Millet

Foxtail is a millet. I think there are different types with bigger grains than foxtail. It grows wild here. It's good for doves and quail, but I would think it's a little small for Phez.
 
Some of the cover crops used on state land will have millet mixed in with them. It would go something like turnips, mixed with some short and tall millets or maybe milo. . They run like crazy but it seems to hold plenty of pheasants
 
Last edited:
Proso millet is also known as bird seed. Ducks and pheasants love it. It will fall over, and the seed will shell out and be on the ground when it matures, I use it with milo and sunflowers and a few other species that benefit the soil. You will have volunteer millet next year.
 
Saw some planted millet food strips on a bird ranch in Maine. It was tall enough for phez. When planted as a crop I would guess it's on 7.5" centers like cane is, so good cover at least until cut.
 
Good friends plant 2 or 3 quarters every year. In the fall they swath it for late season grazing. When the Canadian geese find it they call us into action. Most times the birds will be back in a day or two after being hunted.
 
The Millet they plant around here is a type of sorghum similar to milo although it doesn't get nearly as tall and is a lighter color. It is sewed, like wheat, not planted like milo. When it is harvested it is cut a couple inches off the ground so there isn't any cover for pheasants but I have seen them in a harvested field feeding when it's close to cover.
If you can find a Millet field close to water and trees the dove hunting can be phenomenal!
 
Millet is good early season food for upland birds. Millet loses its seed easily so it doesn't last into late season, although it stands pretty well and can be ground cover. If you have a millet food plot field nearby, there will probably be pheasant in it next month if they arent there now. Its often planted on public land, or even just air broadcast into crp style fields.

Milo (sorghum) is the opposite, it holds seed really well and provides late season cover and food.
 
KEOutdoors said:
Millet is good early season food for upland birds. Millet loses its seed easily so it doesn't last into late season, although it stands pretty well and can be ground cover. If you have a millet food plot field nearby, there will probably be pheasant in it next month if they arent there now. Its often planted on public land, or even just air broadcast into crp style fields.

Milo (sorghum) is the opposite, it holds seed really well and provides late season cover and food.
Click to expand...
Millet seed on the ground is great for pheasants until snow gets in the way and as you say not good in the deep part of winter. That is why a diverse mixture of species is important.
 
I like all the varieties of millet. This is my food plot this year, the best of my lifetime, thanks to an unusually wet year here. There is some millet in the mix along with milo and some tall grain sorghum such as Atlas and Ellis. This mix came from Star Seed in Osborne, Kansas. The yellow/black pole is 6.5' tall. Plot is 9-10' tall at the highest.
 

Attachments

  • FoodPlot2024.png
    FoodPlot2024.png
    1.7 MB · Views: 18
M. R. Byrd said:
I like all the varieties of millet. This is my food plot this year, the best of my lifetime, thanks to an unusually wet year here. There is some millet in the mix along with milo and some tall grain sorghum such as Atlas and Ellis. This mix came from Star Seed in Osborne, Kansas. The yellow/black pole is 6.5' tall. Plot is 9-10' tall at the highest.
Click to expand...

Is that a pheasants forever mix then? Star used to do the mixed for PF habitat store
 
KEOutdoors said:
Is that a pheasants forever mix then? Star used to do the mixed for PF habitat store
Click to expand...
Star Seed does the PF mixes. This mix was not a PF Mix. Star Seed is a great company that I have used for years for CRP seed and other seed.
 
M. R. Byrd said:
Star Seed does the PF mixes. This mix was not a PF Mix. Star Seed is a great company that I have used for years for CRP seed and other seed.
Click to expand...

Gotcha. We are going to plant a cover plot next year in one field and have been trying to decide on either a mix or just making my own mix of sorghum/millet
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top