Deer Pasture

[Derek]

I am a deer hunter/watcher. I have a 2 acre clearing I want to grow good grass on. I want a grass with very fast germanation and a hi protien content. The soil is a heavy clay based in Palo Pinto county.I need the grass to grow from Feb- the summer. I would like a grass that I can throw out or just use a spreader. I can not get any farming equipment in this location. Is there a good grass I can spread out and have it get good soil contact an have it grow well.

[Robert D Bard]

Probably the best for your needs is rye grass. Deer and other animals love it even though grass is not their main diet. I think it is kinda like ice cream to us. You can buy a small hand spreader and carriy grass on your shoulder (50 lb bag) and have it out in no time. It will not do much for a couple of months as this is a little late to plant but come Feb and Mar it will grow like wild fire and it will die when the weather gets lot in June. I will improve the quality of the land under it after it dies.
Robert D Bard

[Dchall_San_Antonio]

Do deer eat any legumes? Seems that time frame would work for some of the clovers.

[Pamzilla]

How about planting some deer friendly shrubs? Anyone know if this would work? Will the deer destroy the plants or just nibble? Are deer beneficial to grazing land with cattle?

Pam

[Robert D Bard]

Deer by and large don't eat grass. It is more of a treat with most of their diet coming from trees, and schrubs, vines, etc in the woods. I have seen them gorge them selves on rye grass but don't know if they will eat clovers as they are so rich. Even our cows hardly eat clovers compared to rye, oats, and wheat. Also rye is kinda like a weed - it will grow on almost any thing even w/o fertilizer, but when it dies the tops and roots become fertilizer besides opening up the soil. It also brings trace minerals closer to the surface. I would also put some clover but you may have to add bacteria to the seeds as there may not be enough in the soil to let it germinate. Most of the soil has been "farmed out" or destroyed with Acid type fertilizers which kills the bacteria.
Robert D Bard

[Marlyn]

Tecomate and Purina sell deer plot blends for doing just what you are describing. If you don't want to buy their blends, you might at least want to take a look at what they are including in the blends. It would give you a starting place. I'm no sure who all carries these. I know that Wells Brothers in Plano and McKinney does.

Marlyn

[pridgeon]

You might contact your county extension agent about deer/cow co-grazing. I saw a story on our local news about that subject - many ranchers are making more money with their deer herds than they are with their cattle. So it's a big topic right now in the ranching community. As far as deer grazing shrubs - they used to get in my flower garden and eat everything, including thorny things like roses. They never actually killed anything but they sure could eat everything down to just stems, and even some stems. I would think that very much of this would kill the plant.

[Ken]

Here is a recommendation for both Spring and Fall planting for Deer and other wildlife.

SPRING Deer Foot plot

CATJANG PEAS 15%
IRON & CLAY COWPEAS 15%
RED RIPPER COWPEAS 15%
SOYBEANS (FORAGE) 15%
BUCKWHEAT 10%
BLACK-EYED PEAS 10%
OKRA(SPINELESS) 10%
PIGWEED 5%
MUNGBEANS 5%

Plant at 20 lbs per acre approx April 15th, cost is about 1.25 per lb.

Fall Deer Plot
WHEAT
OATS
RYE
BARLEY
ALFALFA
TURNIPS
AUSTRIAN WINTERPEAS
HAIRY VETCH
MADRID
MADRID CLOVER
HUBAM CLOVER
YUCHI ARROWLEAF CLOVER
RAPE SEED

Plant at 50 lbs per acre, cost is approx 16.00 dollars per acre, plant approx Sep 15th.

Hope this helps.

Pecos