I decided try oats in a food plot this year. I planted them the first week in september everything looks good and they are about 3 inches tall and look good so far. I am just curious if anybody else has tried them and what kind of results you had.

Tried it once here. Bears took over the plot.

Not on purpose, but I spread some old oats behind the place figuring birds would eat it, well we had a rain and those oats took off, and promptly was grazed to the ground. So I guess deer like them,

"Buck forage oats" are sold for this, more cold hardy and heavier forage. will still die after a hard freeze but hangs on through light frosts better than regular oats.

The hired man that works the field across the road spilled a bunch of winter wheat so we ended up with a pail of it. With the recent rains it’s coming up well down in MO we did fertilize and lime it well at the start and my buddie put his rototiller to work to break up the soil.

I've planted them for my dad so he can watch the deer in his backyard. I usually plant between September 1st and 15th. I don't apply any science or sense to it. I let the kids have an oats fight and throw seed everywhere by hand after I till it, and we just drag it in. Always comes up well and the deer like it.

Oats are fine.Make sure you fertilize good or they will rust on you and the deer will not graze them.

I have planted buck forage oats. Deer were not nuts about it but it stayed green well into November here in Wisconsin.

Zim

Plant BFO here every year with really good results, north central WI. Plots with them right now are mowed off by deer.

They love them.

I did fertilize before planting. So far I have not seen any sign of the deer eating them although I read the deer like them better after a frost. Right now the deer have lots of acorns beans and corn to eat.

Worked great, but I went away from them in favor of brassicas and rye / wheat. I found that they yellowed out real bad after a frost or two. Really good for early season if there’s not much hard mast.

They sure like them in the spring when I plant them for grain.

My deer love em. I plant the cheap ones, $12 for 50 lbs. Best thing about oats... you can seed em on concrete and they'll grow like crazy. I used them in a large plot as a nurse crop for clover this fall. If they get to tall the deer won't eat them, I'm planning to keep it mowed and see if that helps

… you plant gardens to draw in deer ? Shoot that’s worse than hunting with a crossbow

Go spank a grown man's butt. I bet you hv a tiny little chubber just thinking about it. Hahha

…. I rooted for the bad guys in deliverance no doubt

.. now go on and tend to your deer gardens… animal husbandry is hard work

I contributed to a thread that was meant to be informative. You immediately jumped in trying to antagonize people. If that's not like a little brats cry for attention I don't know what is. Grow up. Or go find people at your mental age level to play with. Bye

I thought your advice was good.

I would plant winter rye instead though.

yes, I plant rye,

I have planted rye the last couple of years. I decided to plant oats this year because they are more drought tolerant.. I am somewhat concerned about whether the deer will eat them if they get too tall.

When my kids were young, I planted oats and rye grass. I do have a buddy that plants a garden for his deer! Turnips, corn , oats and beans! He kills nice deer every year!! It says a lot for down here!

I tried oats once. Awesome results. Deer would run full speed across a pasture to get to the oats.

That's what I want to hear .

Plant oats to be 6" about for your early seasons, but they will freeze out, buck forage oats hang on longer, Rye will stay green and continue to grow anytime above freezing.

Farmers here plant a lot of rye as a cover crop in the fall, but I don't see much, or any, deer activity on it. Geese seem to prefer wheat instead of rye also..here...

40 lbs oats, 30 lbs wheat, 30 lbs cereal rye. A lb or 2 of red clover and purple top turnips per acre. The deer eat it all

Bob oats are cheap, easy to plant, and easy to get up. They can be drilled in or broadcasted on a rough disked field and still come up.

If one is dealing with a lot deer, they will keep them cropped off nearly indefinitely. If not so many deer, then eventually, they mature and the deer will avoid them. They relish them when they are young and tender and growing. Keeping them cropped off, but not killing them prolongs their success as for as deer