Use WhistleBack game bird blend this spring/summer for fall and winter food and cover.
Editor’s Note: Austin Delano works in Research & Development for Mossy Oak BioLogic as well as wildlife and habitat consulting. “We asked Delano, What can be planted to make a property more attractive for turkey?”
When we discuss wildlife plantings to increase the number of turkeys on a property, we need to think about cover and proper habitat as much as we do the food. Many hunters want something they can plant just before turkey season and then expect the birds to appear. However, with turkey management, you need to be thinking at least one growing season in advance. In other words, depending on where you live, you may need to start planting even before turkey season is over this year.
BioLogic has several products that we suggest to help your property be more attractive. We want to plant food plots especially for fall and winter feeding for turkeys. I like to start with Mossy Oak WhistleBack, we formulated it with a variety of crops that produces a lot of seeds for game birds. In WhistleBack, you'll find 3 types of millet, sorghum, sunflowers, and Egyptian wheat. These varieties of plants need about 90-100 days to mature. Ideal planting time is in the spring through the early summer when good moisture is present, late May-early June works well for most of the country. These plants will average 5-7 feet in height. As well as providing feed for turkeys, these plants also provide shade and brood-rearing habitat, which is extremely important in raising next year’s turkey crop. As these plants start to mature toward the end of summer and into early fall, they’ll produce seed heads. Throughout the fall and the winter, those seed heads will dry up, and the seeds will fall to the ground. This planting has the potential to yield food for your turkeys through the winter all the way into the early spring of the following year.
One of the keys to wild-turkey management is not only attracting turkeys to the property you hunt, but providing food, cover, and habitat to hold those turkeys on your land. This blend will help to hold turkeys on your property through the fall, winter, and early spring so you have birds there come turkey season. Remember that we’re planting WhistleBack not just to produce a crop that the turkeys will eat, but also for cover and habitat that is conducive for nesting and raising poults.
WhistleBack also works great for other game birds such as quail, pheasant, and doves. In your plans for spring planting this year, consider the possibility of putting in several food plots for the turkeys and other birds on your property. WhistleBack works great planted on the perimeter of food plots for deer. Your deer will love using WhistleBack as a transition zone between woods and field.
To learn more about WhistleBack and how to plant it, go to www.plantbiologic.com.
Tomorrow: Plant Turkey Gold Chufa for More Turkeys
