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Post by smallchunk on Aug 28, 2017 21:44:21 GMT -6
I think I might have a line on some for next year, can't wait to at least give them a try!
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Post by coop on Oct 9, 2017 16:21:46 GMT -6
Just realized the pic is in my shadow. Dumbass, in a hurry move. Sugar Beet tops are getting currently browsed hard! It's been super dry all summer. The Sugar Beets have show the most drought stress of everything I have in the ground (corn, beans, clover, brassicas).
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Post by nhmountains on Oct 9, 2017 17:21:12 GMT -6
I lightened it up for you Coop. Man, you've got a ton of food. Great job!!
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Post by coop on Oct 16, 2017 15:35:24 GMT -6
I gotta admit, I've been a little down on the Sugar Beets due to the leaves tendency to wilt & shrivel. When they're dry, they appear to be dying. It wasn't until a couple weeks ago that we got consistent moisture. This past Saturday I spent some time inspecting them and all of the SB's that have been browsed or lost leaves to drought stress are pushing new growth. I didn't get a picture because it rained all day but the pic NH doctored for me shows new grow above the beet. They might be worth all the fuss after all.
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Post by nhmountains on Dec 9, 2017 18:19:58 GMT -6
Coop,
How did those beets end up? Are they all gone?
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Post by coop on Dec 9, 2017 18:32:10 GMT -6
Haven’t been to my place for a month. I’m gonna try and run down tomorrow, pull cards, and take pictures. Both plots were visited nightly by 3-5 deer beginning mid-October thru Nov. 9th.
I’ll follow up soon.
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Post by coop on Dec 10, 2017 21:29:56 GMT -6
95% of the beets are untouched. Camera shows 3-7 deer eating leaves on a daily basis.
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Post by Freeborn on Dec 10, 2017 22:57:37 GMT -6
^Those bulbs are impressive. Looks like you got great yield on both bulbs and leaves. Did the deer use them like you expected? I have always heard the that beets were a huge draw.
It will be interesting to see if they get cleaned up in the next month? Where are the deer feeding the heaviest on your place?
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Post by MoBuckChaser on Dec 11, 2017 6:59:11 GMT -6
^Those bulbs are impressive. Looks like you got great yield on both bulbs and leaves. Did the deer use them like you expected? I have always heard the that beets were a huge draw. It will be interesting to see if they get cleaned up in the next month? Where are the deer feeding the heaviest on your place? Jan and Feb are big months for deer eating Tubers and bulbs!
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Post by coop on Dec 11, 2017 11:37:14 GMT -6
^Those bulbs are impressive. Looks like you got great yield on both bulbs and leaves. Did the deer use them like you expected? I have always heard the that beets were a huge draw. It will be interesting to see if they get cleaned up in the next month? Where are the deer feeding the heaviest on your place? Jan and Feb are big months for deer eating Tubers and bulbs! ^^ I agree with Mo. Last year, tubers and bulbs is what they wanted starting around Christmas. I expect it to be later this year because corn came out 3 weeks late, the winter has been mild, and there is just a dusting of snow cover.
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Post by Freeborn on Dec 11, 2017 12:24:13 GMT -6
Jan and Feb are big months for deer eating Tubers and bulbs! ^^ I agree with Mo. Last year, tubers and bulbs is what they wanted starting around Christmas. I expect it to be later this year because corn came out 3 weeks late, the winter has been mild, and there is just a dusting of snow cover. OK, how would you rate it for drawing in deer particularly compared to Beans and corn? I understood beets were a huge draw but it would have to be during the season to benefit hunting.
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Post by coop on Dec 11, 2017 14:15:37 GMT -6
I was kinda hoping Sugar Beets were the "magic bullet" of food plotting, they're not. Deer started browsing them in late September, ramped up to 3 to 7 visitors per day in mid-October and have pretty much stayed that way until now. I'd say their a 8 outta 10 with the best attribute being the ability to keep pushing new growth until early November. Their biggest weakness is the effort required to procure the seed, plant early, spray twice, fertilize once or twice, and hope it doesn't get dry. I have very heavy soils and they seemed very susceptible to drought. More so than any of my other plantings.
I plant a ton of food. I'm sure usage would be different if I reduced the amount and variety of food available.
"Where are the deer feeding the heaviest on your place?" - The deer are pretty spread out on my place. Beans are getting hit daily, a few apple trees have bare dirt below them they're visited so often, corn is hardly touched, Sugar Beets are visited daily. I planted an Austrian Winter Peas, Radish, Oat, & Rye blend in August that didn't get started until September due to drought. It was a magnet in October but appears to have zero interest currently and likely for the rest of the winter.
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Post by Catscratch on Dec 11, 2017 14:38:22 GMT -6
Anybody else plant wheat for plots? It stays green all winter (here), will grow every time the temps warm up a little, and has deer in it all winter. Super easy and cheap to plant. Just curious as I don't see you guys using it.
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Post by kabic on Dec 11, 2017 14:50:21 GMT -6
I planted wheat instead of rye this year. I don't think I planted it early enough. Didn't get rain until a week or two after. It did start to grow, we will see in the spring how it looks.
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Post by Freeborn on Dec 11, 2017 15:50:04 GMT -6
The Neighboring farm planted wheat as a cover crop last year and it was a huge draw. I broadcast Rye into my beans so I don't till the ground so I have not tried wheat. I think its a great draw and much better than rye but it will not survive Minnesota's winter so you won't get the green growth in the spring.
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