We have experimented with different food plots in Northern California where anything will grow. Corn, Milo, and millet, and various combinations.. Hands down, millet wins. We had the best dove flight ever around the millet field and there were safflower fields on the same ranch. Deer and pheasant raided the millet fields as well. Seed production is off the chart.
Additionally, we have found some natural veg. that works well and only requires managed flooding. Watergrass is the easiest to grow and is crazy effective. Smartweed and curly dock are the next most effective, but requires more flooding voodoo. We've noticed that the ducks pour into the rice early on then switch to the 'weed fields' later in the season. The biologists have told us when the daytime temp stays in the 40's ducks switch over to the weed fields.
Final note. We grew some weeds by late flooding (Aug.) some dead grass ponds. Left water on for 30 days then drew it off. We had a field with a solid green garden of 18" high weeds-mostly curly dock. Re-flooded in December and by the 15th the ducks came and never left. We noticed mostly Widgeon, teal, spoons and coots. Was it the greenery? Was it invertebrates unique to those weeds? We left the birds on that pond alone...treated it as a refuge. We even walked by with their dead cousins draped around our necks and they wouldn't leave the pond...rarely ever see that.
Were they going for the greenery? Was it the invertebrates unique to those weeds?
Would love to hear other management strategies. Brian Stucker
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