I have always used 50lb per acre of Austrian winter peas mixed with 100lb per acre of oats in my food plot and had great success. Now I am being told by the man at the feed store that he no longer carries them because Whistler winter peas are better.
Any thoughts on this, I hope to plant in a couple of weeks.

I have found that feed store jargon can be very misleading and limited to whatever the locals have come to use between themselves.

I would just google it see what you find to answer your question.

I won't be planting peas this year because I'm tired of having the hogs find them a week after planting.

Google says that whistler peas are sweeter than Austrian peas which sounds good, but that they don't have as many leaves which sounds not so good.

Never heard of "Whistler", but just finding this (below) in Google, would make me consider it and give it a go, especially if that is all your supplier is carrying now. I guess the big question is "how well will it grow here" vs the old standbys?

"Whistler Winter Peas are a semi-leafless, SWEETER WHITE flowered pea with yellow cotyledons. They are winter hardy down to 0 degrees F. Whistler winter peas are white flowered, with a very low anthocyanin content (the reddish, purple color on flowers, leaves, and stems). Studies have shown that the lower the anthocyanin content, the higher the palatability of forage. Austrian winter peas are purple flowered, and have a high anthocyanin content. Sweeter feed means higher intake, higher weight gain, and more profits"

http://hancockseed.com/whistler-winter-peas-50-lb-bag-848.html

Planting a "semi-leafless" pea in a wildlife food plot just doesn't make sense to me - at least in my area. The deer are going to wipe out the pea plants long before they have any chance of making peas anyway. I don't need a sweeter pea to encourage them to feed. It seems to me the more leaves the plant produces the more feed it's going to produce.

Check Turner seed in Breckenridge about 3 miles south on Cisco hiway. If they grow it he has it.

I planted them last year and was not impressed. They are not as cold hardy as stated also. Look into Singletary Peas or stick with Austrian Winter Peas.

Thanks, it looks like I will have to drive to find some but that is what I am going to do.

If it isn't broke don't fix it.

depending on how much seed you need, I have used just regular old black eyed peas from HEB when my feed store was out of any variant of field peas. They worked quite well and aren't too expensive if you get the bigger bag(s) from HEB

We use the Nutrigreen winter pea in our mixes. It's a white flowering pea so you get the sweeter taste but it also produces a very large biomass even more so than Austrian peas do so you get the best of both scenarios. I have clients all over Texas that plant and the deer love it

Thanks, I have never heard of Nutrigeen winter peas before, but then I had never heard of Whistler winter peas either. I will look into them. What about cost per 50lbs. Austrian is about $52, Whistler is running $35.

Black eye peas do well but the first frost will get them. Not really an option for anyone hunting in the northern part of the state.

Average first frost where I hunt in Eastland county is November 6, so Black eye peas will not work for me if they die off the first week of the season.

I have it in a mix with clover and brassica called Supercharger and its $47 per acre if planted alone. If planted with a cereal grain is $6 an acre. We also have it by itself called Whitetail Winter Peas. I'd have to check my pricing with the office in the morning to see what kind of a deal I could get. Normal retail is about $55 an acre

At $55 an acre is that broadcasting 50 lbs per acre?

Do you have a mix of the Nutrigreen peas and Oats? If so how much per $ acre?

That's what I am looking for also. Just a mix of oats and peas. I have done so well with only using those two together both on drawing and holding deer all season.

Yes and you did not overpay for the name on the bag. You can get the same seed in a plain unmarked bag much cheaper. Mixing/blending your own does not take much effort and will be cheaper every time.

Yes, I bought and mixed them together myself, but now I am having a lot of trouble finding Austrian winter peas. And so all these other names have started popping up, "Whistler, Nutrigreen peas." I would prefer to mix my own as I put in a lot more peas than what you can find in any mix. I go 2/3 oats & 1/3 pea in my mix or for others to see my ratio 100lbs of oats and 50lbs of peas.

Collin County Feed and Seed has three bags of Austrian on the shelf. I'm going to be in Eastland this weekend if you want me to pick you up a bag and meet you somewhere.

Sent you a PM, thanks