Chufa

JWH15

Six Pointer
Anybody had success with planting and attracting turkeys, I've got about a 1 acre plot that I was thinking about planting this year. This place has turkeys but I just want them to frequent more and have some food. What are your thoughts? This is would be planted in northern wake county btw
 

kilerhamilton

Old Mossy Horns
My buddy has a few small plots of it and its like a magnet. Maybe he will chime in. Once they find it all wild life will eat it up.
Deer included. It takes about a year to establish well.
 

jug

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Chufa does not always work at bring in the turkeys like advertised. I have planted chufa twice here in Harnett county but the turkeys stay across the road no matter what I do. I got 2 gobblers less than a 1/2 mile across the road. Saw one of them again this morning strutting with a hen but they want nothing to do with my chufa. I planted it for the birds in rockingham county last year and the birds tore it up this March.
Chufa can work but if you have heavy red clay then you are going to have a poor crop of chufa nuts compared to a crop grown in loamy sandy soil.
 

JWH15

Six Pointer
Chufa does not always work at bring in the turkeys like advertised. I have planted chufa twice here in Harnett county but the turkeys stay across the road no matter what I do. I got 2 gobblers less than a 1/2 mile across the road. Saw one of them again this morning strutting with a hen but they want nothing to do with my chufa. I planted it for the birds in rockingham county last year and the birds tore it up this March.
Chufa can work but if you have heavy red clay then you are going to have a poor crop of chufa nuts compared to a crop grown in loamy sandy soil.

I understand what you are saying, this land already has the turkeys. I just want to provide a constant food source for them and keep them around all year. If chufa isn't a good choice, do you have any other recommendations?
 

Eric Revo

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
They love white clover, and Durana is a great choice for turkey as it's leaves are smaller and it's really resistant to drought once established. They also respond well to various seedhead varieties, like millet and sorghum but it's not a all year draw like clover typically is.
 

25contender

Twelve Pointer
They dig and eat our Chufa so much we have to replant our two fields every year. Once they find it they are like crack addicts!! I have watched them fight over spots on the Chufa field during deer season. I have planted everything and Chufa by far keeps the birds on the property and when their young hatch they become resident birds. We have twice as many resident birds as we had before we planted the two Chufa fields.
Some pics from our fields.

Crack addicts at work!!


Heading to roost after a big day on the fields!!
 
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jug

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
You can try ladino clover. If your neighbors do not have clover then your clover plot will be a magnet just like chufa and clover grows good on heavy red clay, chufa does not. My problem with clover is this.....if your neighbors have clover then the turkeys will have more food sources that will keep them moving around more. That is my problem in Rockingham county, ALL my neighbors have clover in their hay fields . Ladino, white and red clover which makes my 3 acres of ladino clover not that attractive. I lime and fertilize mine more than my neighbors so mine greens up earlier but come Mid April everyones clover is greening up and the turkeys are spread out all over.
I would try the chufa before the clover if the soil is right for chufa.
 

JWH15

Six Pointer
If you are a member of the NWTF, they have the best deal out there. If you are not a member, it may pay to join, the savings are that significant.

That's what I've heard, I can't seem to locate the prices they offer on their website, or do you have to be a member to see the prices?
 

quackNcluck

Six Pointer
My buddy has a few small plots of it and its like a magnet. Maybe he will chime in. Once they find it all wild life will eat it up.
Deer included. It takes about a year to establish well.


^^^^^ Plots are a great thing to add. Just plant in June and fertilize in August and watch the birds make it look like craters on the moon
 
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