how do you maintain a food plot

Guide to Maintaining Your Food Plot to Encourage Wildlife

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How do you manage a food plot?

0:141:31How to Manage Deer with Food Plots On Small Property - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipYou can improve the quality of your herd. No matter the size of your property. The more lands youMoreYou can improve the quality of your herd. No matter the size of your property. The more lands you have the more opportunity you have to build an even higher quality herd.

How often should you mow your food plot?

How often and how frequent perennials should be mowed is more of an art than a science; usually at least three times during the growing season will suffice. White clovers will do well when mowed aggressively and often during the cooler periods of the growing season or when ample moisture is available.

Should you mow your food plot?

“It's a myth that you have to mow in order to have a nutritious clover plot,” said Craig. “That's just wrong. If the clover is doing well in May and June and deer are eating it, let them eat it. Don't mow it!

How long does a food plot last?

Each food plot variety has enough power to attract for 6 to 8 weeks at best over the course of a 3-4 month hunting season so do your best to avoid creating holes in your food plots during the hunt, by not offering enough diversity to substantiate deer movement patterns for the entire season.

Do you have to fertilize food plots every year?

A: Absolutely. All growing things need nutrition and food plots are no exception. Without fertilizer, food plots will not produce food or protein at their full potential.

Do you have to lime a food plot every year?

Thus, the same amount would need to be applied per acre to correct the pH. As you can see, maintaining a neutral pH with lime is a critical part of a successful food plot management program. Periodic liming every few years will be necessary to maintain the pH in the neutral range.

Will hogs destroy a food plot?

"Hogs will eat just about anything, but can be especially devastating to sorghum and bean plots.

What food plot comes back every year?

Perennial food plotsPerennial food plots provide consistent nutrition throughout the year and with proper maintenance can last three to five years or more. Clovers are predominately the perennials Gamekeepers refer to, however alfalfa and chicory are also important great perennials depending on your location.

What food plot attracts the most deer?

Deer love soybeans, but no single crop can meet all of a deer's year-round needs. Diversity is best, both in your food-plot options and in natural forages that occur outside food plots. Overall, this means that there is no magic crop that will always best meet your deer's needs throughout the year.

How many deer will a 1 acre food plot support?

If we are an average food plotter who produces an average level of forages per acre (4000 lbs) you will be able to feed about 9 deer per acre. In areas with larger body weight deer you would feed less than that 9. In areas of the south with much smaller body weights you would be able to feed 11-12 deer per acre.

Do Bucks come to food plots?

Hunting Plots at Different Times of the Season Early season you will see a lot of activity of deer feeding in your plots. The first few days of the season, you can catch a mature buck feeding in the plot during legal shooting hours.

Why is my food plot dying?

You Didn't Do a Soil Test Without good, balanced PH levels in soil, plants can't pull all the nutrients they need. A soil test will tell you how much (or little) lime and fertilizer is required for the plant you're planting, and whether or not your fertilizer needs more nitrogen, potash, etc.

How often should a field be mowed?

Fields should be rotationally mowed in a three- to five- year cycle to reduce the encroachment of woody vegetation.

How often does clover need to be mowed?

Infrequent Mowing Unlike a conventional turfgrass lawn, a clover lawn only needs to be mowed a couple of times a year, as it only grows 2 to 8 inches tall. Most people mow it in mid-summer after the clover has bloomed and has dropped its seeds, and again four to six weeks before the first fall frost.

How do you keep grass out of food plots?

Hit them with Arrest Max, Weed Reaper, or similar grass-killers such as Arrow, Select, or Poast. The two main chemical bases for these herbicides are sethoxydim and clethodim. Most food plotters feel the clethodim products work slightly better, but both will significantly reduce your grass problems.

How often do you need to mow a field?

Except for lawns and paths, mow at most once per year. This enables pollinators, birds and small mammals to successfully reproduce. If your main goal is to keep trees out, you can limit mowing to every 3 or so years (strong mowers can handle small woody stems).

How to control weeds in a food plot?

The first one is to control weeds and grass. As spring weather promotes growth of the food plots, the dormant grass and weeds also thrive. The old mindset is to cut down these plants to control their growth. With some annual weeds like ragweed, mowing can control them.

Why mow wildlife food plots?

Mowing wildlife food plots to control unwanted weeds and grass will only remove valuable biomass available to deer; there's a better option to keep plots healthy. (Jeremy Flinn photo) With spring rains soaking the landscape, many perennial food plots will begin to produce large amounts of highly nutritious deer foods.

What is the food plot for deer?

With spring rains soaking the landscape, many perennial food plots will begin to produce large amounts of highly nutritious deer foods. But as desirable food plot species like clover and alfalfa grow, so too does undesirable weeds and grasses.

Why do people mow food plots?

The second reason some people mow food plots is to promote new growth . The mindset here is new growth is higher in nutrition and cutting will remove older, less nutritious plant parts. Often where alfalfa is used for hay, there will be multiple cuts for hay.

How tall is a deer plot?

Rarely do food plots reach a size that is producing low-quality deer food; the deer herd will likely keep it in check at somewhere between 8 to 16 inches tall.

Can you mow food plots in the spring?

Contrary to what many believe, maintenance on your spring food plots should not include mowing.

Do food plots produce deer food?

With spring rains soaking the landscape, many perennial food plots will begin to produce large amounts of highly nutritious deer foods. But as desirable food plot species like clover and alfalfa grow, so too does undesirable weeds and grasses. As much as we complain about it in the spring and summer, it seems to be human nature we want to mow.

What is food plot maintenance?

In general, food plot maintenance revolves around addressing problems as they pop up. Rather than rushing out to buy expensive seed drills or worrying about dozens of possible scenarios, what’s important is to get your plants in the ground and growing. Seeds are resilient, and you can always make adjustments when needed. Just try to keep your maintenance efficient, because the more deer see you out there the less likely they’ll be to wander in themselves.

How big should a food plot be?

You should be planting over at least half an acre, and ideally at least two acres. Otherwise, deer will simply devour your nascent plants, say thanks for the snack, and move on to a new food source before your plot has had a chance to establish itself. A good size will also provide genuine nutrition while making the deer feel safe, two key factors in attracting repeat customers. But you don’t want to make your plot too big either, because it’s difficult to get a clean look at a deer that’s hidden behind fields and fields of swaying plants.

How to keep deer away from food plots?

Instead, keep your plots near natural features, like thickets and wooded areas. Deer want to feel comfortable, and the more cover there is for them to hop into at a moment’s notice the less wary they’ll be about grazing. Deer aren’t stupid—a plot of delicious clover in an otherwise empty field might as well be surrounded by hungry coyotes for all the attention most deer would give it. You want your plot to feel natural, and that means giving the deer multiple escape routes. A nearby water source will also be a big help, because having food and water in one convenient location is the deer equivalent of luxury dining. Just make sure that you have at least one good sightline into all of that cover.

How to attract deer to your property?

If you own private property, a food plot is the single most effective way of attracting deer to your land. But while many of the normal guidelines of gardening don’t apply here, it’s also not as simple as throwing a bunch of seeds into the dirt and waiting for plants and deer to appear. So let’s talk about what to plant, how to plant it and, just as importantly, where to place your plot.

Is it worth it to hunt food plots?

All of this set-up can be a fair bit of work, but it’s worth it when you see the end result. Food plots are a hugely satisfying way to work your own land, provide ethical nutrition to deer, and observe the behavior of these fascinating animals. If you have the time and space, it’s an incredibly valuable skill to have in your hunting repertoire.

Can you feed deer alfalfa seeds?

Finally, be sure to check any local laws pertaining to food plots, ideally before you’ve run out and bought enough alfalfa seeds to feed a deer army. Plots are generally regulated quite loosely, but there may be requirements regarding weed control and the prevention of wind and water erosion.

Picking Out What Seeds To Use

The options may seem a little overwhelming, but that’s why we’re here! To create a year-round supply of feed, it’s important to use both warm-season and cold-season plants when you plant your food plot.

What Equipment Will You Need?

There are several different ways to go about creating a food plot, but we suggest using any John Deere compact tractor to assist with larger lots of land. Using a rotary cutter, a disk, a broadcast spreader or a tiller can help create a more uniform operation. This will also make the process a lot easier and quicker to accomplish.

Put up a Fence

You can install a post and dowel fence around your food plot so that the deer can see the crops and learn that they’re there. They’ll be able to smell them and know that they’re growing on your property, but they won’t be able to get to them. This will help protect the crops while they grow.

Deter them with Scent

You can also try to deter the deer and other animals by spraying an unpleasant spray around the perimeter of the food plot. The scent should help keep wildlife at bay as long as the scent is active. Continue spraying your plot as long as you want to protect the plot and stop spraying when you’re ready to let the animals in.

Use our Feedbank Gravity Feeders

You can also use our Feedbank Gravity Feeders along with your food plot. By placing a feeder like the Feedbank 300 Gravity Feeder next to your plot, you’ll train the deer to associate your property with food.

What is the best way to control clover?

When managing clover there are two important things to remember, the first being that clover requires a lot of fertilizer . Secondly, weeds and grasses can choke clover out relatively easily so weed control is very important.

Why is clover important to wildlife?

Clover food plots can be a valuable tool in a wildlife management plan. Clover grows quickly and becomes palatable early during the spring. Minimal acreage is needed of clover because it produces a lot of tonnage per square acre. How do we take care of this great tool?

What is the role of weather in food plots?

Weather plays a direct role in the success or failure of every food plot you’ll ever plant. Failing to plant in a suitable weather window may see all of your time, effort and expense blow away like the dust in a drought-stricken field. Even if you luck out with ideal growing conditions each and every year you sow a plot, you’re still going to expend a fair bit of resources (including time and money) on the process.

What is the best way to clear a plot?

Burning is a great way to clear a plot and it can also help add some valuable minerals to the soil. If you’re looking to rekindle an area of native grasses and create awesome, thick cover, a controlled burn is your best friend. 9. Food Plots are Magic. Even if you grow a great plot, it’s still deer hunting.

What is clover used for in food plots?

If I want to sow the plot year after year in something like a brassica/cereal grain blend, the clover will serve as a “green manure” fertilizer. When planted during the previous spring or late-summer with another forage, the clover will come back lush, full and green the following spring. When I’m ready to plant my fall plots, I simply disc all that clover under. This adds organic matter to the soil and the clover releases beneficial nitrogen as it decays.

Is burning a food plot bad for the environment?

Nonsense. Fires that aren’t controlled are bad. But a good, controlled burn can work wonders for your food plot. As mentioned, I’ll allow my food plots to fill with weeds each spring if I’m not doing a spring planting. Some years, I’ll simply till those weeds under. Others, I’ll hit them with glyphosate and burn them off once they’re good and dead. Burning is a great way to clear a plot and it can also help add some valuable minerals to the soil. If you’re looking to rekindle an area of native grasses and create awesome, thick cover, a controlled burn is your best friend.

Can small food plots be deadly?

Small food plots can be deadly. Wiki

Can you plant food plots in spring?

Yes, you can do some spring planting but, for the most part, you’re better off planting fall-focused forages in late summer because unless you have a significant piece of acreage, the plot will be browsed out long before fall. 2. You Need a lot of Acreage to Grow Food Plots. Small food plots can be deadly. Wiki.

Can you hunt in a food plot?

But you can’t simply clear a patch of dirt, sprinkle out some “throw and grow” seed and expect giant bucks to pop out of the ground. Food plots require plenty of planning, strategy and hard work.

What is the best way to keep deer from eating clover?

Weeds will compete against your clover for water and nutrients, leaving your deer with little to no food. Using grass/broad leaf selective herbicides such as Clethodim are essential to keeping weed competition down, allowing your stand of clover to yield best results.

What to do in deer season in the fall?

Although practicing shooting our bows, replenishing mineral sites, hanging stands, and scouting are all important in filling your tag this fall; you can’t forget about maintaining your food plots either.