My oats last year were green pretty much through January and the deer ate them the entire time. I'm in Northern IN and there wasn't much else for them to eat so not sure if that makes a difference. They were buck forage oats as well supposed to be heartier and more cold weather tolerant

 

Deer really seem to hit the oats after a frost, which makes the starches in the plant sweeter and more palatable.

 

Oats generally like a cooler soil temp and if I had to guess I would say they might have been planted a little early. Could also have too much seed at planting and they are fighting each other for nutrients. From the pic though it seems like they are liking it.. They will hit them better once the acorns are finished. Also like mentioned above a couple hard freezes and they will be even better.

 

X2 ^^^ Id plant them more like mid August. I think they will mature beyond whats favorable to the deer. It looks like they are loving them now! They get better as it gets colder as long as they dont get too stemmy.

Your plot looks good! Id say mix 50/50 with cereal rye and plant a few weeks later. Food plots are always an experiment with what works best in your spot!

 

Thanks guys. They are hitting them now but I was just concerned about how long. The oats definitely grew a lot faster than the brassicas which is why I planted in late July. They way our weather has been it might be December before we get our first hard frost. LOL

 

I've always mixed oats in with rye, radishes, and clover, because the oats literally spring out of the ground and the deer hit them first. I'm quite a ways south of you, and most of our oats don't survive the winter.

 

In the past our oats has stayed green longer than anything else. We had deer digging though snow in January to get to it. About a month ago we planted 10 acres of an oats/brassica mix. It's already about 6inches tall and deer are loving it. Had over a dozen in it last evening. It should be a solid plot for you.

 

I know that regular oats will die after a hard frost. I usually plant oats with my rye because it will come up sooner than the rye then after it dies the rye and clover will take over.

 

Thanks for all the info guys. The oats were pre-mixed with Whitetail Institute Pure attraction. They just came up a lot faster than the brassicas. Oats are so thick now that brassicas may be getting a little crowded.
either way the deer are still in the field. I just wasn't sure if the oats would get to a point of maturity to where deer did not care for them.

 

That's the problem with some of the pre-mixed "foodplot" seeds, although they may contain a nice variety of forage they aren't necessarily at their best if planted at the same time. In my area, brassicas do well if planted in late July and oats are better if planted in early-mid September. Oats will grow fast, and by planting them later they'll grow slower, won't get as stemmy, won't reach maturity, and are more palatable to deer during our hunting season.

Variety is great, deer love it. But you may want to consider separate planting dates in the future for the best results. You can buy pretty much anything you want at a local ag dealer and by keeping the seeds separate or making your own mix by matching up preferred planting dates you'll have the flexibility to plant everything on the dates that will produce the best.

The good news is that deer aren't that picky, if you give them a variety of forage that they like they will use it whether everything turned out perfectly or not. Good luck!

 

Oats and turnips together is not a good mix for numerous reasons. Turnips do not like competition and should be planted mid July early Aug. for your area. Oats around Labor day. Deer like them best when young. Deer on the bag mixes are not always best and a lot more expensive. Check at your local feed store.

 

I put in BF Oats, Purple Top Turnips, Australian Peas and a small bit of rape. I was told the oats and rape will get hit first, followed by the peas and finally the turnips. Food plots are all trial and error, the deer in your area will tell you what they want and you can modify from there. Your plot looks good!

 

I have planted the exact same things and a few others this year. The deer are eating my AWP as soon as they come out of the ground. They literally havent even had a chance to grow.
My BFO is always a big draw and this year is no different, but I have never planted anything that has been hit as fast and hard as the peas. I almost feel like it was a waste planting them as none of them have had time to develop. I have been seeding in Winter Rye in the bare spots for the last 2 weeks.

 

I agree about food plots being trial and error. I am still pretty green with this whole thing. Thank you for valuable advice about different planting times even though mixed bags have them all together as one planting. I will be making sure I don't make the same mistake last year.

 

I have 10 years of screwing up and doing food plots. I also farm. Buy a bag of oats at a feed store in the Spring. Aprox. $10 for a bushel of seed. Will do about 1/3 acre heavy growth. Same results as Buck Forage oats. I am N of Pittsburgh (zone 6)and planted my oats mixed with rye grain, Winter wheat, sunflowers(cheap bird seed kind), left over soys, and then over laid with red clover last night. It will be perfect mid October. The rye grain winter wheat and red clover will pop up first thing in the Spring. Hit it with a grass killer(cleth.) and you have a nice red clover plot until fall (do over) or into the following year.

 

If a person only has 1/2 acre for a plot and wants to do oats and turnips, what would be the best strategy? A) Plant them at the same time; B) Split the plot in half and plant the turnips earlier in one half and the oats later in the other; C) Choose either oats and turnips and only plant that crop

 

Split it in half. Use the oat or rye or Ww or combination of all 3 with red clover 2 or 3 weeks before season and the turnips mid Summer. For early archery I would sit over the oat/clover combo. Turnips are best late season when the snow flies around here. 1/4 acre will make a lot of turnips if not planted to heavy. Look up Ed Spinazzola he is from Mich. www.deerattraction.com. Get his book.NO...I do not work for him. It will really help out guys with limited equipment and property.

 

Split it in half. Use the oat or rye or Ww or combination of all 3 with red clover 2 or 3 weeks before season and the turnips mid Summer. For early archery I would sit over the oat/clover combo. Turnips are best late season when the snow flies around here. 1/4 acre will make a lot of turnips if not planted to heavy. Look up Ed Spinazzola he is from Mich. www.deerattraction.com. Get his book.NO...I do not work for him. It will really help out guys with limited equipment and property.

Thanks for the info. I do want both oats and turnips for having something for early and late season. Originally, I was thinking of waiting until end of August and bury the oat seed and inch and broadcast turnips lightly over the top. But, maybe better to split the plot in half and each crop has it's own space.