Deer hunters adore mythology. Need proof? Consider these, exhibited by grown men of sound mind and decent education. I have a pair of lucky socks and a certain camo pullover shirt I won’t leave home without wearing. An Illinois buddy carries an American Indian artifact in his pocket every time he’s in a stand. Another pal keeps a stuffed animal, given to him by his daughter, in his day-pack.
We have all killed deer — sometimes big deer — while in possession of said totems. Therefore, these charms are critical to our success. Don’t bother us with us facts, because we know better. We are deer hunters.
Successful food plotting is different. It has nothing to do with belief, hope or luck. It is based on science and fact, not fantasy. Sure, there’s an art to making plants grow and getting deer to eat them. But art comes after science in this spectrum; most of us need the basics before we can proceed to grad-level work. With that in mind, let’s take a look at some popular myths that have already sprouted in the exciting world of food plotting. Pay attention, because these legends have been proven false — some by me. I won’t tell you which ones, because I need to go wash my lucky socks.
Myth No. 1: Food plots aren’t important, because whitetails get all they need from natural sources.
The Shred of Truth: Of course, deer can survive nicely on grasses, forbs and browse. In fact, they were perfectly designed to do that and would thrive if we quit planting stuff tomorrow.
The Reality: On some properties, lack of prime food sources is the limiting factor that can keep deer from using the place consistently. Sure, whitetails will visit your oak stand when the acorn crop is right, when your forbs are in season or as long as your clearcut provides winter browse. But what happens the rest of the year or when a natural food source suddenly fails? You’ve got it; a seemingly great property becomes a dead zone that whitetails use only occasionally.
One of my best friends owns a 120-acre farm that has some fine natural whitetail cover. Trouble is, neighboring properties sported the same habitat — but with abundant food plots and farm fields. My friend’s hunting success was highly sporadic and largely dependent on increased deer movement associated with the rut. Three years ago, I urged Kent to install two small food plots that would offer whitetails prime nutrition throughout the year.
“Before the food plots, I could go days without a deer sighting,” he told me recently. “Now I rarely hunt without seeing multiple deer, including more bucks than ever. I spent almost 20 years wondering why more deer didn’t spend more time on this place. Now I know the answer.”
Myth No. 2: I don’t need food plots, because I live in farm country.
The Shred of Truth: Of course you can’t compete with a 40-acre corn or soybean field. Modern farmers can grow more tons of deer food per acre than you could ever hope to produce.
The Reality: Though farmers absolutely keep deer fed, they only do so at certain times. For starters, most agricultural crops aren’t planted until spring, one of the classic high-stress periods in a whitetail year. But even when row crops start to grow, they’re eaten by deer only at certain stages. Soybeans, for example, are highly sought by deer during the flowering stage (mid- to late-summer). The same goes for corn in the milk stage of ear development.
Naturally, after corn and bean crops mature in fall, deer will flock to them. But that’s also about harvest time, and unless some weather event prohibits harvest, farmers will have their crops off before early winter. This means — again, just like spring — that just when deer need this food the most, it becomes unavailable to them. It gets worse: I live in big farm country, and not only do farmers harvest corn and beans with ultra-efficient combines, they plow during fall, leaving those once-abundant fields a veritable wasteland.
So you could make the argument that, if anything, food plots are more important in farm country than anywhere else. Having green, high-protein sources like an Imperial Whitetail Clover field is paramount in spring, when does are lactating, fawns are growing and bucks are developing antlers. And come winter, your food plots will offer critical nutrition to deer when agricultural crops are history.
Myth No. 3: Food plots are the most important feature of any deer hunting property.
The Shred of Truth: Any biologist will tell you that deer are slaves to their stomachs, so providing high-quality food sources will make your property attractive to deer and help you enjoy better hunting opportunity.
The Reality: Food plots are just one building block in the whitetail hierarchy of needs. For starters, deer rarely feed at just one source to the exclusion of others, mainly because their physiologic requirements change throughout the year. It’s tempting to think of deer visiting food plots like cattle coming to a feeder, but reality shows that deer forage at many food sources, few of which are planted by man. Improving these natural food sources (browse, forbs and mast), is as critical to creating a whitetail Mecca as planting and maintaining an Imperial Clover plot.
And food is only part of the equation. Whitetails require bedding/escape cover for security from predators and hunting pressure. Invasive trees and plants can threaten more desirable native species. Prairies or other openings (prime fawning habitat in some areas) will need burning to maintain. Water can be a limiting factor in other areas. Population control is also crucial. And the list goes on. In short, making your property the best it can be for deer goes far beyond the simple planting of an Imperial Clover plot or Chicory Plus patch. The best deer managers take a comprehensive, holistic approach that not only accounts for all phases of a whitetail’s life, but other native wildlife and birds. It’s not all about the food.
:Myth No. 4 Taking soil samples, controlling weeds, fertilizing and other maintenance measures aren’t important. I don’t have time to devote to this stuff, so the plots will just have to make it on their own.
The Shred of Truth: Today’s seeds are good enough that, given decent soil and even a half-hearted attempt at proper planting procedure, they’ll not only sprout but grow well enough that deer will eat them.
The Reality: Cutting corners is part of human nature, a tempting lure that everyone from innocent children to scheming crooks find hard to resist. But eventually, most of us learn a bitter truth: For the best results, taking shortcuts is rarely the best path to success. Indeed, taking the easy path — rather than the right one — usually results in more work rather than less.
This is as true in food plotting as in every aspect of life, and I don’t have to search any farther than my backyard for an example. I own a measly five acres, but it abuts some fair deer woods, so I’m on a constant quest to make my little corner of heaven deer-friendly. So I dug up a little — no exaggerating here, I’m talking 1/8 acre — chunk of old field and decided to plant some Imperial Clover. Things went well at first; I planted late-summer, after weeds had gone to seed and some well-timed rains helped my sprouts to take off. The deer loved the tiny, hidden plot, too, and I felt pretty smug about my efforts. I didn’t take any soil samples, used no fertilizer, took all the lazy-man’s excuses and ran with them.
Then came the second year. Rains stayed away. Weeds came. And that soil, which once looked rich and loamy, seemed as sterile as a sandbox. My clover languished, and deer viewed it with a ho-hum attitude that I found irritating. Of course, their snub was the result of my laziness, and I spent the rest of the summer performing remedial efforts to salvage my plot. Had I done some fundamental prep-work to begin with, I’m convinced my plot would have been miles ahead of its present status. As my father loves to say when he’s digging me out of my self-made disasters, “When all else fails, read the directions.”
Myth No. 5: Expert hunters and land managers I trust have had success with (insert food plot seed of choice here), so that’s what I need to plant.
The Shred of Truth: It’s tough to beat experience, and if a trusted source says something works for him, you’d be silly not to listen.
The Reality: Rather than jump on a bandwagon, take a long hard look at the particulars of your situation. Does your soil type match that of your mentor? Have you considered the many other potential limiting factors, such as growing season, average rainfall and others? The hard truth of managing a property (and its wildlife) is that no two places are the same, and what works for your uncle in West Virginia might bomb in Wisconsin. Before you plant — heck, before you even break ground — analyze your unique situation, and decide the best way to begin.
If you don’t know where to start, ask for help. Local wildlife managers or soil conservation service agents might have first-hand experience with similar properties, and many will visit your place for a consultation. In addition, there are increasing numbers of private consultants with a specific interest in whitetail management available for hire. These men will visit your property and make a non-biased analysis of where to place food plots, what (and when) to plant in them and how to care for it. Sure, you’re paying more than if you try to figure things out alone, but you might actually save money in the long run by getting things done right the first time (see Myth No. 4).
Finally, the top food plot company—the Whitetail Institute—offers free phone consultation and advice for customers. Although a simple call to an 800-number can’t beat an expert walking your ground, it’s a huge step beyond buying a bag of seed from a sporting goods store, scattering it on the ground and hoping for the best.
