I’m tossing around the idea of planting soybeans this year. The goal would be drawing power for the next hunting season, more so than added nutrition. It would be planted on a long strip of transmission powerline, totaling about 9.5 acres.

My deer population is trending upwards. If I was to sit on that powerline watching 700 total yds, I may see 20-30 in a half day, if the deer are moving well. One afternoon this season, I had 24 within eyesight at one time.

My question is, would that be enough acreage to withstand browsing pressure, and hold over into the season? Or am I wasting my time?

How many total acres are you hunting? My guess is that the deer will mow it before it has a chance to get out of the ground if your density is high and no other bean fields around.

9 1/2 acres will get pounded. Doesn't matter the acreage you are hunting. Even with a modest population, you might need upwards of a hundred planted acres or more to withstand. If everything around you had the same type agricultural plantings, the acreage to sustain as a draw in the fall would be somewhat less. We sometimes look at the midwest and try to duplicate our deer-hunt implementations. I have swung and missed doing just what you are suggesting. It was a good spring snack for my deer and I'm certain it did them some good, but it was a better lesson on what not to do, for me. My suggestion is to stick with the best fall planting you can plant and take good care of your soils from now and all the way through next deer season. Hope this helps!

I’d go I/C peas or lab lab if I wanted to be safe. If you could keep them out of the beans long enough you may be fine as long as their forage beans.

What about planting corn if your objective is holding power next fall?

And then come in and broadcast cereal grains right into it before big rain event sometime first of October.

I can tell you the best way to make it work, from what I have experienced. First, plan on planting some buckwheat to give the beans cover. I would also plant some clay pea's with it. Toss in some sunn hemp to give the peas something to climb on. The best soybean to plant in my opion on is Eagle soybeans. They are roundup ready. Alot of people like Lab Lab, but Eagle Beans are $110 a bag at my coop, Lab Lab is $150. So there would never be a time I would plant LabLab.

Last year regular soybeans were $35/bag. Clay Peas were $50. Buckwheat was also $50.

Just bite the bullet and plant RR Ready corn and Eagle Beans. The cost sux but it works. I had planted that on about 7 acres for 6 years and never had them be able to destroy it. By fall the beans were pretty ate down, especially the last year or two, but never was there not forage available. Last year I had a stoopid attack and planted a mix of Lab Lab, a supposed Forage Bean, Peas, Sunflower and Sorghum. I get back to farm about 6 weeks later and had a nice field of Sorghum. Not a sign of anything else. So this year its going to be back to what works and I may expand acreage. Also may put up my e-fence, which is a lot of work, but may be necessary. My deer numbers have been increasing substantially the last couple of years and may have got to the point where the beans need protection for a little while, but if they get knee deep the deer will never be able to touch them. The corn also provides some browse protection. I have high density these days with an average of over 10 seen/sit this year, and quite a few 20+ seen sits, so they will get tested. A couple of acres of Clover and mostly mature thinned and burned pines helps.

Thanks for the advice fellas.

I did corn last year on my land with maybe 3.5 acres. This year I want to incorporate soybeans. Do yall think soybeans would do good on that little bit of acreage. My deer numbers are nowhere near what others numbers are. Im in Elmore county and have had pics of 10 deer at one time on different cameras. So I would say 10-14 maybe are on my 104 acres at times. They ate the living crap out of my corn, it was gone by October

I'd plant eagle beans. They handle browse pressure much better than regular soybeans or clay peas.

Only way I could make that small acreage work was with Eagle Beans and an e-fence until they got a little over knee high. That’s what I started with. When I expanded to 7 acres I did not need e-fence any more.

Go with Lab Lab. We have a lot of deer, but when we planted Lab Lab they couldn't eat it as fast as it would grow. When we got ready to cut it in the fall to plant fall fields, it was higher than the tractor in places and the deer lived it it.