Need advice on food plots
Wisconsin
Finally was able to buy 40 acres ,,,need advice on food plots to help the deer?? Its in Iron county Thanks in advance..
It might help if you post a sat photo so the guys with experience know what you're dealing with. Also some info with type of terrain and cover. I'm just a dumbass when it comes to that but some of these guys really know what they're doing and the more info you give them the better.
How big are your plots going to be? Corn or beans for larger plots (1 acre+). Smaller plots get Ladino clover/winter rye, ground hog radishes, purple top turnips. Killing the weeds and grass early spring is key.
I think your first step should be to find out where there is a stand tree you can sneak into without bumping deer off the possible food plot site. A great plot in the wrong location will be majorly frustrating. A mediocre plot where you can hunt it repeatedly will be much preferred. Then, you should expect does to bed very near the food source. You will want to ensure you can get in and out, to EVERY spot you want to hunt, without them seeing you. Some says you should have several food plots with several doe bedding sites so that you have several doe groups. Lastly you will want to ensure the big bucks don't feel pressured because they keep winding you every time you walk to your stand. Often that all means setting up food plots on the edge of the property and may mean you need to put in cover to get to your stands. So to summarize everything I said, food plot location is dictated by your ability to hunt them and not be detected. That often means not putting them in the most obviously "easy" spots to get your equipment into.
First step should be looking at the health of the big food plot, the wooded area itself.
Can you clearcut Aspen to regenerate the food plot or invigorate Oak regeneration? Ancillary food plots can come later. Paying first attention to the wooded area to ensure cover and food is a better investment than a small food plot.
Agree with last few posts, but I would add that creating bedding and cover for deer is as important or more important than food.
Treefarm is right again! I could read his posts all day.
Thanks for the great information the land is mostly hardwoods maple and a few oaks a little creek runs on the edge of the property. I was thinking of clearing a part of a wide logging road on the property for the food plot not sure what I'm going to plant just yet. I'll try to get a map and post it here ,Thanks Fran
Good responses!
Before I would do anything would buy Jeff Sturgis' book - "Whitetail Success By Design" and Steve Bartylla's book - "White-tailed Deer Management and Habitat Improvement". Both books talk about landscaping your woods for better deer hunting/better deer. One thing to think about, if you create a wide logging road right through the middle of your property and use it to access your stands. You will basically do a deer drive every time you walk to your stands. Think about accessing your property from the edges of the property border and hunt the edges in. Both books talk about this idea as well as where to locate your food plots on smaller parcels - whats better, close to to border or dead center?
Another book - "Quality Food Plots" is another must have available at www.qdma.com .
BC
Another hunter turned farmer..
If'n you want to sit over a food plot then what do you need 40 acres for? Nature provides everything a deer needs, wouldn't you rather simply hunt a natural environment than buy equipment, kill weeds, turn soil, sow seed, pray for rain, all just to sit in a box staring at a mono-culture all day?
I think creating an access trail is the best advice...and if you really need to maybe seed it up with some clover and call it good.
