mossbergman11

I really need to get a deer next year and i have been looking into food plots?
Im not into getting a lot of expensive stuff for this............
i have a tractor w/ bucket, bushhog, and plow a chainsaw, a fertilizer spreader and atv.
wat else do i need to make a food plot???????
where is a good spot to put a food plot???
what is good food plot seed that is easy to grow and plant????
how do i make a food plot???
thanks

MarquetteMagnum

TRUCE!!!! I will be putting in some food plots this year as well.I have a 60 acre woods surrounded by hundreds of acres of hay, soybean, and corn. sounds like I don't need food plots, but when the crops get harvested all the food is gone, that is when the plots will come in handy. and the deer and other animals will have food all year. you got all the tools. stay away from bedding areas if your going to be hunting the food plots hard. find some trails that are heavily used, and find some place that wont be to hard to clear. there is alot of hard work in clearing out brush and timber. Good luck hope you get your first deer next season.

IF YOU BUILD IT THEY WILL COME

homers brother

Check your state's regulations first.

In my state, hunting over a food plot is considered "baiting" and is illegal unless you meet very strict qualifications (handicapped, etc.).

wis_bow_huntr

First things first, get someone to do a PH (soil test) done, and then pick the right seed for your area. Bring your test reults to a seed dealer and they will get you setup. Sugar beats and turnips work well in most areas. Sugar beats can only be planted once every other year and must be planted 1-1 1/4 deep about a foot apart and double cultipacted. Turnips can be broadcasted and planted with oats, alfalfa, clover, etc. Sugar beats must be planted after the first frost in the fall to get healthy largemature sugar beats.

eelriver

My hunting partner bought 100 acres ten years ago for the purpose of deer hunting. He has played with food plots for the last eight years. Here is our best answer:

Forget all the commercial crap, it's expensive for what you get and not as good as advertised. IMO forget all the exotic stuff. Best two things you can do is spring plant clover, and fall plant winter wheat. Get your PH right, disc, broacast or drill seed. BIG TRICK don't plant the seed too deep; use a roller or compactor to just get the seed1/8 below the surface or make good soil contact. If you drag it in don't over weight the drag. Use just plain chain link fence.

We plant a four clover blend, ladino, alsice, red, and white. We mow it short Sept 1st. and give it a May shot of fertilizer 4-16-16. The wheat is planted thesecond week of Sept. and it makes an all winter green forage. They even eat the grain heads come summer.Disc lightlyin early August and you'll get volunteer wheat starting to grow and attrack deer. befoe this years crop starts to come in. We then plant this years crop next to last years. Rotate back and forth.

We're plant ing stuff you can get at your local Ag store, for a lot less per acre than the "Buck Clover" and biologic and we think get better results.

Also; check out the CRP regs in your area.He took eight acres out of production for food plots. He is getting PAID by the gov't to put in wildlife cover. He took the end-row off one side of the field next to the woods.

mossbergman11

Let me restate my first post. I dont need to get a deer next year-----I would like to get one next year

kbrow

If you have enough land to plant multiple plots, you can rotate your hunting spots better and not burn any one spot out....maybe even save one for late season. Check out some of the other threads available on this site specific to habitat & QDM.

farm hunter

What state are you in?

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Tons - of info on the web. You've got good advice already - remember there is no magic bean.
Eliminate weeds with roundup - lime/fertilize, disk and roll in small seeds.


FH

eelriver

Kbrow brings up a very good point: three small plots are better than one huge one. Also, you can burn out a spot by hunting it too often and hunting too close to it. You are always better off to hunt a trail leading to or away from the plot than actually over the plot itself.

mossbergman11

i live in ohio. igot 35 acres of fields creeks and woods with valleys open woods and thick woods where would be the best place to put it?