No need to plant food plots?
12-31-2002, 08:20 PM
#1
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Erie PA USA
Posts: 113
No need to plant food plots?
On my property I had a 4 acre overgrown field brushhogged down last summer. Soon after I spread lime and fertilizer over a small area of the field (30'x40 foot) with the hopes of planting soybeans just to see how they grew. Well I never got the beans in. However while scouting and hunting during archery season EVERY deer that entered the field headed straight to the little area in the middle of the field. This might be a way for the lazy man to plant a food plot?
Two years ago I planted sperate food plot. It is a 75x75 foot area of red clover from the local Agway(the bulk stuff). It has done very well. The deer are in it every evening. During archery I had 9 deer AT THE SAME TIME in this little area mowing down the clover. I almost s--- myself. So you don't have to spend the big bucks to have a productive food plot.
Eddie
Edited by - eddiee on 12/31/2002 21:24:12
Two years ago I planted sperate food plot. It is a 75x75 foot area of red clover from the local Agway(the bulk stuff). It has done very well. The deer are in it every evening. During archery I had 9 deer AT THE SAME TIME in this little area mowing down the clover. I almost s--- myself. So you don't have to spend the big bucks to have a productive food plot.
Eddie
Edited by - eddiee on 12/31/2002 21:24:12
12-31-2002, 08:41 PM
#2
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: cazenovia, NY USA
Posts: 2,973
RE: No need to plant food plots?
I'll agree and disagree with you eddiee - Your point is well taken, but doesn't address all the factors that need to be considered.
In its natural environment, a deer is programmed to feed on forbs, as a first choice, with good reason. Many weeds are highly nutritious compared to mast, or browse. Brushogging, or even turning over a field, then liming and fertilizing will produce a multitude of new, natural growth, and the deer will take to it well. Promoting natural forb growth through cutting, and fertilizing is an excellent addition to food plots.
As good as the new growth is, protein levels in most forbs rarley exceed 15%, and the availiblity is limited to the season. It is especailly lacking prior to green up, and during the dry parts of the summer, these are the times deer need to nutrition the most.
In fact, in June and even Sept, we commonly see deer passing up clover plots to feed on new weed growth. In times of plenty, at times, deer almost seem to prefer forbs, especially if they are fertilized.
A small plot of clover like you planted is great as an attractant, but will do very little to help the nutrition of your herd, or even a couple deer. One acre of very good clover will sustain the nutritional requirements of only 3 deer, for one year. But it is available for most of the year, and provides between 20-25% protein.
So, if improving the nutrition of your herd is the goal, you can see that several acres of food plots is required, to have much effect. I'm not saying don't enhance natural forb production, by all means do! Just, I would use it as a supplement, to the program, (same goes for increasing browse & mast production through cutting and fertilizing).
In its natural environment, a deer is programmed to feed on forbs, as a first choice, with good reason. Many weeds are highly nutritious compared to mast, or browse. Brushogging, or even turning over a field, then liming and fertilizing will produce a multitude of new, natural growth, and the deer will take to it well. Promoting natural forb growth through cutting, and fertilizing is an excellent addition to food plots.
As good as the new growth is, protein levels in most forbs rarley exceed 15%, and the availiblity is limited to the season. It is especailly lacking prior to green up, and during the dry parts of the summer, these are the times deer need to nutrition the most.
In fact, in June and even Sept, we commonly see deer passing up clover plots to feed on new weed growth. In times of plenty, at times, deer almost seem to prefer forbs, especially if they are fertilized.
A small plot of clover like you planted is great as an attractant, but will do very little to help the nutrition of your herd, or even a couple deer. One acre of very good clover will sustain the nutritional requirements of only 3 deer, for one year. But it is available for most of the year, and provides between 20-25% protein.
So, if improving the nutrition of your herd is the goal, you can see that several acres of food plots is required, to have much effect. I'm not saying don't enhance natural forb production, by all means do! Just, I would use it as a supplement, to the program, (same goes for increasing browse & mast production through cutting and fertilizing).
01-01-2003, 10:11 AM
#3
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Ontario Canada
Posts: 2,059
RE: No need to plant food plots?
eddiee; what grew back in the opening after you bushhogged and fertilized? Is the surrounding area so poor in vegetation that this was an oasis? You apparently created a good area to attract deer, but Farm Hunter is right that other plantings will better improve deer growth and health.
Dan O.
Dan O.
01-01-2003, 01:18 PM
#4
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Erie PA USA
Posts: 113
RE: No need to plant food plots?
Dan o Both of the areas are surrounded by woods. Check out the pic http://terraserver.homeadvisor.msn.c...23374&Z=17&W=2 the top two are over grown. The third field is the one i had brushhogged. The fouth field closest to the road is a mix of clover that is cut by a farmer, it is around 15 acres. The deer are out in that field all of the time during day light hours. Oh the clover plot i planted is in the far west end of the second field. I plan on bushhogging down the rest of the top two fields this summer.
Edited by - eddiee on 01/01/2003 14:22:44
Edited by - eddiee on 01/01/2003 14:22:44
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