# Sesame dove field



## easbell

Did anyone shoot in a sesame field? I've heard great things and plan of planting some next year but would like to hear from someone who as hunted a field.


----------



## Beagle Stace

Eric,

  I have planted sesame before not as a total dove field by itself but in strips in a combination sunflower field. Mainly planted it a test to see how deer would respond to it since I had heard they will not eat it. It worked very well but is definitely more costly. Produces a ton of seed and also great for the quail. For doves though the field needs to be fairly clean since it is so small. Quali no problem as they can scratch for it. Not a big problem this year but it is very drought tolerant also. Grows in most soils easily. Highly under used in my opinion here on public land fields but probably cost is why.


----------



## big A 235

You have to plant it you can not spred it.  It wont come up.
We tried 2 yrs ago after we heard the same thing.


----------



## Dustin Pate

big A 235 said:


> You have to plant it you can not spred it.  It wont come up.
> We tried 2 yrs ago after we heard the same thing.



I put it out with a spreader with no problems. Even had a second year crop come up this year from last years seed.

I will say that I would give the maturity date at least another 30 days so it will really dry out and shatter.


----------



## BuckBoy

I was looking into as well. Worried about the $ and it not working out but if you could get 2 year out of it or store some seed for the following year then that would be good. A couple of questions..

Do you remember about the time you planted it. I was looking at April 15th in Houston County. Will that give it enough time for the seeds to start dropping?
How did you keep it clean? Could you burn after foliage drops but prior to the pods opening?


----------



## bigbass07

i have heard lots of good things about it . i too would like to plsant it next year but i haven't been able to find it close to the house. any help.


----------



## BuckBoy

I found it at Cooper Seed. Haven't called them but their website said they have it.


----------



## Dustin Pate

I ordered mine out of Texas last year. Price was good and you could order it in any amount you needed. That time frame you mentioned should be fine. And I wouldn't hesitate to burn it at all. It would be the best thing to do imo.


----------



## quackwacker

Pennington Seed has it.

If you have hamburgers on opening day you can put some on your buns!


----------



## emtguy

its bennie or benny...dont know the spelling. It likes acidic soil, 200-250 a bag and you need to strip the feild with it. if you fert. it right i will get 6 ft or better and drop thousands of seeds when it dries out and dove will walk over eveythimg else to get to it. It is highly underrated or used. we have been using it and sunflowers for years and man at the birds! had over1000 in feild today! With that many birds we get to shoot each feild 3 or 4 times and have barrel burners everytime...limited today in 28 minutes. I shot a 12guage though cuz i had to be somewhere at 4. Normally shoot a 4.10 or 28 guage to make it more challenging and last longer...started stoping at the limit last year. I learned if you kill em all in oneday that there is nothing to shoot next sat.
All my crew has quit seeing who can kill the most and started seeing who can limit the quickest...its just as fun and we get to shoot every sat. By the time we shoot all 3 feilds the first one has " rested" for 3 weeks and the birds are back in there!

Bennie is the trick for dove...dang browntop millet or such, all you need is sunflowers and benny.


----------



## BuckBoy

This is what I keep hearing about benne. How much does a bag plant? Is it a heavy user of fertilizer? I am trying to come up with a cost per acre.


----------



## emtguy

One bag will strip alot of acres...google benne and texas in same search. The major distributor is out of texas and they will send you a brocheure on how to plant it and what to use etc...it wont take you but one season to be a believer.

benne has pods on it and when it dries out the pods bust and every wind causes em to fall out, the seed is real oily and thats what the birds like.
dont try a whole field of it though, its too thick, we tried it and birds did'nt take to it either time...plant rows of 2-8 then plant sunflower or something...i'll try to get pics of our feilds sat.


----------



## Boneskull

Found This:

Benne (Sesame Seed), Seedland, Wildlifeseeds.com - This annual herb produces large amounts of oily seeds that are loved by all game birds. Benne is planted at the rate of 5 to 7 pounds per acre and takes 90 to 120 days to mature.

Plant is very leafy, but self-defoliates at maturity.
Flowers start about 36-45 days after planting and stop
70-90 days after planting. Seed is produced in capsules with about 70 seeds per
capsule. First capsule is 1-2 ft from ground. Physiological maturity normally occurs 90-110 days
after planting depending on varieties, moisture, fertility, and temperatures. Sesame normally dries down in 130-160 days. In most of Texas, sesame dries down before frost.
Planting rates

• Between 2.5 to 4.5 lbs/ac depending on row spacing
and planting conditions. First time growers should
strive for 3 to 3.5 lbs/ac.
• Good starting point: 25 to 35 seeds per foot.


----------



## Throwback

How long will it take to dry out so it will produce seeds?


----------

