Looking for plot recommendations to be hunted primarily during archery season (attractiveness into rifle a plus but not of high value). Bow set up is likely smaller plots with partial sun. Located near Huntsville

do you have access to tractor and implements?

for small plots, easiest route is just go with seed oats from a feed store. I have better luck plowing the area in August, this will create a composting effect with the chopped up vegetation that you breakdown and plow in. The I come back in mid September before a wet front pushes in to scatter seeds & fertilizer, then drag or light plow to cover seeds ... if you get rains, should start spouting within a couple of weeks.

I have also tried some of the per-packaged food plot blends like Tractor Supply sells, usually has a mix of oats, wheat, turnip, peas, chicory, clover, etc. These work pretty good as well and give a variety of things that come up at various times depending on temperature out thru winter. If your feed store also sells other seeds by the pound, variety of peas (blackeye, field, clay, cow, etc.) also work very well.

Where are you planting (general location in the state)?

Reason I ask, is so much of the state is usually so dry in the early fall it will be hard to get anything to come up for bow season. Even with good rain in early to mid september, it can get dry really quickly again and essentially abort any germination you see from the moisture.

If you have an ability to water some of these areas, even with a hose and a 250gal tote or something, that would make things a lot more feasible. Would be a ot of work, but you could get something up with a simple irrigation plan.

If not, you may be throwing seed into dust and nothing will come up until late october.

Im working on this same plan, when I have planted in September. Its been too dry and I'm not seeing anything til October/November

We've never had any luck planting early enough to have a food plot for the early archery season. Either to dry or the army worms wiped us out. Fortunately we bow hunted all year.

Yeah sadly too dry. Like last season didn't get good rain till Rifle opener. I'm thinking of trying clover in March to get something started for the deer

I’m in Grimes County near between Navasota and Huntsville. I’ve got a tractor with a disc, spreader, and bush hog. I was worried about rain being the limit factor and it seems like that is the general consensus unfortunately

Iron clay peas and Okra

I like to disc the soil and wait for a good rain. Then sling seeds and cover them.

I have found out the hard way about covering up some seeds hoping for rain.

one trick my dad used to do was to fill up a 5 gallon bucket with seed oats, then fill the bucket with water, the oats would soak up the water and we would toss by hand on small areas with decent success if there was even a little bit of rain over the next week or so. No telling how many trips I made down to a creek to get water, carry a full bucket back up to the field area to do the above ... but I was young and stout.