Food plot vs natural food and cover
11-02-2018, 09:37 PM
#1
Spike
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2018
Posts: 1
Food plot vs natural food and cover
Ok so this is my first post. I own a small piece of land in Missouri (40 acres). I planted a fruit plot on the property in an open field with peach, apple, pear and plum. My plan was to plant a food plot around the trees in the following years after the trees start producing and big enough to remove the fence. The location around the trees is covered in blackberrry bushes, tall grasses and what I believe are autumn olives. The deer have natural food and cover. There are no ag fields for several miles. My question is this: How do I know if my food plot would do more harm than good? The deer are already using this field. Would it be better to plant tall food plot species like corn or soybeans so the deer still have cover in the open field?
11-03-2018, 07:39 AM
#2
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Nov 2014
Posts: 2,743
welcome to the site
I think you have to ask WHY would you want to plant a food plot?
as if your answer is for hunting, then YES a FOOD plot is a good idea,a s odds are many of the current growing things your seeing deer eat now, come hunting season and colder temps will NOT draw deer well, as many go dormant on you in winter time, where as ina food plot you can actually PLANT things that stay attractive to deer in hunting season and longer!
draw back to planting a food plot about fruit tree's is, well, your tree's will get mroe damage from critters,m from coons climbing and breaking branches, deer rubbing and or bending smaller tree's over and so on from other critters that will climb and possibly damnage the tree's
as the food plot will draw more things to the area and thus more will find the tree's and lead to higher odds of tree damage!
NEXT is, well, planting around tree's
most all food plots are designed to be re planted often, if not yearly
and then you risk damaging the roots on the tree's pending how close to get to the tree's and how far out the specific tree's roots grow out from tree!
there are some more spray and throw seeds, but then your risking some damage from spraying chemicals to burn things down(it can be done so not saying it cannot)
but about younger fruit tree's I would be extra careful!
IMO< if deer are presently using the land about the fruit tree's, LEAVE It be as IS< and if you WANT a food plot, PLANT one away from the tree's, or at least till the tree's are pretty old and mature , where they get very strong and resistant to things(say 15+ yrs old or older)
autumn olive is a very aggressive fast spreading and growing plant, its considered an invasive species in many places and illegal to plant or transport seeds about!
it really needs to be maintained or in time will take over an area,
so I would consider making sure you have some sort of plan on how to maintain how much of it you want, its GREAT food, and cover for critters for sure, but it can get out of control fast!
its seeds get spread far and wide too but critters eating there berry's and crapping them all over!
so heads up on that stuff, it can work to your advantage or against you real easy!
I think you have to ask WHY would you want to plant a food plot?
as if your answer is for hunting, then YES a FOOD plot is a good idea,a s odds are many of the current growing things your seeing deer eat now, come hunting season and colder temps will NOT draw deer well, as many go dormant on you in winter time, where as ina food plot you can actually PLANT things that stay attractive to deer in hunting season and longer!
draw back to planting a food plot about fruit tree's is, well, your tree's will get mroe damage from critters,m from coons climbing and breaking branches, deer rubbing and or bending smaller tree's over and so on from other critters that will climb and possibly damnage the tree's
as the food plot will draw more things to the area and thus more will find the tree's and lead to higher odds of tree damage!
NEXT is, well, planting around tree's
most all food plots are designed to be re planted often, if not yearly
and then you risk damaging the roots on the tree's pending how close to get to the tree's and how far out the specific tree's roots grow out from tree!
there are some more spray and throw seeds, but then your risking some damage from spraying chemicals to burn things down(it can be done so not saying it cannot)
but about younger fruit tree's I would be extra careful!
IMO< if deer are presently using the land about the fruit tree's, LEAVE It be as IS< and if you WANT a food plot, PLANT one away from the tree's, or at least till the tree's are pretty old and mature , where they get very strong and resistant to things(say 15+ yrs old or older)
autumn olive is a very aggressive fast spreading and growing plant, its considered an invasive species in many places and illegal to plant or transport seeds about!
it really needs to be maintained or in time will take over an area,
so I would consider making sure you have some sort of plan on how to maintain how much of it you want, its GREAT food, and cover for critters for sure, but it can get out of control fast!
its seeds get spread far and wide too but critters eating there berry's and crapping them all over!
so heads up on that stuff, it can work to your advantage or against you real easy!
