By Darron McDougal
Food, whether natural or cultivated, is irrefutably a critical ingredient for properties that consistently produce opportunities to harvest mature deer. Of course, creating food sources requires planning, know-how, equipment, and hard work, but it’s worth it for the payoff when fall arrives.
Even with the best intentions, though, life can get busy, and planting season can catch us with limited time to get things done. Or perhaps you acquired a lease or signed the closing papers late in the game. Maybe the property doesn’t have existing fields or clearings. Planting seems out of reach. Or is it? Several easy, inexpensive ways can make your season better, even at the last minute. It will be too late to plant a 10-acre cornfield, but you can still cultivate purposeful food sources that will attract deer to critical spots on your property. In this article, we’ll discuss three game-changing products and some practical tips for using them. Then you’ll know what you can do at the last minute to improve your deer season.
The Products
Whitetail Institute has long been simplifying
food-plotting duties. It does the finest job of offering application-specific
products, and then takes things farther by informing folks how to correctly use
those products to maximize results. Visit whitetailinstitute.com to see what I
mean. In this article, we’ll focus on three Whitetail Institute products geared
for last-minute plantings. Secret Spot is an annual seed blend with fall and
winter forages tailored for small forest openings. Four pounds plants up to
4,500 square feet. A blend of around a dozen species of plants, it provides
maxi-mum attraction throughout hunting season, and a pH booster helps improve
the plot’s performance. Minimal preparation is required. Sim-ply ensure
seed-to-soil contact, spread some fertilizer, and let Secret Spot do the rest.
Imperial No-Plow, another annual offered by Whitetail Institute, is ideal for
1/2 acre and larger clearings that are inaccessible to large implements because
it also requires minimal soil preparation. (Tip: No Plow also does great on
fully prepared plots.) It consists of multiple forages, including clovers,
brassicas, radishes, and others, providing up to nine months of deer-attracting
power. No-Plow can flourish where other seed blends fail because of its
versatile and hardy seed varieties. It’s perfect for last-minute planting, as
it germinates quickly and creates a plot deer can’t resist. BowStand is another
blend to seriously consider. When bowhunting deer, our goal is to orchestrate
ethical, close-range shooting opportunities. BowStand is tailored for this. You
know those small, remote openings you can’t reach by tractor? Those are spots
big bucks frequent because of low human presence and ample security cover. Take
a rake and a bag of BowStand, create seed-to-soil contact, spread some
fertilizer, and the blend of irresistible plants will take off and pull deer in
where you can easily put an arrow through their lungs. BowStand starts
attracting deer immediately and will continue to do so even as the browsing
intensifies. Steve Scott, Senior Advisor of the Whitetail Institute, offered a
few application suggestions regarding these blends. “If I were planting 1/4
acre or less,” he said, “I’d lean toward Secret Spot or BowStand. For areas
1/4-1/2 acre, I’d suggest Secret Spot XL or No-Plow. For plots 1/2 acre or
larger, I’d recommend No-Plow. They all establish and grow quickly and are
extremely attractive to deer. The package sizes and coverage for each blend are
respective with my recommendations. Whichever product you choose make sure you
clear the area enough to expose the soil to allow good seed-to-soil contact.”
The Locations
It’s understood that creating large,
multiple-acre fields and clearings requires equipment, ample planning and hard
work. And although large food sources can be dynamite and suck deer in from
long distances, they’re usually out of the question late in the game. Your best
bet is to design smaller plots that require minimal ground preparation (more on
that later) and use Whitetail Institute’s easy-to-grow seed blends. Scott
mentioned some metrics hunters should use to determine what constitutes a good
location, and a few locations he recommends. “These three seed blends require a
minimum of three to four hours of broken or direct sunlight per day,” Scott
said. “Remember that as autumn progresses, the leaf drop will allow more
sunlight to reach the forest floor. Any type of site that gets that bare
minimum of sun exposure will allow these products to work. Ideal spots are old
home sites, fire lanes, logging roads, log-landing areas, rims of pond dams (be
mindful of erosion), or really any small opening that allows sufficient sun
exposure.” The types of areas Scott suggested often occur in locations that encourage
daylight visits from deer. In other words, they can create awe-some stand
sites. Think of locations that are closer to bedding areas than large
destination food sources often are. As Scott mentioned, don’t overlook old
logging roads. Deer are like humans in that they often travel paths of least
resistance, especially when they connect a destination food source and a
bedding area. Deer will use logging roads more when those paths feature tasty
forages. The plus is that logging roads are generally one of the easiest
locations to prepare for planting. And because deer often use logging roads as
thoroughfares, the paths make great ambush sites for a top-pin, broad-side
archery shot. Further, playing the wind is easy, and accessing and exiting such
stand locations creates minimal impact because you’re far from bedding areas
and destination food sources.
The Procedures
Now that you know which
products and locations are ideal for last-minute planting, let’s get down to
the complex part: preparing the soil and planting. Actually, it’s so simple
it’ll surprise you. “If I were caught in a situation where I needed to put in a
plot at the last minute, I’d acquire some piece of equipment to help me do it,”
Scott said. “Whether it’s a hand tool or an ATV with some type of basic disc,
I’d go in and break up and expose the soil with that tool. If there’s enough
time to do so and there are abundant existing weeds and grasses, I’d suggest
first spraying a herbicide product over the area to kill off existing plants.
Once everything dies off, raking everything away to expose the soil will be far
easier.” Next, you should spread some fertilizer before planting. “I recommend
following the detailed directions listed on the bag of whichever Whitetail
Institute product the consumer chooses,” Scott said. “These instructions and
more informative materials are also available at whitetailinstitute.com. You’ll
get solid information on how to prepare your location, plant the product
correctly, and then you can reap the benefits when hunting season arrives. The
instructions are incredibly user-friendly, and the results are outstanding.”
No Implements? No Problem
Hunters often
misconceive that planting attractive food plots requires big equipment — the
minimum being an ATV with a disc. Although bigger equipment reduces manual
labor, many blue-collar folks cannot afford to own, maintain and store them.
It’s a dilemma that keeps many hunters from improving their land with food
plots. This is where Whitetail Institute’s No-Plow, Secret Spot, and Bow- Stand
shine. “These products can be planted with minimal effort,” Scott said.
“Obviously the bigger equipment you can use the easier the job will be, but a
tool as basic as a garden rake can be used to expose the soil. Then, you can
broadcast fertilizer and seed with an inexpensive hand-held spreader.” There
you have it. ATVs or large implements are not required to put in an effective
food plot. It’s inexpensive and practical for anyone willing to invest some
effort with basic hand tools.
Credit Roll
Now that we’ve
discussed the products, locations, and procedures for creating effective
last-minute food plots, get busy, and redeem lost time before deer season
opens. Too many hunters overcomplicate things when they’re actually simple.
Take the leap, and plant one of the Whitetail Institute products mentioned, and
you’ll get far better results — despite your lost time — than if you plant
nothing. The extra effort will bolster your property’s deer necessities, which
will facilitate greater deer traffic. It could also be the ticket that puts a
mature buck broadside at 20 yards this fall. Scott agreed. “If you find
yourself at the last minute and haven’t planted anything, don’t panic,” he
said. “There’s good news. Whitetail Institute has a very effective way to solve
the problem. It’s inexpensive, easy to do, and it works if you’re willing to
put in the work that’s required.”
