The Crowing Post:  05/14/07

 The last few weeks in May are a perfect time to plant your winter cover food plots.  Not only can your food plots provide much needed food for pheasants, quail, and grassland song birds, but they can also provide critical winter cover for the birds.  Corn, sunflowers, grain and forage sorghum are generally accepted as the most reliable food sources for both winter cover and food.  Soybeans, millets and wheat, although good sources of food, tend to get buried by heavy Nebraska snows, making them less accessible.  A good mixture of quality seed is the best bet for your food and cover plots. 

 Pheasants Forever has a variety of food plot seed available to anyone wishing to plant wildlife cover.  Just click on the seed sales link on the home page to view available seed mixes and prices.  All mixes have been put together by wildlife professionals and are designed to offer quality winter cover and food.  You can also contact your local PF/QF chapter for available food plot seed.    

 Here are a few tips to make sure your food plots are successful: 

1. Food plots should be fertilized and planted in such a way that they can be cultivated at least once during the growing season.  If you don’t fertilize your food plots, you will probably not produce the desired seed.

2. Food plots should be planted adjacent to winter cover (tree rows & thickets).  During harsh winter weather, birds are hesitant to stray from quality winter cover.

 habitat today….pheasants forever!