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Food plots for Blacktail deer

I want to get started on a food plot for blacktail deer in Washington. Does anyone have experience with this? I want to have food for them in the summer as well as during the rut in late October. What should I plant for a plat that will be roughly 3/4 - 1 acre?

Anyone.........hellooooo anyone home?

When I lived in Corvallis I saw lots of food plots for blacktails. They are called suburbs. Some of the best deer lived right in town.

Well, at least someone finally responded to my post, even though it's of no help at all.

Piton,,,,,, IMO a food plot needs to be as big as you can make it,, a buddy of mine did a plot one acre and it was a waste of time,,, it wasn't big enough to pull deer to it as a food sorce because of size,,,, it may help to have mineral licks for attraction.. if i was going to do one for summer I'd do clover or alfalfa.. And for November if you have oaks in your area good luck,,, acorns are deers favorite grub,,, you could try Planting beans or planting corn and they might hit it as a substitute. This is all an idea and some of my opinion. Hope a response helps haha

I tried food plots and the problem I had over here for blacktails is they have food everywhere and they would just as well stay in the brush and eat them expose themselves during light. We did have some luck with mineral licks but when August came the deer were nowhere to be seen. I have had more luck patterning them during the months I hunt them. To not sound like a broken record... and you hunt blacktail deer... read the book "Blacktail Trophy Tactics" by Boyd Iverson. I have read it 10 times and still read portions of it here and there. Good luck.

I've had no luck with mineral licks but good luck with a multi grain/mineral block. I was thinking of planting something that isn't in the forest or neighboring properties so they would be drawn to our land. I'll check out the book, thanks.

My experience is the same above. Mineral licks work great till mid August. And as far as food plots go I think they would be a waste of time for it's as there is food everywhere foe them.

Thanks for the feedback guys. Check out my link, it seems these guys have quite a different experience with plots (even small ones) for blacktail deer.

Good luck! Let us know how it works...

will do!

Im from crow oergon and i made a food plot 4 years ago, over those for years my family has killed 9 mature blacktail. These deer love new zeland clover, its farily expensive but it works great!

From what I have heard blacktails do not use food plots as well as a whitetail or muley would. They are more roamers an feed on browse an as trkyslr said they hit acorns hard during sept oct time. Even places where I have seen alfalfa fields an deer are in the area they do not frequent these places like you think they would. Food in blacktail habitat is typically abundant. I'd be interested to kno wut happens if u did try it. Good luck.

"From what I have heard blacktails do not use food plots as well as a whitetail or muley would. They are more roamers an feed on browse an as trkyslr said they hit acorns hard during sept oct time. Even places where I have seen alfalfa fields an deer are in the area they do not frequent these places like you think they would. Food in blacktail habitat is typically abundant. I'd be interested to kno wut happens if u did try it. Good luck."

That's because you guys are hunting hybrids, not real Blacktails like up North...Doh!

;-)

Ike thats a good one .. Lol

I am also looking at planting a 3-4 acre clover/vetch mix food plot. Our bow season starts in July, all of our grass is dry and brown with very little feed with any significant nutrition for deer. Wondering how far a 3-4 acre green beacon will pull from.

I don't have much experience with food plots, but I have been baiting for the last few years with great success.

I know once the food sources dry up around the first of December the deer are magnatized to the apple piles.

I am going to try an experiment this year on a 10 acre parcel that my family owns. The deer are there through October which is when the heavy cover dies off and the apples from 10 trees are all but gone.

I ordered some Food Plot Screen from Frigid Forage and will be planting some Big and Beasty as a winter crop. I am hoping to provide both food and cover. The trail cam pics will tell the tail.

HuntEasy, you might want to keep that to yourself...In CA it could be considered a food source baiting site....

Ok…. Let’s break this down. Blacktails are known as the ghosts of the west and are among the hardest species to hunt. They typically won’t leave about a square mile area. When threatened they head for the thickest nastiest cover they can find. It is rare to find a trophy buck in a clear cut or out in the middle of the day. (It happens though) ok so your land…. Whitetails and mule deer will venture out into a wide open field, black tails not so much. Mainly does and spikes are seen in wide open fields. Trophies will hang back until night fall and are very skiddish. I have seen them push small bucks out first. Plant thick cover around a small open meadow. Plant native clover, strawberries, apple trees, ect… in the opening. Don’t make it too big. 1/4 acre maybe. When you design it, design it around your shooting lanes. It takes a few years and some patience. If you create small open areas surrounded by thick brush they will come. Even better if there is a water source. By using native plants you don’t have to worry about watering and replanting every year. I would consider planting some Oregon white oaks as well. Deer can’t resist acorns. Let nature work for you. Be mindful or your entry point and your path in. Make sure you are away from their trails. As you develop the small patches ask your self if you would feel safe and have exit points. The deer will grow comfortable and you will be able to harvest year after year.

Where I hunted blacktails, the landowner had clover plots that the deer absolutely loved.

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