Mowed this yesterday- happy with the germination based on limited precipitation thus far. Seeded this spring with Logger’s Trail Food Plot Mix from Deer Creek Seed. Gives us 2 miles of linear food plots winding through and leading to kill plots with fall plantings. Here’s the mix details if anyone wants to order or replicate it.

Blend Composition:

30% Elite Forage Fescue
15% Annual Ryegrass
15% Ladino White Clover
10% Alsike White Clover
10% Creeping Red Fescue
10% NZ White Clover
10% Perennial Ryegrass

looks like some nice trees for hanging stands for bow hunting

Looks good. Maybe pull a sapling or two so they hang at the edge of the road for scrap locations.
Or find a limb somewhere else that is already being used. Cut it off and tie it to one of those trees near the edge of the road.

They look good. I did the same thing 20 years ago here. I finally let them grow in and the mature bucks will cross them now (usually on corners). When they were 12-15 feet wide they didn't like to cross them. Happy hunting!

Nice mix, with enough clover (legumes) to create nitrogen for the grasses, and some do well in shade and sun, some Legumes do better in the hotter drier summer. Grasses will build nice sod and the legumes will go deeper and with a mix you won't get sod bound. Clovers do better in the lower pH soils where alfalfa will not do well. Keep clipping it to maintain a younger growth. Grouse will forage on the clovers as well.

Bryce

Looks good.
But we spray all or logging roads with round up. We want the deer feeding In the food plots not on the logging roads.

Looks great considering the dry conditions we have.

now your going to have to slowly walk that after shooting light for deer , nice 2 mile walk

Should bring in the grouse also.

We have two landing areas on the logging road- 1/2 acre each, one will be planted in Collards and one in dwarf essex rape. We have three main food plots6,9 &29 acres- the logging roads terminate at the Ag fields. We predominantly hunt funnels as staging areas between bedding and food and have a total of 8 kill plots on those funnel routes. Everyone has seen that nice buck step out into the field after shooting hours- it’s fun to try and determine where he’s browsing on his way there.

Don’t hunt plots, hunt the trails to the plots. Unless it’s the rut, most grown ones won’t step in the open during daylight or the first few weeks of archery season. If I could only plant one thing in a plot it would be ragweed. It’s 18% protein and provides plenty of cover. Plus it’s great for the feathered species as well.

That’s been our experience as well- the does will bust you and the bucks look out into them from the trails and edges… I’ve heard that about ragweed but hard to shoot when you’re sneezing and eyes are all puffy

Never had any problems shooting bucks out of our food plots.

Haha, funny you mention the does. When we put up a stand, that determines if it’s good or not. If we can pass that old doe test, we have done good!!

I find this interesting. I have spent the last 30 years hunting the same chunk of dirt. I have had portions logged 3 different times and put in several food plots. We do/have seen deer on the food plots, mostly does, fawns and a few young bucks. About 10-12 years ago I went into the middle of the property and cut about every other tree leaving them attached to the stump. I didn't directionally fall anything and just jack strawed it. Many places were 8 feet or more deep in tree tops. I completely stay out of there all year. No cameras, no shed hunting, NOTHING. That is where the deer have been bedding for years and we hunt the outside of that or the travel routes to and from it. We have taken far more GOOD bucks that way then we ever did with mowed trails and food plots. Even better, many of the good bucks are taken from 10 am-2 pm looking for does in the heavy cover. Just my 2 cents worth.

looks great, will be waiting to see how you do, good luck.

I trap a guys place that has a 60ac chunk that’s called the Sanctuary. No admission ever, lol. He’s even fenced it off so no one mistakenly goes in. I can trap the edges but can’t go in. Even has a small pond according to OnX. This guy shoots Booners off his place about every year. No plots other than natural food. But he has just about every species of acorn producing oaks on this place.

We have felled trees all through the 100 acres and they have been felled to move the deer through the food plots.
Once the food plots are established we don't set foot on the property until the first day of bow season.
I shot that 160 class 8 pointer off of one of our food plots.
I guess every situation Is different and this works for us.

I went with "habitat". I have planted (and fenced) White Cedar thickets for them to winter in even though I will be long dead before they are old enough for that, 100's of apple trees, all 3 species of oak that grow here, small spruce and balsam thickets, etc. Of course I live on this hunk of dirt so the deer are used to seeing me and aren't spooked at all. The does and fawns keep the big bucks around as long as their belly is full and they feel safe.

It looks fantastic