Food Plot of the Week (self proclaimed)

[LandDr]

"Corn & Beans"

I haven't planted my corn plots as of yet due to the risk of freezing out the beans.  Beans?  I actually mix 5 lbs. of beans with 10 lbs. of corn for my corn food plots.  Corn can't take much competition, but I have found that 5 lbs. of beans doesn't impact it much.  The benefit is an upper canopy of corn (later corn cobbs) and an understory of beans (forage and beans).

You can use a corn planter, or a drill (tape holes shut in the drill to allow wide rows) or broadcast.  Since you are not harvesting this crop, it doesn't have to be in rows.  Planting depth should be 2 to 3 inches but it will grow at 1/2 inch depth as well.

Both are Roundup Ready for easy maintenance.  When the weeds just start to compete with the corn/beans (usually 6 weeks after planting if you want to set your calendar for the trip to the property), I will apply Roundup at 1.5 to 2 qrts per acre.  Within a day or two the weeds are turning and the corn/beans are taking off.

You will find the deer really like the new bean leaves coming up and will like the multiple food sources later in the fall as well.

Bonus!  After my application of Roundup, I will stick some pumpkin seeds in various locations (for the deer and so I don't have to pay $5 per pumkin when Holloween roles around) and I also sink in some squash seeds (this is my justification to my wife for why I spend all that time and money one food plots...she loves squash!).  Anything that is not used up will freeze later and turn into an additional whitetail attractant.

Give it a try!

Land Dr

[deadeye]

Looks like a real effective plot plan you got going there.  I like the pumpkins and squash idea.

[Big E]

I tried a few pumpkins in my beans and also on the side of my brassica plot. I planted them so my nieces and nephews could pick their own pumkins and if I had some left for the deer that would just be a bonus. They flowered out and were looking great but the next week you couldn't even tell a plant was there!
 Question: Do you think the deer did this? I've had woodchucks get them in the yard but I don't think there's any of them roaming around back by my plots. I'm sure deer did this since they eat everything you don't want them too but they ate the entire plant down to the dirt. Have you had this happen ever? I would think the beans would've been more appealing in the one plot and brassicas in the other.

[Mayfly]

I tried a few pumpkins in my beans and also on the side of my brassica plot. I planted them so my nieces and nephews could pick their own pumkins and if I had some left for the deer that would just be a bonus. They flowered out and were looking great but the next week you couldn't even tell a plant was there!
 Question: Do you think the deer did this? I've had woodchucks get them in the yard but I don't think there's any of them roaming around back by my plots. I'm sure deer did this since they eat everything you don't want them too but they ate the entire plant down to the dirt. Have you had this happen ever? I would think the beans would've been more appealing in the one plot and brassicas in the other.

Something ate the entire pumpkin plant??? Vine and leaves?

[Big E]

Yeah the whole vine, leaves and flowers. Honestly looked like nothing was ever there. This happened on 2 different plots, same time and all the plants were 2-3ft long and looking great just a few days before they vanished. Whatever ate them ate every last bit of them.

[Mayfly]

You would think the vine of a pumpkin plant would be gross. Must of been some darn hungry deer!

[Big E]

That's what I would've thought too especially sitting in a 5 acre bean field and a 2 acre field with brassicas

[LandDr]

I know deer will pick off sunflowers as they are coming up...very similar "woody" type stem when more mature, but when young plants coming up they are very desirable to deer.  I have not had this problem but I also have over 20 ac. of food plots on the 160 acres...a lot for the to eat and chose from.

You might be able to plant more food sources the deer might like better...or...safety in numbers...plant more of what you want to grow.  You can fence things out as well of course.

Due to the high starch content in pumpkins and squash, when they freeze the starch converts to sugar and the deer will break them open to get at it.  This is very similar to sugar beats and turnips.  Pumpkins and squash can be great "fall attractants".  Keep in mind that you need to buy your pumpkin and squash seed early, around the garden season, because seed will be very hard to find later on when you do your application of Roundup in your corn/bean plot.


Land Dr

[Big E]

You see that is what I was amazed at. I did have about 30 pumpkin plants coming up in the beans and figured the deer would leave them alone being there was 5 acres of beans, and this was early in the season when the beans were still very green and being hammered by the deer. Not to mention all the other food plots and a clover plot growing right beside the bean field. The 2 acres of brassicas were lush and being hammered by the deer but they went right through and chomped the pumpkins to the ground leaving no trace of them. There I had about 30 to 40 pumpkin plants growing. Wasn't cold, Wasn't a shortage of food and definently wasn't high deer numbers. Who knows maybe we're on to something here......
 I'm gonna try it again this yr and put them in front of the cameras to see if it really is the deer that did this. I know what you mean about sunflowers too. Mine got up about a foot for about 10 minutes then the deer ate them. They love them.