Glancing at the white farmhouse, I wondered what my neighbors would think if they saw the commotion where I was tilling a food plot that August afternoon. The plume of dust, which rose like smoke above me, must have looked like a scene from Dante’s Inferno. And the noise from the old diesel tractor as it rattled, clattered and banged into rocks in drought-parched dirt was no doubt deafening if you didn’t have ear plugs in, like I did.
But hey, that’s food plotting. It was August. The plots had to be prepared during the right time frame, with a hope and a prayer that rain might come to help the seeds sprout when they were scattered. So the sweat, sore muscles, black fingernails and dirt in my nostrils were just part of the dues to pay for the outcome I knew lay ahead: a shimmering green, lush food plot that would attract the most beautiful animal on earth — the whitetail deer. My knuckles were bloodied from forcing a balky PTO connector in when I attached the tiller. My throat was parched and dry from the heat and dust that kicked up and swirled around me from plowing. My eyes blinked rapidly from the soil particles in the air. And the sweaty, dust-covered clothes hanging on me were so routine I didn’t even notice their pathetic condition. After a brief pause, though, I really wasn’t worried about what the neighbors thought.
They’d lived in their white farmhouse for decades and knew well my crazy, obsessive passion for food plotting. They knew drought seemed to be a regular part of summer life in our area, and that plumes of dust were common when equipment touched dry soil. As for my own aches and pains, sweaty clothes and bloodied knuckles, they brought a strange smile over my face as I continued to till the dusty field. Ah, the joys of food plotting. If you’re a die-hard food plotter, you’re probably nodding your head in empathy. Been there, done that. When the editors of Whitetail News assigned me this piece, they knew from my past writings that I considered food plotting a labor of love. I’m proud of that. Another title might have been “Dues to Pay.”
Doubtless, most of you have these same mixed feelings about food plotting. Sure, it’s work. Sometimes it’s uncomfortable and gritty and leaves you aching and worn to a frazzle at day’s end. When you’re coughing from the dust, your hands are bruised, your back and legs hurt and your wife (or husband) doesn’t want to get too close as you walk in the door after you’ve worked on your food plots, you realize that’s part of what makes the final outcome — beautiful food plots that nourish and attract deer — worth the effort. All the tiring work that goes into it, the challenge of the undertaking and the things you have to endure — they’re part of what makes the reward so fulfilling. Sometimes, when your fingers are bleeding, your nostrils are caked with dust and ibuprofen won’t touch the aches you have at day’s end, you might feel like cursing everyone at the Whitetail Institute for getting you addicted to this strange passion. But that feeling will start to leave when the first nascent sprouts emerge from your hard work. And it will vanish when fall comes and the wind is blowing in your face, your legs are shaking and your heart is racing because you have a half-dozen healthy deer feeding in the fully grown plot in front of you, including a nice 3-year-old buck that you have to decide whether to harvest or allow to grow another year. Yes, food plotting is hard. Yes, it can leave you aching and drained at the day’s end, sore from head to toe. But in the end, it’s worth it.
Otherwise, you wouldn’t keep doing it. And far from being considered a chore, for most of us, it’s enriching and uplifting. It is so fulfilling, in fact, that it has become a labor of love for many of us. The Whitetail Institute has tens of thousands of customers such as us who like nothing more than putting in hard work on our plots. Some of us, in fact, enjoy it as much as or even more than the actual hunting. I’ve been a writer since I got out of college many years ago. And I enjoy writing. It’s hard, but fulfilling. The minute I type or edit the last word for the day, though, instead of relaxing with a cold one, I slip into my work clothes and head for the tractor. If there’s nothing to do involving the tractor, I’ll pull weeds, pick up rocks in fields or investigate new potential spots for plots. I’m sure that’s how many of you feel, whatever your job. The minute you can get free and devote a few hours or a full day to food plot chores, you are like a racehorse chomping at the bit to get out of the gate. One of the many reasons we enjoy planting and caring for food plots so much is that it makes our passion for deer a year-round activity. No matter how long your state’s hunting seasons last from early bow to late muzzleloader, there are long stretches of the year when, other than a scouting trip, there’s nothing you can do. Food plotting gets you out there in the fields and woods soon after the hunting season closes. And the various activities and tasks involved keep you engaged and connected to the land and deer throughout the year.
You learn more about the habitat, vegetation and the nuances of the topography than you ever would as just a hunter. You feel connected and a part of the land as a habitat manager and a sportsman. It’s a rich, uplifting feeling. And it’s a feeling that you can pass on to your children and grandchildren by getting them involved in some of the chores such as planning the site, weeding, spreading seed or clearing rocks and debris from potential plot locations. Of course, it’s dangerous to paint too rosy of a picture of food plotting for those just getting started. There will be plenty of frustrations, setbacks, mistakes and disappointments. Equipment breaks down at the most inopportune time. Weeds and grasses invade your plots. Every time you till, you unearth more rocks and need to haul them out of the plot. Rain doesn’t come when you put the seed in the ground and desperately need it. A neighbor shoots a 2½-year-old that you just passed up while it fed in your Imperial Whitetail Clover plot. All those and other trials and misfortunes occur on top of being sunburned, sore, sweaty and coated with dust at day’s end after working in your plots. At such times, it’s sometimes difficult to keep the endgame — the final goals of creating food plots — foremost in your mind. But they’re always there, in the back of your head, encouraging you to keep at it. You know the rewards that will come from your efforts — more deer, healthier does, increased fawn production, bucks with larger racks and stunning green plots that make your land beautiful. You know, too, that hunting suddenly becomes even more absorbing and rewarding; more than just a sport because you’ve learned so much more about your quarry’s habitat and why and when animals move the way they do. The hunting itself is more enjoyable, too. The deer in your plots are feeding naturally and calmly instead of slipping past you furtively, as when you’re hunting an area without a concentrated food to hold them for any extended time.
A Year-Round Passion
The deer hunter who doesn’t grow food plots basically finishes his involvement with deer when sun sets on the last day of the season. For the food plotter, that last day of hunting marks the beginning of the habitat-management chores that will keep him engaged with his favorite animal until bow season opens next fall. Shopping is the first order of business. What? OK, you might hate to shop in malls or big box stores. But when you’re purchasing a bag of seed, herbicides or minerals that will grow healthier, larger-racked bucks at a farm co-op or sporting goods store, maybe shopping isn’t so bad. And if you choose, you really don’t have to leave your house to shop. You can select products from articles you read about in Whitetail News and order them at the comprehensive and educational whitetailinstitute.com website or by calling 800-688-3030. Next on the agenda is taking care of equipment that might need repair, servicing or replacing. It’s time to check off that chore before peak food plot planting season arrives. You need your tractor or ATV and implements in top shape for the demanding work required of them. You need to conduct soil tests to see how much lime and fertilizer you need to add to each specific site.
When the results come back, usually in just a few days, you must order those products and apply them. Lime in particular needs to be spread on fields as soon as possible after hunting seasons close to bring the pH level up so plants can fully absorb the nutrients in the soil. Some people with time and equipment do this themselves, but many of us hire this out to agriculture companies, which will spread lime on fields for reasonable rates. Fertilizers are next. I go both ways on this. Sometimes I have them spread by farm co-ops. Mostly in recent years, I’ve applied my own. You might need to kill weeds and grasses, to prepare new plots and when they’re invading perennial stands such as Imperial Whitetail Clover. I must admit, spraying is one of my least favorite chores. But I know what will happen if I don’t do it. And I know how much better weed-free plots look aesthetically and how much more effective they are at producing a high tonnage of forage for deer and attracting more animals. You might be like me on this one. But you bite the bullet and do it, because you want the best plot possible.
And you know weed-free plots will last much longer. Hey, it’s not that onerous. Then it’s time for tilling or disking. This is often a trying time because you’re anxious to get going on this enjoyable task, but you know you can’t start until conditions are right. If the soil is too wet or still partially frozen, you won’t get the smooth seedbed you need for the best possible germination and plant growth. Be patient. After the seedbed is prepared, it’s time for spreading seed. This is always a fun chore, and a great one to get youngsters involved with if the plot is small enough to cover with a hand-crank spreader. It’s also good exercise. Once you’ve done this correctly, move on to the next chore or another plot that needs your attention. The good thing about food plotting is that when things get rolling, there’s almost always another job waiting to keep you engaged and enthusiastic about the pursuit. OK, so by now you’ve purchased seed, serviced equipment, tested the soil, added lime and fertilizer, sprayed for weeds, tilled and planted some high-quality seeds from the Whitetail Institute. Sit back and wait for hunting season? No way. About the time you get done with these tasks, it’s time to start preparing other plots and getting ready to put in PowerPlant. When those are in, it’s time to begin preparing for the first of several mowing sessions established perennial plots usually require. If you’re like me, mowing the flowering tops of clover and protruding weeds and grasses is one of the most enjoyable food plot chores. Revel in it, and have fun.
Mowing is definitely a labor of love. About the time your spring-planted PowerPlant plots are growing strong, you’ll want to devote time to preparing seedbeds for your fall/winter plots of Pure Attraction, Winter-Greens, Ambush, Tall Tine Tubers, etc. that need to be planted from July through September in most regions. Or perhaps you’ll want to put in a fall-planted Alfa- Rack Plus, Imperial Whitetail Clover or Chic Magnet plot. The perennial plots might need another mowing or sometimes a late-summer dose of Arrest Max to take care of a few stubborn grasses that remain. You might also want to do soil tests on a few new potential food plot sites and start removing rocks, brush and weeds to be ready to expand next year. Soon, fall will have arrived, and hunting seasons are at hand. It’s time to taper down on the food plot work to practice shooting, set trail cameras and hang stands. This is the season where you reap the rewards of the time you’ve put in, the efforts exerted, the bloody knuckles and dusty sessions on the back of your tractor or ATV. Then, when the weather turns crisp, the wind caresses your face and you watch a herd of healthy deer with a few mature bucks in a lush green plot in front of you, it all proves worthwhile. Dues paid and hard work gain this reward, but in the end, it’s really a labor of love. Now draw your bow, aim carefully and release. It’s payback time.
