but really. in the winter deer go after things that are still green so go for non-invasive that are non-native. maybe some things that keep berries longer. they like things like black locust but those have to mature before they like the bean pods. evergreen or shrubs of some type. like the nice bushes people have in their yards. and plant some tall buffalo grass or something to keep them in the area, you know as cover for them
Thanks for the comment on cover. I actually already plan to work on that. I'm definitely going to plant some evergreens and tall grass. Looking out over the area from my treestand with the snow on the ground, it is a lot more open then I thought it was.
I'll look into the black locusts and I was already thinking about what other kind of everygreen shrubbery I could plant.
basically anything ornamental that people use for like shaping and stuff will work good. i was out today watching deer and they went right from the grass to the evergreens
Small cedar shrubs become goldmines after the snow gets deep but thats a 5-10 year plan. If you plant young ones and leave them exposed the deer will eat them down to nothing in the first winter, they even kill or severely impede growth of larger shrubs. I would look into whitetail institute's winter greens. Since you said its a small plot it should be relativley inexpensive as planting multiple acres gets rather pricy if you dont shop around. I've seen great results using whitetail institute. In northern Il you should have no problem with soil quality. I wouldnt worry about cover, if the food is there deer will come, even if they have to travel a bit. Also consider turnips. The deer will begin digging them up as soon as the forst turns them to sugar but they should last into the winter, at least to the end of hunting season. Plant cedars if you want, but that is long term project that wont pay dividents for some years, even then the payoff is minimal.
I have huge problems with soil quality. It's an old strip mine. There is some good soil and mostly crap. The food plots are not nice neat plots, they are where the decent dirt is. I got a chainsaw this winter so I can clear more of the brush that is sitting on top of decent soil.
I do plan on planting some trees. I made the mistake of planting a few apple trees the other year without protecting them. The deer ate them from the top down and the rabbits ate them from the bottom up. I learned my lesson, at least they were clearance trees at Home Depot that cost me almost nothing.
I expect that I will be hunting this same area 20 years from now, so I am definitely thinking long term as well as short term.
I have some areas that the deer use as a bedding area in the summer and fall, but seem to abandon in the winter. I don't hunt this area and I'm not going to clear any of it for food plots, but I think I can improve this cover over time without screwing things up for me in October and November. It's possible that they just leave the area because there is no winter food for them, but it seems to open up a lot by the time the leaves are off of all the brush.
i know what you mean about no good soil. i hunt an old sand mine and cedars grow in sand. if you can find some halfway decent sied ones. but what i have notices is that they will not eat them until they are adult trees. they love cacti too. if i think of anything else i will pm you
Try planting a few hostas and see how they do. Deer love them. They are pretty tolerant but like anything deer will eat them right down to nothing.
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
Duck Hunting Forum
3.2M posts
63.3K members
Since 2000
A forum community dedicated to duck hunters and hunting enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about safety, gear, tips, tricks, optics, hunting, gunsmithing, reviews, reports, accessories, classifieds, and more!