Looks like I won't be planting chufa anymore

jug

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Deer , turkeys and squirrels have all dug up almost 1/2 of my chufa in Rockingham county. My clover was nice and green and lush last year at this time but now it is almost dried up thanks to no rain and the deer and other wildlife grazing on it....oh well it is what it is.
Anybody else having bad luck with some of their plots?
 

Eric Revo

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Went to look at my, burnt up clover patches yesterday, no way they make it through the summer without some good, drenching days of rain. Too dry for even weeds to try and take over.
The overseeded winter wheat looks like little toothpicks with seeds.
The powerline plots look the worst, but all of them will need replanted it appears.
 

jug

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Went to look at my, burnt up clover patches yesterday, no way they make it through the summer without some good, drenching days of rain. Too dry for even weeds to try and take over.
The overseeded winter wheat looks like little toothpicks with seeds.
The powerline plots look the worst, but all of them will need replanted it appears.
You just described my clover pasture. :(
The Deer and turkeys will have less clover and less acorns this year
 

Deerherder

Ten Pointer
Ok, I'm going to be the Devils advocate here. I know I suffer from wanting to see great looking food plots & try to be the best "farmer" I can be. However, if the point of the food plots is to attract and hold wildlife, it's ok if they dig up some of the seeds, they won't get them all. It may be helping them through a time of stress, although if it's squirrels, well, that's just a pain. I say that even though I am frustrated that the deer graze my soybeans when they are less than 8" tall. That's why I've started mixing in cowpeas. Clover is incredibly resilient. Ours always looks terrible in the heat of summer, but seems to come back in the fall and spring. So, as I remind myself, I planted the food plots for them to use as FOOD! That might happen on a different timeline than I intended, but it is still helping my herd/flock and keeping them near me instead of the neighbors. I also plant winter plots for the same reason & those are the ones I hunt over with great success.
 
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25contender

Twelve Pointer
WE always replant our fields. They are planted for the reason mentioned above. We replant our Chufa every year and the turkeys decimate it every year. last winter was the worst. I dont think they left ant in the ground but they kept checking it through the spring. Even now there are a few still scratching around in these fields.
 

sky hawk

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
I plant food plots for the primary purpose of concentrating deer so I can kill them. Nutritional benefit throughout the year is simply a beneficial side effect. I don't have large areas for plots like some have, as our land is pretty much timber and ag fields. I suspect most hunters in NC are in my same position. I will plant in the fall because that's when a plot can get reliable rain and that's when I need it. There will usually be a nutritional benefit through the winter and spring, but it's gonna burn out in the summer heat.

I'm not wasting my time or money on summer plots that are going to get eaten before they ever get out of the ground, or die as soon as the heat arrives. Now, if I had plots that were 2+ acres each, then I would be more likely to plant a spring plot for summer nutrition, but it would take that much to keep them from destroying it right off the bat.
 

jug

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
I enjoy planting foodplots even if they do get mowed down. I would rather see them survive the summer. Chufa is a plant that can get wiped out quick. I usually plant peas and soybeans thicker than normal so most will survive till hunting season.
 

25contender

Twelve Pointer
Went to look at the Chufa we planted last friday today. Its already 1-2 inches tall. This rain ought to really give it a boost!!
 

jug

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
looks good... I wish I had about an acre of sandy loamy land up in rockingham county:D
 
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