I've heard that too from a local farmer around my parts, said the same thing. Always said first week of October was best for sowing oats...good information dark
Big difference in the rye grass that's in a lot of those mixes and rye grain that most people plant. In certain places rye grain gets as much forage action as the other grains such as oats or wheat and is very reliable. It's much better to mix grains in your plot in my experience, deer aren't nearly as choosy when they have a variety of similar forage. It's also better to have something green all season than have something like just clover, just brassicas, just oats, that can and will all fail to provide any forage once it gets hit by a few hard freezes. Rye and winter wheat keep on growing, and with a bit of urea after a few freezes, they actually can outgrow the deer pressure if your plot is set up right.
again, oats!
even this late in the season, I'd spray it before planting it. I'd sling a mix of winter wheat and oats and plan to seed at least 200 pounds per acre at this stage or 100 pounds then top seed again at the end of October with another 100 pounds of winter wheat and/or rye grain.
Honestly don't know, just know he always mentioned Oats the first week of October. Oats would germinate and grow enough for deer to munch on, but they would be so juvenile that they wouldn't survive most winters.
Thanks for the explanation, I’d wager you probably haven’t been sowing oats in a coon’s age…at least not naturally
If I'm disking or rototilling a plot I won't plant it as thick, maybe 100 pounds an acre total, but throwing seed on top of the ground I'll just about double it, sometimes it's much better to over cast it then to plant it all at once. Deer love oats, especially young ones, but they don't do well after a few hard freezes.
I’d stick with rye grain and wheat. Oats like a little more soil contact. If available I’d run a cultipacker over after I top sew. I did a few fields today this way.
