Switchgrass

[The Rookie]

I was thinking about putting a plot infront of my food plot to give a little cover, I would say abot 25 feet wide and as long as the food plot is. Let me know what you guys think.
 
The Rookie

[The Rookie]

[font=arial]Come on guys help me out here... I think this is a good idea I just wanted to get some feed back. Don't be shy [/font][/align]

[Eight_Oak_Acres]

It is good cover for when you are walking in, and when put in the right place can break up the view of your plat so that bucks have to come out to see what is on the other side of it.
 
Good luck with your plot!

[GTOHunter]

Sounds like a good idea....I was thinking about planting some milo,wheat or foraging oats around the edges of our food plot and a strip down the middle to give the deer some idea that they have cover while they're eating and with me being overhead in my climbing stand watching them the whole time!

[otwitw]

I think that sounds great.
Im thinkin about doing the same thing next year but with corn.
 
just be careful of deer bedding near by.

[msbadger]

I have an open road front field I want to plant ...but pines haven't filled in enough yet....I'm planning on planting corn...but if prices don't drop I'm going with sunflower border and evenually.....alfalfa in the middle....any tall border is a great idea....

[ranwin33]

If you want nothing more than a screen I've found nothing seems to work better and is less expensive than Egyptian Wheat.  (yes I know all the arguments about it being in the shattercane family, but my experience is that it grows one year and doesn't come back.)  I don't think it provides much wildlife benefit though, other than to birds.
 
Last year we screened our beanfield plot with corn, worked well as a screen but deer/coons ate all the ears in about a week, long before they matured, so served no use as a food plot.  This year we're trying milo and sunflowers as a dove plot to screen the beanfield plot, but they're not getting the height I want.  Might do the Egyptian wheat again next year, at least add it to the mix.

[pschuh32]

If you're looking to give deer an area of thick cover I think switchgrass would be a great idea.  It's a plant that can survive for 10 plus years so you get a lot of use out of the amount of effort to plant.  It can get very tall so you have to plan on how you're going to use it in your hunting situation if you will be hunting near it.  You don't want to outline a food plot and then not be able to view it from any stands.  Below is a picture off the internet of some switchgrass.  I don't know of it's food value for animals but it must benifit birds at least.  It's believe that it may replace corn for ethanol production in the future, maybe you'll have yourself a head start on a future cash crop!!
 
 

[deerdown]

You mentioned possibly planting sunflowers as a border.  What kind of seed are were you planning to use.  Any ideas on fertilizing requirements for sunflowers?  I think they would be a pretty cool border planting as well.  I spoke with a lady @ a farm/pet center and she suggested just broadcasting blackoil sunflower seeds  .. the same kind you use to feed birds.  I'm just wondering what success rate of germination you could expect.
 
Anyone else planted sunflowers and have any tips?