Get Ready for Hunting Season with John Deere

Who's ready to get back in the stands and blinds this hunting season?! If you are planning to prepare your own plots, check out these tips that can help you cut down on all the hassle and get the job done fast. See what equipment SunSouth John Deere carries to get you ready to get back in action this season.

1. What type of John Deere tractor should I use?

   Are you starting fresh with a new plot this year? Clearing the land can be a strenuous task, but with a John Deere compact tractor, the job will be done before you know it. Any Series 1 through Series 4 compact tractors can easily help you with this task.

   Depending on the size of the land that you’ll be preparing can help determine what size compact tractor you should use. A series 1 sub-compact John Deere is best suited for smaller fields. If you are working with less than 10 acres and have minimal trees and brush, this would be a great tractor to use.

   Series 2-4 compact utility tractors can handle larger fields while providing comfort and great performance. Perfect for land that is between 10 and 40 acres, the compact tractors range from 20 to 45+ horsepower, giving you the ability to take down small trees and brush.

   The 5 Series Utility Tractor would be great for those needing more horsepower to tackle more land. This series features tractors with 50+ hp engines and can handle any job when paired with the right implement.

2. Which attachments would be beneficial?

   Now that you know what tractor to use, we can talk about the implements you can use that will help you with this project. To go along with your John Deere Compact Tractor, we recommend using an iMatch Quick Hitch to easily connect the attachments to the back of the tractor. There are several implements that you can use:

   • Rotary Cutter – Be efficient when it is time to clear the land. Using a rotary cutter to clear the brush can be one of the easiest and fastest ways to clear the small trees and brush. Simply attach the cutter to the Quick Hitch and go!
   • Rotary Tiller – Once the ground has been cleared, it is now time to till the ground. Tilling gets the soil fine and clod-free, perfect for planting seeds
   • Frontier Overseeder – This equipment features a built-in seed dispersal rate chart and calibration. The Overseeder is versatile and can handle multiple seed varieties and features the ability to minimize soil disturbance, increase efficiency, and smooth the seedbed.

3. Steps for creating your food plot

   The first step to making your food plot is to prepare. We want to ensure the plot is in a nutrient-rich spot free from heavy metals in the soil. When you are choosing between fields, you should do a soil test to check for these factors. A soil test will also help you decide what type of fertilizer you will need to help the seeds grow.

   After deciding where your plot(s) will be and the results of the soil test, think about the types of seeds you would like to plant. In the south, clover is a popular choice and there are several types to plant based on the soil and the time of year.

   Once you have checked the soil and know what you will be planting it is time to get started. Using the John Deere equipment and implements, we talked about above, get the food plot ready and begin planting your seeds.

   Now let the seeds grow! You may mow the plot periodically if needed, but it is not always necessary. Once the plot is well established, you can fertilize it again so that wildlife is more inclined to forage.