Thinking about planting winter wheat this year?

I have a 2 acre plot next to river bottom. Place is by Wichita Falls. Maybe maybe not add to it? Thanks

I'd do 60/40, OR 70/30 whole feed oats (much cheaper)/Wheat.

Ok

I'd worry about the oats freezing out. If planting oats, I would definitely not use feed oats, I'd use seed bred for cold resistance. Cereal Rye, can withstand even more cold than wheat and grow in poorer conditions, it's an option for the mix..

Mike, I have planted seed oats and whole feed oats for deer in several plots together and never lost one over the other to freeze, I have lost most of both when temps remained frozen for week or more, still had some growth. Of course the OP may be just enough North of me to spend the extra and go with a more cold hardy verity with only 2 acres. Winter oats and Buck forage oats can handle cooler temps .
Feed store once told me the biggest difference in whole feed oats and seed oats, was the germination and "trash" guarantee. I know seed has to have requirements, but there are so many type of oats cultivars now, I'd go with what the locals use and sell.

RedBone, look around this site for some great info, just look for the wildlife tab on the left and follow the trail.

http://www.mbsseed.com/initial_page.htm

Buck forage oats looks like the way I should go, but should I plant some radishes or something else as a border?

Saw grass and hay have been planted in the past years.

Thanks just trying to get some ideas. Rancher will plant the plot for me. We are trying to keep the deer from eating his winter wheat.

I'm more worried about the distance west and cold dry air moving down from Colorado. I took a quick look at the Plant Hardiness Zone, Wichita Falls is 7a, Wise County 7b. If I'm planting a plot for food I like to play as many factors as possible in my favor.

Don't know much about cereal rye. Will deer over look w/w and go to cereal rye?

I can only speak about my place just South of Bowie. I've never found a bit of difference is deer preference between the cereal grains and I've tried wheat, oats and rye. Wheat and oats are generally the cheapest. Like others, I've rarely found oats freezing out. I've noticed that deer won't mess with a cereal grain crop if there is plenty of natural browse like wild rye. Crows always hit my crops and they prefer cereal grains to natural browse.

I've even tried LabLab and with the big stalk and leaves it just doesn't work in an arid area.

He must be butt deep in deer if they affecting his wheat crops. I'm not sure what would motivate a deer to move from one crop location to another but maybe he knows something I don't.

Kinda wondering how he has even had a crop around Wichita Falls the last couple of years. Btw, one guy that I met in that area swears by triticale. I know nothing about it.

Turnips and radishes? I love to plant them. However, sometimes I've had trouble getting them at the time I've caught enough rain to plant.

That is why I mentioned I would go by what the local feed/and seed recommends as far as an oat, BTW, iirc, they where in zone 8 as I was before they changed the hardiness zone in 2012, but not 100% on that.

I have never had luck with deer eating turnips, but then some guys swear by it. I put in 2 lbs last fall. A couple lbs of seed is cheap, but it may take a couple years for them to figure out what to do with turnips.

Might want to look into Iron clay cowpeas, or Austrian winter peas, deer take to them great and if they survive browsing, help build your soil up.

FWIW, I have seen a preference in deer in several counties in Texas for oats over wheat, the only reason I plant wheat is for freeze out insurance. It also seems to toughen quicker which is likely part of the reason deer like oats.

If you want to really gamble, you could try a dry land alfalfa cultivar, I had a 4 acre alfalfa food plot for 6 years in southern Erath county, think it was Ladak (sp) developed by A&M for dry, warm climate.

I've had very good success with seed oats with added patches of turnips and mustard greens. The greens are planted as much for the landowner as they are for the deer.

I would look at what is being planted as far as small grains, around this plot. I would then try something a bit different to appeal to the deer. I prefer to mix several seeds when planting a fall plot to have different tastes. Seed company like Turner Seed can sell you a fall food plot seed mix also. It will have a variety of seeds in it.

Well working 3rd shift so just got up thanks for the ideas!

To Dave he has 1000s of acres of saw grass an w/w. Just want something to maybe pull them off.

Oat/wheat/clover/turnip mix....usually deer prefer oats to wheat. When the oats die, the wheat, clover and turnips will still be there to keep them coming back. I do annual plots (clover & Alfalfa) and seasonal plots (beans in summer and wheat/oats/turnips in fall), but if only one plot available in your area, the mix above should do the trick.

The deer really don't come to corn feeders that much. Man they will hit the w/w like crack heads on Friday night. Just trying to get the upper hand.

I hunt in henrietta and scotland, and both places have wheat plots/fields. In henrietta we typically get the wheat in around mid sept and it stays browsed low until march when everything greens up. Have taken a couple good bucks in the plot and it attracts a lot of browsing when the natural stuff goes brown in late october/early nov. Has held up to freezing and after last year I would be worried the oats would freeze dead. I planted some radishes but they froze out before they could get mature.

IN scotland, the wheat is the big draw on that place and in late december/early jan, it is like clockwork...every evening about 15-20 minutes before dark, the deer come calling. Doesn't give much time, but they show up, always.

In WF area, I would do winter wheat and be able to hunt it all season. Anything else and you risk too early a freeze. You want as much bang for your buck, and wheat will give it in that area.

You might consider Triticale.

If they are hitting the wheat that hard, he must be fertilizing pretty heavily. Is he watering it?

Yes he waters. Will need to look at triticale. The more I think about it the more I think the plot should be something else that just w/w. So I will have a 2 acre plot of w/w next to a1000 acre plot of w/w !!

Think the mix blend maybe the way to go.

will oats do well with a "throw and grow approach" if it has been killed then mowed?

I have a spot that i cant get my disk to.

Kyle, I have seen it come up with just a dusting of dirt, but it has to be wet for some time, best bet would be to hand rake it in if you can, 1/2" may get you done.

Thanks for all the replies!!