Ah, summer! The time of year for going to the lake and enjoying some sunshine and time outdoors. While that’s for most folks, hunters of all kind are thinking and planning for the coming fall hunting season. July and August are critical times for a successful hunting season whether it is waterfowl hunting or deer hunting.
Let’s concentrate on deer hunting. After the season, you want to scout areas and see where the deer were and what their travel patterns are. July starts the time of planting food plots and, depending on the size of your lease or of your own land, you will need to decide whether you use a four wheeler with a disc or possibly a tractor with a larger disc. You want to find the best area for your food plot. Using a game camera and where you saw the signs of deer after last years hunting season is a good start.
You should also be aware of where your stand or stands will be according to your food plot. Another thing to think about will be if this will be for a bow or a rifle. A bow stand will need to be around 20 yards away from your food plot, and a rifle stand can be further away.
After you find the perfect location for your food plots, you want to make sure that the sun can get through if you’re in a heavily wooded area. Sometimes you will need to trim some of the trees to allow the sun to come through.
The first thing you want to do to prepare is mow your area and then spray it with “Round Up” to kill any weeds or bad bugs. Come back a month later and spray again if needed. After another month or so is the time to plant. You need to decide what you’re going to plant. Plants like wheat, oats, or clover don’t require discing or plowing. However, plants like corn, beans or your larger seeds are going to require more work.
So, now that you have decided to use the no till method, you’ll need to find the perfect spot of cleared timber to allow sunlight. Once it’s mowed and you’ve killed everything with Round Up, you’re ready to broadcast your seeds.
When broadcasting your seed, you don’t want to just put clover in one spot, wheat in another spot and so on. The best thing, in my opinion, is to use a combination of wheat oats and clover in equal parts for the area you’re planting. I would recommend that you plant it once a week for three or four weeks in order to have the forage at different heights of the plant.
Hopefully, you now have an idea as to how to prepare your fields for the upcoming hunting season. You can also watch videos on YouTube or on the Realtree 365 app to get more info on the best situations for the area you are hunting. You have done the hard work, but now it’s up to time and Mother Nature.
If you’re looking for more hunting land, or sell your current land, our professionals at Realtree United Country Hunting Properties are here to help. Learn more at www.RealtreeUC.com.
About the author
John Wilhite is a United Country Real Estate auctioneer, real estate broker and land specialist in Oklahoma. He is a lifelong horseman who has lived in the country his whole life. He is also a dedicated sportsman who enjoys fishing and hunting with his family. He has the experience and knowledge to help buyers and sellers of hunting properties, equine properties, farms, ranches and land for sale. Learn more and contact John directly at www.UnitedCountryOklahoma.com.
