[abssprint]

Here's my situation...On one of the farms I hunt (@200 acres) I have 3 food plots, 2 clover plots which are about 1-2 acres a piece and one soybean plots thats about 2 acres..The deer are of course hammering the beans right now and I'm getting repeated pictures of a couple real good bucks in the bean field..Here's the problem, the deer have eaten the beans down to about a foot tall and I know that their not going to actually make any beans. Our season starts here on Sept 3 which is also about the same time that I will need to turn the bean under and plant something else if I want it to establish before we get a frost..I can't decide wether to hunt the beans till they turn yellow and just replant something next year or to go ahead and plant a highly palatable fall plot now?? Any ideas??

 

[Milhouse]

I know deer love field peas (especially when they are young and tender), and if you have decent moisture, they will come up in a hurry.

 

[Ohio Bow]

I had the same dillema. I decided to let the beans go for this year. If I regret my decision later in the season I'll do it different next year.

 

[Cornfed]

If you are pretty sure that the plants have been so heavily browsed that they will not produce beans this fall then you may want to replant with something else. However, IF they will produce beans than I would leave them because the beans themselves are an impressive magnet come the late season. With so much corn in my area this year the beans are HOT attractors! It's hard to beat an awesome plot of soybeans! :thumbs_up

 

[okdogdoc]

I planted a couple of acres of roundup ready soybeans last year in preperation of planting a perennial clover plot. I wanted to provide a good source of protein during the summer but still be able to control unwanted weeds and grasses. The deer kept the bean mowed down to about 1 foot high and I though no way would they produce bean pods--but sure enough they did. I decided to leave some of the beans standing thru the winter--but like you i also wanted a good winter forage available also. This is what I did and it worked great. Around the first of September right before a good rain I broadcasted INTO the soybeans 100# of winter wheat and 5# of dwarf essex rape/acre. 12 bucks for the wheat and 5 bucks for the rape. I probably got about a 70% germination rate by just broadcasting into the beans. After a good freeze the beans all died and I still had a good winter plot of wheat and rape. Trust me---it really works! This way you will still get the strong drawing power of the bean for early bow season plus the attractiveness of the rape and wheat for mid to late season.

oh yea---broadcast about 200# of triple 13 fertilizer also!

good luck
todd

 

[centercut]

I like Okdogdoc's suggestion of just broadcasting into the existing soybeans. It seems like a waste to till the beans under if they are still attracting deer. If you add a grain and/or brassica it thouls increase the fall and winter attractiveness of the plot.

 

[abssprint]

Thanks Doc!!! That sounds like a plan..I'll give it a shot...The only problem I see is that you mentioned something about rain..I'm not sure I'll be able to recognize it, we haven't had any here several months..That's another reason I hated to get rid of the beans, my clover plots aren't looking so hot!! :thumbs_up

 

[grouse]

Broadcast buck forage oats into the exsiting plot. This is going to sound grazy, but cultipack it. The beans will bounce right back up. You will have crazy plot until late december.

 

[shootstraight]

beans

We planted a strip of beans one year about 50 feet wide and a couple of hundred feet long. There was nothing left of them by hunting season except about 2 inches of the stem. I sat there in a tree in the middle of the field, right next to a tractor and watched about 20 deer wandering all through them, pawing the ground and eating for a couple of hours. Ended up shooting a doe and then while I was waiting to get down another doe came over and smelled the arrow sticking in the dirt, so I shot her too. Moral: it's not over till it's over.

 

[Big D]

I like Todd's idea the best. If those beans produce anything at all you will wish you had them come December. Broadcating something else will keep the deer coming til then.

 

[OakHaven]

This is a perfect example of why you need to plant a forage soybean vs. a regular cash crop bean. Here is why.

1. We use Group 5, 6 and 7 beans. This will allow your beans to stay green through the second killing frost.

2. RR Forage Soybeans will produce 35-40 tons to the acre of plant matter. They can not eat the beans down. PS We have the only RR Forage Soybean on the market.

3. For this season, you should replant with the great fall blend of seed. You will have the benefit of attraction early in the season and plenty of forage for late winter and early spring.

If you get the chance, take a look at our website www.oakhavenwildlife.com. Look at the info for Whitetail Haven and The Zone.

Thanks