Looks like I'm going to take over my folks farm in Missouri. For now it is not a CWD area. My brother-in-law and I were discussing planting a couple acre food plot. So any experience to share, recommended links etc would be appreciated and save me some research time.

Thinking of mixing our own vs one of the mixed (expensive?) brands. But open to all info.

Clover and chicory.Ask your nearest Co-op to mix you a wildlife blend.Way cheaper than the name brand plot mix and just as good.Deer and Turkey will love it

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Clover and chicory

Had those two. Figured a winter wheat or maybe rye. Someone mentioned something like radish mixed in?

I plant my plots in August the first week,using winter oats they need to be covered by about 1" of dirt. Then I top seed red clover. That way the clover gets started and protected for next summer and you also have good green oats to hunt over this fall. The oats add nitrogen for the clover.
Fertilize about 3 weeks after the oats are up.
100# of oat seed per acre 30-40# clover is what I do.

AND be sure to let us know how it all works out next year.

George

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AND be sure to let us know how it all works out next year.

Well this year we had to be an A$$. My dad had always allowed a couple of his long time friends to hunt. After he passed away my mother allowed them to continue. Then they got too old and asked a couple years ago if their sons could hunt in their place. Mom said fine.

Then they decided to bring their buddies and then their buddies came by themselves leaving trash cutting down trees damaging fence and gates.

Opening weekend there were 4 hunters we didn't know hunting. So my Brother-in-law and his son-in-law (who farms it) had to run them off. Lock gates then went and installed and replaced "no Trespassing" signs to meet legal requirements.

So we had gone from a couple mature deer being taken to who knows how many legal or otherwise kills.

So the next couple of years just going to let things rest and add some good food. Right now our county has no CWD but we are surrounded.

The B-I-L feels bad for not paying attention.

Live and learn for both of us.

Paul, I feel for you. You are just lucky it is just 4. I bought my Missouri place 5 or 6 years ago. The fellow before me didn't even watch for "hunters". Now I have to run them off every year. I know the guy up the road hunts on my place, but I never catch him coming off of it. Mine runs along the railroad tracks and I catch him walking up the tracks. When I ask him, he says he is just walking the tracks. Yah, right. This is the second Missouri place I know if that all of the neighbors just thing it is fine to hunt if they don't see your truck. Some don't care even if they do.

For food plots, I have used rye with good luck as well as mixing clover with it.

Are you looking to grow food specifically for deer? If so, you might want to also consider antler specific minerals. If you are interested in other animals, such as upland birds, they feed a lot on various bugs so you might want to grow plants that feed bugs, so that the bug population will grow, feeding the birds.

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Are you looking to grow food specifically for deer? If so, you might want to also consider antler specific minerals. If you are interested in other animals, such as upland birds, they feed a lot on various bugs so you might want to grow plants that feed bugs, so that the bug population will grow, feeding the birds

Ray to be honest until I started hitting the various sites I hadn't thought about other game. The state has a site that talks about just that.

I think over the last several years total wildlife on the place has taken a hit. It was only 4 that day. Lord knows how many others. I haven't hunted (other than squirrels at the house) it for 10+years. The B-I-L only takes an occasional doe for meat often from the back porch. So if we are going to the trouble will probably go the full range.

50 years ago when I was in HS and hunted half the county you NEVER went on someone's place without knocking at the door and asking. Even if you had hunted there often. Just wasn't done. No signs needed just common courtesy.

With mom turning 93 will be looking at long term planning as well.

Thanks to all

"Well this year we had to be an A$$. My dad had always allowed a couple of his long time friends to hunt. After he passed away my mother allowed them to continue. Then they got too old and asked a couple years ago if their sons could hunt in their place. Mom said fine.

Then they decided to bring their buddies and then their buddies came by themselves leaving trash cutting down trees damaging fence and gates.

Opening weekend there were 4 hunters we didn't know hunting. So my Brother-in-law and his son-in-law (who farms it) had to run them off. Lock gates then went and installed and replaced "no Trespassing" signs to meet legal requirements.

So we had gone from a couple mature deer being taken to who knows how many legal or otherwise kills. :mad"

Welcome to the fun part of owning/overseeing hunting land. What you describe is exactly what happens down here in Texas, if you don't keep a watchful eye out. As for food plots, oats are always good and resonably inexpensive. There is a company in Breckenridge, Tx that custom produces foodplot seed (as well as about a jillion other seeds)that grows phenomenally well even in our poor soils and is not real expensive. They ship also. www.turnerseedcompany.com or 800-722-8616

Good luck, I bet you find you really enjoy working the food plots and seeing the results from your labor...I know I do.

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Originally posted by larrys:
Paul, I feel for you. You are just lucky it is just 4. I bought my Missouri place 5 or 6 years ago. The fellow before me didn't even watch for "hunters". Now I have to run them off every year. I know the guy up the road hunts on my place, but I never catch him coming off of it. Mine runs along the railroad tracks and I catch him walking up the tracks. When I ask him, he says he is just walking the tracks. Yah, right. This is the second Missouri place I know if that all of the neighbors just thing it is fine to hunt if they don't see your truck. Some don't care even if they do.

For food plots, I have used rye with good luck as well as mixing clover with it.

News flash.The tracks are not a right of way.They are private property.

Ramrod: Get a copy of "Ultimate Deer Food Plots" by ED Spinazzola. He also has a video

Olbiker, in Missouri the property legal description and law clearly says "from the railroad right of way" which is described as the number of feet on each side of the center line that is railroad property. So yes, it is private property, but very clearly also has a right of way. Being in the technology industry, we always use railroad right of way to lay fiber optic cable and even gas lines. I do know what I am talking about, so no news flash here. Besides I never said it was a right of way or not.

When they come off that right of way they are trespassers on my land, period.

Sorry Paul. Good luck with your plot.

I hunt in Schuler county just South of Queen City and it is in the CWD containment area.

It the past decade we have been hit with blue tongue and EHD

These two diseases has hurt our North Missouri deer population tremendously and the MDOC now urges people to not artificially bring deer into an area to congregate and spread these plagues.

But to answer the qiestion from a farming perspective

Winter wheat in the fall to grow through the winter

Soy beans in the spring for summer and fall

Corn is a good summer and fall field feeder that many game animals will eat

Turnips in the spring for fall and late winter forage

MO law lets you post your property by marking trees and fences with purple paint. Signs will get ripped down by locals so paint is the way to go. Also you need to put a no trespassing ad in the local paper annually to make it so you can prosecute trespassers when they're caught. You will need to prosecute a trespasser or 2 before they keep off your land.

All of the above food plot ideas are good. Test your soil and do your prep work to get maximum benefit from your plot. Also plant some open pollinated corn. Don't harvest it just knock it down with a truck or atv.

Have fun with your project

Treeum gives great advice on testing you're soil.

Also put up trailcams if you want to know who is trespassing on you

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These two diseases has hurt our North Missouri deer population tremendously and the MDOC now urges people to not artificially bring deer into an area to congregate and spread these plagues.

Thanks Ted. In looking at the CWD map our county is surrounded. I had seen that mineral, feeders etc were banned (I believe)in the CDW counties but thought food plots were ok. I do plan to treat our county like it was CDW. I will be seeking more guidance from the state before we do anything.

I didn't know about the purple paint good to know because like you say the signs disappear.

Buy some cheap yard sale cameras (doesn't matter if they work)and set them in obvious locations with good cameras hidden nearby.
Get creative about hiding cameras. I mount them farm implements, old tires, den trees, rock ledges, etc.
You will be surprised by how many pics of people you will get vandalizing your decoy cameras. And you can prosecute them for that too.
Plus if they drive on your land and leave ruts/tracks, take a pic. Then get a written bid from an excavator on dirt work to remove ruts/tracks including re-seeding any grass.
Nothing stops trespassers like hearing about how they went on 'ol so-and-so's property and it cost them $3,500 in BS to "fix" the roads or fields.

There is a HUGE ranch in the area I grew up in. (Google WT Waggoner Ranch). They allowed hunting on it. Lots of quail, ducks, geese and dove. Back then very very few deer, but now there would be a sizable population. They seem to have migrated into areas where previously there were few. (Same with white wing dove--use to be mourning dove only and NO white wings--now white wings are thick). Back in the 50's the Wichita Falls, Tx newspaper came out with several pictures and the story that Waggoner no longer allowed hunting on his place. There would be armed cowhands enforcing this. The pictures showed all kinds of abuse. People had driven across wheat fields, thrown trash, left gates open, just total disregard for the landowner. Couldn't blame him for changing his stance.

Did hear from the B-I-L and he said the son of the original hunter dad allowed had called. Apologized for his friends. Offered to repair any damage and do clean up.

Then he wanted to verify that he could still hunt. Proud of the BIL he told him that train had left the station the called the other son and told him the same thing. Of course the other son said it wasn't his buddies and the BIL asked if he knew and he said yes. BIL said sorry no more hunting PERIOD don't even ask.

Here is what the MO law says about can't believe the SIL farms the area and didn't know the purple paint.

Under Missouri's law:
• Any owner or lessee of real property can post property with the purple paint marks.
• Purple paint marks must be placed on either trees or posts (the statute does not specifically allow the option of placing paint marks on buildings).
• Vertical paint lines must be at least 8 inches long (the statute does not mention a maximum length).
• The bottom edge of each paint mark must be between 3 feet and 5 feet off the ground.
• Paint marks must be readily visible to any person approaching the property.
• Purple paint marks cannot be more than 100 ft. apart.
The statute provides that any person trespassing onto property marked by purple paint can be found guilty of a first-degree trespassing charge. Any unauthorized entry onto property marked with the purple paint marks is considered a trespass. First-degree trespassing is a Class B Misdemeanor, with potential punishment of a maximum $500 fine and/or a maximum of 6 months in jail.

Other violations which would subject a trespasser to first-degree trespass are: (1) entering a property posted with "No Trespassing" signs; (2) refusing to leave property once told to do so; and (3) coming onto land fenced against intruders.

Landowners can purchase the purple boundary posting paint at hardware stores across the state. Several paint companies have formulated a latex semi-paste product for the specific purpose of marking property. The paint can be applied in its semi-paste form or sprayed once thinned.

Regarding the purple paint law.
You must also run a no trespassing ad in the local paper with the legal discription of the property. If you don't run a ad it leaves a legal loophole where trespassing charges can be dismissed. Only matters if you are trying to prosecute someone who is connected (like a county commissioners kid or a Sherrifs deputy)

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You must also run a no trespassing ad in the local paper with the legal discription of the property

Thanks

I do not profess to know anything about food plots. I belong to a large club who has professionals do all the management. Some geniuses from another part of the country advised of this great and wonderful plant that was the greatest thing ever for food plots. Well, they planted this stuff all over hell and back. Grow it did. The problem is that the deer won't touch it.

I have to conclude that what works in one area might not work in another. Be careful.

Maybe Colorado deer, for example, smoke urr uhh eat a different type vegetation.

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Maybe Colorado deer, for example, smoke urr uhh eat a different type vegetation

I would also consider what (if any) other crops are planted nearby.

For example, if you're surrounded by soybean fields, there will be minimal draw to field if you also plant soybeans. However, if you have some stripe of brassica planted that will be available to deer after the surrounding crop fields are harvested, you now have a very attractive food source.

Pheasants Forever advertise special wildlife food plot mixes that might give you some ideas about different combinations of seeds that would appeal to a wide variety of game and non-game species.

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if you're surrounded by soybean fields

Yep normally on 2 sides. He does rotate to something else every few years for one season. Has been corn and maize if I remember

In Wisconsin,you don`t have to post your property No Trespassing.If you are caught in anyway(Game camera)or in person it cost you $1,000.00 no excuses.

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Yep normally on 2 sides. He does rotate to something else every few years for one season. Has been corn and maize if I remember

With that being the case I would suggest considering the fact that it will be hard to directly compete with those crops, and look to offer the deer something else. Something like clover would probably be attractive in the early fall before the soybeans and corn mature, and as previously mentioned, brassicas really become attractive later in the year after other crops have been harvested.

No idea what your other goals might be, but you could always put in some millet, sorghum, or sunflowers that would provide food and cover to deer, but also get you some dove shooting in late summer and early fall.

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Originally posted by ramrod340:

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Clover and chicory

Had those two. Figured a winter wheat or maybe rye. Someone mentioned something like radish mixed in?

If you want to plant radishes or turnips, don't "mix them in" with the Rye or Wheat. Plant them separately or the grains will shade out the low growing greens. You could also plant Clover now since it takes a long time to germinate.

If you want to attract deer, it's hard to beat Corn and Soybeans, but they will have to wait until spring.

Not going to try and compete with fields of soybeans. Was thinking more to supplement. I think there are some good genetics just with no real control over hunted.

If you are surrounded by crops then dont mess with food plots

Mixed brush, ceader trees and the CRP is the route I would take.

The neighbors of a North Missouri friend of mine has 2k acres in nothing but woods, brush, ceaders and grown up pastures that hasn't seen a cow in a decade....

He claims it is overun with deer vs his groomed 400 acre farm

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Originally posted by ted thorn:
If you are surrounded by crops then dont mess with food plots

Mixed brush, ceader trees and the CRP is the route I would take.

The neighbors of a North Missouri friend of mine has 2k acres in nothing but woods, brush, ceaders and grown up pastures that hasn't seen a cow in a decade....

He claims it is overun with deer vs his groomed 400 acre farm

Ted,

What are ceaders?

Jim

Ted raises a good point.
What do you have for cover on the property?
In the high production Ag areas small cover plots will help you far more than food plots.

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Originally posted by Frostbit:

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Originally posted by ted thorn:
If you are surrounded by crops then dont mess with food plots

Mixed brush, ceader trees and the CRP is the route I would take.

The neighbors of a North Missouri friend of mine has 2k acres in nothing but woods, brush, ceaders and grown up pastures that hasn't seen a cow in a decade....

He claims it is overun with deer vs his groomed 400 acre farm

Ted,

What are ceaders?

Jim

They are a tree
Ceder Tree

Sorry for the error

I agree with letting some cover grow. If you do plant something, use certified weed free seed from an ag seed dealer.
I bought bird seed to plant for doves, and ended yp with foxtail. I have seen two local food plots also overgrown with foxtail. Both were food plot mixes from Cabelas. One owner said he never had it until he planted the food plot

I bought turnips and radish for 1-1.50 per pound at the local seed dealer.

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Originally posted by ted thorn:

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Originally posted by Frostbit:

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Originally posted by ted thorn:
If you are surrounded by crops then dont mess with food plots

Mixed brush, ceader trees and the CRP is the route I would take.

The neighbors of a North Missouri friend of mine has 2k acres in nothing but woods, brush, ceaders and grown up pastures that hasn't seen a cow in a decade....

He claims it is overun with deer vs his groomed 400 acre farm

Ted,

What are ceaders?

Jim

They are a tree
Ceder Tree

Sorry for the error

No worries, I just couldn't find it when I googled it. I thought it might be the name for a crop I had never heard of.

sorry for error ceder tree. lol. Did you find ceder tree?

I will try again

Cedar

This damn place wears on a person

I thought the 2nd attempt was a joke.