Food Plot Placement/Location on Property
Whitetail Deer
Contributors to this thread:
Hey all, I have 80 acres of mostly hardwoods..I can bulldoze openings for food plots. I have 2 small 1/4 acre existing food plots that are on the outer edge of one corner. I plan on planting two more, but I am wondering...do you generally place your food plots more towards the center of your property or more toward the edges? I know every situation but i am just talking about in general. Also, would it be better to have more small food plots or less a little bit larger plots?
Thanks!
Manage your plots to take advantage of prevailing winds, entrance and exit considered. If you can put them inside your lines and manage those factors, that would encourage more deer movement from outside your place to your plots. Nothing like shooting your neighbor's deer ! :) I'm only half kidding here. Small properties always share some deer with the neighbors and especially bucks, because their range is usually larger than the does. The more movement you can create, the better your chances IMO.
So would putting them closer to the known bedding areas be more beneficial or would putting them further from the bedding areas work better because they would be traveling further (hopefully in the daytime)
Thanks guys!
In general, I would say further away would be better, but for a different reason. If further from the bedding, your chances of blowing them out of the bedding areas would be lessoned. Also, it may give you more options as to where to place your stands between the bedding area and the plot as well as the possibility of being able to slip into the bedding area and set up early in the mornings and possibly kill em in their bedroom.
one long narrow plot hidden from sight of people , a safe kill plot , with a clear easy access to for them yet one in which funnels them past you.
Where I hunt, I am near some deer's bedding area all the time. Thickly wooded is an understatement in some areas and semi-open woods in others. On two places I hunt, although I do plant plots, I have no control over where to put them. This is pine plantation country, and I'm limited to the openings that are already there. I can clear underbrush, but that's all. On the place that I own, I have tried to space them out with the thought of easy entrance/exit and wind direction, as noted. One plot in the middle of the property is only planted in the spring, for nutrition. We don't hunt it at all. I also tried to lay out my plots with the available sunlight in mind. Here in Texas, if you let your clover plots have full sun in the summer, it will burn up. I try to keep it shaded at least half the day. Most of my woods are seldom entered unless I'm following up a deer, or maybe in the off season. That's the way I try to keep the bedding areas " secure ".
I have plots all over my 368 acres. The main plots are in the middle of the property. With hunting pressure around the property, most deer stay pretty close to the main plot. What I'm finding as winter sets in the deer active in September and where there bedding is different as winter and cold weather sets in. There travelling less in late November. As well with stands focused in the middle of the property as well, i don't have to be travelling all through the woods to get to other stands around the perimeter.
Yeah, I wanted to include an aerial of the property but can't figure out which application to use to add shapes and lines to the picture to show food plots/bedding areas...etc. I just wanted more of a general answer I guess and then once I know the basics I can critique it for my property.
Easy way is to a screen shot and use Microsoft paint to draw what you want......Google earth is a little better if you have that too
I do have google earth. I'll give that a shot tonight and post it if I can get it figured out. Thanks!
There are people on this site (Pat included) who could probably professionally consult on properly setting up food plots or properties for hunting. I've been to the QDMA website, and they appears to be another resource for setting up a property.
GREEN: FOOD PLOTS BLUE: KNOWN BEDDING AREAS PURPLE: ATV TRAILS RED: BOUNDARY 2 ACCESS PINS
Wheat fields to the north and corn fields to the west. The 40 acres to the west is not hunted at all as it is owned by an oil company who does not permit use on it. I was thinking of putting one plot in the center of the property somewhere and one someone near the northwest corner. The existing food plots are between a 1/4 acre and 1/2 acre.
Thanks guys!!
I could make that into a food plot the only issue is that the neighbors have a tree stand basically right there on the property line..i wanted to try my best to keep it away from that area.
What does the open area that is kind of sandwiched between your 2 marked existing plots consist of? Looks like you might be able put another long, skinny plot in there.
Most of the open areas you can see are lowland marsh. you could probably plant on the edges of it however. The open area in the southwest corner is the only open area that stays dry. but like i said i am able to bulldoze in areas wherever need be on the property.
Here is my shot at it.......Green plots, push a waterhole in that marsh (blue), plant some NWSG in most of the east field to help deer feel hidden and to hide from neighbors (yellow). I'd also stop using that middle road and cut some pockets in your timber areas to enhance bedding (red)
Which app did you actually purchase?
I just used my phone.....technology these days!
My opinion is this....
Every property is different as to my recommendations. Here is the questions I have for you or anyone.
What is on surrounding properties, crops wise, habitat wise, water wise.
What is your goals?
I want biodiversity. We want to focus on food, water and cover. I want .1 acre per deer of food plots to provide 25% of a deers forage needs per year. If there is no surrounding cropland, then you would want that number to be higher.
If someone is starting a wildlife program from step 1, i'd plant perennials along woods edge to create scrapelines. I'd clear some roadways that funnel into the major food plot areas. I'd plant a few 1 acre plots that host your fall and winter feeds. I'd also plant a perennial native grass area for bedding. Each stand i'll want a small water hole near it. We cannot have too much water. Where ever there is forage, we want water.
So, yes I can help people anyway possible. I also have as part of the G.R.O team, a top end forestor, I also recently formed a relationship with a renowned speaker who is an expert at stand placement and setting up properties. Recall, all bowsite members get free membership to the G.R.O 365 program.
we have about an acre pond near food plot furthest west and also standing in the lower areas near the east side of the property. Our focus is definitely on food as there is a lot of woods surrounding the property with a few big ag fields that are primarily corn. Our first plot didn't do too hot which was planted in WI Extreme..but the second plot did wonders which was planted in WI pure attraction. They hammered the oats. In total we plant on having 4 acres of plots..just not sure exactly where to put em.
I prefer perennial clovers near woods edges to create scrapelines. I then like people to plant soil builders/flex acres next to the scrapelines and then soybeans and or corn in strips more towards the middle. If there is property next to a neighbors who hunt the fencelines i like having people put fortress or a screening or winter only energy source so there is no travel along the fence nor destination food source.
So heres my overall plan. I'm not gonna hunt the food plot in the middle, just the trails leading to it and to focus deer to the center of my property a little more. In the southeast open area I'm gonna plant some warm season grasses for bedding/screening from the neighbors. Any objections form anyone? I really appreciate all of the insight and help!
It's tough to really even take a stab at without personally having intricate knowledge to the land and the many variables that go along with it like timber type(s), adjoining properties and landowners, contour, water availability, soil types, deer numbers, and the list goes on... I purchased the property that I only bow hunt on now eight years ago and am still figuring things out every year, season by season... The one recommendation I would make is to plug away at it and don't put all of your eggs in one basket. Think outside the box and remember that variety of forage and timber types has a value throughout different times of the year.
Please update us as your journey goes...
Yeah man I know its tough to really give advice because there are so many variables in a property. I just wanted to get as many generalities as I can and hear some opinions before going ahead with it and potentially screwing some hunting up on the property.
Thanks again,
-Tom
I would also recommend implementing each item separately and watch how they act as a result......you will be amazed at how critical paths now may go pretty light in usage after plot, cuts, etc are added.....it will 100% modify their movement through your land.....especially true considering the flat terrain you are working on.