Scattering Seed
 
 
 As deer season draws closer and the days get shorter hunters start day dreaming of big bucks and days a field. Day dreaming of early morning sunrises over food plots full of game just waiting for an arrow or bullet and sunsets over fields of some sort of grain, pea, flower , turnip, or clover. We have sent our soil samples off with the county extension agent to the University of Georgia to make sure we add the proper amount and of lime and the right amount and type of fertilizer to maximize our food plot growth.  We don't want to spend all that time and money planting and then have our food plots look bad and not produce any deer. We stash away a few extra dollars away from our wives to make sure we have enough money to buy all the seed we need.
  Buying the best seed doesn't mean buying the most expensive seed. I have great success in planting oats and then adding rape to the mix. Peas or lab lab work great if you have some sort of deer prevention program to keep the deer out such as an electric fence or the plot saver system to allow the plant time to mature before the deer anilate them. If you don't its just a waste of time and money.  I saw an anti deer contraption the other day on TV. I was a propane tank connected to contraption that looked like a big funnel. This thing would make sounds like a cannon going off at periodic intervals and keep the deer from entering the plot. Sounds like a lot of commotion to me. I have had good results with electric fence and the plot saver without going to such extremes. But if it works, and you don't mind the loud boom, go for it.
   I have been known to mix a pound or two of peas of some sort into my oats just to get the deer started on the food source. Of course they don' t last long but I really don't expect them too.  I am just setting the plate up for them to continue coming to the plot searching for more peas while they eat oats or some other grain. The rape I plant is more for later in the season after the frost hits them. The first time I planted them I thought I had wasted my time and money but after the first good frost the deer wiped them out down to bare dirt. Since then the deer usually don't wait for the frost to hit before they tear into them nibbling away at the new green growth. Yes they can learn new tricks.
  It is also a good idea to spray round up on your food plot before you get started even thinking about breaking the plot up. This will kill the grass and weeds that will normally choke out and take over a food plot especially if you add fertilizer. Weeds love fertilizer too. I would recommend spraying at least a week before you plan to break ground and plant. This will allow time for the round up to work on those pesky weeds and grass but will not affect the seed you are planting.
   I have planted using several different methods. From a garden tiller and a rake, which is very hard work, to an eight-foot grain drill which is very nice and tidy. I had to use the garden tiller and rake because I could not get a tractor into the area that I wanted to plant and it was the only time I ever planted there. I saw several deer there but it wasn't long before the deer ate everything I had planted and I was not going to attempt to drag that tiller back out there again.
  The grain drill works really good and really helps the seed you are planting go farther. The grain drill makes little rows roughly 2-3 inches apart and mashes the seed down into it where the seed can get a good start before the deer and turkeys start tearing it up. The grain drill doesn't put out any seed where you don't want it unless you forget to pick it up and leave it down on the ground. Yes I've been there and done that to. The plot you are going to use the grain drill on must be fairly level and smooth. No hills, big ruts, and relatively clear of sticks and grass.  Other wise the drill will not get good penetration into the soil and the seed will be left on top of the ground for the birds and squirrels to feast on.
 My personal favorite way to plant is to broadcast the seed onto prepared soil and lightly harrow or drag over to cover the seed. I have always believed it is better to plant too much than not enough. This method puts a lot of seed on the ground for the deer to eat and insures that you can hunt over it more than once before it is gone. I like for my food plot to look like the buffet at Cloverleaf on Sunday. A little bit of everything and a shortage of nothing.  Once the deer get a taste of that buffet they will have to come back again and again.
 There is one draw back to broadcast spreading. Wasted seed.  It covers not only the prepared ground but also the area around the plot not prepared. Some may fall onto the roadbed some may fall into the briar thickets some may fall into the pines as well as the prepared soil. The seed that falls on the roadbed is quickly eaten by birds and squirrels.  The seed that falls in the briars are quickly over taken and consumed. The seed that falls into the pines starts growing but without good sunlight and being rooted in pine straw will wither and die.  But the seed that falls on the good soil will flourish, grow, feed, and draw many deer, turkey, and other wildlife to your setup.
  As we sit in our tree stands waiting for that buck or doe to magically appear we might want to reflect on what type of seed are we in our relationship with God. Are we like the seed that fell on the roadbed that was eaten up by the world? Or are we the seed that fell into the briars that was quickly consumed and overtaken by our old ways and habits?  We might be the seed that fell into the pines thateventhoughstarted to grow but soon withered and died because we didn't root ourselves into good soil and staying focused on the son? Or are we the seed that falls onto the good soil that grows deep roots and plenty of plant for others to see, find, and feed. Just like the seed that falls on the good soil we should also produce good plants that show off Gods hard work and sacrifice.
 
 
Mathew 13:1-9           &nb sp;                         &nb sp;                        Mark Tribble , assistant director of
            &nb sp;                         &nb sp;                         &nb sp;                         &nb sp; CrossHeirs outdoor Ministries