I read a D&DH article over the weekend RE: food plots. The article gave clear instructions on how to keep deer OUT of your plot......(2-4 months) leading up to the hunting season.

Just wondering ........

What is the REAL intent with such a plot? Does this attitude change your outlook on why "some" plant food plots?

There is never any confusion as to why people plant food plots.

a) to try and grow bigger Bucks!
b) to have an active place to hunt them bigger Bucks!

PERIOD!

I can say one thing out of experience, if you are planting the right seed types, at the right time, in the right sized plot.........you won't have to keep them out of the plot ever.

Started on mine yesterday,controlled burns are great if you can safely do them.

I agree. We time our plantings so that there's food provided from late spring on through mid February. We will often plant two rotations, or split the plot up into two plantings to accomplish this. We planted rye/clover in the spring last year while discing and liming the other half. About August, we planted turnips/clover in the second half of the plot. Provided both a good summer nutritional base, and then a fall/winter suppliment. We actually had our plot hit the hardest from December to February.

Exactly. IMHO the most important part of a plot is to make it big enough to stagger seed types in the same plot. For several reasons, one is to provide the deer with something seasonal that is always there no matter what time of year. The other is in case one seed type doesn't like the plot for some reason at least you have a good chance of the other doing well. My biggest plot has 3 strips in it, each about half an acre. Clover/Chicory that they are already eating now and will till about mid October, Maximum that will get eaten from mid Oct till mid Nov, and Full Draw that will get eaten from early November till March.

Jeff,
I would not pin a lot of hopes on food plots in my(our) area. I planted about 1/4 of an acre in the midst of good area last fall. It included white clover, turnips, carrots and rape.I expended huge effort, it grew like wildfire and I thought the deer would clobber it but they didn't. We killed one doe out of it (late season) and the deer sign was sparse. The plot has continued to grow nicely but the deer just don't seem to care. There are so many agricultural food sources here that I don't believe the food plots are that attractive to deer. If they do come to it, I predict it will be late season. Maybe after a year of growth/assimilation the deer will begin to use it.

Disclaimer: This is only my meager experience. I am sure other areas and other people have had quite different results.

Until now....I've had ZERO experience with access to ag fields to hunt deer. I was hoping ot add a plot on the small acreage I have here......but I don't see me doing that, now. I have options.

It didn't change my views on why many plant food plots. Most seem to do it to provide a large supply of healthy forage which grows bigger, healthier deer and give themselves a few more food source hunting oppurtunities. I think the article can help many that are just starting with food plots or have high deer numbers.

The reason being if you (like myself) do small food plots in tough soiland have high deer numbers the deer can wipe them out relatively quickly and that is bad for two reasons(IMO). The first being you can't really hunt it once theseason opens because it is not providing much foodand the second being your plot never gets a chance todevelop to it's full potentialwhich often (IME) doesn't happen until your second seeding as the soil becomes more fertile or if you heavilyoverseed it the first time (in good soil). So I can see people maybe wanting to keep the deer out for a while to let the plot develop more and provide a better hunting oppurtunity when theseason opens.

A feeder would accomplish similar goals with less expense, trouble and impact to your area - mix some protien pellets in with the corn. You can always take the feeder with you if you lose the property. You could avoid hunting the feeder site if you prefer. For me, the feeder standis seldom-hunted stand that use for my father-in-law and other guests who cannot use my ambush saddle trees or climbing stands.