is don’t waste your money on PERENNIAL ryegrass seed for food plots (I know Whitetail Institute puts annual RG in their clover for a cover crop - which should die and never come back). Evolved Harvest blends nearly all use PRG so you see green and think it’s a good product. It matters on your goals: food plots, soil improvements, keeping a field from going fallow, stopping erosion, etc. Jeff is just pointing out once again (I think it’s the third video on the same subject this year - but always helpful to newbies) what to avoid for fall food plots. Like his recommendation that Sunn hemp is bad - it’s not a good fall plot and most commercial mixes use it as a buzz word, but if you aren’t planting it for a food plot, you can do a solid, thick spring stand to increase the nitrogen in your soil (beans, clover, alfalfa would too but then you’re getting deer hammering it before it produces enough N) and stops erosion - late July you kill it and incorporate it into the soil increasing your organic content as well as nitrogen. So it can be a great soil builder but it’s not a solid food plot option. If you plan to plant an area in fall plots, you should at least keep it mowed down so you’re not getting millions and millions of new weed seeds each spring/summer. I wouldn’t want to leave any plot bare dirt as top soil is precious and erosion’s a bitch. Hope that helps
Yes very much so...just mow and fertilizer the native Regen....much higher value, more diversity and a longer if window if use in most cases. Also it's expensive and difficult to fine because it is such low value...wouldn't even make sense that it was the only thing left and if so...still better options 😉
Jeff. I am considering planting Rye Grain in the 8 foot wide trails I have around the farm giving access to my stands on the outside edges of the woods. I am in Northern IL. so would this be a good idea and when is the best time to plant. I just sent off a few soil samples so I can prepare the ground first.
Ive been planting soybeans for years and never had a plot fail. They are a great plot base to add in other seed after your post spray. If your not using them in your plots you just missing out.
Agree, here in Illinois the deer tear them up. In fact, I still have deer in my harvested beans that were broadcast out of the back of the combine. I have found the best for deer, since they also really like the greens of the beans, is we also plant a late plot around July, so they have greens into the fall. Still broadcast your turnips, radishes, clovers etc, in them for an awesome fall plot.
When I went to my local feed store. I asked for winter rye. He said ag rye that gets 5 ft tall and I said no winter rye. One was 14$ for 100 lb and the one I got was 35$ for 50lb. New to the rye world I spread the high dollar rye in October. I’m not sure now which one I got. Assuming all rye grows in the winter now. You would think cereal rye would be easy to sell at a feed store. How can I tell which one from growth? I may be 24d before spring ugh
From Minnesota...sounds like you got winter rye for $35 - and October is a fine time to plant. You should be able to see it when the snow melts, it'll be one of the first things that green up.
We just had this rodeo in Waupaca Co. WI. There's a farm coop in Stephenson, price out ag lime. Ag lime won't run through your normal spreader, you need a drop spreader so might have to rent it, or has a farmer custom spread it for you.
Try searching my 2019 best food plot blend, or Ultimate No Till food plot system. Or check out my food plot playlist on this channel ☺️ Hours and hours of recommendations, strategies and how to.
Fall blend that has worked great for me... (per acre) 56 lbs - Rye Grain or Winter Wheat (I prefer Rye Grain) 64 lbs - Oats 3 lbs - Alice White Clover 5 lbs Forage Radish
So I know you focus a-lot on small parcels of land in your videos, and my question is are you able to have a sanctuary on such a piece like 80 acres. Knowing that every piece is different what is your take on deer sanctuary?
My average client has 100 acres...my own land I worked on for years was 260...another 195 and then down to 25 acres. Many clients have 300+ every year. All the same concepts for sure... 80 is small, actually ☺️ True sanctuaries should always include 50-75% of all land as a sanctuary. Check out this sanctuary video...what a sanctuary actually is and how to realistically create one... th-cam.com/video/FcL0-Pzqupg/w-d-xo.html
i am wanting to plant some food plots with different seed blends this year. i hunt normally in middle to south Georgia. What would be my best bet for a great all around seed blend or seed blends to plant for early to later months? Any suggestions are welcome!
Hey Bo! Another southerner here as well! South Carolina. Being the southern region, I`ve wondered that same thing. I know from the videos, Jeff is well versed up north. Not sure how much the regions will play into plot variations. Maybe he`s waiting for one of us to hire him to come down!
James Coombs over the years we’ve planted a lot of clover and buck forage oats and have had some success with it, but I’ll try anything if it means helping maintain and keep deer on our property from neighboring properties.
I live in oregon and my buddy has a couple hundred acres in eastern Oregon (Malheur National forest) the area has some of the best mule deer hunting in the state . We are debating on putting a food plot on the land . Any tips what to use there . There isn't a whole lot of info on food plots for this area ,most info is for mid west (white tail)any opinions would be greatly appreciated!
Is it ok to use ryegrass by itself? I've heard you using ryegrass in your food plots in other videos. I guess as long as it isn't included in a mix blend.
Another great video going to make my dad watch it, we go round and round on this subject I buy 95 percent of my seed from John komp Northwoods whitetails and have lost count the number of bucks killed of my plots sweet feast brasica blends are deer magnets in bow season, my dad's plot look like a weedy lawn that hasn't been mowed in 4 years but he saved 50 bucks tho hahaha
Amen to that Eric...great job! Unfortunately many, many seed companies just don't understand what they should plant or mix together. Some know and either want a cheap filler or buzzwords on the package. I honestly believe most don't have a clue tho...
I have great success with the triploid type ryegrass. It is very high in protein high in sugar highly palatable to deer. I think you might be stuck in 1990 with your thinking on this.
@@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751 I have been growing deer for forty plus years. I agree that some ryegrass is junk however I routinely use the triploid types with great success. I operated a hunting guide service until I retired last year. You either produce large numbers of quality deer or go broke. I produced large numbers of quality deer. Also have 15+ years of growing native whitetail deer in high fence. You really learn a lot about growing big deer when you are able to study them closely. If you want to really learn about growing big deer I recommend you study what the high fence folks do. They are the undisputed experts at growing giant deer. Doubt you will though.
Really not much? Clover and rye grain does ok, but even then if too much shade will always be low volume and poor value. Always trim trees to the south to promote at least 6-9 hours per day.
Unfortunately the #1 food plot failure in the country. I would estimate 90% are gone before the season begins and most do more damage for the deer herd due to a doe factory creation during the Summer, than the average hunter understands. It's an unfortunate plsnting the majority of the time, if a person has the experience level required to know better.
Ha, that wouldn't be accurate. Awesome to be a part of a team that values quality content and those within their fold. First Lite is top quality folks, some of the best brands in the hunting industry with the highest quality reach. Honored to be included as a leader of their whitetail team...so we can do things like this: www.firstlite.com/pages/fireside-chats#whitetail-hunting_managing-your-own-dirt Just a great, all around company with a team atmosphere and a value for high quality depth of content. Also able to be a part of the greatly expanding whitetail role. Was greatly appreciative that they reached out 😉
Winter rye, fall rye, rye grain...not ryegrass. Should be about $25 per 100#s. Looks more like rice...not grass seed. Rye grass is more like $35 per 50#s and grows like your lawn.
Just the good seeds...like the ones in my own 14 food plot seed blends, and other companies that carry quality seed blends like the ones we put together.
None of us is xsperts,we learn like everyone else.no deer are the same that's the fun of the hunt.my deer might not like what you plant.yours might like mine .you just have to find out ....l really think all of these plots are good plots .l really don't think l ever planted a bad one ...guit listening to everyone else and enjoy your hunt you will good.
Turkeys are easy to feed with native forage too...if a person really wants to feed turkeys during a time they actually need it...try to feed them during the dead if winter when there is a foot or two of snow pack. Turkeys live high in the hog right now ..same with every critter...not do much during the dead of winter. Unfortunately folks generally focus on trying to feed wildlife when the local habitat is already a 10 out of 10. Like now...
Clayton DoesIt he switched to first lite. Apparently had been talking to them for a few months. All sponsors for all channels should be taken with a grain of salt.
It's so confusing listening to all you " experts " on what and when to plant . I live in central Mississippi and I am trying to grow BIG bucks . I have watched hours of these videos and now I'm more confused than when i started this journey !
Your seeding rates are awfully heavy, particularly with peas and rye. Peas are only 50lbs to the acre for a pure stand and rye is 100lbs to the acre for a pure stand. Other than that, lots of good knowledge here. I plant food plots as a business and I have to talk a lot of people out of soybeans. I'll also challenge the clover comment, just because here in Pennsylvania the deer will hit the clover year round.
The best food plot out there for my 100 acres has been powerplant from whitetail institute. It has sun hemp in it and I do not agree with your statements. Maybe where you live, but southern indiana; its GOLD.
@@jeffwilson4758 wow, just got this notification. Beans, brown; sunflowers, normal; hemp, green; and It gets so thick that the deer are making tunnels in it. I plant it, 3-5 acres at a time and never hunt it. I hunt the passages and choke points between the plots. I recently put a few water holes in the plots amd it had drastically improved foraging.(with logs so mice, turtles, and frogs can get out)
I love your videos i do but you give mix messages all the time plant rye grass dont plant rye grass rye grass is good this video rye grass is bad the next video i mean come on dude get your stuff together bro LOVE YOU VIDEOS i just be confused some time
I've never once in giving food plot advice for a living for 15 years ..over 1000 food plot designs, over 100 TH-cam videos, over a dozen food plot magazine articles in 2 decades and over 150 online food plot articles...EVER recommended planting rye grass. I can say that with 100% certainty. Rye grain, winter rye, fall rye,annual eye...I have recommended planting more than anyone else online since the late 90s...but never, with 100% certainty have I ever recommended rye grass. And likely never will. Hope that clears things up for you 😉 sounds like you just need to listen..maybe a common theme...not listening...in your life? Or life is hard for you bud! 👍
🤣 I can guarantee I never said that...you really need to pay attention more in life! I've been food plotting since 1995 and have never actually planted a straight soybean plot 👍 Never.
Deer love the ryegrass I plant in late July. By Oct 1 they are all over it. They’ll eat it right through December. Nothing else grows as well in the shade. I have ag fields all around and they still hit this even before the fields are harvested.
I live in Alabama and Rye grass is the only thing that will grow in our wet soil. We use the cattle variety of rye grass and it works pretty well.
No
Agree 100% on the rye grass. I’ve been experimenting with food plots for 30 years and appreciated your honesty so much that I subscribed!
That is great to hear a out your experience...that's awesome! And thank you very much...really appreciate it!
I hunt in west central Arkansas. Thanks for the rye grain recommendation. The rye held my soil all winter long and provided a great source of food for the deer. I plant red clover too. The rye grain and red clover are growing like crazy right now. The deer are eating it good.
Nice...that sounds great EL! Make sure to mow that rye out now too and let the red clover come in. Time to kill the rye right now for sure ..
The one place where I had luck with a blend with ryegrass (which was a cow feed variety, not a lawn variety) was when it was mixed with clovers... it grew faster than the clovers in a shady plot and helped them establish... I went back into the plot in year 2 and sprayed the grass out with a grass-only herbicide and have one of the best clover plots I've ever established... maybe not the most cost effective companion crop but it did work well in this case
What works even better than ryegrass in that situation is a full planting oats or rye grain, with clover, during a late Summer planting. Or Brassicas. Them you have the full benefits of fast growing annual cool season crops, and can establish clover at a time when it will fight off any drought the following year. There is always something better than ryegrass...even if it 1/2 works.
I'm sooooo excited to plant my first ever food plot this year I can hardly wait! Thanks Jeff!
Some mixes have an annual rye that deer actually like. Italian rye is one type. I have planted winter rye in small plots and the deer wouldn't touch it.
Absolutely correct! Rye Grass is junk but some people plant it because it's cheep! I would only recommend it where nothing else would grow but also discourage it!
Had great luck with rye grain in fall and clover in spring. No ag in my area just timber. Going to expand food plots this season do more micro food plots keep deer filtering thru
You really have to get lucky to broadcast rye into clover and get it to grow. If the clover is too thick, it shades out the rye germination and kills it. So the clover has to be really browsed down, short, soil exposed and absolutely no way the rye germination can be shaded out. So that's a tough call in most areas. You either need to be in a non ag area, have small plots, experience drought...but it's definitely a strategy you can't count on every year unless the.abive conditions persist. In some areas that may take place 5% of the time...in some locations 70%. But not a blanket tactic that can be universally recommended without a high degree of failure/risk.
I have to say, never seen deer eat my lawn grass however at times I have seeded annual rye on my garden plot and they love the first fresh 8” sprouts in November. As far as perennial rye i agree w jeff but a small percentage of annual rye is a quick shot of green and fixes moisture and nitro in the roots and stabilizes the ground, this is why annual rye is always sown with fescue or in a contractor blend to stop erosion as quickly as possible.
Rye grain/winter rye/fall rye/annual rye is awesome...been using it and recommending it for over 20 years, every year. Love it! So true...
Jeff, im in west NC on the line just inside the blue-ridge mountain region, I have noticed allot of your tips and content is specific to northern mid west, for example winter wind is not a factor in buck bedding here cause the temp rarely gets below 20f and we dont have kousa dogwoods, don’t have heavy snows, rarely have more than 8” per year and usually cause of temp variation it melts quickly, in my part of my state there is very little legitimate grain farming, way more evergreen and decorative shrub farming therefore soybeans may be a way better attractant. With all this being said can u give us east coastal state guys a special video with specific tips or can u point me to someone you like that is based more towards my area?
Jeff......thanks for explaining the difference between rye grass and rye grain. As I speak to food plotters, many think they are the same. As you pointed out rye grass is useless as a deer food source.
Thanks Bob, hope that all is well!
Save some time, it's Rye grass seed.
Horrible stuff that should never be planted...just a junk, low value filler.
Whitetail Habitat Solutions I have a high fence and have planted big boss ryegrass for years. It is highly palatable, easily digestible and high in protein. Have you ever had any experience with this particular type?
@@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751 I think you mean low profit margin....
He speaks about rye grass and how terrible it is but has other videos of him planting winter rye grass. I’m so confused 🤔
@@wesblair77winter rye is a cereal rye, it’s very different from rye grass.
You are right on with the ryegrass, but saying all ryegrass is the same is like saying an F150 is the same as a Peterbuilt because they are both trucks. There are turf type ryegrass and forage type ryegrass that deer love. I also agree that there is turf type ryegrass as filler in most food plot mixes. The forage varieties are worth investigating. They have become a recent staple on many dairy farms because the yield and quality are excellent. Extremely high sugar content & digestibility.
Oh for sure...still all junk tho for deer food olots tho. More like debating an f150 vs a Peterbuilt vs a Chevy Duramax...when the space only allows for a compact car.
SC..my deer loves any kind of rye.when all your mixes ate down .these rye grasses still popeing up ..this yr all lm planting winter rye astrian peas.
Jeff, there is a huge difference between turf-type perennial ryegrass and forage type ryegrasses, and in the world of forage ryegrasses you can have annual types, bi annuals are also known as Italian ryegrass, intermediate type (live about 3 to 4 years) and perennial forage types. there are diploid and tetraploids in the forage ryegrasses as well. I can also tell you this when it comes to feed value forage ryegrass make a lot of protein and are very high in sugar if you chose the right ones. They are not cheap. the most important thing when it comes to using ryegrass is getting it planted at the right time. the rest of your video I agree with and really agree with the higher planting rates.
Of for I'm sure Troy...huge differences. Both junk for deer food plots tho ☺️ always a better choice...
@@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751 I will disagree. Anytime someone condemns an entire specie I have to question all of their information. Troy is correct in the fact that there are different types, and the higher sugar ryegrasses are extremely favored by deer. Do you reach out to forage companies and trial all the new products?
Again another great video. I picked up 200# of both buckwheat today for my May planting.
Nice...enjoy Robert ☺️ Thank you!
I'd not seen this one somehow. Good tip. Ryegrass is the cool-season version of Bermuda grass, so unless you're grazing cattle - it no bueno. Dry weather has us behind schedule, but we're looking to put in a mix of iron clay cowpeas, winter hardy rye and Arrowleaf clover on the ground before the next stormfront....if we get one. But pretty pumped to get the show on the road.
@Whitetail Habitat Solutions - Hi, and boy am I super glad to have found this channel. I will get right to it. I live in southern Indiana and have a nice piece of property with lots of deer which I purchased early last year, but it is a mixture of hills valleys, and lots of bottlenecks :) There are some places where there is only about half an acre to 3/4 an acre of flat land, but the woods were logged last year. As part of that, we cleared a lot of canopy so that we could grow plots in the middle of the woods. We had a PH of 5.4, but now we have a PH of 6.8 which we are happy to have gotten the soil to for this year.
Basically, I planted a White clover + chicory mix from BioLogic. Since that is now complete/done before having found this channel, what can I do to prepare these two plots for spring, summer and going into the fall? The great thing about these plots are that they are situated to be where the deer are already going to Ag fields of corn or soybean. We are stopping them before they get there, or minimally, we are at least giving them some green to eat on and they are near the "deer highways" we have in our woods.
Can you give me a combination of oats, beans and peas we should plant near august 7th to 15th or whatever other combos we should use? Should we stick with the clover until it gets well established? Should we do something other than the clover? We get plenty of sunlight now, but I want to use your advice to do the best we can for these plots. We have implemented a watering hole and "licking stick" today as you suggest in your other videos.
We can do whatever is best, and funds aren't currently an issue to change things as needed, etc. Thank you for making your wealth of knowledge available to the plebs like me! I plan to buy your book too!
I have been devouring your videos, and I for one appreciate the information you provide in them. Your logic of not feeding the deer during their plentious summer times seems reasonable to me. Since I have already put clover in, as mentioned above, should I just wait until the August planting time to "redo" these plots, or should I add to them somehow? This was planted before I found you, so what is done is done :)
I have heard that for over 20 years. I think different locations it could be very true. In south Mississippi I’ve seen the deer eat rye grass as well as non rye grass plots. As far as brassicas the deer aren’t touching them in our plots this year, however in the past I’ve seen them eat to the ground and same thing 2 miles away was knee high. Simply soil and fertilizer quality and location.
What’s your opinion on hairy vetch? I was given a bag at a local coop that had gotten wet, 95% of the seed was still good, I planted it with my fall blend, wheat, cereal rye, triticale, and oats. Came up really good but I couldn’t tell if they are eating it or not. Plus we’ve had one heck of an acorn drop this year so they are hammering those.
Almost every big box store , tracktor supply, etc has rye grass seed. Im waiting on my rye cereal to be delivered to the feed store but waiting til almost 3)4 through September to plant it . Im in south east Va, stays wet warm.
I like this guy and show but seems all or most of his recommendations are for northern States
I wish i would have seen your videos before I purchased my millborn seed ranch hand mix, IDK if building a plot for my cows is any different but I have terrible sandy soil and their mix seemed like it worked to build and feed.
I purchased a large amount of Imperial Whitetail Ambush for this year. It’s got a 5% fria annual ryegrass mix. Is 5% an issue?
It's just a filler? No it won't be too noxious at only 5%. What is the % of inert matter? Just curious!
Great information! Sir you are a gentleman and a scholar. Thank you. 🦌
I used rye grass not for them to eat but to fertilize and weed control where my brassicas and such wouldn't grow. Makes a nice nurse grass. Make sure you kill it with some strong glyphosphate
Glad to see your staying safe at home.I see blends that say other...What's that?The dust off the seed blend for weight??
Other would be seed coating. Sometimes this is good, but many food plot companies use it as a cheap filler to increase their profit margin. Clover & alfalfa should have about 33% seed coating to help with germination.
Legumes must have an inoculant seed coat in order to fix nitrogen. Waste of a crop if you don’t get free nitrogen from any legume planting
Dang good video and information, thanks for sharing your knowledge ✅💥✌️
I only have a few open areas of maybe 1/2 to 2/3 acres each and I used rye grain, brassica and clover with 2 apple trees in 1 and 2 pear trees in another. The trees are still a few years from producing. What would be a better mix or is what I planted okay?
What about the high sugar ryegrass? Is it better? I'm talking Sucra Seed / Sweet Spot
Thanks for the pointers. I'm from northern wisconsin and some of the stuff you mentioned that is "junk" is amazing up here where little to no agriculture exists though. I am not going to name the product because I don't advertise for free but could it be that certain plots just work better in other areas of the country?
Im a born farmer. My folks been farming for over 30yrs. A landowner once told me. His friend has a pet deer. If you give it a banana. It will eat it. But the 2nd banana. It won't eat it. Deer like eating wide variety of foods not just one. Soybeans. Deer feed em in the summer, fall, and late season. Clover. Deer feed em in spring summer and fall to late season depending on how much snow covers it.
The more I hear how bad it is, the more I want to try it. I had 2 floodings put in in 2007 and they seeded the top with something the deer liked quite a bit.
Definately with that attitude, it sounds perfect for you 👍
Hi Jeff
I’m new to food plots, but I’ve watched many videos and try to learn from your videos. I have someone who lets me hunt on their property and are so gracious to let me plant an acre food plot . I planted
Iron Clay Peas last year and the deer loved it. In September, I planted another plot with Winter Wheat and the deer loved it. It lasted into early archery season. I just limed again, fertilized and replanted yesterday with the Cow Peas again and plan to replant with Winter Wheat in September. The ph is good...6.5 .Can I throw winter wheat over the cow peas or do I need to crimp or mow the cow peas first.
Any help for this rookie will be appreciated.
Thanks
I checked a bag of crap I bought on sale from Tractor Supply last fall. 79% rye grass . 3 percent brassicas and 0 percent (actually says that) clover. On the front picture there is a beautiful dark green brassica plot. Man I feel stupid. Buying my own seeds from now on. Thx. Glad I didn’t plant it yet.
Don't have to feel stupid Roy! Good you are checking now...so many do not.
As a side note another great sign that a mix is bad, is when it is mixing rye/wheat/oats with any brassica. The two needed to be planted 4-6 weeks apart and fight each other. Even if that ryegrass has been rye grain...still a bad mix with brassica.
I'm just happy you are reading the labels now Roy! Will pay off for you, for sure...
Great video Jeff I’ve been watching your videos for a year now I’ve learned a lot I am going to be planting two one acre plots this year I was wondering what would be the best blend in Central Kentucky where there is no age where I hunt.
Why do you plant so much denser than a typical cover crop planting?
Deer is strange.l own a big farm here.l plant 4 food plots every yr ,same plots .sometimes they will eat good on one plot.walk threw the other one to get to the other one .always,always,always,put fertilizer after your seed come up .don't mix it together if you do half of it won't come up .the sweater it is the better they like it.astrian peas just like sugar.
Could you make a video on the different situations on where to put food and cover if the hunters access will be the same? Some examples, I think you might have stated once to put cover next to your neighbors and food more inside. If your neighbors hunt. Another time when someone was next to a golf course or some non-hunting facility. The opposite was recommended. I am just looking to make sure I have my facts straight since I don’t believe there has been a video on food and cover if hunter access will be neutral on placement.
Good Morning Jeff,, I have a area I will planting some cave in the rock switchgrass soon, the area is aprox 20yds by 80 yds. I was thinking about planting some pockets of food inside this and may do a spring planting and a fall planting in on those/ What would be a great food plot seed for these. Its sandy here, full sun . What are your thoughts? I already have clovers in a nearby plot and another plot that will get buckwheat early and fall blend later. Thanks for all your video's
Mark Meyer any idea why that stuff is selling for almost $600? I’m a newbie to food plots
Bill Lamont go to Ernst seeds online. They have it priced very competitive and had mine here in 3 days.
Its mainly a cover crop for the food plot is why its in there, not there to attract deer or wildlife, rye grass is for cover crop nothing else.
It is a perennial...takes over and an extremely bad cover crop. Very dishonest if that is a strategy. It's really a cheap filler to provide a bunch of green.
Everyone has different opinions
Would you consider beans with an electric fence, then top seeding over it with brassicas ? 2 acre plot.
Only if it was just a portion of an other wise quality food plot program...but yes. For example if you are were my neighbor and did that...and it was your only plot...I would already have the deer patterned in my food olots and land in August, September and October before you take the fence down and you would only see deer after dark. You have to have quality food plots to establish the pattern of use up until that time...
So at times it works? But I would rather have corn first, and it would have to be part of an otherwise great food plot program to begin with.
I live in Missouri, and I have land over in Oklahoma. I can't visit the land very often, but I plan on making a deer plot. What seeds should I use? Whats the best way to get a food plot out there? I do plan on disking, cultipacking, spreading seed, and cultipacking.
Sounds great on the plans! You have to consider neighboring concerns, the soil type, number of deer, planting equipment, number of acres planted. Best to check out my food plot playlist and make sure of the concepts that fit your land. Way too much to discuss herm for example with my clients that is about an hour of conversation during the morning...
@@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751 thank you for answering my question! I do have another one though. This is the first time i'm making a food plot and i want to do your no plowing method. The weeds are really high because i've never touched them. Should I mow first and then spray or just spray?
The Hunterguy just spray then after it’s all dead add fertilizer lime and your rye grain and clover just before a rain !:) the dead grass will protect the seed( like a green house ) , I didn’t believe till I saw it last year
Couldn't agree with you more on many of your subjects
Thanks Jeff, Great video. In one of your other food plot videos you recommend over seeding the existing crop with 200 pounds of winter rye. Would this be the grain that you mentioned in this video? Versus the grass. I will be following your guidelines this summer for my plantings. Thanks!
How do you feel on 7 card stud?
Winter wheat, buck forage oats, winter rye (the grain) winter pea add alfalfa (red,ladino,white Dutch)clover plant in late august fertilize boom got early-mid-late season and even spring covered with high traffic high quality food for deer...plant it and prove me wrong that it isn’t the best for all hunting season long
Ok so I have seen wair sertain seed you throw right on top of the soil how in the world do you keep the birds out of it in a remote local ...or do you have any remedy ?
I'm in Central Norhter Michigan By the 2 big lakes. What can I plant in the ground here for food plot. Its Sand
Damn it, I planted Imperial Whitetail Secret Spot there is a certain amount of what they call forage annual ryegrass. You say that ryegrass is a perennial and basically is a weed that will come back. Is there a difference between the two types. Great videos!
What type of seed would you recommend for a small woods plot in New York.
In Canada southeastern ontario region we harvest deer in the hardwoods where its thick cedar Bush, and our land is not even remotely close to farmland or ag field. I tried a mix last year that consisted of corn, oats, barley and molasses in spots. Had great bucks coming in daylight hours but bears came along and nearly ruined the season. I want to grow green, something that can handle growing in hards woods and not attract bears. Being so far away I cant always maintain the land. What would you recommend for hard woods that has moist land that would grow late summer to fall?
I ordered a blend through Crooked Bend seed that has a mix of Radish + Purple Top Turnip + Cereal Rye + Wheat + Crimson Clover. Is Cereal Rye the same as the rye you’re talking about in the video? It’s a 25lbs bag and says it can plant around 2 acres. Just looking for opinions! Thanks!
Good morning Jeff, I believe I have my switchgrass planting done for the year. I'm planning on spraying glyphosate and 2-4D on Sunday 4/26 for the last time over the seeds. I am wondering if I am trying to build the deer heard if I should plant food in the spring? I was originally just planning on following your no till system with buckwheat in June then spraying, smashing and planting August 1. I am also wondering what you would recommend for planting in shady areas on a trail through the woods? Another great video, thanks for all your hard work!
I have my buckwheat being shipped out now to get ready as well. As for the Spring plot, Jeff can answer better, but going from another of his videos, most areas offer plenty of food in spring, so any plot you provide is probably not going to add a ton of value like a Fall/Winter plot will. I thought about that myself, too. Jeff might correct me, but right now the only thing I`m thinking of planting in spring would be the buckwheat. It does provide great nutrition to the deer herd who may feed off it, but along with the other benefits to the land for weed suppression and land nutrition, that`s all I`m thinking of. I know I`m not Jeff, but hope that helps a little.
I don't know but I plant ryegrass and have great luck with it they won't hardly touch cereal ryegrass 🤷🏽♂️🤔
Morning Jeff, so the seed I’m looking at has 29% rye grass I should go the other direction? The WHS blend that Northwoods Whitetail has, is that a good year long plot? I’m thinking I would plant it now and replant in the fall? I’m in Northern Minnesota
You want zero ryegrass.
The WHS green blend is a late Summer food source...
I feel so stupid right now. I just bought 40 lbs of a blend called Hidden Spot, meant for shady areas like forest slopes. It is Ryegrass, red and white clover, balansa clover, forage chicory, and purple top turnip. It wasn't cheap either, I paid a bit over $100 not including shipping. I should have watched this first. I am tempted to use the seed at this point, on into August (site prep for now), but if you think its better to avoid the blend, it can just be a hundred dollar lesson.
My parcel is only 10 acres, of which about 2 acres along the driveway in the woods will be food plot (there is an old logging trail in there).
May as well use it. Just go ahead and plant it this year, but get something different next year
Jeff I just ordered a bunch of seed from Northwoods whitetails for my destination plot, and I also ordered a few bags of seed from different companies promoted by other TH-cam channels just to test. I found the other seed companies all had near or over 50% rye GRASS! I am extremely impressed by the label on my Northwoods whitetails mixes, should I just throw the others out or would you recommend using them for an early planting to build the soil in those other plots before I replant with good seed in August?
Jerry very interesting and kind of sad too! Yes Northwoods has some very high quality seed. I also like your idea too...use the bad seed blends to plant and work into the soil before planting in late Summer. Make sure to kill that rye grass out before discing it in...it can be hard to get rid of!
@@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751 thanks Jeff! I had a bad feeling when I ordered the other two seed blends, but wanted to support some of these other podcasters I follow. My new rule ( that you could mention) is if they don't show the label on their website, don't order! I am trying to establish two new plots on really bad soil though so I figured the experiment wouldn't be a total waste
Another thing worth mentioning is that of the three companies I ordered from, Northwoods was the same price or cheaper than the others on some seeds, and the customer service was the best! John called me right away to confirm my shipping address and I had my seed in northern WI the next day! I will definitely be ordering more from him!
Hmmm, I just bought a mix from WHS, Green Max traffic seed mix, and it is over 36% . Ryegrass varieties. Care to explain Jeff?
What’s your opinion on the “sweet” variety’s of ryegrass being offered in the “sweet spot by sugar seed” mix? They claim it’s a very high sugar ryegrass that deer love.
Any suggestions for drying out the extremely muddy logging roads we use to access our land?
Spray the roads to keep them clean so they will dry quicker
Hinge trees away from the trail to get more sun on it
Do not spray the roads at all. The vegitation takes up moisture and you will magnify the problem.
I like a road mix of grasses and you can mix in some clover too. Shade tolerant grass and clover. Can oversees 50#s of rye per acre too...then mow when 10-12" high.
Do you have any experience with domain outdoors LLC seed company?the property I hunt only allows for small food plots acre or less in about 4 select areas what do you recommend? Obviously being said proper pH and fertilization
So would it be better to plant nothing instead of rye grass?
Probably not - Ryegrass will at least hold the soil in place (no erosion), keep the soil from drying out (keeps the worms and bacteria living in the soil) and prevents it from being over taken by weeds. What he’s saying is don’t waste your money on PERENNIAL ryegrass seed for food plots (I know Whitetail Institute puts annual RG in their clover for a cover crop - which should die and never come back). Evolved Harvest blends nearly all use PRG so you see green and think it’s a good product. It matters on your goals: food plots, soil improvements, keeping a field from going fallow, stopping erosion, etc. Jeff is just pointing out once again (I think it’s the third video on the same subject this year - but always helpful to newbies) what to avoid for fall food plots. Like his recommendation that Sunn hemp is bad - it’s not a good fall plot and most commercial mixes use it as a buzz word, but if you aren’t planting it for a food plot, you can do a solid, thick spring stand to increase the nitrogen in your soil (beans, clover, alfalfa would too but then you’re getting deer hammering it before it produces enough N) and stops erosion - late July you kill it and incorporate it into the soil increasing your organic content as well as nitrogen. So it can be a great soil builder but it’s not a solid food plot option. If you plan to plant an area in fall plots, you should at least keep it mowed down so you’re not getting millions and millions of new weed seeds each spring/summer. I wouldn’t want to leave any plot bare dirt as top soil is precious and erosion’s a bitch. Hope that helps
Yes very much so...just mow and fertilizer the native Regen....much higher value, more diversity and a longer if window if use in most cases. Also it's expensive and difficult to fine because it is such low value...wouldn't even make sense that it was the only thing left and if so...still better options 😉
Jeff. I am considering planting Rye Grain in the 8 foot wide trails I have around the farm giving access to my stands on the outside edges of the woods. I am in Northern IL. so would this be a good idea and when is the best time to plant. I just sent off a few soil samples so I can prepare the ground first.
Ive been planting soybeans for years and never had a plot fail. They are a great plot base to add in other seed after your post spray. If your not using them in your plots you just missing out.
Agree, here in Illinois the deer tear them up. In fact, I still have deer in my harvested beans that were broadcast out of the back of the combine. I have found the best for deer, since they also really like the greens of the beans, is we also plant a late plot around July, so they have greens into the fall. Still broadcast your turnips, radishes, clovers etc, in them for an awesome fall plot.
When I went to my local feed store. I asked for winter rye. He said ag rye that gets 5 ft tall and I said no winter rye. One was 14$ for 100 lb and the one I got was 35$ for 50lb. New to the rye world I spread the high dollar rye in October. I’m not sure now which one I got. Assuming all rye grows in the winter now. You would think cereal rye would be easy to sell at a feed store. How can I tell which one from growth? I may be 24d before spring ugh
From Minnesota...sounds like you got winter rye for $35 - and October is a fine time to plant. You should be able to see it when the snow melts, it'll be one of the first things that green up.
@@percywearspurple yeah it was rye grass. Popped up fast. Pretty useless really other than to hold weeds back until I can plant buckwheat. Thanks bud
And I just planted throw and grow.. clover, Brassica, and tetraploid rye grass 🤦🏾♂️
So in another video you said to add 200 lb per acre winter rye over pea plot, around Labor Day. Is that different?
Emanuel Peachey winter rye...it’s a grain, not grass.
Yes, for sure! Rye grain is not rye grass. Rye grass is 4x more expensive than rye grain and is a perennial. Rye grain is an annual.
Thanks Jeff!
I'm going to try some black eyed peas and pinto beans with some clover just to see what happens this year
How do you feel about cowpeas in heavy blend. Trying to draw in more deer to my green field but having to deal with wild hogs as well
What type of beans oats and peas do you recommend for the one half of your plots ? Forage beans ? Austrian winter peas?
Morning Nic...the cheapest bean and the cheapest pea...just forage peas. No need to spend the extra on AWP.
Whitetail Habitat Solutions thanks. Always great waking up to your videos. Doesn’t get me to work any faster tho. See you in a few weeks.
Jeff I have a question I live in Menominee county in the UP I was wondering where to find bulk lime everywhere I've been calling is around 200$ a ton
We just had this rodeo in Waupaca Co. WI. There's a farm coop in Stephenson, price out ag lime. Ag lime won't run through your normal spreader, you need a drop spreader so might have to rent it, or has a farmer custom spread it for you.
For just a some several acre plots what would you recommend that I could use with a spreader that attracts deer and has good forage
Try searching my 2019 best food plot blend, or Ultimate No Till food plot system. Or check out my food plot playlist on this channel ☺️ Hours and hours of recommendations, strategies and how to.
Fall blend that has worked great for me... (per acre)
56 lbs - Rye Grain or Winter Wheat (I prefer Rye Grain)
64 lbs - Oats
3 lbs - Alice White Clover
5 lbs Forage Radish
So I know you focus a-lot on small parcels of land in your videos, and my question is are you able to have a sanctuary on such a piece like 80 acres. Knowing that every piece is different what is your take on deer sanctuary?
My average client has 100 acres...my own land I worked on for years was 260...another 195 and then down to 25 acres. Many clients have 300+ every year. All the same concepts for sure...
80 is small, actually ☺️ True sanctuaries should always include 50-75% of all land as a sanctuary. Check out this sanctuary video...what a sanctuary actually is and how to realistically create one...
th-cam.com/video/FcL0-Pzqupg/w-d-xo.html
i am wanting to plant some food plots with different seed blends this year. i hunt normally in middle to south Georgia. What would be my best bet for a great all around seed blend or seed blends to plant for early to later months? Any suggestions are welcome!
Hey Bo! Another southerner here as well! South Carolina. Being the southern region, I`ve wondered that same thing. I know from the videos, Jeff is well versed up north. Not sure how much the regions will play into plot variations. Maybe he`s waiting for one of us to hire him to come down!
James Coombs over the years we’ve planted a lot of clover and buck forage oats and have had some success with it, but I’ll try anything if it means helping maintain and keep deer on our property from neighboring properties.
I live in oregon and my buddy has a couple hundred acres in eastern Oregon (Malheur National forest) the area has some of the best mule deer hunting in the state . We are debating on putting a food plot on the land . Any tips what to use there . There isn't a whole lot of info on food plots for this area ,most info is for mid west (white tail)any opinions would be greatly appreciated!
Alfalfa and red clover. Mule deer love it.
Amen to that, was just going to recommend that ☺️ Great for semi drought prone areas, tough soils...
Is it ok to use ryegrass by itself? I've heard you using ryegrass in your food plots in other videos. I guess as long as it isn't included in a mix blend.
When he top seeds he uses cereal rye not rye grass. Big difference.
He uses rye not ryegrass sound verry similar though
Another great video going to make my dad watch it, we go round and round on this subject I buy 95 percent of my seed from John komp Northwoods whitetails and have lost count the number of bucks killed of my plots sweet feast brasica blends are deer magnets in bow season, my dad's plot look like a weedy lawn that hasn't been mowed in 4 years but he saved 50 bucks tho hahaha
I called a local coop and they tried to sell me a blend with mostly rye grass and I said no way that's just a filler!
Amen to that Eric...great job! Unfortunately many, many seed companies just don't understand what they should plant or mix together. Some know and either want a cheap filler or buzzwords on the package. I honestly believe most don't have a clue tho...
Is there anywhere I can buy blackberry/bramble seeds to throw out around some rough areas on my property?
Most blackberry i have seen for sale is small starter plants, they spread by runners under soil like crazy.
Would have to just look it up...I believe Charlie Morse from Morse Nursery may have some? Great daytime browse tho!
I have great success with the triploid type ryegrass. It is very high in protein high in sugar highly palatable to deer. I think you might be stuck in 1990 with your thinking on this.
Fortunately the ryegrass fad has come and gone 😉 To anyone with enough experience to know better...
@@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751 I have been growing deer for forty plus years. I agree that some ryegrass is junk however I routinely use the triploid types with great success. I operated a hunting guide service until I retired last year. You either produce large numbers of quality deer or go broke. I produced large numbers of quality deer. Also have 15+ years of growing native whitetail deer in high fence. You really learn a lot about growing big deer when you are able to study them closely. If you want to really learn about growing big deer I recommend you study what the high fence folks do. They are the undisputed experts at growing giant deer.
Doubt you will though.
What are some of the best seeds for shady areas?
Really not much? Clover and rye grain does ok, but even then if too much shade will always be low volume and poor value. Always trim trees to the south to promote at least 6-9 hours per day.
Deer eat beans from time they sprout in late summer through early fall into late winter to nothing left... period.
Unfortunately the #1 food plot failure in the country. I would estimate 90% are gone before the season begins and most do more damage for the deer herd due to a doe factory creation during the Summer, than the average hunter understands. It's an unfortunate plsnting the majority of the time, if a person has the experience level required to know better.
Do you recommend whitetail institute?
Sitka wouldn't sponsor you so now your on to first lite. Lol
Ha, that wouldn't be accurate. Awesome to be a part of a team that values quality content and those within their fold. First Lite is top quality folks, some of the best brands in the hunting industry with the highest quality reach. Honored to be included as a leader of their whitetail team...so we can do things like this:
www.firstlite.com/pages/fireside-chats#whitetail-hunting_managing-your-own-dirt
Just a great, all around company with a team atmosphere and a value for high quality depth of content. Also able to be a part of the greatly expanding whitetail role. Was greatly appreciative that they reached out 😉
Damn, I remember seeing this video a while ago and I clicked on something else, too late now
Good stand of fescue,just put. 17-17-17 heavy.oct. just like sugar...my fields full of deer.
Youre just talking Rye and not Winter Rye correct?
Winter rye, fall rye, rye grain...not ryegrass. Should be about $25 per 100#s. Looks more like rice...not grass seed. Rye grass is more like $35 per 50#s and grows like your lawn.
GREAT VIDEO !!
Thank you very much Donald!
So basically you don't like anything
Just the good seeds...like the ones in my own 14 food plot seed blends, and other companies that carry quality seed blends like the ones we put together.
@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751 which would be???
None of us is xsperts,we learn like everyone else.no deer are the same that's the fun of the hunt.my deer might not like what you plant.yours might like mine .you just have to find out ....l really think all of these plots are good plots .l really don't think l ever planted a bad one ...guit listening to everyone else and enjoy your hunt you will good.
Clover for Turkeys
Turkeys are easy to feed with native forage too...if a person really wants to feed turkeys during a time they actually need it...try to feed them during the dead if winter when there is a foot or two of snow pack. Turkeys live high in the hog right now ..same with every critter...not do much during the dead of winter.
Unfortunately folks generally focus on trying to feed wildlife when the local habitat is already a 10 out of 10. Like now...
Did anyone notice Jeff isn’t wearing SITKA?? Lol
Clayton DoesIt he switched to first lite. Apparently had been talking to them for a few months. All sponsors for all channels should be taken with a grain of salt.
Don't buy rye grass mix or alone. Got it.
Amen...even when it 1/2 works there almost always, a better option!
It's so confusing listening to all you " experts " on what and when to plant . I live in central Mississippi and I am trying to grow BIG bucks . I have watched hours of these videos and now I'm more confused than when i started this journey !
Your seeding rates are awfully heavy, particularly with peas and rye. Peas are only 50lbs to the acre for a pure stand and rye is 100lbs to the acre for a pure stand. Other than that, lots of good knowledge here. I plant food plots as a business and I have to talk a lot of people out of soybeans. I'll also challenge the clover comment, just because here in Pennsylvania the deer will hit the clover year round.
God Ioves you!
I like deer meat...got plenty acron territory.evenings food plots.
The best food plot out there for my 100 acres has been powerplant from whitetail institute. It has sun hemp in it and I do not agree with your statements. Maybe where you live, but southern indiana; its GOLD.
John, how does that powerplant hold up in the winter? Will it stand as a cover for deer and rabbits?
Thats what I'm telling y'all ...all deer not the same.plant it let it go .learn on your own .you will find out what your,your,your deer like
@@jeffwilson4758 wow, just got this notification.
Beans, brown; sunflowers, normal; hemp, green; and It gets so thick that the deer are making tunnels in it.
I plant it, 3-5 acres at a time and never hunt it. I hunt the passages and choke points between the plots.
I recently put a few water holes in the plots amd it had drastically improved foraging.(with logs so mice, turtles, and frogs can get out)
I love your videos i do but you give mix messages all the time plant rye grass dont plant rye grass rye grass is good this video rye grass is bad the next video i mean come on dude get your stuff together bro LOVE YOU VIDEOS i just be confused some time
I've never once in giving food plot advice for a living for 15 years ..over 1000 food plot designs, over 100 TH-cam videos, over a dozen food plot magazine articles in 2 decades and over 150 online food plot articles...EVER recommended planting rye grass. I can say that with 100% certainty. Rye grain, winter rye, fall rye,annual eye...I have recommended planting more than anyone else online since the late 90s...but never, with 100% certainty have I ever recommended rye grass. And likely never will. Hope that clears things up for you 😉 sounds like you just need to listen..maybe a common theme...not listening...in your life? Or life is hard for you bud! 👍
In your other vid Soybeans was your number 1 food plot! I smell BS!
🤣 I can guarantee I never said that...you really need to pay attention more in life! I've been food plotting since 1995 and have never actually planted a straight soybean plot 👍 Never.
Could i private message you for hekp with my first plot in WV? I really need experienced help.