There’s nothing more frustrating than having to deal with things outside of your control. Near the top of the list is weather. Think about how many times in your life you heard someone say, “You can’t control the weather.” When it comes to the food plot game, weather is constantly on my mind because it doesn’t matter how great your seed and soil are if you don’t get rain. In the case of Horseshoe Hills, the soils aren’t good to begin with so steady doses of rain are critical to achieving even modest quality plots. This year, after an extended period of wet weather that lasted into early July, late July through much of September saw Mother Nature shut off the spigot resulting in one of the more challenging droughts in recent memory.
Looking at the big picture, I can’t complain too much. Since buying the property in 2020 this is the first time my original food plot planting didn’t take. We’ve always had just enough rain for the seed to germinate and sustain the young plants until the fall rains put on the finishing touches. In one year, I believe 2022, the remnants of a hurricane thoroughly watered the region for two full days resulting in the best plots I ever had. This year was different. I planted on the first weekend in August and we got just enough rain to get the seeds germinating only to watch them wither away in the hot sun and scorched soil.
When we finally had rain in the forecast at the start of September, I purchased and planted 100 pounds of winter wheat hoping to get at least something established in time for hunting season. Of course it never rained again after I planted and I don’t think the seed ever germinated. It wasn’t until the this week that we finally got rain significant enough to get things rolling. I watched the radar while in Arizona for the AFWA annual meeting and was pleased to see soaking rain over a three day period back home. When I returned home, I purchased another 100 pounds of winter wheat and headed out to the property to get it on the ground while the soil was still soaked.
When I arrived I was pleased to see that my plots had germinated and responded quickly to the recent rain. The clover in the front meadow was looking good and my previous winter wheat planting and even some brassicas were poking through the ground litter. I top dressed the Gas Well, Homestead, and Front Meadow plots with the winter wheat for good measure. With just a little more rain the the promise of cooler temperatures in October, it might just be enough to salvage some decent food plots after all. Fingers crossed.