Long thin food plot ?
Contributors to this thread:Whitetail Deer
From: wisconsinteacher
07-Dec-23
I would like to create a food plot in the corner of my property. My hope is to make it 75-100 yards long and shaped like an L. When reading about kill plots, there is a lot of talk about long and thin so that deer travel as they feed and walk past a stand. Some of the readings say to make them 8-20 feet wide. The area of this plot is all 15 year old popular that is 2-5" in diameter and 15-20 feet tall. My question is, what is the narrowest you would make the plot? I was thinking 20 yards wide with the long leg of the L being 50 yards and the short leg being 30 yards long. I'm open to any other suggestions at this point. Thanks
From: wisconsinteacher
07-Dec-23
The green box in the lower left corner is where I would like to put the plot. There is a bigger plot to the right and I have access to walk on the ag fields. The deer usually come out of mine and walk west across the ag field and then cross it in the morning. I have only busted 2 deer on the field walking in and out in the last 3 years. They do their night feeding further away from my property.
Disregard all yellow pins about the edge. I don't have that many stands out there. lol I was making pins when I did the screen shot.
From: fuzzy
07-Dec-23
I'd make the plot 10 to 15 feet wide and hinge cut the poplars another 5 to 10 feet alongside to allow sun and provide browse and security cover
From: APauls
07-Dec-23
Is it worth moving it slightly to take advantage of the deer's natural want to hit the inside corner of the ag and hit them on that corner like where you already have a stand icon? doglegging the plot instead of a perfect "L" still allowing you to hunt a W/NW/SW wind off the NE corner.
From: wisconsinteacher
07-Dec-23
Sorry if I confused everyone, the big L plot in the lower right corner is already established. I want one where the little green box is.
From: Drop Tine
08-Dec-23
Mine are L shaped and have cover around them so a buck has to come into the food plot to see if there are any doe’s in it. Otherwise they tend to stand back in cover and look over the plots and move on if nothing there. Never giving you an opportunity. L shapes and S shapes are preferred over rectangles or squares for this setup. By having cover you can also steer them on where you want them to enter and exit the food plots.
From: Saphead
08-Dec-23
Are you wanting it for an east wind? Looks good for that.
From: Buckdeer
08-Dec-23
When making a narrow one you can struggle with sunlight.I believe you can go on to google earth and do a sunlight layout,also on google if you go to view,reset compass and rotate it will put picture back flat instead of at an angle.I have one thats 10 yards wide and they use it but mine has trees on two sides and causes alot of wind swirling
From: six
08-Dec-23
This is the v-plot. They often enter the left and work their way through the whole plot.
From: wisconsinteacher
08-Dec-23
I would set 2 stands. One for a N-NW and one for a E-SE. I will check out the sunlight filter on Google Earth.
From: t-roy
08-Dec-23
Randy (Buckdeer) hit on two big possible concerns I would also have. Adequate sunlight and inconsistent swirling winds. What are you thinking of planting in this plot?
From: GLP
09-Dec-23
One other thing to consider is you will need to get beyond the drip edge of the trees. Due to when it is dry the trees take the water needed for the plot. On my plots about 15 ft. out is about where I see a difference. So 15 ft from each side. I would not get too narrow. On wet years this is not an issue.
From: gjs4
13-Dec-23
How would you enter there on those (NNW and ESE) winds and would that have deer moving to the adjacent ag with the wind quartering, or directly, to them?
From: fuzzy
13-Dec-23
Don't forget to pile hay bales and brush along the property lines ;)
