Planted a new food plot today.

[78Bronco]

Need your thoughts here guys. I've just moved to my rural land a bit west of Atlanta from the 'burbs this year and as such money is tight and the equipment is not. It's my first full season hunting this land so I don't really know much about how they move around here. Of course I've been scouting all year and watching the cameras but I got a big surprise last year how much the patterns changed after the season started from before. (Of course I also missed the first 2 months of the season too)

Anyway, all I've got to work with is my Dad's '53 Ford 8N, 5' bush hog, and a box blade with scarifiers and his John Deer track loader. I've asked around and so far haven't been able to find a disc or plow I can borrow. I've got a couple of 3/4 acre fields I'd like to put something in for the deer. So...

What do you suggest I can do to prep the fields and what could/should I plant? So far I'm thinking I"ll just pick up a couple of bags of whatever deer mix is in the center isle of my local TSC. But I have no idea how I'll go about tilling or spreading it.

Kinda depends on how soft the ground is that you are talking about, but I have seen guys successfully grow food plots by spraying with roundup to kill everything and coming back in a few weeks later with a grain drill that was borrowed from the local ag extension office and drilled in some peas.

 

[YOTESHOOTER]

Ok, so I've got a short term and long term plan.

Short: i found one of those crappy lightweight discs like for garden tractors today in the piles of stuff my Dad has dropped off. I'm going to try mounting it under my box blades and pulling it with the tractor. I have no idea if it'll hold up or do anything but it's useless otherwise so I have nothing to lose.

Long: I need a real tractor! I have 3 choices available.
Door #1 A friend is selling a sub-compact 24hp with a full compliment of attachments for only $9000. I'm concerned it won't be big enough for all my needs but it's such a good deal that I'm having trouble passing it up (if I had the money).

Door #2 is a $27k 47HP package deal with loader and cutter from the local dealer with 0% financing. I just really hate debt, its the reason I don't have spare cash now.

Door #3 is a used 47HP tractor/loader/backhoe for about the same price. The attraction for me there is I'm planning to build here so I'll get lots of use out of the backhoe and the purpose built tractor has MUCH stronger hydraulics than the standard tractor with backhoe attachment.

Numbers 2&3 i can wait on until I get my money sorted out but obviously #1 is time sensitive... I'm kinda stumped here. What do y'all think?

Find someone in the area that can plow, plant, and roll over the finished plot to make sure the seed makes good contact on the
planted seed area.

Usually this will run, $250.00 to $500.00+ depending on size. Unless you really use a tractor a lot it is a just sitting expense.

just a simple suggestion...

 

[jaybees]

Need your thoughts here guys. I've just moved to my rural land a bit west of Atlanta from the 'burbs this year and as such money is tight and the equipment is not. It's my first full season hunting this land so I don't really know much about how they move around here. Of course I've been scouting all year and watching the cameras but I got a big surprise last year how much the patterns changed after the season started from before. (Of course I also missed the first 2 months of the season too)

Anyway, all I've got to work with is my Dad's '53 Ford 8N, 5' bush hog, and a box blade with scarifiers and his John Deer track loader. I've asked around and so far haven't been able to find a disc or plow I can borrow. I've got a couple of 3/4 acre fields I'd like to put something in for the deer. So...

What do you suggest I can do to prep the fields and what could/should I plant? So far I'm thinking I"ll just pick up a couple of bags of whatever deer mix is in the center isle of my local TSC. But I have no idea how I'll go about tilling or spreading it.

It is not ideal but i was in a similar situation earlier this spring. My neighbor, who's harrows i normally use, was out of town with them locked in his barn. All i had was my box blade. You can let the scarifiers all the way down, then crank your top link all the way in so that the box blade is up off the ground and doesn't gather dirt. Like I said, not ideal but it will act as a plow and atleast get some soil turned up.

 

[crmorse]

Here's my ghetto disc harrow. It completly failed, exactly as we all expected.... Didn't bite in on the hard pack red clay and bent up as soon as I dropped it in some looser stuff. I ended up setting up what jaybees suggested but ran out of time to actually try it.

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[jaybees]

This is mine. Wheat, rye, oats mix.

 

[24on48hunting]

Turners in Douglasville has a set of harrows and a tiller attachment.

 

[Larry floyd]

This is only my second year here in south east Georgia. I had some issues come up and were unable to plant earlier. I'm just now where it's possible for me to but feel it's a little to late. But again don't know. Should I still plant and if so what?

 

[Vincent Vega]

This is only my second year here in south east Georgia. I had some issues come up and were unable to plant earlier. I'm just now where it's possible for me to but feel it's a little to late. But again don't know. Should I still plant and if so what?

You've got plenty of time to plant. Now would be a perfect time. Just go find a bag of fall deer mix and stick it in the ground. Wheat, oats, rye, brassicas, clover, and Austrian winter peas are generally found in the deer mixes. The brassicas, wheat and rye will continue to grow through the winter. Just pray it rains.

 

[rax_wall]

That one shut down in 88'
View attachment 917838

I went right by there last night!

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[jaybees]

This is only my second year here in south east Georgia. I had some issues come up and were unable to plant earlier. I'm just now where it's possible for me to but feel it's a little to late. But again don't know. Should I still plant and if so what?

Right now is ideal. I might've jumped the gun a little early on my clover plots. Worst case scenario is you'll have prime hunting spots in Jan.