Planting/Transplanting wild edibles and Wild Game Gardens??

[jeremyctry]

So I set up my new Deer Stand on a section of our property that hasn't been used in a couple of years. Subsequently its overgrown pretty bad and I have a lot of work to do getting it all tidied up. We know there is plenty of Deer, Wild Hogs, Bear, etc etc that travel through the area. I've got 2 different water sources I can see from my stand. I have already set out a salt blocks, and I'm going to be setting up a feeder as well. I already have a plan as for cleaning out dead trees and possibly some of the new growth(less than 6" diameter trees) just to open thing up and give me a greater field of vision, but I'm also looking to plant/transplant various wild edibles. Right now my list includes blackberries, rasberries, crabapples, and persimmons. But I have also considered planting Buffalo grass as a ground cover in some areas. The benefit to Buff grass is that it is tough it doesn't take much water, It doesn't grow up so no mowing/slingblading and my understanding is that with it in place I wouldn't have to worry about weeds, poison oak, poison ivy, or poison sumac. I haven't used a stand since I was a child so the idea of setting up a stationary hunting site is a bit alien to me. I am aware of the applicable laws and my plan does not break any of them. But I would love to hear any words of wisdom from those of you who have set up successful stand sights. And those who have done similar things. What worked for you what you liked what you didn't? Also if you have experience with Buff grass or any other form of ground cover that you believe would work well for keeping weeds and poison(leaves of 3 plants in check)

I was thinking of doing a couple of (I believe they're called forest gardens) The Image below is not mine found it on the web. This is what I want to do this spring.

I'm thinking I will put 2 of these in, 1 down hill from my stand close to the creek, and the other uphill near the spring. I am trying to decide what plants to use. I am also planning on planting a few Berry patches. This is my concept for them. The image below is not mine I found it on the web.

I haven't walked the entire effective fire zone but based on what I have seen so far I'm not overly worried about weeds per-say, more looking for a way to keep poison(leaves of 3 type plants) in check. I would love it if the ground cover plant I use where edible not so much for myself but for the wild game. And I would prefer if the plants I use be ones I won't have to replant every year. I may do a food plot as well at some point.

Edit: Just to be clear, I know that both of the above garden/permaculture concepts are based around human consumption. I would love to use plants that are safe for human consumption but my idea is that these will be for the wildlife. I understand that may require some modification to the idea/plan, and welcome all thoughts, ideas, and suggestions towards that end

[Moe M.]

 
  Your plan seems to be well thought out and the job you're thinking about taking on sounds like quite an undertaking,   I'm sure when it's completed it'll be a great place for a bushcraft camp,  and the wildlife in the area I'm sure would benefit also from your hard work.
  All that said,  as a life long hunter (small game, upland birds, and deer/black bear,  I have taken advantage of tree stands and sat on a lot of runs and scrapes,  and I've gotten my share of venison chops and tenderloin,  but I've never been tempted to lure game in with calls, treats, or lures of any kind and then ambush them in a controlled environment of my own making made to defeat their own inherited senses for survival
  Now, my words might sound critical of your way of gathering game,  and while they might be I'm not judging your methods,  "to each his own" they say,  and I agree with that,  I don't agree or hold with trapping for fun or hobby either for my own ethical reasons.
  What concerns me most is that in much of life today and in the future we are trending toward lazy,  we are loosing precious skills by replacing them with technology or easier less ethical ways of doing things,  instead of honing the skills our fore fathers used we now use trail cams,  bait feeders,  scent lures,  salt licks,  camo clothing,  we shoot from trees and blinds,  it makes a person have ask him/herself what is most important,  self reliance skills and the challenge of the hunt,  or simply the easiest way of the taking and killing of animals.
  Growing up,  I started hunting small game at about nine years old,  my folks showed me how to look for and read signs,  how to learn the ways of the game in the area that I was hunting,  how to take advantage of natural cover,  know where the game would be early in the morning, at mid day,  and later in the afternoon,  in other words I learned to actually hunt the game in their environment using real skills rather than depend on cameras to watch the trails,  treats to lure the animals into my trap to be ambushed without much of a sporting chance.
  Perhaps I'm being too critical,  but it just seems that in today's world a would be hunter no longer needs to develop real hunting skills,  all he/she really needs is be able to shoot accurately and have enough money to buy the newest and best technology they can afford,  it appears that we've redefined the word "sporting' ?

[hunter63]

After many years of planting wild plants into my garden....or should say trying to plant wild plants into my garden, I'll just say that they were wild "there"....because they "wanted to be there".

Soil type, water, light, your canopy, direction orientation, (what side of hills)......all have a lot more to do with it than your desire to alter it to you idea of what should be there.
This is to say....didn't work well at all.

Some plants are protected from being moved,...check laws....
Many wild plants have a domesticated version....that lends it self to being transplanted into a much wider group of locations.
We are not allowed to "bait" or salt....CWD....but have loose food plots where grass and corn seed just fell off the planter here and there.

I too have slowed down on the walk and stalk methods, a lot.....and have actually built an elevated blind to hunt from.
Reasons are many, but loss of a hunting land, have my own now....but does limit you a bit.
Add....health related reasons, and generally not that interested in hunting all that hard any more.....as I eat what I kill and so don't kill for fun.

I still love being out....don't really care if I get anything or not....

Good luck....sounds like you have a good plan....so many work out for you.

 


 

[imnukensc]

Down here, we can do all that you plan on doing.  We use duck calls, deer calls, turkey calls, and varmint calls.  Heck, we even use artificial lures when fishing.  My biggest concern with your plan would be sunlight (and water, of course.)  hunter63 touched on it in his reply.  Fruit trees, most berry bushes, buff grass, and food plots all require lots of sun so if the areas you have picked out for planting those has plenty of that, you should be good.  Fruit trees and berry bushes draw deer very well while they are producing, but when they're not, the deer aren't going to be there.

Although I keep one in the backyard, salt blocks don't seem to be a big draw.  It gets a little traffic from about mid April to mid August, but that's about it.  I don't know what type of feeder you plan on using.  If you plan on a gravity type that the deer can feed on at will, you can plan on refilling it, depending on size of course, every 2 or 3 days.  Like the berries and fruit trees, if there isn't any food, the deer are not going to be there.

Good luck with your plan.

[MnSportsman]

For deer...Bedding areas and the paths(approaches) the deer use to come & go can also be prime hunting locations. I might add more ideas here, but if you include an area(planting some tall grass in shady & in sunny areas depending on your climate) that will make them safe enough to bed down so you can catch them coming & going to get to feed plots, you can  get a head start on them before you get all of your "garden/feed plot" planted. Perhaps you already have some bedding areas there. Any funnels/pinch points for approaches & leaving such areas is nice to have also & you can create them by using brambles & other natural obstacles to form your own paths to direct the deer. They like to take the easiest route. I make them in the cedar trees around here & they use them almost immediately after I create them. Then I set up ambush points long the way & at the ends.


  I am just offering up some things for your consideration. Not knowing where ya are & the current environment you are going to change (lay of the land & surrounding areas) along with other considerations, makes it kind of difficult. Anyway, there is some things to think about if ya already haven't.  G'luck!
 

[Unknown]

If there is  a nice crop of hard masts from the trees you are leaving, you probably have a really good start. Doesn't seem like there would be any real downside to plantings that are palatable to both you and wildlife.
I would probably sow several types of native grass, as suited. Good luck

[wolfy]

The Sportsman from Minnesota knows of what he speaks.  Going to all the work of creating a food plot out in the sticks is a LOT of work and will probably not produce the results you are seeking, anyway.  I say that because, as has already been pointed out, the crops from the cultivars you plan on trying to propagate will have been harvested or even destroyed by the target animals during the parts of the year when it is illegal to hunt them.  They will eat everything you plant and leave nothing for you.  I don't know the food situation or cover in your area, but around here there are lots of cedar thickets and oak tree timbered areas that offer all kinds of bedding areas and corn & soybean fields for already available and abundant food sources.  Like JB, I would concentrate my efforts on those natural and created pathways that he mentioned in his post.

[jeremyctry]

  Your plan seems to be well thought out and the job you're thinking about taking on sounds like quite an undertaking,   I'm sure when it's completed it'll be a great place for a bushcraft camp,  and the wildlife in the area I'm sure would benefit also from your hard work.
  All that said,  as a life long hunter (small game, upland birds, and deer/black bear,  I have taken advantage of tree stands and sat on a lot of runs and scrapes,  and I've gotten my share of venison chops and tenderloin,  but I've never been tempted to lure game in with calls, treats, or lures of any kind and then ambush them in a controlled environment of my own making made to defeat their own inherited senses for survival
  Now, my words might sound critical of your way of gathering game,  and while they might be I'm not judging your methods,  "to each his own" they say,  and I agree with that,  I don't agree or hold with trapping for fun or hobby either for my own ethical reasons.
  What concerns me most is that in much of life today and in the future we are trending toward lazy,  we are loosing precious skills by replacing them with technology or easier less ethical ways of doing things,  instead of honing the skills our fore fathers used we now use trail cams,  bait feeders,  scent lures,  salt licks,  camo clothing,  we shoot from trees and blinds,  it makes a person have ask him/herself what is most important,  self reliance skills and the challenge of the hunt,  or simply the easiest way of the taking and killing of animals.
  Growing up,  I started hunting small game at about nine years old,  my folks showed me how to look for and read signs,  how to learn the ways of the game in the area that I was hunting,  how to take advantage of natural cover,  know where the game would be early in the morning, at mid day,  and later in the afternoon,  in other words I learned to actually hunt the game in their environment using real skills rather than depend on cameras to watch the trails,  treats to lure the animals into my trap to be ambushed without much of a sporting chance.
  Perhaps I'm being too critical,  but it just seems that in today's world a would be hunter no longer needs to develop real hunting skills,  all he/she really needs is be able to shoot accurately and have enough money to buy the newest and best technology they can afford,  it appears that we've redefined the word "sporting' ?

As soon as my Father gave me the okay to Hunt without direct supervision, I gave up stand hunting and began stalking and tracking and the last time I didn't kill my limit was when I was 12 years old. So I completely understand where your coming from. Age, terrain, and more importantly injuries suffered in Afghanistan influenced my decision to start using stands again. I do not use calls or cover scent and I wont start now. That being said, I respect your views but the fact is, I'm not hunting for Sport or Trophies. I'm hunting to put meat in the freezer. 

[jeremyctry]

After many years of planting wild plants into my garden....or should say trying to plant wild plants into my garden, I'll just say that they were wild "there"....because they "wanted to be there".

Soil type, water, light, your canopy, direction orientation, (what side of hills)......all have a lot more to do with it than your desire to alter it to you idea of what should be there.
This is to say....didn't work well at all.

Some plants are protected from being moved,...check laws....
Many wild plants have a domesticated version....that lends it self to being transplanted into a much wider group of locations.
We are not allowed to "bait" or salt....CWD....but have loose food plots where grass and corn seed just fell off the planter here and there.

I too have slowed down on the walk and stalk methods, a lot.....and have actually built an elevated blind to hunt from.
Reasons are many, but loss of a hunting land, have my own now....but does limit you a bit.
Add....health related reasons, and generally not that interested in hunting all that hard any more.....as I eat what I kill and so don't kill for fun.

I still love being out....don't really care if I get anything or not....

Good luck....sounds like you have a good plan....so many work out for you.

Thanks for the advice. I am aware and in adherence with all applicable laws in regards to Salt and mineral blocks, feeders, and feed plots. My goal with this project is to replace the normal and legal food plot with these garden plots that won't require tilling and replanting every year. Initially a lot of labor but in the future much less.

[jeremyctry]

Down here, we can do all that you plan on doing.  We use duck calls, deer calls, turkey calls, and varmint calls.  Heck, we even use artificial lures when fishing.  My biggest concern with your plan would be sunlight (and water, of course.)  hunter63 touched on it in his reply.  Fruit trees, most berry bushes, buff grass, and food plots all require lots of sun so if the areas you have picked out for planting those has plenty of that, you should be good.  Fruit trees and berry bushes draw deer very well while they are producing, but when they're not, the deer aren't going to be there.

Although I keep one in the backyard, salt blocks don't seem to be a big draw.  It gets a little traffic from about mid April to mid August, but that's about it.  I don't know what type of feeder you plan on using.  If you plan on a gravity type that the deer can feed on at will, you can plan on refilling it, depending on size of course, every 2 or 3 days.  Like the berries and fruit trees, if there isn't any food, the deer are not going to be there.

Good luck with your plan.

Thanks for the advice. All the male members of my Family pitched in and bought this 66 acre spread 11 years ago, and we all pitch in at least 1 of us goes up every weekend to work on whatever project we have in mind for our area and while there we check everyone's feeders and blocks and refills or replaces as needed.

[jeremyctry]

For deer...Bedding areas and the paths(approaches) the deer use to come & go can also be prime hunting locations. I might add more ideas here, but if you include an area(planting some tall grass in shady & in sunny areas depending on your climate) that will make them safe enough to bed down so you can catch them coming & going to get to feed plots, you can  get a head start on them before you get all of your "garden/feed plot" planted. Perhaps you already have some bedding areas there. Any funnels/pinch points for approaches & leaving such areas is nice to have also & you can create them by using brambles & other natural obstacles to form your own paths to direct the deer. They like to take the easiest route. I make them in the cedar trees around here & they use them almost immediately after I create them. Then I set up ambush points long the way & at the ends.


  I am just offering up some things for your consideration. Not knowing where ya are & the current environment you are going to change (lay of the land & surrounding areas) along with other considerations, makes it kind of difficult. Anyway, there is some things to think about if ya already haven't.  G'luck!
 

Thanks for the suggestions/input. I'm in Arkansas and we have a very large and generally healthy deer population. There have been some reports of deer with wasting disease in other zones (thankfully not in ours) We have about 3 times the number of wild hogs in this state than we should so I forsee myself having a lot of pork in the freezer. I'm considering buying a second Freezer so I'll have 1 just for meat. I'm not worried about setting up pinch points or trying to funnel traffic. I already know they are and will continue moving through Truthfully I believe they have to much cover right now. Thats why I want to thin it out some.

[jeremyctry]

If there is  a nice crop of hard masts from the trees you are leaving, you probably have a really good start. Doesn't seem like there would be any real downside to plantings that are palatable to both you and wildlife.
I would probably sow several types of native grass, as suited. Good luck

Thank you for the suggestions and input. I went up and helped my father; clear, till, and plant a Millet Plot over near his stand a couple weeks ago. He just can't do it anymore. And that's what got me to thinking about this, I had seen it done with the focus on people. There's little to no maintenance. You plant and pick as needed. Which made me think why not do the same thing for the wildlife. If I do a couple small ones in the spring it will give me a year to observe and see how well it works and determine if need to change the layout or possibly replace 1 type of plant with a different type; etc etc And if it works well I can expand on the concept using this in place of a traditional feed plot. Which would make things so much easier on me and my father. 

[jeremyctry]

The Sportsman from Minnesota knows of what he speaks.  Going to all the work of creating a food plot out in the sticks is a LOT of work and will probably not produce the results you are seeking, anyway.  I say that because, as has already been pointed out, the crops from the cultivars you plan on trying to propagate will have been harvested or even destroyed by the target animals during the parts of the year when it is illegal to hunt them.  They will eat everything you plant and leave nothing for you.  I don't know the food situation or cover in your area, but around here there are lots of cedar thickets and oak tree timbered areas that offer all kinds of bedding areas and corn & soybean fields for already available and abundant food sources.  Like JB, I would concentrate my efforts on those natural and created pathways that he mentioned in his post.

Thanks for the advice and suggestions. I completely understand that some types of plants would not work well/be a waste of time but there are others that I know would not a Persimmon tree for example, they would not destroy that the same can be said for some other fruit and nut bearing trees.

[Old Philosopher]

Not much more to offer here than what's been said, except a few observations based upon the OP.
The only fruit/berry crop I grow that is still around come Fall and hunting season is apples. Don't know if hogs like 'em, but the deer and bears can't resist. I have deer in my yard pawing through the snow looking for the last of the fallen apples.  That said, don't expect to get even crab apples to bear fruit in any abundance in under 4-5 years.
My domestic hogs would pass up corn mash for blackberry roots!  But that doesn't do much for a sustainable crop.
Blueberries are finicky, slow to mature, and like acidic soil. And they'll be eaten by birds and other critters well before hunting season.
As for an edible food lot, I'd have to suggest barley. Good cover crop, self seeding if left to grow wild, good forage for herbivores and fowl, and pretty much bullet proof. I planted mine in October, it sprouted up through a half inch of snow, took the winter off, and started growing again in the spring. Your winters aren't going to rival mine in NW Montana, so it should do quite nicely.
Another edible cover crop most people don't appreciate is broad leaf spinach.  Readily reseeds itself, only gets a couple feet tall, and is both cold and drought tolerant. Makes great people food, too.    I have one bed in my greenhouse that gives me two crops per year, and I haven't replanted it myself in 3 years. One plant produces more seeds than should be allowed. 
We can't bait or attract game animals here, either, so that's all I have on the subject.

[jeremyctry]

Sounds great thanks for the suggestions I'll be looking into both barley and broad leaf spinach tomorrow.  I'm hoping to get my hands on a couple of Persimmon trees that I can transplant, can't speak to Bears or Hogs, but I know the Deer are crazy about them.

[wsdstan]

Jeremy it would be nice if you would let us know how the planting goes and how it does as time goes on.  Interesting thread.

[Old Philosopher]

Another thought to keep in mind, deer are browsers, not grazers. When you see them eating in a field of grass (e.g., someone's lawn) they're not eating the grass, but the weeds growing in the grass, or tree/bush seedlings. Our deer like dandelions and plantain, but they don't touch the 3 varieties of grass. Their favorite winter snack is huckleberry tips, gooseberry and low hanging chokecherry branches.

[jeremyctry]

Will do. Even if I tag out(get my limit) early I won't start any serious work until January. All the Male members of the family pitched in to buy this spread so out of respect I'm not going to risk spooking the wildlife until the fat lady sings. But I'll start work in January taking out dead or diseased trees and thinning out areas that have to much cover. I should be able to have all that done in time to plant in the spring.

[jeremyctry]

Another thought to keep in mind, deer are browsers, not grazers. When you see them eating in a field of grass (e.g., someone's lawn) they're not eating the grass, but the weeds growing in the grass, or tree/bush seedlings. Our deer like dandelions and plantain, but they don't touch the 3 varieties of grass. Their favorite winter snack is huckleberry tips, gooseberry and low hanging chokecherry branches.

Thanks for the tips I'm not planning on planting normal grass. I have thought about using Buffalo Grass as a ground cover not a food source. And Plantain is on my list of plants to check into but dandelions wheren't.

[Old Philosopher]

Another thought to keep in mind, deer are browsers, not grazers. When you see them eating in a field of grass (e.g., someone's lawn) they're not eating the grass, but the weeds growing in the grass, or tree/bush seedlings. Our deer like dandelions and plantain, but they don't touch the 3 varieties of grass. Their favorite winter snack is huckleberry tips, gooseberry and low hanging chokecherry branches.

Thanks for the tips I'm not planning on planting normal grass. I have thought about using Buffalo Grass as a ground cover not a food source. And Plantain is on my list of plants to check into but dandelions wheren't.

I don't know anything about Buffalo grass as far as self-seeding and what feed it provides. Young plantain, and dandelion leaves are people food, too, as is the barley grain. I still think spinach might be something to look at, radical as it sounds.

[jeremyctry]

Another thought to keep in mind, deer are browsers, not grazers. When you see them eating in a field of grass (e.g., someone's lawn) they're not eating the grass, but the weeds growing in the grass, or tree/bush seedlings. Our deer like dandelions and plantain, but they don't touch the 3 varieties of grass. Their favorite winter snack is huckleberry tips, gooseberry and low hanging chokecherry branches.

Thanks for the tips I'm not planning on planting normal grass. I have thought about using Buffalo Grass as a ground cover not a food source. And Plantain is on my list of plants to check into but dandelions wheren't.

I don't know anything about Buffalo grass as far as self-seeding and what feed it provides. Young plantain, and dandelion leaves are people food, too, as is the barley grain. I still think spinach might be something to look at, radical as it sounds.

I'm definitely going to check on the Spinach. I don't know how true it is but I was told that areas where Buffalo grass was growing you wouldn't get weeds and poison(leaves of 3 type plants) that the Buffalo grass would kill them off. And that it will come back every year. So If upon further research that turns out to be true I will be planting some of it in a few select areas. Primarily around the Cabin/base camp my goal is to reduce the amount of needed maintenance so that more time can be spent just enjoying the property. Right now Deer season is the only time of year we allow ourselves to go up there without spending at last a full day on maintenance tasks/project and with only 3 adult men under the age of 50 that is at times burdensome.

[Old Philosopher]

66 acres is a lot of turf to turn into a botanical garden. 

[jeremyctry]

For those of you who are interested in the progress of this concept/project I had some spare time after my interview today so I went to the Library to check into books on Permaculture, and to my surprise I found a group that meets 3 times a week. My schedule will only allow me to attend 1 of the 3 meetings each week but I plan to be there with bells on.

[wolfy]

Soybeans in the food plot grow big antlers.....

http://www.agweb.com/article/size-matters-in-soybeans--and-deer-hunting-naa-chris-bennett/?mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiWm1ReU1HWTNZalkyTm1JMSIsInQiOiJwU3lVK1wvR3Q5MlU4NWFYanpvNlMrMklESEpwalVyVFBCQ3pXSVVGdmtISVwvUllEZVMzM1B1Q01DU3BackV5U0dmMDM2SmdGS3JJZmZabFU0dWtnTTJIank5QjBUOFFaOWhJbXBLVW5MZUFNPSJ9

[SwampHanger]

White oaks,persimmons,and black berries would be the ones I'd go with. But as stated above they might not come in while your season is open but they will surely pass by looking for leftovers after they drop a f that fits in your timeline. Down here in Florida hogs, turkey and deer all love persimmons. But it will be awhile till they produce the kind of mast to bring them in. Good luck

[hunter63]

Soybeans in the food plot grow big antlers.....

http://www.agweb.com/article/size-matters-in-soybeans--and-deer-hunting-naa-chris-bennett/?mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiWm1ReU1HWTNZalkyTm1JMSIsInQiOiJwU3lVK1wvR3Q5MlU4NWFYanpvNlMrMklESEpwalVyVFBCQ3pXSVVGdmtISVwvUllEZVMzM1B1Q01DU3BackV5U0dmMDM2SmdGS3JJZmZabFU0dWtnTTJIank5QjBUOFFaOWhJbXBLVW5MZUFNPSJ9

I find that deer prefer corn and hay over beans.......but that may have to do with what's available.

This is based my experience on what comes into my fields ...tracks rubs, trails, beds, and just seeing them ....and game camera.

As the lower field is still flooded...beans were waist high....think they may be ruined......but most likely not be cut.....
as if the water does go down....field too wet to harvest.

We will see.......

BTW...That site is pushing Eagle Seeds.....so kind of a infomercial in my opinion.
 

[wolfy]

I think you missed the point, h63.......the Eagle seed is a forage soybean that is intended to provide not only the beans themselves, but a longer lasting and more abundant forage crop intended solely for use in food plots for wildlife.  In my neck o' the woods, deer much prefer soybeans over alfalfa or corn.  We have a small irregularly shaped field down along the creek that gets eaten to the ground when planted to beans.  When planted to corn, the end rows get pretty badly chomped, but they leave the rest of the field pretty much alone.  There is an alfalfa field on the neighbor's ground, directly across the creek that never has a deer in it except on rare occasion.  That may be because they're too well fed on OUR soybeans!

Excerpt from the link.....

A proper soybean variety, served on a food plot plate, is a Cadillac protein source for deer. Eagle Seed Co. has unlocked the genetic doors to ideal forage soybeans: big plants, massive leaves, heavy pods, regeneration and near year-long field presence. When deer walk into an Eagle Seed soybean plot, the kitchen is always open and stocked.

[hunter63]

That's fine, what ever works.....just relating my experience......
Maybe Wisconsin deer don't like beans?

Even that quote sounds like "faster than a speeding bullet..."

Also,... beans attract Asian beetles

[Old Philosopher]

That's fine, what ever works.....just relating my experience......
Maybe Wisconsin deer don't like beans?

Even that quote sounds like "faster than a speeding bullet..."

Also,... beans attract Asian beetles

You are talking soybeans, right Hunter?  The deer in my neighborhood won't touch the three pole and bush varieties I grow. I've never grown soybeans.

[wolfy]

That's fine, what ever works.....just relating my experience......
Maybe Wisconsin deer don't like beans?

Even that quote sounds like "faster than a speeding bullet..."

Also,... beans attract Asian beetles

Actually, beans attract soybean aphids and, in turn, the aphids attract Asian beetles.
  (Asian beetles)  (soybean aphids)

[Old Philosopher]

That's fine, what ever works.....just relating my experience......
Maybe Wisconsin deer don't like beans?

Even that quote sounds like "faster than a speeding bullet..."

Also,... beans attract Asian beetles

Actually, beans attract soybean aphids and, in turn, the aphids attract Asian beetles.
  (Asian beetles)  (soybean aphids)

50+ years o' farmin' taught ya something about bugs, huh, Wolfy?

[hunter63]

That's fine, what ever works.....just relating my experience......
Maybe Wisconsin deer don't like beans?

Even that quote sounds like "faster than a speeding bullet..."

Also,... beans attract Asian beetles

You are talking soybeans, right Hunter?  The deer in my neighborhood won't touch the three pole and bush varieties I grow. I've never grown soybeans.

Yup...soybeans for sure......Field starting to flood.....

[wolfy]

You guys have a real mess on your hands back there.  I've been watching the weather channel (farmers ALWAYS watch the weather channel) and it sounds like it just keeps raining on you.  Doesn't bode well at this time of the year, does it?   Always something, it seems.