Its all about the food!
Posted By
Jason Vickerman
at
8/10/2010 12:00:00 AM
This time of year, finding a buck to target can be rather easy. Hang a trail camera and your bound to find a decent buck. Going out an killing him once season opens, that's what separates the men from the boys. A lot can happen between now and November, and I believe the hard work put in during the summer will pay off in the fall. Of course, by hard work I mean food plots. Without a doubt, they are the most important element to turn the odds in your favor.
Food plots come in all shapes and sizes, and to me the only thing that matters is whats in them. I like food plots that are comprised of soybeans, turnips and clovers. This mix provides food for a significant portion of the year and almost guarantees you a quality food source through the entire hunting season.
This past week, the weather allowed me to plant my turnips.This year I have three acres of Fridge Forage Big-N-Beasty planted. Turnips are a great addition to any food plot and provide a lot of food relative to the cost. They are easy to plant and will grow almost anywhere. Turnips are thirsty for nitrogen and should be fertilized. I used 140 lbs of urea and 45 lbs of MAP per acre for this particular planting.
The hardest part with planting turnips is making sure you don't over seed them. I prefer to use a drill but broadcasting also works. For this planting, I used the 1950's era drill that Brock and I own. It has a smaller seed compartment making it easier to evenly distribute the seed. It took a couple of years, but I believe I now have it dialed in to the correct seeding rate of 5 lb's/acre.Now that the turnips are planted, its time to sit back and wonder who will show up this year. Last year turnips played a key role during my late season muzzy hunt for Old Number 7. Stay tuned to see how this story ends....
Don't have any turnips planted this year? There is still time, stop by our friends at Fridge Forage and get yours ordered today. Last year, mine were planted on 9-1-09 and without them, I doubt I would have even seen a deer.
