Deer prefer to use foodplot for bedding?!?

[j-bird]

I have a perennial foodplot that I have had in place for a few years now. It's about 3/4 acre in size, has 3 apple trees in it and is mainly clovers, chicory and alfalfa. Every time I let the grasses or other broadleaf weeds get out of hand (like right now the cool season grasses are knee to waist high) I go out to mow or spray and I find doe beds - several of them. I don't mow until later in the spring to avoid killing turkeys, rabbits and fawns. It's a small gradual south slope with some elevation advantage. I understand why the deer would bed there. My question is should I simply leave well enough alone and let the deer use the plot for bedding and not maintain it as a plot anymore? Within the last few years I have added native grasses around the plot to increase the cover aspect and it is coming along and I have a small annual plot right next to this area as well. Am I screwing myself by using the area as a plot when the deer are essentially telling me they want to use it for bedding? My area grossly lacks cover and I try to provide as much cover as I can, but I also try to provide both perennial and annual food sources for the deer to ensure Ihave all the gaps covered.

If I let the deer bed there - how effective will it be if I continue to use the small plot right next to this area?

 

[Native Hunter]

That's a tough one to answer j-bird. I abandoned a plot last year at the edge of my main sanctuary, because I felt going there too much wasn't a good thing. The plot I continue to maintain further away still gets lots of daylight traffic, but I don't think they bed there. However, they do bed about 100 yards away in tall grasses around an old grown up pond. Going to the plot doesn't seem to bother them, because sometimes I get pics of deer entering the plot in the evening before dark after I was there 4 hours earlier. But, I still think I did the right thing by abandoning the other plot.

 

[bat man]

Maybe its night time bedding as they feed and loaf?

 

[West Branch]

Our hay fields get covered with beds through the summer. Vast majority is at night. Plots in the woods have deer bedding mid day right in front of cameras during the summer and spring.

 

[dipper]

Fawns hide in the alfalfa and mom hangs back at the edge of more common cover

 

[huthut]

I tend to agree that beds in an open field are common as deer typically bed at some point during the evening before moving back into cover around daybreak. Go with your gut feel on your property- you will know better than anyone whether or not more bedding or food is needed.

 

[John-W-WI]

Maybe its night time bedding as they feed and loaf?

That's exactly what I was thinking.... They bed a LOT while out feeding.

-John

 

[bwoods11]

Deer prefer all types of cover. If they use it, might not hurt to leave it?

 

[j-bird]

I took some pics of what is going on to try to paint a better picture.

Here is a map. The area in red is a 5 acre sanctuary area. The green area is the current perennial area that the deer are bedding in. The orange area is the area of my annual food plot. The black square is the location of a box blind. To the north is ag field and the area other than timber is now planted in NWSG that will get 4 to feet tall. There is also a decent sized stream along the south.


Picture #1 is facing toward locations #2 & #3 and is roughly a 180 degree view. You can see that there is some slight elevation change. In this pic the annual plot is in red the perennial plot in question is in green and the box blind is circled.


picture #2 is taken from right in front of the box blind and is again a 180 degree view. Again annual plot in red - perennial plot in green.

Picture #3 is taken from the far NE corner of the perennial plot. Annual plot in red, perennial plot in green - box blind at black circle.


I am considering just maintaining the small area around my apple trees as the perennial plot and leaving the rest alone since the deer seem to like it. We don't hunt the area until mid november anyway as that is when our first firearms chance is so the deer are much more focused on what I have in the annual plot at that time than the perennial plot. I don't have deer bed on my place much as it is and giving some the "boot" just because it isn't where I want seems dumb to me. FYI long term plan is for NS along the edge of the ag field and at the blind for a more concealed entry/exit.

 

[TMIL]

j-bird, I think you have a good plan. In that ag area, the more cover the better. If they were in there because of the food and they stop using it, you could always go back to food later.

 

[jaximus]

I don't have deer bed on my place much as it is and giving some the "boot" just because it isn't where I want seems dumb to me. FYI long term plan is for NS along the edge of the ag field and at the blind for a more concealed entry/exit.

this is why you should just let the deer that bed in your plot use it as bedding. obviously they like that more than the woods, or maybe you have does in the woods and this is just a different doe group.

you are right up next to ag, so your plot is nothing more than a staging area. keep that in mind.

i think sometimes we lose track of why we want plots. plots are for deer attraction. i would take bedding deer on my property over deer eating. if you have your annual plot that gives them food and your other plot is grass bedding, you have both. keep the does happy and the bucks will follow.

i think its crazy how people will mow their plots a bunch of times and do all that stuff. they treat their plots as if they are lawns in high dollar residential areas. the only time i mow is after a mid summer supplemental planting to use the cuttings as cover for the seed.

i think a lot of people get caught up in plots as they feel they are 'doing something.' planting screens/acorns/fruit trees and other such long term growing projects arent glamorous and you dont really get to see anything instant. plots can be sprayed/mowed/planted each year and provide entertainment and something we feel we can participate in during the "off season."

 

[jaximus]

and your pictures are FANTASTIC! really helps show what you mean

 

[phil@thesidehill]

After seeing the pics I concurr with others....most definitely night time bedding. I find this a lot in my area....there are night time bedding areas directly adjacent to food sources. Deer feed in those fields after dark for an hour or three then filter back to the type of cover you have with the semi maintained perennial plot. If anything keep doing what you are doing...it fills a niche. If you want to make it additional daytime bedding then that's a different story altogether. Seems as though right now it's serving as staging on the way out to the field and night time bedding/loafing.

 

[j-bird]

Thanks guys - I think I am going to listen to the deer in this case. The more I tend to listen to the deer the better things seem to get. Their bedding in this area isn't ideal but if I can keep does on my place I can hope the bucks will come looking for them when the time comes.

Seems like the more I think I got a grasp on things around here - something like this throws me a curve and I can either work with it or against it. If I have learned anything its to work WITH mother nature if possible.

 

[scott44]

I always have deer bedding in my plots when the rye is up, also like others have said they bed in the hay field. My plots usually come down the first part of July to mid July. I always thought these were does and fawns. Pic from last year.