July 2010 Food Plot Update

A Favorite Picture

Spike Bucks

Welcome to the June Food Plot Journal. We got a little bit done in our plots in July. I had the opportunity to plow some ground up but more tractor problems stopped me in my tracks late in the month. We also got some mowing done and a little experimentation as well.

Our temperatures have been hot and we got rain in the middle of the month which has helped to keep the plots growing although they are slowing down as they normally do in July.

Oldhouse Food Plot

The Durana in the oldhouse plot now consists of a low lying clover carpet with some grass. I mowed the plot on July 1 with a brush hog and I'll watch it to see if it needs mowed again.

The Durana in the cornpatch plot is doing well although grass is creeping in. I mowed the plot on July 1 and about half of the plot was mowed on July 27 when the hay was mowed.

The Durana clover in the old garden plot is doing well. I have decided to experiment with this plot by mowing it with a lawn tractor at its highest setting each time we mow our grass. We mowed the plot three times in July. I am curious how this plot reacts to this mowing schedule. So far it is doing well.

The Monster Mix in this plot is doing better than expected since this plot has been on and off of the chopping block. Somehow it just keeps producing. I mowed the plot on July 1.

Whippoorwill Food Plot

The Monster Mix and Durana in the this plot is hanging in there. Two locust trees and a locust limb have blown into the plot. We'll have to get them cut up and taken out soon. This plot has a lot of grass, but I think I'll let it go until at least spring.

Hayfield Food Plot

Our hayfield plot is getting so big that I have decided to divide it into numbered areas determined by the date that we first planted them.

We planted Durana in Area One this spring and it is doing very well. They mowed it when they mowed the hay and it looks real nice.

I plowed Area Two this month. I had hoped to disk it up and get an annual planted but our tractor broke down again and I didn't get to continue.

Area Three is our long strip of Durana and it is still growing but grass is creeping in. I had thought about plowing up one end of this plot but will likely hold off for a while longer. I brush hogged the plot on July 1 and it was mowed again on July 27.

Area Four is the other strip that we put Durana in this spring under less than ideal circumstances. This plot has clover in it but it is not doing as well as Area One that we also planted this spring. I'll keep my eye on this plot but I think I'll see what it looks like next spring. Maybe it will surprise me.

Area Five is a new area that I just plowed on July 29. I'll plant an annual here if I can get our tractor running soon.

Right Of Way Food Plot

The Durana in the Right Of Way plot appears to be losing the battle with grass, but I thought this plot was done last year so I'll give it a chance. I brushed hogged the plot on July 1.

My story for our food plots this year has been tractor problems and we still haven't won that battle. We did get it going for a while and hooked up our new plow. My initial experiments with the plow have been good and I think it will be a big bonus to our food plotting.

I have noticed the usual summer slow down in our clover plots. I had hoped to have some other crops planted that the deer may have gravitated to once the clover slowed down, but this did not get done. Hopefully we'll get the tractor running soon and August will be a busy one. Maybe we will get some plots in that will be attractive to the deer in the fall and winter.

We get thousands of pictures each month with our digital trail cameras but we narrow down each set of pictures to our favorite six or seven and these are usually buck pictures. As you can imagine there are always several more that are very good but don't make the cut.

Below is one of our favorite pictures from July. I think this is a first for us. A picture of a bird sitting on a the back of a deer. You can take a look at our favorite deer pictures from July 28 here.

As we try to manage the deer on our property we pay a lot of attention to the antlers our bucks grow each year. So far this year we are not getting pictures of many spike bucks other than a buck that had only one spike that we saw earlier this year.

What does this lack of spikes mean? Hopefully it means that our herd is close to or within carrying capacity and that they are getting plenty to eat. We also hope that the young bucks are now sporting branched antlers instead of spikes. Although we know that spikes can grow into very nice bucks in later years, if they are not spikes now because they are getting plenty to eat that is a good sign. Any time you see rewards for your hard work it is a good thing.

When we first started to use trail cameras about fifteen years ago it was rare to see a buck at all. In the following years we were glad just to see a buck. We have continued to try to keep doe numbers under control and provide more for them to eat so hopefully we are headed in the right direction.