Elbon Rye Plot
Contributors to this thread:Whitetail Deer
From: drycreek
01-Nov-24
drycreek's Link
We have not had a drop of rain since July here in East Texas until yesterday, and we got two inches. This is the first time I can remember that I didn’t have plots up and growing by the first or second week of October, and usually before then. I disced up this plot today and planted it to Elbon Rye. I didn’t want to wrestle the seedr, having to take my disc off and put it back on (got another plot to plant tomorrow in a different place) so I decided to use my old road feeder that I used to corn hogs with on a property we previously owned. Great idea I thought, turned out not so much ! That sucker would only throw that little rye seed about as wide as the tire span on my CanAm. It took a loooong time to put out 100 lb. of seed ! I got it though and dragged it with my tire drag but my old ass was worn out when I got through.
From: drycreek
01-Nov-24
From: t-roy
01-Nov-24
The best laid plans of mice and men…..
Hopefully you get some additional rains on your rye and it sprouts quickly for you, Don! We’ve been bone dry as well, up until a couple of days ago. It’s a little late in the game for us, but you’re probably still in good shape.
Question….do you always plant Elbon rye, or did you use it in this case, for some other reason. I’ve never heard of it before.
From: drycreek
01-Nov-24
Made from 12” pipe by my welder friend
Made from 12” pipe by my welder friend
I used to plant nothing but wheat in the fall, but a couple years ago I switched to rye because it’s supposed to suppress weed growth, and I think it does. However, it does nothing to suppress grasses. The deer seem to like it just as much as wheat so this year at least I’m sticking with it.
I tried to go the regenerative route but I think our summers here are just too hot. In order to plant into a spring/summer plot and then crimp you have to have something to crimp ! After two months of no rain my beautiful spring plot looked like a tornado went through it. Deer ate it down and the hogs tromped it so I had to go back to the disc, plant, and drag method. Crimping saves so much time and fuel that I really wanted it to work but it didn’t. Got a really nice home made crimper too !
From: SD
01-Nov-24
I hope it does something for you! We got .6 a night ago. First rain in a looong time! Fortunately (hopefully) predicted to get more over the next several days.
From: drycreek
01-Nov-24
July 8th. We had unheard of rain this summer but when it stopped, it STOPPED ! This was a jungle as you can see. That buck is not bedded, he’s standing up ! The doe is looking straight at him and you can see the frame of his antlers.
From: drycreek
01-Nov-24
Sunn hemp, IC peas, buckwheat, some annual clovers, millet, rye, and sunflowers. This is my exclusion cage but you can see the rest of the plot is pretty thin.
From: Lost Arra
02-Nov-24
I finished putting rye in the ground last night in the dark at about 8:45. I also had some wheat so I put that out in combo. Experts are promising rain for the next three days. Fingers crossed for rain but not a flood. My hog panel/chain link drag worked well or it seemed to work well in the dark.
From: drycreek
02-Nov-24
I planted another one today on a different property that I hunt. It’s about an acre. I planted wheat on a third and Elbon rye on the remaining two thirds. I’m gonna run a little unscientific study with two exclusion cages, but I suspect they will keep it all eaten about lip high.
From: SD
02-Nov-24
I did the same experiment once. Lots of hunts and plenty of trailcam photos showed that they would gladly walk through rye to eat in the wheat. They do eat the rye though, but it wasn't first on their list by any means.
Have you gotten any rain? I spent the last 2 days in the northern part of the state getting soaked in rain, just to get home and have the wife tell me the ground barely got wet here.
From: drycreek
02-Nov-24
We got two inches a couple days ago and promised more for the next several days. I have two more plots to plant on yet another property and I hope we can get that done Monday.
From: drycreek
15-Nov-24
After a little rain and a few days I have a plot.
From: drycreek
15-Nov-24
This is another plot planted the day after the one above.
From: t-roy
15-Nov-24
Coming in nicely, Don.
From: drycreek
15-Nov-24
Planted two more (wheat) on another place, but I won’t see them until tomorrow.
From: GFL
16-Nov-24
Bone dry on my farm in Ga. 8 big fields are all basically dirt here. Plus no acorns this year. My Banks stump water trough has been filled 4 times because my ponds have dried up.
From: drycreek
30-Nov-24
The plot pictured above looks a lot better now that we had some rain. That said, it looks like the spigot has turned off again. Viewed from the opposite end.
From: drycreek
30-Nov-24
My home plot looks really good and the deer are in it every day. Some unwelcome visitors too.
From: Fisher
06-Jan-25
Winter rye and winter wheat are very resiliant. But, maybe not hot resistant.
All those hogs! Are you out of ammunition?
Yes, i understand - cellular trail cam.
From: Lost Arra
07-Jan-25
My rye/wheat combo plots need some rain but the deer are on them almost daily/nightly.
From: Lost Arra
09-Jan-25
drycreek: I'm new to this plot game. What are your plans for the rye and wheat plots in the spring/summer?
From: SD
09-Jan-25
I'm curious what you're doing next summer too. When I plant wheat/rye I also throw in red and white clovers, chicory, and alfalfa. So next spring I'll just let the cereals grow until it self terminates, then mow it after the seed heads have been eaten. By then it will be a lush clover field.
From: drycreek
10-Jan-25
Bring this back up to say that I had a one acre plot at another place that I planted one third to Elbon rye, and two thirds to winter wheat. The last time I was there I could see a definite difference in the heights of the two grains. The rye was 3”/4” high but the wheat was lip high. It was a no brainer for me, the wheat was definitely preferred over the rye. There was nothing to differentiate the two crops except the crops themselves. Also, when I was hunting over it, more deer stayed in the wheat than in the rye. Anecdotal I know, but scientific enough to make me drop the rye and only plant winter wheat.
From: drycreek
10-Jan-25
SD, to answer your question, I’ll be planting a mix of sunn hemp, buckwheat, crimson clover, and iron clay peas. Maybe a few sunflowers.
From: SD
10-Jan-25
That'll be a nice summer mix. I bet the peas and sunflowers don't get much growth before they get hammered.
From: Fisher
13-Jan-25
Back long ago, there was a two week gun season and year round poaching, so very few deer locally. I planted black oil sunflowers. They grew to maturity. The deer numbers slowly recovered. About 4 years ago, i planted the same and the plants were eaten at about 4" tall.
