Heartland Wildlife Institute - Food plots for bigger bucks! By Colby Ward - Rick Philippi
May 15, 2008 - 7:43:55 AM
Management Advantage - Heartland Wildlife Institute - Food plots for bigger bucks!
Food plots are key to a good whitetail management plan and Heartland Wildlife Institute offers a good variety of annual seed mixes, perennial seed mixes, minerals as well as many other products that will benefit the wildlife on your land. Food plots can be a great source of protein rich, supplemental feed that can be available year round. The objectives you are looking for, proximity to your hunting land and access to farming equipment will be key things to consider when selecting your seed mix.
Perennial food plots can last for 4 or 5 years or longer if properly cared for, while annual food plots grow very rapidly, but typically only last a season. Annuals can be planted in spring and then again in the fall.
Let's look at some of the products from Heartland Wildlife Institute.
Buck Buster Brassicas is a brand new blend of hybrid brassicas, forage rape and turnips.
It can be sown or added in small amounts to other mixes, or can even be over seeded in existing plots. Buck Buster Brassicas will attract and hold deer into fall and winter, and provides an excellent source of energy to help deer get through the harshest winters.
In short it is easy to plant, draws in deer, and provides important nutrition. A 4.5 lb bag will seed a 3/4 acre or approximately 33,000 sq. ft.
Buck Buster Brassicas by Heartland Wildlife Institute
High Pro Forage Blend is a blend of 2/3 perennial clovers and 1/3 annual brassicas designed to provide forage for lots of deer. This mix is easy to plant and maintain, and works well in many different conditions. The brassicas in this mixture consist of hybrid forage turnip and forage rape. Both provide early season protein browse and great re-growth qualities. They also serve as a cover crop for establishing the perennial clovers consisting of a New Zealand grazing style ladino clover, alsike clover, and a medium red clover. This blend is very frost tolerant and so is good for late season activity. It is also a high protein biomass so great for spots with lots of deer. Plant primarily in spring, although late summer planting where there's adequate moisture can produce a lush fall, food plot. Plant in full sun, or mostly sun for maximum production.
High Pro Forage blend
Rack Maker Plus is a high protein forage blend of perennial alfalfas, clover, forage chicory and birdsfoot trefoil. Designed to provide year round support in a perennial food plot that can last 4-5 years with adequate care. Deer can't resist this blend. Turkeys love it as well. This is a four season food plot. The main alfalfa is a dairy type with fine stems and lots of leaf which deer find very attractive. The ladino clover is a New Zealand grazing type, which will withstand a lot of browsing pressure, early and late in the year. This is a great choice for a long term food plot.
Rack Maker Plus
Annual Wildlife Mix is a unique blend of annual small grains and seed legumes. This mix will provide cover and a food source for game birds like turkeys, quail, and pheasants. It will also benefit other wildlife including deer. The blend includes hybrid sorghum, peas, 3 millets, sunflower, buckwheat, and soybeans. This combination of seeds grows and ripens at different rates providing a long term food source for your favorite wildlife. Deer especially like to eat the sorghum heads. If you time it right, the sorghum could be ready at the beginning of bow season. It will also provide good winter cover for game birds and rabbits when planted at the prescribed rate.
Annual Wildlife Mix
Buck Buster Extreme is a blend designed to be planted in the early fall/winter. It will serve extremely well as a hunting plot. Buck Buster is a blend of winter oats, winter rye and forage soybeans and three brassicas: a hybrid forage turnip, forage rape and purple top turnips. The frost tolerant ingredients in this mix offer a different peak attraction period, providing deer activity through all hunting seasons.
Secret Weapon Blend is a blend of winter peas and forage soybeans combined with a blend of brassicas. The brassicas include turnips, forage rape, and hybrid forage turnips. This blend will provide a unique late season and early winter food plot ideal for those small plots in your best hunting locations. Deer will really hit this plot hard for several weeks. With turnips in the blend they will come back even into winter.
Forested Trail Blend is a shade tolerant blend that can be planted in forested plots that have limited open canopy. Logging trails, log landings, small clearings provide seeding opportunities for this mix. While this is a shade tolerant mix, it does need some sunlight. East/west trails work well. Also look for openings with southern exposures especially on the top of ridges. Trim back as much brush or small trees as you can to provide maximum sun exposure. Forested trail blend contains hand selected New Zealand type ladino and grazing style subterranean clover. This mix is best suited for spring planting.
Lick Magic is a 20 pound pale of minerals that is designed for free ranging deer. The mineral contains calcium ,phosphorus, salt, magnesium, potassium, manganese, selenium, copper, zinc and vitamins A,D,and E. Lick Magic is a year round product to provide mineral supplement for free ranging Deer.
Lick Magic Minerals by Heartland Wildlife Institute
Food plots can be a rewarding way to provide supplemental nutrition to your wildlife. Heartland Wildlife Institute offers proven seed mixes that are designed for a variety of objectives that range from quick growth plots for deer, turkey and quail to fields that will last five years or more. Give your wildlife the extra nutrition they need to grow monster racks as well as producing an overall healthier environment for them to live in. For more information on planting and care of food plots as well as where and how to buy products from Heartland Wildlife Institute go to:
