Texas Hunting Forum

Milo For West Texas Food Plot

Posted By: Ktexas14

Milo For West Texas Food Plot - 12/17/18 02:36 PM

My dad recently bought a small place surrounded by Several 500 plus acre ranches. Most of those are goat ranches that to what I have learned from speaking to them dont plant anything.

We have a tractor and I can get my hands on discs for planting.

Would Milo be good to be used as an attractant/supplemental feeding to keep deer coming to our plot? I know it is hardy and doesnnt require a lot of rain. I would let it grow and shred rows after it is mature.

Is there something else to consider? What do yall think?
Posted By: Mr. T.

Re: Milo For West Texas Food Plot - 12/17/18 04:58 PM

The best attractant in my opinion would be 100lbs oats and 50lbs Austrian winter peas and 150lbs 13-13-13 fertilizer per acre without knowing any other information. .
Posted By: stxranchman

Re: Milo For West Texas Food Plot - 12/17/18 09:52 PM

Oats or wheat with some clovers mixed in and planted in the fall. That way if you get the rain in the cooler months you will have something to attract and benefit them until late spring. If you have a lot of deer then you will need a larger food plot to do any good.
Posted By: dogcatcher

Re: Milo For West Texas Food Plot - 12/18/18 01:27 AM

The farmer to the west of us always plants one field in milo and the other in cotton, in the fall he plants winter wheat on our fields, we see twice the action on our wheat.
Posted By: Someone

Re: Milo For West Texas Food Plot - 12/18/18 01:22 PM

deer will eat milo once they are used to it, but up north in corn (yankee) country milo is sometimes planted in areas with heavy deer pressure because they will pass it over and move on to something else

it is generally not their favorite

since it sounds like you are planting to attract deer and yield is not a major concern it would probably be easier to go with corn, wheat, or some of the other known deer foods that have been mentioned

in Cass County barring a major drought year you should be able to get a decent corn crop up and enough to bring in deer and really if you can get the crop up and going even if it is a drought year (unless extreme) a poor stand with some ears will bring in the deer even more since everything else will be drought as well
Posted By: Ktexas14

Re: Milo For West Texas Food Plot - 12/18/18 02:31 PM

I appreciate the feedback, I will look into wheat and corn. This year it was the wettest year in a long time in Irion county but is generally pretty dry out there. I guess the only way to know for certain if something will work is to try it.
Posted By: Bbear

Re: Milo For West Texas Food Plot - 12/18/18 03:43 PM

Ktexas, a lot of ranchers in this part of the world plant wheat for winter feed for their cattle and sheep/goats. Deer feeding on them is just a plus. I hunt near Melvin and the landowner just finished planting two good sized wheat fields about 3 weeks ago. It'll grow, slowly, this time of year and the deer will hammer it. Not much chance of any yield from it either.
Posted By: Ktexas14

Re: Milo For West Texas Food Plot - 12/18/18 05:49 PM

Bbear, is there anything that is planted late spring for them to eat during summer?
Posted By: Someone

Re: Milo For West Texas Food Plot - 12/18/18 10:21 PM

I would like to point out I made a mistake saying Cass County I was reading the info for Mr. T not the OP (I guess I did not scroll up far enough to check the location of the OP)

sorry for the mistake, but the main point I was trying to convey still stands milo is not a real favorite of deer

you might check with some of the seed companies like Bamert

https://www.bamertseed.com/product-category/blends/wildlife-pollinator/

let them know your area and equipment and they can hook you up I am sure

and as said before if you get decent moisture at all corn can still be an option in west Texas
Posted By: Bbear

Re: Milo For West Texas Food Plot - 12/18/18 11:52 PM

Ktexas, I don't know. This is the first year I've hunted. I'd like to say we'll put something down that doesn't require a whole lot of re-seeding but just don't know.
Posted By: BOBO the Clown

Re: Milo For West Texas Food Plot - 12/18/18 11:58 PM

Originally Posted by Bbear
Ktexas, a lot of ranchers in this part of the world plant wheat for winter feed for their cattle and sheep/goats. Deer feeding on them is just a plus. I hunt near Melvin and the landowner just finished planting two good sized wheat fields about 3 weeks ago. It'll grow, slowly, this time of year and the deer will hammer it. Not much chance of any yield from it either.


It will still make. They have excellent ground moisture. Majority of that country is also no till, so they aren’t loosing much moisture either. Few where still planting last weekend actually with intent to combine


Posted By: BOBO the Clown

Re: Milo For West Texas Food Plot - 12/19/18 12:06 AM

Originally Posted by Ktexas14
My dad recently bought a small place surrounded by Several 500 plus acre ranches. Most of those are goat ranches that to what I have learned from speaking to them dont plant anything.

We have a tractor and I can get my hands on discs for planting.

Would Milo be good to be used as an attractant/supplemental feeding to keep deer coming to our plot? I know it is hardy and doesnnt require a lot of rain. I would let it grow and shred rows after it is mature.

Is there something else to consider? What do yall think?




Milo is a good cover crop if you plant legumes to keep deer from knocking from destroying the Juvenile legumes, before they get established. Nut shell I wouldn’t waste diesel on Milo via its self.

Corn is a tough one because it so expensive to plant and takes lots of water.

I’d stick to winter eat, barely or oats. Something you can set back your costs with a grazing or combine lease.

My favorite is alfalfa but that’s an expensive planting, and needs water

Posted By: cabosandinh

Re: Milo For West Texas Food Plot - 12/19/18 12:16 AM

I planted some corn as a test several years ago

deer ate everything...… down to the ground
Posted By: Old Shakie

Re: Milo For West Texas Food Plot - 12/20/18 02:07 AM

Talk to Jay Mercer at Turner seed in Breckenridge. He is a great guy and can tell you anything you want to know. They can also get you whatever seed you go with.

https://www.turnerseed.com/food-plots.html
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