Vet Judy

Legume Lowdown: Clovers

            In an earlier blog, I touted the research reports from Minnesota concerning birdsfoot trefoil, an important legume in deer food plot plantings.  I’ve also written about how it’s critical to inoculate legumes at planting.  Now, I want to list some of the benefits of clover for deer food plots. 

            Clovers are perennials that are high-quality sources of green deer forage .  It comes in several varieties that are deer friendly.  Like alfalfa, fresh clover gives deer a browse option that combines the high protein with the high calcium of a legume.  Red clover (Trifolium pretense) is a cool-season legume that can be fall-seeded in more moderate climates or spring seeded in northern climates like mine.  It is an exceptional source of calcium at 1.70%. 

            White clover, also called ladino clover (Trifolium repens), can be more susceptible than red clover to nematodes attacking its root system.  Both red and white clovers are seeded in soils with a pH range of 6.0.  Ladino clover tends perform a little better than red clover in poorly drained soils.  It also can last a couple years longer in a deer food plot seeding than does red clover.  In larger fields, some land managers find that seeding ladino in the spring over a wheat planting is an effective management tool.

            Red and white clovers are often mixed with grass to provide a grazing option for white tailed deer.  Their status as cool-season, perennial plants make them a great source of nutrition in the spring and summer.  Food plots requiring a source of forage in the summer months should include red or white clovers in the mix.

            Don’t confuse red or white clover with another plant often marketed for deer food plots, alyceclover (Alysicarpus vaginalis).  Alyceclover is a warm-season annual plant that performs well for deer food plots further south.

            Clovers, red and white, are an important part of deer food plot plantings, especially when seeded with appropriate grasses. For more detailed information about planting clover in your food plot see my article:

http://www.diydeerfoodplots.com/articles/perennial-food-plots-clover.html

  You may be reading this blog or ordered my book because, in the past, you have attempted to plant a  food plot.  Everything looked good the first year—then the miracle grasses promised to give you happy deer and huge rack year after year never came back the next season.  Or perhaps the lush, green grass that you had growing so well in the summer barely lasted a week into September.

 I’ve found these horror stories far too common among hunters and landowners.  But here’s the good news: the reason why many food plots grass plantings may not perform well is due to a fairly simple difference in grasses.  These differences can be summarized in an explanation of warm season vs. cool-season.

In this blog, I’ll describe the difference between a warm-season and cool-season grass and talk about how warm-season grasses might be used in food plot plantings.  In the next blog, I’ll focus on cool-season grasses which are an essential part of prime white-tailed deer habitat.

Warm-season v. Cool-season crops

            The difference between “warm” and “cool” is intuitive: warm season crops are those crops which produce in warmer temperatures, while cool-season crops produce in cooler temperatures.  I like to think of it as the difference between a turnip and a tomato—a turnip will germinate and grow in the early spring or fall and usually produce a turnip under cooler temperatures.  A tomato, on the other hand, needs summer’s heat and plenty of moisture to produce.

            There are similar differences in food plot crops, especially grasses.  A careful selection of the proper grasses goes a long way towards insuring forage for your deer.

Warm-season grasses

            I’ve found the best warm-season grasses for deer forage are often those grasses that naturally thrive in the local habitat during the summer. 

           Here’s an important note: warm-season grasses do not do as well when there’s a cool-season grass in the seed mix.  This is because cool-season grasses grow and thrive in the early spring, choking out potential for warmer season growth.  So if you’re seeding a warmer season grass for deer food plots or other habitat, be sure to eliminate competition from cool-season grasses.  Some warm-season grasses that provide good nutrient quality in the summer, as well as desirable habitat, include some of the native prairie grasses like switchgrass, big bluestem, and Indiangrass.  Other warm-season grasses like little bluestem, side-oats grama, and Eastern gamagrass may also be habitat possibilities.

Taller warm-season grasses could be important plantings for habitat and deer food plot borders.  The more important cool-season grasses are discussed in the next blog.  And remember: Whenever planting warm or cool-season perennial grasses, remember to always plant those varieties that are rated to withstand the normal extremes of your local winter.

Two University of Toledo students who illegally killed a Trophy white-tailed deer have been ordered to pay $13,278 in restitution to the Ohio Division of Wildlife.

Justin Angles, 20, of Fostoria, and Dave Mahoney, 20, of Akron killed the deer on Oct. 9, 2008, in a park in the Toledo area. Visitors to Side Cut Metro Park in Maumee were so familiar with the 15-point buck that they had named it “Big Boy” and “Stickers.”

The deer was estimated to be about 9 years old, a senior citizen of any Ohio deer herd.

Read the Rest Here

Justice is sweet. Not only did these two kill illegally, but they thought posting a picture of their kill would be a good idea. Read the story about how these two were found out.

Source: Cleveland Plain Dealer

It is rare enough to see one albino deer, but what about seven? A herd of the ghostly deer visited a home in Boulder Junction, Wis. Click here to see the albino deer video.

There are many myths and legends about albino deer that have been passed down through history. Many Native Americans believed that just seeing an albino deer would bring them good luck. These “ghost deer” were thought to bring magical and healing powers. Killing one of these animals would ultimately cause a deer hunter to lose his hunting ability and may ultimately cause the death of the hunter in some kind of freak hunting accident.

Albinism is a recessive trait found in many animals including mammals, birds, reptiles, fish and even plants! Albino animals do not have the gene for normal coloration and do not produce the enzyme responsible for skin, hair, and tissue coloration. The result of this genetic oddity is the total absence of body pigment.

In addition to the lack of body pigment, the eyes of an albino are pink because blood vessels behind the lenses show through the unpigmented irises. As you can guess, albinism is not a great trait for an animal, either predator or prey, unless they live in area with constant snow cover.

As you can well imagine, being totally white year-round makes hiding from predators difficult. Add to that the fact that many albinos have poor eyesight.

Because albinism is a recessive trait, both deer must carry the gene before it can occur in their offspring. An albino deer bred to another albino would have only albinos. An albino bred to a normal deer with no recessive genes for albinism would produce all normally pigmented white-tailed deer. Offspring from this cross would carry the recessive gene for albinism but would be normally colored. When carriers of albinism breed there is a one-in-four chance they will produce an albino fawn.

Based on deer hunter reports, only about one deer in 30,000 is an albino! However, not all white deer are true albinos. Some white whitetails have normally pigmented noses, eyes and hooves.

Check out this link for twin albino fawns:  news story here