Just a question or two...
06-10-2007, 09:19 PM
#1
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location:
Posts: 341
Just a question or two...
I myself have never made food plots. I was wondering, do you guys plant these plots just for deer development and to keep them healthy or do you plant them to hunt off of? I dont think ive ever seen deer eating out of plots or fields until after dark.
06-11-2007, 05:21 AM
#2
Fork Horn
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: South Carolina
Posts: 389
RE: Just a question or two...
Both, mostly to give quality forage which in turn keeps more deer in the area. With established plots, each year we're seeing a few more deer feeding in them during daylight. The quality of bucks has increased greatly and where 3 or 4 years ago, we saw an occasional spike, fork, or basket six, now we are seeing different 8 pointers nearly every hunt. Last year I turned down one that should be close to our record book this year with the extra protein in the food plots and minerals in supplemental feed.
06-11-2007, 07:59 AM
#3
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Fulton county IL USA
Posts: 4,271
RE: Just a question or two...
drs1961,
Good answer!
I want to provide my local whitetails with a year 'round forage base to coverALL the differentstress periods that deer will face throughout the year. From helping lactating Does nurish and feed fawns to boosting a bucks antler growth to helping them sustain and add weight lost after the rigors of the rut, plots can and will help. There is a LOT you can do with proper food plot and habitat management and it is honestly a labor of love. The more work I put into a mix of plots, the more I seem to enjoy them.
Good answer!
I want to provide my local whitetails with a year 'round forage base to coverALL the differentstress periods that deer will face throughout the year. From helping lactating Does nurish and feed fawns to boosting a bucks antler growth to helping them sustain and add weight lost after the rigors of the rut, plots can and will help. There is a LOT you can do with proper food plot and habitat management and it is honestly a labor of love. The more work I put into a mix of plots, the more I seem to enjoy them.
06-12-2007, 05:38 AM
#5
Fork Horn
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: South Carolina
Posts: 389
RE: Just a question or two...
ORIGINAL: IL-Cornfed
drs1961,
Good answer!
I want to provide my local whitetails with a year 'round forage base to coverALL the differentstress periods that deer will face throughout the year. From helping lactating Does nurish and feed fawns to boosting a bucks antler growth to helping them sustain and add weight lost after the rigors of the rut, plots can and will help. There is a LOT you can do with proper food plot and habitat management and it is honestly a labor of love. The more work I put into a mix of plots, the more I seem to enjoy them.
drs1961,
Good answer!
I want to provide my local whitetails with a year 'round forage base to coverALL the differentstress periods that deer will face throughout the year. From helping lactating Does nurish and feed fawns to boosting a bucks antler growth to helping them sustain and add weight lost after the rigors of the rut, plots can and will help. There is a LOT you can do with proper food plot and habitat management and it is honestly a labor of love. The more work I put into a mix of plots, the more I seem to enjoy them.
06-12-2007, 09:38 AM
#6
Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 8
RE: Just a question or two...
Planting food plots is one of my favorite things to do. But my main motivation behind it is to establish another spot that i can hunt. The private land i hunt is small with poor soil and limited sites that can be planted. Because of this i usually plant 1 or 2 small 1/8 acre bowhunting plots.
06-12-2007, 01:04 PM
#8
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Wisconsin/Michigan
Posts: 9,679
RE: Just a question or two...
My property is backed up to thousands of acres of State hunting land, big woods. There are no crops in my immediate area except my plots and my buddies plots! I like to try and keep the deer in the area and help them thru the tough times! I like to help them year around as well to help us during the hunting season!
Plus I really enjoy working on the plots, fruit bushes and all sorts os trees!
Plus I really enjoy working on the plots, fruit bushes and all sorts os trees!
06-12-2007, 08:54 PM
#9
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: cazenovia, NY USA
Posts: 2,973
RE: Just a question or two...
We entered the idea of food plots with the following philosophy:
"we want the property on which we hunt, the be the most sought after land for food and cover by the deer in the area in which they live".
In other words - when we drive by our neighbor's property - we don't any longer wish we had the cover and or food. We make adjustments according to what our farming neighbors do - but YES - we grow plots to feed year round - and to establish our property as THE place for deer to center their territories.
FH
"we want the property on which we hunt, the be the most sought after land for food and cover by the deer in the area in which they live".
In other words - when we drive by our neighbor's property - we don't any longer wish we had the cover and or food. We make adjustments according to what our farming neighbors do - but YES - we grow plots to feed year round - and to establish our property as THE place for deer to center their territories.
FH
06-13-2007, 07:11 AM
#10
Boone & Crockett
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Comance county, OK
Posts: 11,408
RE: Just a question or two...
"but YES - we grow plots to feed year round - and to establish our property as THE place for deer to center their territories.'
So do i. One of our places is only 80 acres but it is absolutely the best deer cover in that county. We alsogrow food plots year around to keep them on the places that we own.We do not raise cattle and will not allow them to be pastured on our places.
So do i. One of our places is only 80 acres but it is absolutely the best deer cover in that county. We alsogrow food plots year around to keep them on the places that we own.We do not raise cattle and will not allow them to be pastured on our places.
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