Is this a crazy idea
Contributors to this thread:Whitetail Deer
From: kyrob
03-Sep-17
I have a food plot of clover and chicory that is covered in ragweed. I have been keeping it mowed all summer but the ragweed persists. I have read that ragweed is 47% crude protein but I haven't seen any sign of the deer eating it. I was wondering if I sprayed it with sugar water if that might start them eating it? Sounds silly but if they would eat it, it would be a win win situation. What do you think? Crazy or a possibility of it working?
From: CAS_HNTR
03-Sep-17
You'd have alot of ants I bet!
I don't worry too much about ragweed unless it is choking out the plot.
From: jdrdeerslayer
04-Sep-17
Would like to know my self.....i have a ruff time controlling it hear in new England Maybe sometime like liquid cmere deer?? I have seen where the deer nip at it hear and there but it doesn't seem to attract them. My clover would be well mowed down and ragweed not touched
From: Bowriter
05-Sep-17
A deer will eat what it needs. If they are not eating something, there is a reason. If they needed protein, and if ragweed supplied protein, they would eat it. I would quit worrying about it. It may be, that being ruminants, they cannot process it.
From: Butcher
05-Sep-17
I seen a a lot of deer here in ms eating, we have a lot of cutover areas and that's one of the first things to pop up. I've heard on a few podcast about the fertilizing it on purpose to get them to eat it has well. Think it was either one wired to hunt with grant woods who does a lot pine management and natural browse or Bronson Strickland of msu deer lab.
From: Fuzzy
05-Sep-17
they will sometimes nip ragweed, but it's not a high preference item. I wouldn't sweeten it.
From: Overland
05-Sep-17
It seems to me that this would attract countless ants, as pointed out above, as well as swarms of bees. I personally would not recommend this.
From: DeerSpotter
05-Sep-17
From: jdrdeerslayer
05-Sep-17
I think pat is spot on and that my plan next year. Spay till spray till repeat
From: Single bevel
18-Sep-17
Ragweed is one of my top forages here. I've protected different varieties of stuff within an E fence over the years. Small plots of stuff I couldn't have established without the fence. Sunflowers, beans, cowpeas. Stuff that's deer candy. I also end up with some amazing ragweed in those plots. When I remove the fence and let the deer in, the rag weed is one of the things that they hit 1st and hit hardest. It's a great weed IMO.
From: OkieJ
18-Sep-17
Ragweed is for Quail.
From: Habitat1
19-Sep-17
Just keep mowing and don't let it go to seed or use a weed wiper and kill above everything else
From: Michael Schwister
19-Sep-17
another option is to rotate the plot into a RR crop (if you do not have Roundup Resistant weeds in your area). I plow down my weedy clover and put in Eagle Forage RR Soybeans, spray twice and the plots clean right up.
From: nutritionist
19-Sep-17
You gave me an idea for a video i'll shoot tomorrow on this topic out on the farm. We "manage" giant rag weed. Giant ragweed i let grow in strategic areas. It is a staple during times like this when mother nature comes into play. It also can be managed as a screening.
Stay tuned.
