A bait pile is very confined, where the deer come to the exact location to get their "fix." Food plots are like small fields, often times consisting of basic food types found in the every-day environment of the deer.

We have roughly 10 acres of food plots, which was basically a mix of left over beans/wheat/corn. While the main fields are standing corn/beans...deer rarely visit the food plots. When the fields are combined, it's usually time for the rut. Essentially, food plots are just another choice in the wide open ranges of a field. A salt block or timed feeder can hardly compare to a food plot.

Also, deer licking salt-laced ground or eating from a feeder, arepart of the huge disease problem in some states.