Buckmasters Magazine

How to get the most from your food plot efforts.

For every lush, green food plot in existence in any given year, an equal number fail, wasting the time, effort and money of the hunters who tried to grow them.

That shouldn’t be a surprise since growing a food plot is akin to becoming a professional farmer. Unless done properly, anything that can go wrong with a food plot will go wrong — and that’s considering only the things you can control. Even a perfectly planted plot will fail without the right amount of rain, and too much can be as damaging as too little.

Fortunately, there is a wealth of information available to help even first-timers have a successful plot. What follows is my list of planting essentials to help you get the most out of your food plot effort and dollars.

Location, Size and Shape

Terrain or land-use considerations often dictate the location of food plots. If you have a choice, it’s helpful to use an aerial map, combined with on-the-ground observation, to determine the best spots for new plots.

Space plots far enough apart to give more animals access. Hopefully, this will help distribute the feeding pressure on each plot. For hunting purposes, consider the location of bed-ding areas and known travel corridors and strategically place plots where deer will more likely use them during daylight hours.

Plots come in all shapes and sizes. Again, your property’s terrain might dictate the shape, but when possible consider using shapes other than large rectangles or squares.

Soft edges and elongated shapes appear more natural and safer to deer. Soft edges are gradual transitions in cover from the forest edge to the food plot, oftentimes created by planting shrubs or allowing a strip of natural cover to grow between the forest edge and the food plot.

Hourglass shapes also feel more natural to deer, and the narrow center helps funnel them closer to likely stand locations.

Plots from 1/5 acre to 2 acres are small enough for deer to feel safe, yet large enough to keep from being over browsed. Larger plots (5 acres or more) are beneficial because they can provide more food, but they often aren’t effective for hunting since they’re not likely to be used as frequently during daylight hours.

Five 2-acre plots are a better choice than two 5-acre plots. For larger plots, long and narrow is better than square. Whitetails feel more comfortable when closer to cover, so they’re more likely to use a long, narrow plot, especially during daylight.

Adding a soft edge benefits other wildlife species, too. Strips of early successional plant species around plots provides cover for quail, turkey poults, rabbits and other small game.

Soil

Every food plot starts with the soil.

Take a soil sample from the proposed plot site. Soil labs recommend taking several samples from one plot, mixing them together and using a portion of this composite sample for testing. Keep composite samples from each plot separate and label them so you can match results to the correct plot. Soils can vary across your property, and each plot might have different lime and fertilization requirements.

Purchase a soil test kit or visit your local county Extension office. Many Extension offices allow you to complete the paperwork and settle payment online. Cost varies between labs and by type of tests run.

If the charge is $7 per sample and you plant 8 food plots, then the $56 spent on soil tests can potentially save you hundreds of dollars on inadequately prepared plots and/or wasted materials.

Test results will tell you if and how much lime you need, as well as the correct mixture of fertilizer for your plot.

Treat each plot according to the test recommendations. Too many folks say, “I threw a bag of triple 13 on my plots” and are surprised when they don’t get good results.

What Seed When

Just as soils differ across the whitetail’s range, so do the crops that grow well in those soils. Select a crop that is suited to your climate, as well as your particular soil.

In some cases, you might be better off creating openings and manage specifically for native forbs and mast-producing trees.

Also consider the forages are already available to deer. If a neighboring property has fields planted in winter wheat, it’s usually a bad idea to plant the same thing. Instead, establish different forages to make your plots more appealing. Variety also helps increase deer usage throughout the year since different plants mature at different times.

Forage diversity can be accomplished by planting a variety of single-species plots, or by planting several forages in the same plot.

When planting mixtures, plant only varieties that can be managed similarly. If you can’t use the same herbicide on all the species within a plot, plant and spray separately.

Do not be fooled by the picture on the bag. Read labels and understand what you are getting before you buy. Each bag should be labeled with the percentages of each species it contains. It can be more cost efficient to formulate custom plot mixes, especially if you have seed of each desired species readily available.

There are often benefits to commercial food plot seeds such as germination treatments and tolerance of herbicides that likely aren’t available from bulk feed store seed.

Also consider rotating species over time. Plants use different soil nutrients at varying rates, so rotating what and where you plant might benefit your soil. Taking a plot out of production every few years to let the soil rest and let native vegetation grow can be beneficial.

Soil Preparation

How you prepare the soil and which planting techniques you use are usually determined by soil type, species being planted or by the equipment you have available.

Don’t be afraid to ask around and borrow equipment. Some USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service offices have equipment for rent.

Seed can be planted with a no-till drill. No-till is a great option that reduces the likelihood of hardpan layers (compacted soil layers found at depths of 8 inches or more that can develop from normal discing or plowing).

Before using a no-till drill, clear ground vegetation by mowing, burning or combination of the two.

Discing followed by broadcasting is a popular method for planting food plots. If you disc plots before planting, you might need to use a chisel plow or subsoiler every few years to break up hardpan layers.

Prepare the seedbed based on the seed size of the crop being planted. Smaller seeds need finer soil, while larger seeds might germinate in somewhat clumpy soil.

In addition to soil type, moisture will determine how many passes you make with your disc. Take several samples throughout the plot, digging down about 6 inches. Rub the soil between your fingers. If the soil compacts, does not crumble and feels wet, soil moisture is probably too high to properly prepare a fine seed bed. If the soil has a damp feel but crumbles easily, you are good to go. If the soil is dry and hard to crumble, soil moisture is too low and will be difficult to prepare finely enough for smaller seeds.

There are several food plot guidebooks that provide seeding rates for most common species. They often give recommended seeding depths for each plant species. Whether you broadcast or drill, be sure to calibrate and calculate seeding rates accurately. Over-seeding and under-seeding can lead to poor results. “More is better” doesn’t apply since over-seeding can result in too many plants competing for nutrition, sunlight and water, creating a less productive plot.

Once planted, the seeds should be covered to keep them from washing away and to help them root quickly. A light discing is all that’s required over larger seeds such as corn, sorghum, cowpeas and soybeans. For smaller seeds like clovers and brassicas, cultipacking is the best option if you have access to the equipment.

Herbicides

If you have prepared and planted your plots correctly, the last thing you want is for weeds to ruin your hard work. Herbicides are a safe way to prevent unwanted vegetative competition. Sprayers can be mounted to an ATV or carried like a backpack.

Different herbicides work differently, and all should be applied with care and exactly according to the directions. Your local Extension office can help with information on types of herbicides and their applications.

Finally

While we covered the basic mechanics of planting food plots, keep in mind there are different planting strategies for different management objectives.

Reasons for food plots vary from nutrition to attraction and hunting, so what you plant and when you plant it depends largely on your management goals.

To increase nutrition and the carrying capacity of your land, you’ll need to provide year-round nutrition. If you just want to pull deer into the open for hunting in the fall, a cool-weather annual is just the ticket.

Also realize your property might not be suitable for achieving some management objectives. The smaller the property, the more it is affected by what’s taking place on surrounding land. Your 1-acre perennial clover plot isn’t going to have much effect on the deer if it’s the only quality food for several miles.

On the other hand, a group of small landowners working together can achieve great things with the right amount of communication and cooperation.

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