I still like at least 2-3 lbs an acre of rapeseed. For under $5 I think it improves any plot and will last through most winters, break compaction, add organic matter and build soil. When do you want to use plot? Plant accordingly. Do you want it to overwinter or just feed deer in October or January? I like a cool season grass, legume, and brassica mix for my plots. I like diversity so if one species does not do well the others will pick up the slack. Plant accordingly to number of species as a percentage of a full rate - its not rocket science. Most elevators can get you oats, wheat, turnips, peas, and 30 other species.......check out cover crops as well - generally what most plots really are.

For long term plots - check out deer browse favorites and plant those shrubs. And, yes as stated above - apple trees are excellent for deer and probably cant be beat if you can get them established and not eaten or rubbed to death. Around here persimmons make nice trees in archery season before rut generally.

poor soil conditions and weed infestation are the demise of a lot of good seed.its not Ronco-cant set it and forget it and expect good things most times.

TreedaBlackdog: thanks for the variety and thought.

My goto for here for quite a few years has been cereal rye and red clover. Deer are on the rye through fall and winter come spring the clover gets going and I turkey hunt over it. Once the fawns are out and about I will mow off the dead rye and later in the summer I will kill everything off and work it up for replant. I do have a few plots of ladino clover that I dont do anything with other than mow and weed management. I can usually get about 5 -6 years out of them before I have to redo them. I have messed around with turnip and rape through the years but it has been hit and miss with the weather either flooded out or drought.
I have found out it you have the time kill your plot off work it up let the weed sprout back up again and kill it again makes a world of difference on how clean the plot stays. Have had friends spray a plot go in work it up plant and have the most god awful mess of weed you ever seen amazing how long seed survive being buried in the ground for years
J

i worked for a very reputable outfitter that kills alot of big deer and he uses 200lb per acre. there is no reason not to. the more green tonage i have in the winter the better off i am

I just finished a 2 1/2 acre plot.
100 lbs oats
7 lb red top turnip
5 lb rape
Should work out fine.

Has anyone in the south tried CHUFA recently? I remember, years ago, that it was popular in Alabama for both deer and turkey. That was before the wild pig infestation though.

Chufa Seed - 50 Lbs.- https://seedbarn.com/products/chufa...rce=google&utm_medium=smart_campaign

Plant chufa every summer for turkeys. Mature in the fall...turkeys scratch up tubers. Nothing eats the grassy tops...not even deer. Chufas need 100 days to mature and sandy soils so turkeys can scratch them up. Chufas are not for deer. I broadcast chufas on sprayed ( glyphosate) and disked soils at 50 pounds per acre. Chufas do not compete at all with weeds and grasses....so the plot must be sprayed and disked well. I plant them in June down here.

My fall brassica plots are 8-10# total seed per acre. I run multiple varieties to prevent one variety dying off and losing the whole plot. So much information is available online by looking at the commercial seed, see what is in it and recommended seeding / fertilizer rates. Gather your information and then go by seed in bulk at a seed warehouse that carries a good variety. Below is from a local warehouse that carries what I need:

Dave

Lots of suggestions. Thanks

I plant a whitetail clover mix around sections of my warmseason grass as firebreaks around each section. I then plant soybeans heavy in my actual food plots. Tried a lot of different things and I think beans work best. They have been feeding on them bigtime already and will until they mature and then all winter they eat the bean pods. I watched a big doe wrap her tongue around the bottom of the stalk and pull her head up and strip a mouthfull of beans everytime. They love them when it's cold and all the others have been cut by the farmers.

Where is Jbyrd? I don't see any of his posts on this thread.

Or snowy he usually is here to tell everyone how it's a bait plot and we all suck for having one.