Food Plot 1a | Food plot 1a is a strip of soybeans adjacent to our corn. It runs for 50 yards wide and 500 yards long. | ||||||||||
Variety Planted: Real World Whitetail Soybean Blend |
Utilization based on game camera survey on this crop choice + evidence of use |
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Growth Results Unlike the Eagle beans I planted in 2013 which are forage beans, this particular variety of Real World beans is a heavy bean producer. I wanted something that would last later in the season and produce both beans and forage. I also wanted a GMO bean that is Roundup Ready so I can keep weeds under control. After planting in 30" rows with my JD 71 planter, the Real World beans germinated well and produced strong steady growth for the entire growing season. They flowered well but then went into what I would call a dormant phase which lasted for about 3 weeks. I was worried that the beans would not grow. Then, during the last two weeks of the maturity cycle the beans filled out well and we had both forage and a great bean crop. I took down the electric fence and let the deer get at them. |
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Activity Results The deer started eating them right away and hammered both the leaves and the forage. The timing was perfect and by November every leaf and bean was consumed by deer. Interestingly, adjacent to this bean field was my corn field and the deer spent all their time in the beans and rarely touched the corn. Conversely, the bears spent all their time in the corn and never touched the beans. I was impressed with the activity in this plot. |
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Comments This particular bean is a GMO, is Roundup Ready and produces a good balance of both beans and forage. I sprayed these beans two weeks after emergence and then once more when they were a foot tall. Weeds were nonexistent after two applications of roundup. I liked this variety, it grew exceptionally well, was easy to grow, and was a strong bean producer. This met my expectations to the letter. Once the fence was pulled, the deer activity was impressive. My only mistake was not planting a big enough plot and the deer finished it off before the heavy snow set in. I'd rate this plot a solid 10 out of 10 for both growth, and utilization. |
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September Photo (Macro) |
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September Photo (Micro) |
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Late Season Photo | |||||||||||
Trail Cam Photo |