Food plots are worthless for hunting

[BuckSutherland]

After having food plots from 2013-2017 on 40 acres and many more untouched state land acres around I have come to the conclusion that they are WORTHLESS. Land was purchased opening weekend of 2012. I shot a nice 8 pt the first week of owning that property before we did any work. From 2013-2017 we had ONE buck sighted in daylight that I can remember and it was far away from any food plot. That's right, one buck in 4 years. And the property is hands down one of the best in the area. We have the biggest bedding area right on the south side of the property and the big destination food source on the north side.

Fast forward to this year and I let the stupid plots grow up in weeds. This year I had 4 sightings of nice bucks. Twice a great ten point for my area, once a great 8 pt and, once a small 8 pt. Should have connected on the big ten, but didnt. From my cameras and my sightings I know he moved during daylight 4 times during hunting hours. Almost all of our trail cam pics for 2013-2017 show only night time buck movement. Never did we have a camera pic of a buck moving in daylight during hunting. All buck movement in the food plot years was at 3am.

This video does a pretty decent job of explaining how I feel.

 

[Catscratch]

This can of worms has been opened before... lots of differing viewpoints about it.

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[SwampCat]

I dont doubt in certain areas under certain conditions, hunting food plots is not very productive. However, in my area, it is the best game in town.

 

[White Birch Farm]

 

[yoderjac]

After having food plots from 2013-2017 on 40 acres and many more untouched state land acres around I have come to the conclusion that they are WORTHLESS. Land was purchased opening weekend of 2012. I shot a nice 8 pt the first week of owning that property before we did any work. From 2013-2017 we had ONE buck sighted in daylight that I can remember and it was far away from any food plot. That's right, one buck in 4 years. And the property is hands down one of the best in the area. We have the biggest bedding area right on the south side of the property and the big destination food source on the north side.

Fast forward to this year and I let the stupid plots grow up in weeds. This year I had 4 sightings of nice bucks. Twice a great ten point for my area, once a great 8 pt and, once a small 8 pt. Should have connected on the big ten, but didnt. From my cameras and my sightings I know he moved during daylight 4 times during hunting hours. Almost all of our trail cam pics for 2013-2017 show only night time buck movement. Never did we have a camera pic of a buck moving in daylight during hunting. All buck movement in the food plot years was at 3am.

This video does a pretty decent job of explaining how I feel.

It really depends on your objectives. First, I would never hunt mature bucks in a food plot. A mature buck can be anywhere during the rut, and if pressure is light and food is scarce you will even on occasion have them enter a food plot during hunting hours, but I would never plan to hunt mature bucks this way. In our area, bucks are visible in food plots during the day somewhat more frequently during the summer. If one is lucky they may still catch one using a plot during the day during Archery season in early Oct when the pressure is light. It does not take mature bucks long to become nocturnal especially when it comes to food plots.

Letting a plot grow up in weeds often provides sufficient diversity and cover to be food in cover. It really depends on the size of the plot, the proximity to escape cover, and the human pressure.

Does that make them useless for hunting? Not at all. First, small plots are a great way to harvest does. Fawns need to put on weight to enter the winter and that forces Mom to use plots more during daylight hours than bucks.

If harvesting a mature buck is my primary objective, I would not hunt food plots. I would create my large destination feeding plot some distance from cover with a small plot between the two and transitional cover connecting them all. I'd hunt between the bedding and small plot in the transitional cover.

However, you do bring up a good point. Weed free food plots of monocultures or even mixes are not needed for either managing deer or attracting them for harvest. A more sustainable approach with less tillage and more weed tolerance can be just as impactful and attractive to deer!

Thanks,

Jack

 

[IkemanTx]

With zero crop agriculture in my area, it is a dynamite solution.

The 1/3 acre TnM plot on my dad’s place was the absolute place to be within a couple mile radius this year. In a 2.5-5 dpsm area, it wasn’t uncommon to have 12 deer in that 1/3 acre every evening. That’s basically every deer in the area consistently on the place.



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[Natty Bumppo]

In that video Sturgis points out the mistakes hunters often make after they've spent all that time and money on food plots. And yes, I suppose if one were to make those mistakes food plots would be worthless. In my neck of the woods my two small food plots on my 30 acres are THE ONLY game in town...and they are a magnet.

 

[SwampCat]

We kill 90% of our mature bucks in food plots. 100% of our mature bucks will visit food plots during daytime hours during hunting season.

 

[Ben.MN/WI]

Each property is different. at my place in se mn food plots are the easiest way to funnel deer past my stand. But I can get in and out without spooking deer, so I think that is the most important part.

On my wi hunting land my plots are less effective. But I think it's more related to overall deer numbers than anything. There is much less competition for food when there aren't many deer. My food plots up there worked great in 2010 when the deer numbers were high, but by 2014 the deer numbers crashed and sightings were hard to come by.

 

[Northbound]

I'm with the OP here. But I also don't intend to hunt my plots either unless it becomes necessary to harvest does. I plot and plant and improve not to kill bucks, but because I enjoy it and am addicted to improving for wildlife even though that in turn will chase off mature bucks. Also addicted to chasing big horns and eating venison- I can do both, just not in same place and that's ok!

If your only goal is to kill a big buck, around here you do that by never stepping foot on your land until about Halloween. This obviously will vary in different areas but here where everyone is a 5 to 40 acre land barren.. he who's absent typically offers the best security which is number 1 to a buck. Does are way easier to farm than horns.

 

[Native Hunter]

We kill almost all of our mature bucks passing through food plots - not eating in them - but there checking for does, because they know it is a great place to find one.

 

[SwampCat]

Before i planted more than one acre, my camera surveys would show from eight to twelve deer. I now plant about thirty acres. Had around thirty different bucks using my 300 acres this past year. The same surveys show fifty to sixty deer now using the same acreage. This past fall, one afternoon I dropped my wife off at her stand - left the side by side running. Made sure she got in it and drove off. A decent buck crossed the trail 600 yards away. I shot at it and went back to get my wife to help look for blood. It was maybe fifteen minutes since I had dropped her off. By the time I got back to pick her up, she had already seen three bucks in the food plot -two of them 4.5 year olds. That is how much deer and management vary across this country. I have ground 1 1/2 miles from the nearest road. Our best place to hunt is a food plot where you can hear kids hollering at each orher while waiting for the school bus. The food plot is 75 yards off a paved highway. Deer hunting and deer management varies so much across this country - you have no way of knowing what will work on your place until you try.

 

[BuckSutherland]

Where I hunt is a different planet than most of you. Northern MN big wood bucks are educated very quickly and very easily and almost never see a human. Our plots brought all kinds of social pressure and intrusion that the bucks dont/wont tolerate. We have never hunted very close to the plots at all and have pretty damn good access. We tried to set up between the bedding and the big field across. They just wouldnt move during daytime. They were there, but only coming at night. I dont ever need to worry about shooting a doe. We have nearly 2.5' of snow on the ground with more coming so I never feel right about it.

No plots again this year and if winter doesnt kill them all I bet there are good sightings/harvest again next year. Should be the best yet (8 seasons) if this winter relents. I want us to be able to shoot bucks and could give a shit less about seeing does and fawns. I had the best hunting I have ever had last year and I am a firm believer that our plots have been a disaster for daytime buck sightings.

 

[Livesintrees]

Nothing lost really. If I’m you I would look at how they are structured. Maybe get one in all switch. Maybe get clumps or clusters of cover out among the plots to cut down sight lines. Maybe turn one into an orchard. Maybe some heavy heavy edge feathering.

I feel like with that open ground you have a good blank slate now for the next experiment

 

[Livesintrees]

I wish I had some form of open ground. Even if only a 1/2 acre to increase food value here. I own all hardwoods and ridges and any project I take on is massive

 

[SwampCat]

Where I hunt is a different planet than most of you. Northern MN big wood bucks are educated very quickly and very easily and almost never see a human. Our plots brought all kinds of social pressure and intrusion that the bucks dont/wont tolerate. We have never hunted very close to the plots at all and have pretty damn good access. We tried to set up between the bedding and the big field across. They just wouldnt move during daytime. They were there, but only coming at night. I dont ever need to worry about shooting a doe. We have nearly 2.5' of snow on the ground with more coming so I never feel right about it.

No plots again this year and if winter doesnt kill them all I bet there are good sightings/harvest again next year. Should be the best yet (8 seasons) if this winter relents. I want us to be able to shoot bucks and could give a shit less about seeing does and fawns. I had the best hunting I have ever had last year and I am a firm believer that our plots have been a disaster for daytime buck sightings.

I agree with you 100%. My deer would probably wonder what had happened if they didnt see or hear me everday, on a tractor, a side by side, coon hunting at night with a dog, hog hunting at night year round - my deer hear human sounds as soon as they hit the ground when the doe births them. Humans are part of the environment. Your deer are just the opposite. Your deer probably see the greatest human intrusion of the year during hunting season and get killed.

No doubt, if your deer dont need the food in a food plot and tend to avoid them - you tried and it didnt work. I have had plenty of negative experience management activities. Move on and try something else.

 

[Diesel5610]

I enjoy mine and the deer do too!

 

[SwampCat]

I have two pieces of property, eight miles apart, in the same river bottoms. They manage nothing alike.

 

[Bill]

Northern big woods are something I know squat about. But from everything I hear it’s hard hunting.

I like my Midwest farm lot hunting. Jeff nailed it for me at 10:05 into the video. “Unpressured food sources are golden”
We try very hard not to teach the deer they are being hunted. Low pressure is the name of the game at my place.

 

[yoderjac]

Northern big woods are something I know squat about. But from everything I hear it’s hard hunting.

I like my Midwest farm lot hunting. Jeff nailed it for me at 10:05 into the video. “Unpressured food sources are golden”
We try very hard not to teach the deer they are being hunted. Low pressure is the name of the game at my place.

We don't really do that. If our only goal was to harvest mature bucks we certainly would. While I make every effort to minimize my impact when hunting personally, we don't put any restrictions on our hunters as to the frequency they hunt. One of our goals is to introduce kids to hunting. We also have some older guys who may not have many years left to hunt. The last thing I want to do is killjoy either of these.

Our hunters are busy like most folks. Treestands don't get erected or maintained until the middle of September. I can see our deer begin to react to the pressure of new folks in the woods a month before the season begins in our camera data. Having said that, Swampcat cites kids yelling and him in his tractor and deer completely ignoring them, even mature bucks. I don't doubt that at all. I also archery hunted the suburbs for many years. I've mentioned this experience before, but it fits here so I'll mention it again. I've hunted within 20 yards of the back of a house with kids playing basketball in the driveway out front and the neighbor cutting grass. Deer were feeding in the riparian buffer within 40 yards of the neighbor not even giving him a second thought. The moved past his place and were coming my way. Neighborhood dogs were barking and being ignored as well. Then the guy took is bagger and walked a few yards into the woods to empty it. The deer looked up saw him and immediately responded running about 50 yards, stopping and looking back, and then went on to feed again.

As long as people are where they are expected to be in normal routine, deer can acclimate to them easily. However, once they break that routine and show up some place unexpected, deer respond immediately. In big woods where deer don't have regular contact with people, they are not acclimated and behave quite differently.

As others have says, whether one is managing deer or just manipulating habitat to improve hunting, things that work well in one place can be a real flop in another. We can draw general principles from one another, but the devil is in the details!

Thanks,

Jack