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Food Plot Location

So my property is mostly a big valley, leaving little flat area to create food plots. Do food plots need to be pretty flat or if it’s on an incline will that still work fine? Clover would be the crop I’d be using. Thanks

It likely depends on the angle of incline you are talking. A little is fine, a lot and you will have trouble. Good luck. If you can make it work the reward is amazing.

In a valley the better soil is going to be in the flat bottom. Also tillage, mowing, spraying, etc... gets dicey on to much slope.

I’ve had terrible results on broadcasting clover into steep inclines. I think the seed just washes away.

A lot depends on weather conditions at planting time. If it rains a lot right after you plant you could have significant erosion and seed washing. Clover takes awhile to get established and is usually planted in the fall. Once established, think next spring, a significant slope wouldn’t be a bother unless it’s bad enough that a tractor can’t negotiate it going at a 90 degree angle to the slope. That’s too much IMO.

Early spring clear out the competing brush in the bottom. Take a soil sample. Spray with glysophate on Memorial Day and mid July. Add soil amendments and work ground early to mid august. Ahead of a rain, I Broadcast 40#oatswinter rye winter wheat blend and drag ground to cover. Then broadcast 20 % more then recommend clover seed. Rain will pound it in the ground perfect depth. The other greens will come up firsthand and out compete the weeds and the deer will hit that instead of the clover. The next spring if you have bare spots frost seed with more clover. Memorial Day mow the plot and spray with arrest and post to kill back any grass or broadleaf that survived. At this point if you have adequate moisture your plot should be great. Adding. Triple 19 fertilizer will help. Mow one more time in late August. Third week of September the deer will be hammering it.

Sound like a lot of work? It is. But the tonnage oh a well kept clover plot is unmatched for year roundup herd health

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