Let’s face
it — most of us are very busy. Between working, taking care of the kids, mowing
the lawn and keeping a household in order, there is often very little time left
to do the things we want to do like planting a food plot. In most cases,
growing a successful food plot requires lots of time and energy. Time and
energy are two things many of us are lacking. Before we know it, fall is almost
here and our plans to plant a food plot have gotten away from us. There are two
things you can do. Bury your head in the sand and put off putting in a good
plot until next year or roll up your sleeves and knock one out quickly before
opening day arrives.
DO
A SOIL TEST
Steve Scott
from the Whitetail Institute knows a few things about growing successful food
plots. He’s been helping hunters plant great food plots for more than 20 years.
When there are only a few months between the time you plant and the rut, he
believes you better do things right the first time. “I strongly suggest anyone
who is planting a food plot do a soil test first,” Scott said. “It is extremely
important to know ahead of time how much lime and what type of fertilizer to
use so you can create an environment where the seeds can flourish. If you wait
until late summer to plant a plot and something goes wrong, you won’t have time
to plant again before hunting season is in full swing.”
Scott believes
regardless of the type of food plot someone is planting, a soil test is
necessary for best results. However, a large percentage of people who plant
food plots don’t take the time to have their soil tested even though a soil
test can mean the difference between the best food plot imaginable and total
failure. If you’ve waited to the last minute to plant, you can follow the
general recommendations on the product bags; but you would likely be better off
delaying planting for a week and using the Whitetail Institute soil testing
service. The Whitetail Institute soil test lab will get the results and
recommendations back out to you within 24-48 hours of when the kits are
received. Put your email address on the soil test submission form and you’ll
get the results back extremely quick.
PLANT
A FALL ANNUAL
If you find
yourself in crunch time, you can’t plant just anything and have it be lush and
green by hunting season. You need something that establishes itself quickly. “When
time is at a premium, hunters need to plant a fall annual,” Scott said. “Two of
the products Whitetail Institute offers that fall into this category include
Winter-Greens and Tall Tine Tubers. These two options produce a lot of food
quickly for deer as long as you have 60 days before your first frost when you
plant them.” Winter-Greens and Tall Tine Tubers are very drought resistant, so
if you live in an area that doesn’t receive much moisture, these two options
are great choices.
WHITETAIL
OATS PLUS
Scott also
recommends planting Whitetail Oats Plus for a great early-season food plot. “We
are getting rave reviews for this product. Many deer hunters like this product
because it grows quickly, and since it’s a high-sugar oat, the deer really love
it,” Scott explained. Along with being a great early-season option, Whitetail Oats
Plus is very winter hardy so it can provide a great food plot for hunting in
the rut and even into the late season.
OPTIONS
FOR REMOTE FOOD PLOTS
Many hunters
don’t have fancy food plot equipment or can’t get an ATV or tractor to their
favorite hunting spot. If you fall into that category, realize you still have a
few options. “We have certain food plot seeds that are designed for the hunter
who has an out-of-the-way place where they would like to plant a food plot but don’t
have a way to get bigger equipment in to till the soil” Scott said. “The annuals
we have for this type of situation are great because they can tolerate a wide
range of pH levels and soil types.”
IMPERIAL
NO-PLOW
For hunters
planting a half-acre or more in remote areas, Whitetail Institute offers No
Plow. “No Plow consists of cereal grains, clovers and brassicas and was designed
for areas where you can’t prepare a quality seed bed,” Scott noted. “The cereal
grains and clovers will work well during the early season and the brassicas
will work well during the late season. The nice thing with this product is
there are several seed varieties in it so something is always attracting deer.”
SECRET
SPOT/BOWSTAND
A couple of
great options for smaller food plots off the beaten path are Secret Spot and
BowStand. “Both of these products have anywhere from 10 to 15 different types
of seed in them,” Scott said. “If a perfect soil bed is created and the right amount
of lime and fertilizer are added, all the seeds can take off. If the soil is
less than perfect, there are still various seeds in the mix that will take off and
provide a good food plot to hunt over. Having a wide variety of seeds in one
bag makes it easier to be successful in a variety of soil conditions because
certain seeds will pick up the slack where others fail. These blends are made
for virtually every situation, from a sandy soil to heavy moisture holding soils
and to places that receive lots of sunlight or less sunlight. There is
something for everybody in Secret Spot and BowStand, which is why they are
perfect for the procrastinator who is short on time but wants a quality food
plot to hunt over.”
SEED-TO-SOIL
CONTACT
No food plot
seed is bullet proof. If planting an out-of-the-way food plot at the last
minute appeals to you, realize the one thing you must have is good seed-to-soil
contact. “For these food plots to flourish just like any plot, there must be
good seed-to-soil contact which means grass, leaves, sticks and debris will
need to be removed so the seed can get to the soil, otherwise the plot will
likely not perform as well,” Scott said. “The best way to make sure this
happens is by raking the soil with an old-fashioned hand rake if an ATV or
tractor isn’t available. If you have enough time, using Roundup will make the
plot turn out even better. Using Roundup really works well because it can kill weeds
and anything else that might compete with the food plot and choke it out.” A
small sprayer is extremely portable and well worth the investment for this type
of food plot.
PLANT
A SMALL PLOT
If you are a
procrastinator and don’t have much equipment, a small last minute plot may be
your best choice. “There is no question that if someone is in a hurry and
planting a small plot off the beaten path, a small BowStand plot or Secret Spot
is probably best,” said Scott. “We have people who plant these seed blends on
large acreage because they grow well and grow quickly, so it really depends on each
individual’s needs. A large plot will provide more food, but a small plot is
obviously less expensive and doesn’t take as much time to put in.” So there you
have it. Being a procrastinator isn’t such a bad thing after all. The Whitetail
Institute has plenty of options for those of us who wait until the last minute
to put in our food plots. As the saying goes, it is better late than never. In
the food plot world, ‘never’ means you didn’t put your food plot in and you
won’t kill a big buck over it.
NUTRITIONAL
SUPPLEMENTS AND ATTRACTANTS
If feeding or
baiting is legal in your neck of the woods, you may want to try to use a
nutritional product like Whitetail Institute Cutting Edge Sustain or an
attractant like Acorn Obsession by themselves or in conjunction with your food
plot. Deer can’t resist the odor and taste of these products and they are good
for deer.
