First year in Sutton County and wanted to see if anyone knows when the rut typically starts here? While sitting in blinds Saturday evening - I saw a few bucks chasin does.

Good Info from a past forum:


Respose from Cave Creek at QDM Forums from Texas Food Plots for the Spring Plant:
Most of my annual clover type forages have made into june or july most years. Crimson clover is a good early season plant, but if you don’t get good early fall rains in your location, or mine... you just about get absolutely nothing out of it.
This past fall, present winter - is the first time I’ve had decent fall rains in the hill country in probably 4 years. For this reason my clover production is typically zilch until late winter, early spring. Often my clovers will not have even germinated until late jan. This year is an exception. But because of the late winter rains, seeds have a late start (germination) and therefore a late finish into the summer, especially with fair summer rains.
Good rains from late spring through summer can do some really funny things with clovers.
Something like crimson should typically be drying down late april into may though.
Hard seeded annual clovers and the biennial or perennial clovers or fall seeded legumes (like alfalfa) will often keep their seed quality while laying in or on top of the soil, just waiting for those rains. I have seen chicory do so as well. On my own place I had a small plot of chicory and alfalfa growing into June 2009. Would have made it longer despite the lack of rains, but our local axis herd finally found my test plot.
For a good example though, one of the ranches I have helped consult and plant on, west of kerrville, had chicory, madrid yellow sweet clover, and hubam white sweet clover growing up until the time the plots got disked for fall preparation mid august. The few spots that didn’t get disturbed have grown into and some through this past fall. All with very very disappointing rainfall.
The sweetclovers are very drought tolerant clovers. Madrid can actually last up to two full years with adequate moisture. The Hubam is larger seeded, an annual, and will therefore put growth on faster, but can sometimes grow into the following fall as well. Somewhat dependent on if deer keep it grazed while it tries to make seed. I have been very impresed with drought tolerance of chicory as well. Has persisted on dry caliche soils with little rain.
For the record, sweetclovers are not always highly preferred, due to a chemical compound that makes the forage taste funny, coumarin. But they do eat it, and it is high in protein. The fact that they may not hammer it right away is actually a benefit, allowing it to establish its root system.
I have not yet tried Durana white clover. It would be great for length of growing season and grazing tolerance, but is more shallow rooted and takes rather long to establish. If you are on a high pH soil, it will probably not work.
I have not messed much with red clover, but did hear that one gentlemennear me has had a stand for the past three years. Worth a shot if you find good priced seed.
I have planted LabLab one year unsucessfully and this past season successfully (only in some cages). Our spring and summer was nearly impossible to grow annual summer forages. 2008 never gave enough rain to get a stand. 2009 didn’t either, but I do have one small plot where I run well water to. With absolutely no moisture in the top two feet, the only thing I dared try was planting in some cages so that I could observe the plants and get some photos.
If you want to go the annual spring summer route I would personally recommend cowpeas. But watch their prices. They have been a bit high the last two seasons. If you can get a 50# bag for around $40, I think its worthwhile. You can plant at @25# ac, making your cost $20 per ac. In good years prices will be lower. Mixing with some cheap hay grazer, milo/sorghum, or even millet, can help hide the peas for a while, shade them from extreme sun, and possibly provide structure for which they can climb. I saw one stand of cowpea/millet this past season that worked fairly well, but millet has smaller seed, so you will need a little more mositure initially.
Pay careful attention to the clovers you have planted currently. Analyze them for next year. If the crimson or arrowleaf look yellow and sickly, then you probably have a higher pH. If your madrid doesn’t work, then the soil may be too sandy or too acid. Proper innoculation of clover is also a very important aspect to their performance and appearance.
Always watch prices. If madrid and arrowleaf did well for you, they are pretty darn cheap.
Both under $2.00 per lb where I shop. Actually more like 1.50 and 1.75. At a full seeding rate, either 10# arrowleaf per acre or 12# madrid per acre, you can add to your fall mix and possibly have early to late summer forage for an additional $17-18 bucks. Having the advantage of establishing root systems by late winter, and plowing only once.