Few things can improve hunting success and the health of your
deer herd more quickly than putting in
quality food plots. To help, here are 21 quick tips that will help you grow the
best food plots possible this year as prime spring and fall planting dates
approach.
1. Do a soil test. This will tell you how much fertilizer you need, including
nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium. If you don’t do a test, you might use too
much fertilizer or too little. Your test will also tell you how much lime (if
any) you need to bring the soil into a neutral range (6.5 to 7.0). If it’s not
in that range, your plants cannot absorb the available nutrients and grow well.
If soils are too acidic or too alkaline, critical nutrients become chemically
bound in the soil and are unavailable to the growing plants, stunting their
growth. The Whitetail Institute sells inexpensive soil testing kits that
are easy to read. Farm co-ops also offer soil testing. If you can’t do a test,
add at least one or two tons of lime per acre every couple of years, and use
all-around fertilizer, such as 17-17-17. But there’s no reason not to do a soil
test.
2. Plant some feeding plots and some hunting plots. Keep the hunting plots tucked near good
bedding cover, where an old buck can slip in feeling secure using them in
daylight. Make the feeding ones larger. Those are great spots for surveying the
deer population with trail cameras and improving the health of your whitetails.
3. Locate plots where they’re not visible from roads and
property boundaries so you don’t tempt neighbors or poachers.
4. If you only have a small amount of land for plots, mixtures
with several varieties of plants that deer like will work best. By doing this you will guarantee there’s
something that will appeal to every deer’s taste buds. The various plants will
also reach peak growth and nutrition levels at different times. Pure Attraction
— a blend of Whitetail Oats Plus, Peas and WINA brassica — is a prime example.
5. Follow the natural contours of the land. Those are the features deer follow. Plots
don’t have to be rectangular or square.
6. If cover is lacking near your plot site, plant Conceal next
to it or leading to it from nearby bedding cover. This offers cover that will make older bucks
feel more secure using the plot during shooting hours.
7. Rotate your crops. This is especially important for brassicas, which should not be
grown at the same site more than two consecutive years.
8. Plant something different than crops grown locally by
farmers. They can probably do a
better job with those crops. You need something unique to attract deer to your
land — something they don’t find in large quantities all around them. Example:
Local farmers grow alfalfa and corn. You should plant Winter-Greens and
Imperial Whitetail Clover, etc.
9. Try to plant before a light rain but not a downpour that
could wash some of the seeds away and make for uneven plant growth.
10. Make sure to kill existing vegetation such as grasses and
weeds thoroughly before planting. Spray several times if necessary, using herbicides such as
glyphosate, the main ingredient in Roundup. Then disc or till several times to
kill remaining vegetation. You can also flip the order and till first, and then
kill remaining and newly sprouted vegetation with herbicides.
11. Consider wind, sun direction and surrounding cover when you
plant so you can approach your plots without being detected. A plot won’t be nearly as productive if you
can’t get to it without spooking deer.
12. As a rule, if you are planting clover or alfalfa, add little
or no nitrogen to the food plots.
Clover and alfalfa
produce their own nitrogen and adding more only promotes weed growth.
13. Remove all rocks and debris before planting, and then till
repeatedly. You need a smooth, firm
seedbed for the best crop. If planting small seeds such as clover, alfalfa,
chicory or brassica, cultipack before and after spreading the seeds so you get
good soil-to-seed contact but don’t cover the small seeds too deep.
14. Don’t cover small seeds too deeply. You’ll smother them. Brassicas and clovers
should only be planted 1/8 to 1/4 inch deep. Larger seeds, such as those in
Power Plant and Whitetail Oats Plus, can be planted 1/2 to 1 inch deep.
15. Plant some kill plots along a buck’s travel route from bedding
cover toward major evening feeding areas. These make great early-season bow-hunting locations.
16. Find spots that are level or only slightly sloping. Too much slope can cause the seed to wash off
after planting and the soil to erode during heavy rains.
17. Don’t skimp and buy cheap seeds. Buying a high-quality seed ensures you’ll get
the best results from the time and energy you put into growing your plots.
18. Don’t bite off more than you can handle. It’s better to put in three acres of
high-quality food plots and do them right than it is to stretch your time,
energy and finances and try to plant six or seven acres.
19. Plant a variety of products. Some will reach peak nutrition and
palatability levels at various times.
20. Don’t overhunt your plots. Nothing can ruin a plot for attracting mature
bucks during daylight more than applying too much pressure. Rest them for days
between hunts and enter and exit your stand undetected if possible.
21. Keep a notebook or log of what you plant and where. Note how the plants fare and how well deer use
them to learn what works best on your property.
