What is your best hidey hole food plot that you use?

150 year old white oak loaded with acorns. I use what Ma Nature provides.

Turnips. Now is the time to get them planted in Indiana.

Year in, year out, spring, summer, fall, and into late season……plain ole Ladino clover. Easy, cheap, grows about anywhere, and I get 5 to 6 years of service out of it. Not only benefits the deer, but all game, and non game animals.

Thanks. I guess I should explain set up a bit. I am hunting a creek that is bordered by a piece of property the farmer can't plant. It is very thick, weedy and about 100 yards wide and 300 yards long. surrounded by corn and beans. Weeds are 7-8' tall and there is NOWAY to get a bow shot through the stuff, so I mowed a little area in front of my stand. I would PREFER a 150 year old white oak but not an option and would put me at almost 200 years old if planted today.

Great bedding area and rut location. I have not had great luck with turnips or radishes. May try a throw n grow blend.

Yaz, I agree with the clover attractiveness. Our stands are dwindling, What do you do with the plot following year 6? Straight back to clover with reseed/disc etc or another plant to reconditon the soil.

Bean, I highly recommend rye. It's easy/cheap to grow and will be hammered. Especially late season. We like to start our clover plots with a rye/clover fall mix. Then just mow down the rye in the sprin for clover to take over.

Nothing special Cody. Round up, wait 10 days, light till and sow. Add fertilizer and lime as needed. I typically do my clover in August. On the first year, I will seed in some forage oats, and/or wheat to give the deer something to chew on while the clover establishes. I also stagger my plots, so I always have an established plot, with a new plot.

My big plot needs it bad. The clover is still decent, but the fescue and weeds have taken over pretty bad. I'm letting it go this year with just a mowing due to logging the woods this winter. It would just make a mess this of the plot this winter. Next spring, I will kill it early. Till to expose new seed at least a couple of times next spring and summer, and kill it off each time new stuff comes up. Then sow clover again next fall. The initial killing off of weeds 2 or 3 times will pay off in the long run.

Clover basically conditions the soil, and after a few years, fertilizer requirements will go down.

Found some Buck Forage Oats at an AG center. 25# for $10. Going to try that and some radishes for Fall plot. I already have some clover/chickory plots. This one is for Fall/Winter only and not that big.

Thanks Yaz, we have gotten pretty good at establishing. My question is now a couple established clover plots need redone. Like you mentioned getting grasses etc. Do you go right back with the clover or put something else in a year of rotation before going back with the clover mix.

Right back to clover…..

What has worked well for me is to Kill everything NOW and Throw down Turnips and Clover Turnips help in weed control doesn't bother clover good for the fall and clover appears in the spring and if I have spare seed I frost seed more clover

How often do you mow.... and at what height do you let it get to... and how low do you cut it?

At the blossoms when the annual weeds show up is what I do and a lot depends on the weed also Rag weed and the smaller fox tail I leave for the added benefit as Quail food

hard to beat a white oak!

If you plant in the fall this is a good option, mix of peas, oats, and wheat

http://www.realworldwildlifeseed.com/harvest_salad.html

right. Clover is a legume and has bacteria in its root nodules to makes (Fix) atmospheric nitrogen N2 bio available to the plants

Brew, I don't have a set regimen for mowing. Kinda like Throbak said. It really all depends on the weeds. I mow more for weed control than to keep the clover trimmed up. Beneficial weeds like foxtail, and ragweed make a plot "ugly" but are actually good for quail. Normally, I mow in late may, and again about the end of August. That gives the clover time to really come back good. As far as height…..again depends on the weeds, but 6" is about what I leave. This year, since I'm trying to get some turkeys established, I have NOT mowed my plot at all. I'm afraid they have nested in there after I mowed over the first nest in the hay field. I will mow it at the end of August…..

And when you do mow make sure you dont mow so short and chock the clover out. if you mow short and then lot of rain then extreme heat you will Kill it Oh and when I was looking at Mine the other day thinking about mowing the clover or not to mow around 10 to 15 3/4 grown quail flew up they were eating the foxtail seed in the clover I didnt Mow

Bean, go to your local feed mill and ask for a few pounds of winter wheat and mix it with the seed you have. winter wheat will still be green when all the other stuff dies. h.h.

Clover and an annual grass like many are saying. Turnips get destroyed on one of our places with the added benefit of having it this year, but I have friend who has planted turnips for 5 years on his place and they never touch them.