number3shot wrote:I've got a duck lease in N. TX, about 40 miles SE of Dallas to be more specific.
Have no way to controll water just depend on rain fall.
Have a small slough that is full of water now, 2-2.5 ft. deep. By July/August it more than likely will be dry. October rain usually has it full for first split end of October.
Would like to do something to attract ducks during the season. Any suggestions for these conditions?
My suggestion for these conditions would be a mixture of a couple different types of millet. I would plant Japanese millet, Foxtail or German millet, and White Proso or White millet. I would mix the seeds together at an even rate. Seeding should be at about 5-8lbs and acre. Most people like to over seed millet, thinking that more is better. If you can, put down a 8.5 by 11 sheet of paper when you start seeding. Walk in a straight line near the paper where the seed can land on top of it and pass by. After you have passed by, stop and check paper for seed. You should have 10-12 seeds on the paper for a seeding rate close to 6lbs an acre. Japanese millet is very water tolerant and as long as the water does not overtop it, it should be fine. However, it does require a little moisture in the soil at all times. Foxtail and White Proso are more drought resistant and if you don't get very much rain during the July-Sept time frame, these might come up better. This mixture is very attractive not only to waterfowl, but blackbirds love it as well, so be prepared for the seed heads to look like they have been laid waste to. This is fine, the blackbirds knock off the seeds to the ground and after flooding, ducks will find it. You will need between 45-90 days for the mixture to mature. If you can, once the plants are about 8-12 inches tall, spread 13-13-13 or similar fertilizer over it. The rate of fertilizer varies. If you get very little rain, I would only do about 5-6lbs an acre. If you get plenty of rain, I would go as high as 10-12lbs or so. Fertilizer will not only help the plants produce larger seed heads, but also mature faster, pushing them closer to the 45-75 day maturity. You will need some water for the food plot whether it be rain or filling a tank full of water and watering it that way. Probably at least once a week if it is especially hot and dry.
If you cannot find any millet seed, the same process can be done with Buckwheat or Milo, but these plants do not have any standing water tolerance and would be flooded out relatively quickly if they have not matured by time the rains come.