I think the secret in maximizing natural browse is lime and fertilizer. While cleaning out around trees this spring I noticed that pretty much any "weed" in the drip line where I fertilize was browsed while 3 feet away the same plant was untouched.

Very pleased with my field so far even though it’s a little stalled out right now due to no rain. Hopefully this weekend will change that. Here’s a pic from mowing until now………..



Some of the bare areas you see is where I've been spot spraying. There's three spots in the field where I still have a little sicklepod trying to come back. I've also hit a few of the more pure grassy areas to try and get a better mix of broadleafs coming in.




I’ve got a really nice mix of broadleafs and grass now in many places where as past summer fields have been mostly grass. The major component that I’m missing is clover (legume). I’d like to have 25-30% of the field occupied by some kind of clover as well….likely durana. This recent round of lime should have us where we need to be to sow some again this fall.

Some more plant species being browsed in my summer plot……….

Young poke weed…….



I think maybe this is wild radish. I have a few different brassica looking plants in my field. Some of them are volunteer turnip and radish that I’ve planted in the past and some are native plants. This browsing might actually be a rabbit. The cuts look a little clean. Not 100% sure.



Pretty sure this is one of those volunteer daikon radishes. It’s being heavily browsed as well. A lot of diversity, a lot of browsing, a lot of soil conservation………..very little cost, very little time…..

Uno mas…….This is a semi-mature pokeweed plant about 5 ft tall on the very edge of the field that’s benefiting from some of the fert and lime that’s been put out. Look all the way down the stalk at how the leaves have been browsed. This is right where the deer walk into the field. A lot of heavy browsing in these areas. I thought this could be bug damage at first but I'm pretty sure it's deer.

I don't know about that. If it were on our place, it wouldn't be 5' tall.

The thing is…..not all the semi-mature (4-5ft tall) pokeweed is browsed….only some. The ones that are heavily browsed are the ones that are near entry and exit routes to the field as well as near trails that run through my property. If it were insects, then it would be scattered around more random. That’s why I believe it’s deer. There's also no grubs or anything on any of them.

Could it be rabbits? Or maybe your deer don't really like it and they just grab a leaf when coming out into a field. I've seen them do that alot. Almost like they're just killing time or something.

That's it. I'm done planting anything. I'm just gonna let my place grow up in poke weeds pigweeds marestail henbit curly dock and sneeze weed. I'm convinced it's so much better than corn soybeans wheat and sunflowers.

Chickasaw plums are ripe………..

So what are you accomplishing that I'm not?

Nothing obviously.

Look, there are situations where corn and beans, etc make sense and situations where it doesn’t. If I were a really wealthy person with a lot of plantable acreage and disposable income….sure. If I wanted to e-fence off a small plot to save for an early bow season hot spot…..sure. But if I’m in the group that most of us are in where you lease 1500 acres and have 12 acres worth of 1-2 acre….1/2 acre…. ¼ acre plots…..spread out across it, then no it really doesn’t make sense. Yet I see folks year after year trying to go to whatever lengths it takes to make it happen so they can have a pretty field that they believe is making a significant difference.

What I’m trying to propose to you is that this group of plotters would be far better off to take a fraction of those resources and that will power that they put forth to try and pull off these pretty fields……and instead put it toward creating healthy, functional soil that will in turn grow much better winter kill plots. Commercial food plotting has really skewed the average guys image of what he needs to do to successfully manage deer.

If you have the time, money, equipment and the acreage, to feed deer with summer plots, then i say go ahead, but if your trying to feed a deer herd with a couple acres, then i don't think its fesible. My density is not real high on my farm, so a couple acres does ok, but in high deer density area's i would be wasting my money. Starting next year, other than my dove field, i will just let my white clover and browse feed my deer until fall.

I agree that the tv culture and foot plot industry has generally grown to provide a disservice these days with marketing faux pas. but at the same time I'd say majority of our states hunters are on leased land where long term soil health and objectives are too far fetched. They need quicker results on an unknown time frame with limited time to get it accomplished.

Here is another possible option for us to consider for a summer legume to add into our perpetual "weed" mix. It's pretty damn expensive though to buy. It would be worth if I knew for sure it would keep reseeding after one planting. Really need to get some N fixing legumes into the mix with the other plants.

https://www.qdma.com/articles/know-your-deer-plants-partridge-pea

I don’t really see anything farfetched about what I’m doing. I’ve fertilized/limed the natural vegetation in the spring…..broadcasted and mowed over a cereal grain mix in the fall. The farfetched approach to me is all the chit I was doing before. That was far more cumbersome of an approach to not accomplish anything more than what I am now. Actually I feel as though I'm accomplishing far more now because I have what is becoming extremely fertile soil....all with less effort than before.

It would be different if I was proposing something that would cost folks a much more significant investment than what they are already having to make….but for most folks it’s going to save them a significant amount…time especially. It just requires a different management approach and perspective on the situation.

Shaka-lacka bam!!......Not 100% sure yet but I do believe I’ve located a small patch of partridge pea. I don’t believe this is mimosa seedlings as there aren't any mature trees around here anywhere. Any other options it could be?



I’m going to rope it off to see if I can raise it up for seed. I ran out of flagging tape but I’m going to add a little more to it to beef it up. I may end up having to use wire but maybe not.

Looks to me like a patch. I have quite a bit of it and at my place they do not touch it until it reaches a certain height.Then they get on it hard until patches look like someone took a hedge trimmer to them. They will all be ate back to exactly the same height.

Cool!....They must be doing the same thing to what little I have around here because I don't ever recall seeing a full grown mature plant.

Mine get pretty tall, above knee high, before they get whacked.