Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Dead greenfields

All over Central to NE AL (Tuscaloosa to Ft. Payne), almost everyone I know has lost their greenfields to the Arctic blast and subsequent freeze last weekend.

It doesn’t seem to matter which brand seed was planted, almost all of our fields look dead. Winter rye, winter wheat, turnips, winter peas, clover, etc. They're all dead or extremely wilted.

I’ve seen it freeze here pretty solid for a few days. We’ve had snow last for a week once. But I didn’t expect to lose my plots in a 3 day span.

We’re hopeful they’ll bounce back. I was pumped I was about to have some of the best food sources in my area.

Has anyone else experienced this now or before?

Hopefully our greenfields just went dormant and the cows and deer have them ate down. If the rain comes tomorrow like the weather liars predict we'll get everything fertilized good and see what happens.

I’m with you TrueGrit!

Last weekend we had to be aware of frostbite on the area I hunt. This weekend snakebite. LOL!!!

We put out some ammonia on ours a week or so before the cold snap and they’re all looking a little pale. Maybe this warm up and some sunny weather will bring them back. 🤞

I'd expect that here. They come back, usually.

Too cold without snow cover will freeze it out sometimes.

I'd be very shocked if winter wheat and cereal rye are dead.

Just today I was wondering if the neighbor’s wheat was dead, as brown as it is. The same goes with my pastures, not a speck of green to be seen anywhere.

My son had 250# of rye grass planted on his place. Thinks is all dead. I have never seen it happen before, so I don't know??? SE Louisiana.

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I can assure you winter rye has not died in Alabama, The deer are digging through crusted snow to tear out mouthfulls here. I have been watching them do it the last week. I always have some in some of our plots as a failsafe. When everything else fails, winter rye is always there for the deer in a hard winter. I can't speak to rye grass if that is what you had planted.

I doubt your winter wheat is dead either but it does shut down earlier than the rye. Still shouldn't be dead. If you have turnip bulbs the deer should be digging them out of the frozen ground unless they aren't used to eating them. This is usually where they shine, as a late season plot in freezing weather.

Have faith!

If your talking about radishes or turnips the gold is in the ground deer dig them up

I believe the ground was to dry for the radish or turnips to take off this fall around here? Planted 500lbs and have very few besides in the garden. Oats definitely got hurt, deer are still mowing whatever green is out there.

Our winter wheat up here is under a foot of snow and will come up just fine when it warms back up in April. Been doing it for decades. I'm sure you'll be fine.

Will probably come back fine.

How long does it take for them to come back? A week, a month? 2 weeks left in season and wondering if they will be attracting deer before it is over.

IDK about it. My fields are 80% gone.

Dillonbuck said: “ Too cold without snow cover will freeze it out sometimes.”

I’m wondering if the rain with 40mph freezing wind is what killed them. I’m completely shocked. We’ve had below freezing temps and snow before and never seen anything like this. I hope they come back for the sake of the farmers.

Cattle farmer at church has lost all his rye.

I got lucky. I do not know if it helped or not but I fertilized mine on the 17th before the freeze hit. Checked them this weekend and while they took a hit, they are still green and bouncing back. Plots are a mixture of BFO, Rape, Turnips, Arrowleaf and Red Clover.