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   In early September, Damon, our son, and our friend Pat, planted a food plot and inter-seeded clover and turnips in some areas where we had cleared brush. After a couple of nice rains, the food plot was growing nicely. About the same time the food plot was getting a nice start, my wife noticed something growing on the ground next to her flower boxes by the porch. When she asked me what the strange weed was, I looked them over and discovered they were not weeds at all, but five turnips were growing in the rock border just off the porch. We decided either Damon or Pat had put a few seeds there as a joke when they were planting the food plots. Neither would admit to it and my wife decided to let them grow there to see if they would produce turnips. The gerbera daisies were blooming in the flower box, and the five turnips were flourishing until one night, the deer paid us a visit. We went out one morning to find the flowers had been eaten off every daisy plant and four of the five turnips were gone. We were moderately disappointed but there are risks in trying to grow anything outdoors where wildlife can gain access. A few weeks passed and the daisies were again displaying large brightly colored flowers. The one turnip plant was almost a foot tall and looking strong. My wife was becoming quite proud of her volunteer turnip and showed it off to all visitors. We were beginning to think we could harvest our turnip when we have a hard freeze. This morning, while drinking coffee on the porch, I looked over the rail to check on the turnip. It was gone. Looking off to my right to the flower bed, I saw all the blooms on the gerbera daisies were also eaten off. Our turnip crop was wiped out, and I doubt the daisies will recover in time to set on new blooms before a hard frost kills off the plants.

   The food plot planted by Damon and Pat did not fair much better. The area they chose was back in a far corner of the farm. They cleared brush and cut out most of the trees in an area of about an acre. For seed, they used a mixture of turnips, assorted clovers, and forage peas. With a lot of work and moderate expense, they had a banquet laid out for the deer to enjoy all winter. One week when they went to check the growing progress, the whole area was lush and green with new little plants a couple of inches tall. A week later when they went back to check, the entire food plot had been eaten down to bare dirt. Every deer in the area must have gathered to make a concerted effort to kill off the food plot rather than waiting until winter to have some high energy food when other food sources are harder to find. The deer seem to have no appreciation for what we are trying to do to make their lives easier.

    I am not sure how much if anything in the food plot will recover after the intensive grazing the deer did. Some of the clover may survive if they were able to set roots before being attacked but I imagine the turnips and peas are done for the season. This winter, when it is twenty below zero and the wind is howling, they will be wishing they could dig up a fat juicy turnip to enjoy. They do not have the foresight to appreciate what they have.

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