I have gotten two reports in Jack county that they are bad already, if you are thinking about planting you might want to hold off.

they were roaming Gillespie Co. yesterday, they ate us up last year, waiting till mid October to plant.

Same here in S.E. Louisiana. We need a drop in temperature bad to end the Army Worm season. Ninety-eight degrees today.

My buddy is right next to Jack in Montague and they had to plant their wheat twice last year. $$$$

This year with wet early summer then long dry period and not very wet again in my area is a recipe for army worms. I had them 3 or 4 yrs the first few days of November in my oats.

I don't have to worry about army worms, the hogs are completely destroying my fields. I finished planting last Friday, got 1/2" rain Friday night, thought I was looking pretty good. Went and checked my fields yesterday evening, and the hogs have rooted up 75% of them. Probably finished them off last night. On 12 acres, I planted 800 lbs wheat, 600 lbs oats, 50 lbs buckwheat, 50 lbs winter peas, and 20 lbs clover. ALL FOR NOT!!! I despise feral hogs.

Got Army Worms bad in Star Tx. Heard many reports around the Waco area. Bad deal this year.

Not sure how far south you are, but I know some areas of deep STX have them almost year round, they cycle pretty quick too.

Seeing a few around here for about a week, the big ones are the ones that eat the most just before going back into the ground to finish out, then it starts all over again if we don't get some cold. I don't think you can do a thing if you aren't ready when you seen them grown, need to catch them small to have more treatment options, hate the bastages.

I have always waited until the last weekend of September or first weekend of October to plant.
Use to be only one reason for that, I did not want the plants coming up to soon and run into a long hot dry spell in late September and early October and burn them up.
Now it seems like the Army Worms are getting worse more often so now I am even more cautious of planting early.

Are there fall plants that the deer like and Army Worms will not bother?

I plan on waiting; they ate everything last year. I used to not hear of them; it’s got to be Trump!

I'm waiting until it gets cool. I don't hunt my plots specifically, but I do want to see them last through the winter and into green up. A lot of time and money to let a bunch of moths eat. Your County Extension Service does a good job of monitoring them.

I am 90 miles south of San Antonio and in my lifetime I can only think of one time we may have them before July. I had them in my yard here about 5 yrs ago now in early July on the Bermuda grass I had just planted. Most years it is after a long dry spell followed by extremely wet period in late Aug or into Sept. They will be here this year. I am not planting till mid October at the earliest this year. I have had them as late first week of November here about 3 yrs ago now.

Yep, same song second verse. I lost all my food plots last year to them, so I'm waiting on a cold front before I plant this year.

How cold are you thinking it needs to be before you feel safe planting? I know if Oklahoma there are army worms and army cutworms, apparently one is from the south and one is from the north and the army worm goes away during the winter but the cutworm doesn't. Haven't seen much damage from worms in my neck of the woods but don't really want to tempt them boogers either.

The older farmers and ranchers down here said 3 consecutive nights in the low 50's or cooler and you could plant.

I'd say that is very fortunate, they have a pretty quick cycle once the leave the ground, I just recall the Ag agent when came out to make recommendations dealing with these bastages, he said to count myself fortunate as the Southern part of STX can have developing worms year round if the weather is right.

I know the second time I had them bad, it would have been the 4th late cut, they took the field to stems, ag agent told me to deep disc or lite plow to turn the soil and expose the pupae in the ground, which I did. Not sure how much that disrupted them and its for Bermuda anyway, those blackbirds where in those fields for a week and they generally just fly over. Don't know if they where on the pupae or not, like to think they where, but that field came back twice as good the fallowing spring as coastal will do after a good discing.

The couple times they got on my oats/wheat, pretty much a loss by the time I caught it in those smaller plots.

You have a later planting date than me typically anyway, has to be at least a couple weeks or so?

They can and have taken oats or coastal pastures to the stem on me in the past. The worst was on coastal bermuda and all the neighbors got together and had a plane spray the pastures. I can tell they are in oats or coastal two ways...one is by sight if I see a "yellow" looking spot where they have stripped all the leaves off and the other is birds in the fields..mainly crows here were I am at. I have heard of people getting them in the spring but I have never seen it. I am waiting to see the moths flying around in numbers any day now.
I usually planted the last 2 weeks of Sept., but the last 2 yrs it was first week of October. This year I am waiting till mid October to put seed in the ground. It will take a week to be dry enough to skim the fields to get regrowth weeds and grass. Then drag the fields and roll them. I have a drill so I can plant deeper and that seems to help with army worms if I get them. The oats has a deeper root system to better moisture. I have been lucky to never have them kill an oat field out. One year I planted over the top of completely stripped field in a checkerboard pattern over the first planting after worms got it in early November. The first planting came back in full strength after a good rain when the second one came up. It was thick stand that year. I am lucky in that I can check my little deer plots daily to see if I need to spray.

the only time I really like seeing Crows is when the are eating the larva. I have also seen those big red ants carry there larva off, not that many but every little bit helps.

I might go disc my field tomorrow and hope that disrupts them!

Yep

I hope thats right because the forecast calls for a low of 53 on the nights of September 29,30 and October 1, here in Texarkana. I planted last week.

Just got home from checking my food plot. Little 1/3 acre I planted with clover at the beginning of sept right before the rain. Last week clover was thick and beautiful, this morning not a single clover leaf left. Worms everywhere.

Location?

I can remember them being bad back in the late 40's, devastated wheat before the cold weather set in

Army Worms

We are covered up with them here.....