Electric fencing Spring/Summer food plots

[EastTexun]

Back to the OP. I don't like the idea of keeping deer out of an area (that I'm really going to want them to be) by shocking them. It might not make a difference but it's just not what I would do.

I totally understand and had the same opinion for a while. The more I researched it and talked to folks, the greater my comfort level became. My plan was to use a lot of visual clues like flagging tape, so that when I took the wire down, there would be an apparent change that the deer would notice. Based on Unclefish's recommendation, I may postpone the e-fence another year and try some Sunn Hemp in addition to my current offerings.

[EastTexun]

I think most drilled them in but either way will work but may have to up the seeding rate for broadcasting to maybe 20-25lbs per acre.

Yeah from the pictures I've seen they eat the heck out of it. Mowing it fairy high helps promote young tender growth....which will continue them feasting on it.

For me its worth a shot to see how well it works. Got to wait til the soil is warm though ~ 70 degrees. Planting too early will not produce a good crop.

Thanks for the additional information. I will be drilling it and definitely inoculating as well. Should be an interesting experiment to try this year. I will probably do a full 2-3 acres of it and then try a smaller stand to see how the browse tolerance holds up on a small stand.

[BrandonA]

Is sunn hemp an annual or perennial?

[unclefish]

Annual.

[QDM4fun]

The link I posted to the pea patch was planted 100% for attractant. It worked.

Last year I planted the eagle beans and fenced them for a about a month or so. They were about knee high when I moved the fence to another plot of eagles. By keeping the deer off the beans for a few weeks, they were able to grow to a stage the deer couldn't destroy. As a test, I planted about 3/4 acre outside the wire. Those beans got about into the two leaf stage before the deer nipped them off. To give credit to the eagles, they kept growing, but got more than 6-8" tall.

The fence is not hard to install. I am putting in permanent corner posts with ceramic insulators. With posts in place, you simply walk around the field, threading the tape through the eyes of the insulators. You can't do that with the yellow plastic ones that snap on a t-post. At the end, pull it tight and tie it off. Fiberglass posts every 50' or so maintain the proper height.

To store my tape, I pick up every garden hose reel I see thrown out with the trash. This spring you will find them at the curb when people realize they didn't drain them and they froze and burst.

[QDM4fun]

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These are pics of the beans the day I dropped the wire. You can decide which field was protected!