Food plot prep

With rain in the forecast I made a quick trip to the ranch yesterday to fill protein feeders and plow a 3 ac. plot. Hoping to bank some moisture. This will be my first attempt at a food plot. I'm planning on using one of the Turner Seed fall deer mixes but still open to suggestions. Looking at the radar early this morning it looks like SW Knox Co. did get some rain.






There should be two pics not sure why the second didn't show up. I also don't know how to rotate the pic. Any help would be appreciated.

Re-size the picture smaller. It should turn right-side up.

Good rains here in San Angelo as well as to the NW of us towards Big spring and Abilene

keep it simple.. Oats will suffice as deer love them..Unless you can keep hogs,deer livestock out peas are a waste of money....We use oats and overseed with rye once it cools down and more moisture....

I always plant 100lbs of oats and 50lbs of peas per acre with 100lbs of 13-13-13. Easton is right about the peas. The deer can't leave them alone long enough for them to mature. But that is why I plant them, they are like ice cream to the deer.
Here is my wife standing in a 4 acre plot I did two years ago with that mixture.
For Three acres the cost will be: $120 oats, $105 peas, $90 fertilizer. So, $315 to plant 3 acres with my mixture.

You need to bail that and sell it...!!!You could pay for 5 seasons of plots right now..!!

Yea, I should have, but I just plowed it under. Duh me.

Spent the weekend getting two plots ready to plant. Will go over them one more time and plant around the 15 of Sept. Sorry for the sideways photos.

Looks good Mr.T are you planning on doing Oats and peas? I know Oats are popular in East Texas. What did you do for prep? Chisel plow?

Plan on mowing my plots down next weekend and the Labor Day weekend or later filling and then maybe planting depending on rain chances. Would like to be planted and growing prior to bow opener but we’ll see about the weather. If too hot I will wait till later in September.

I mowed one weekend, the next sprayed using my homemade sprayer, waited two more weeks and then used a disc plow. I had to go over the small plot three times, but the larger one only twice. I will plow one more time and then plant between Sept 15 and Oct 1st depending on forecast. Going to plant 100lbs oats and 50lbs of peas per acre. Ist time in east Texas so we will see what comes up.
Here is my homemade sprayer. I've got about $120 in it. I got tired of paying $300 for sprayers that only lasted one season. I did that twice, guess I'm a slow learner.

I have always kept it pretty simple, Oats and wheat mix 60/40 and about every other year or two, I add more arrow leaf clover. One thing to watch with seed mixes is the varying seed size, this matters for planting depth.

I have tried everything from lablab, whitetail institute and many others and if you arent beside and alfalfa field, I havent seen much difference. I have had a 4-5 acre alfalfa field at one time, now that was the bomb, but oats kept young and tender will draw deer real good, wheat will as well, but not as well as tender oats imo. I plant wheat just to hedge my bets if I get a long hard freeze that takes out the oats.

$24 soil test thru Texas A&M, is an easy way to keep up with your soil needs and not blindly pour money in unneeded minerals/fertilizer.

If you plant hard seed like peas, clovers, using the proper inoculate bacteria will greatly increase germination and production as well.

A lot great info here. Thanks for everyone's input!