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sudan grass

yotehunter

Member
1,527
36
spencerville oh
Any body ever used Sudan grass for a cover plot? My hunting partner and I put one in this week. His property has deer move thru but never stay cuz of lack of cover we did some hinge cutting this spring. We are hoping too get them too stay a little more often and longer.
 

jagermeister

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
18,060
223
Ohio
Sudangrass provides some pretty decent cover. It grows fast, especially with this kind of heat, and it grows very tall. The only thing I don't really like about it is how easily it breaks over and falls down. Toward the end of the season it gets pretty brittle and doesn't last long with regular disturbance. That all being said, it's still worth planting. I think warm season grasses like switchgrass, big bluestem, and indiangrass make for excellent cover. These will grow upwards of 6 or 7 feet tall and form some dense stands. A good stand of warm season grasses will provide cover all through the winter and into the following spring. Maintenance is very easy too... A prescribed burn every couple of years or so and you're good to go.
 
Dad planted it for years as a forage crop for the milk cows
We choped it into a feed wagon

Deer bedded in it and feed on it
LOL a lot of times right from the feed wagon

Yes the deer will eat it and bed in it
Yes it will fall over in the wind , as it will get 7' tall on decent clay ground we have
If you have a chopper
Some guys cut the feild in 1/3's
When the feild is 4-5' tall , mow or chop 1/3
2 weeks later another 1/3 and 2 more weeks the last 1/3

That spreeds out the best feed stage of 24"-36"
Smaller feilds or food plots cutting 1/2 would probely work


OH BTW 2 things
Don't expect the deer to eat it when it is short , like 12" or so
As it is toxic till it grows more

And if you chop it or it go's down from the wind ....errr
It will stink
Sort of the wet rotting grass clipping smell
Deer will still feed on the the up right or semi up right plants till the smell go's away

Thinking back
I killed my first bow shot deer out of the forage wagon
As the deer would come into the pasture a little defore dark to feed out of the wagon
And I was setting it the wagon 1 afternoon
Had to wash that camo 3 times to get rid of the fermented Sudan grass smell
That was back when there weren't many deer in Ottawa Co , in 1981

John
 

yotehunter

Member
1,527
36
spencerville oh
Yea plenty of the neighbors use it for feed. And not worried bout using it for feed just cover I like how it gets thick and tall and as you said it grows fairly fast. We hope are choice turns out thanks for the reassurance so too say. I will keep you posted.