Food plot distance from house

Hawkeye

Yearling... With promise
In your experiences with mature bucks and medium to low hunting pressure with a few houses around this area in the timber:

What would be a reasonable distance to install a food plot from your house? Current layout is 2 dogs in a fenced in yard, 30-50 yards of heavy switchgrass, then plot. Really trying to compress food into this tiny property while maintaining good bedding cover close by. But am rethinking the set up since it seems the forkies and does have taken over.
 
I too have a small property, and live on it. I have 1 food plot that is about 75 yards from my house, and one about 30 yards from my back deck, and another a few hundred yards away. With cameras on each. I also have 2 dogs, but they are indoor dogs that I let out a few times a day. I am in the yard working on a regular basis, and the wife leaves for work, and returns home right at prime time.

My observations, when it isnt hunting season, they dont care at all. I can be sitting on my back deck, and the deer walk 20 yards away. I dont get large bucks in my area, but I do get some 2.5-3.5 year olds, and I dont notice any preference in their choice of food plots they use. I get just as many pictures of bucks in the far back plot, as I do off my back deck.

During season, daylight pictures I have a lot more deer pictures in the plot that is 75 yards away, compared to either of the other 2, but that is because the main trail is there. I dont normally hunt my food plots for bucks, at least not during, or after the rifle season, because the bucks tend to travel about 50 yards away from the food plots after the gun season starts. I still get buck pictures at night in all of the food plots though.

Deer know when they are being hunted, and when they arent. I have some winter rye straw bales in my front yard covering my septic, the deer will eat right off of them during the day, prior to gun season.

If you are talking big bucks, well I dont know, we dont grow them big here, and I live on my land, and use my land. Even if there were big bucks in the area, I am sure they could find a quieter spot to hide.
 
In your experiences with mature bucks and medium to low hunting pressure with a few houses around this area in the timber:

What would be a reasonable distance to install a food plot from your house? Current layout is 2 dogs in a fenced in yard, 30-50 yards of heavy switchgrass, then plot. Really trying to compress food into this tiny property while maintaining good bedding cover close by. But am rethinking the set up since it seems the forkies and does have taken over.

In that scenario, you won't see a mature buck during daylight. You may get lucky during rut and see a stupid love struck mature buck come charging through, but that is the exception and not the rule.

On my property, i have 4 acres of food that is near a woodline 650 yards from our back deck. If i walk out and there and deer are in the food plot, regardless of age, they will see me and be on alert. Good chance they will move off unless i am just sitting and being quiet. I can't imagine dogs, lights going on/off, kids playing, etc. that close.

Mature bucks get to a mature stage because they have learned to avoid human contact and intrusion.
 
Not a mature buck, but a deer 20 feet from my back deck right now. They walk through here all the time. Mature bucks, well again, there aren’t any around. 38E7DF66-0FB8-4767-8ED4-7CC5437DA969.jpeg
 
I Agree the big boys may not get to close if they know they are being hunted.

Driveway use drops significantly when I’m there but they sure seem to know when I’m not home. Not an uncommon email from my security system even during daylight hours.

354979D0-94B5-4FD9-9F71-23652544971C.jpeg
 
I have a food plot 10 yards off a county road and on the other side of the road is a house. I have killed 3 mature bucks from that plot. It allows me to hunt it without the deer knowing they are being hunted. I Think the access outweighs the impact the house has. It’s proper screening I wouldn’t worry about it being close to a house around the Midwest but that is just me.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
In your experiences with mature bucks and medium to low hunting pressure with a few houses around this area in the timber:

What would be a reasonable distance to install a food plot from your house? Current layout is 2 dogs in a fenced in yard, 30-50 yards of heavy switchgrass, then plot. Really trying to compress food into this tiny property while maintaining good bedding cover close by. But am rethinking the set up since it seems the forkies and does have taken over.

It really depends on your local area. I've done a lot of suburban archery hunting where there is no gun hunting. I've watched mature bucks feed on acorns during daylight hours in a woodlot behind a house with a guy cutting his grass within 50 yards and kids playing basketball in the driveway out front. This kind of scene is not unusual in these conditions. I've never seen this in a rural environment. Deer are amazingly adaptive creatures.

Our retirement property is semi-rural. We own two 8 acre lots. We are bounded by 3 properties, two are 20 acres each, and the other is 50 acres. We just finished building a barn with a small living space in it. About half our our property is open and half is mature hardwoods. The 50 acres that wraps around 2 sides of us is mostly in early succession. I planted a clover field between the barn and 50 acres. I hunted there on a few occasions this season. During archery season, I hunted in the hardwoods. I have to quit archery hunting under a hardwood canopy not too much after sunset. Beyond that I don't feel I can take an ethical shot. Each time I came out of the hardwoods, I scanned the field behind the barn. There were always deer feeding in it including mature bucks.

When muzzleloader season rolled around, I decided to try using the barn as a blind since my new smokeless muzzleloader can reach out. By muzzleloader season, I was not seeing mature bucks feeding there during shooting hours, but does and young bucks used it regularly. As I said in the previous post, I ended up shooting 4 of them this year.

That is my experience for what it is worth, but every place will be different.

Thanks,

Jack
 
In your experiences with mature bucks and medium to low hunting pressure with a few houses around this area in the timber:

What would be a reasonable distance to install a food plot from your house? Current layout is 2 dogs in a fenced in yard, 30-50 yards of heavy switchgrass, then plot. Really trying to compress food into this tiny property while maintaining good bedding cover close by. But am rethinking the set up since it seems the forkies and does have taken over.
This is a problem with all food plots not just ones close to the house. in my experience young bucks bed all around and in close proximity to these plots making them extremely hard to hunt on a regular basis. The key I believe is to have access so at least the doe aren’t aware of you. only hunting the plots during the rut is the only way I’ve figured to score a mature buck in that scenario. You can deerscape some trails around the plots that those really shy bucks that won’t come out no matter what will use and at least maybe give you a shot. I never worry about the forkies and what they‘re doing during the rut. I concentrate on the does and mature buck travel. if the young ones get spooked because they’re right on top of your food , no big deal During the rut
 
The one end of a plot behind my house is about 80 yards away. No screen, except the septic mound between the house and plot blocks it a little bit. It gets used all summer and fall by does, mostly in the last 30 min of light. I get pictures of mature bucks after dark typically. During the rut I have seen mature bucks in it but typically they are passing through looking for does and checking scrapes, not feeding on it.
 
Thanks everyone so far. Plot was originally installed to hopefully collect fall bucks and hopefully pack a couple doe groups in. Also, I have bullet proof access and blind/stand sites with wind blowing back at house as plot wraps around a couple sides. I can hunt the deer and they have no clue they are being hunted. Most evenings young bucks and does start coming out 2 hours or better before dark. I figured with this comfort level shown by the other deer, a mature buck occasionally would visit, but except for a couple rut related movements, doesn't seem like I can count on this.

On a slightly different note, I will say, just doing fall food plots has created a buck factory only for me.....but they are all 1.5 to 2.5 year olds. And, with them keeping the does chased away for almost 2 months, the best rut areas seem like they aren't on my place at all.....perhaps another post talking about how this whole anti doe factory strategy has backfired.
 
You have to be realistic as to what you actually have as far as mature bucks. And what are you calling mature? There just might not be any that are anywhere close. If you have a lot of pictures of mature bucks in the plots at night, like once or twice a week then you at least have a chance during the rut in daytime. If your not seeing bigger buck activity on a regular basis then that’s just what you have. You will just have the roaming buck come by during the rut that will visit your doe group. This may be brief and at night. My original point, if you’re not interested in shooting the doe or the smaller bucks I would stay out of there until the rut and hope for the best.
 
This one one was by our garden, 35 yards from our kitchen, note doe on other side of garden he was chasing.

This deer showed up 1st week of Nov, prime rut time. Have many pics like this over the years of even bigger bucks. They like the garden and our bird feeders.

Is he and other bucks huntable, not really. If he is there why is he not huntable? No pressure in our backyard during the time he showed up.



1640799653700.jpeg
 
Mother in law has had 10 point eating out of her bird feeder every night since rifle season closed, its about 10’ from the window she watches them from. At my place I have 35 acres surrounded by other homes and the deer are used to human activity it’s not an issue to have a plot close to the house. Out at the farm we rarely see them close to the farm buildings but there’s no real draw to get them close anyhow. Deer are pretty adaptable to human activity.
 
These forums would be no fun if we all just answered....it depends... but i suspect that is true for every question asked on here.

I can share our situation which is borderline comical. I have about 100 acres which is surrounded by 20-40 and other 100 acre properties all set up for hunting. Some have houses on them. It is rural and then there is a lot of ag around us. And, the question (and the funny part of our facts) is that the food plot closest to our bunkhouse has generated the oldest/most mature kill the last three years. What is funny about it is i am the guy who reads every magazine....watches the shows... visits the forums. I hunt the thick stuff. like runs out of the sanctuary, etc. The stands I set are after scouting. I focus on scent control. Hunt the wind... I am quiet... all of the jazz..... I go as far in as i can go. I NEVER hunt the blind closest to camp.

My pops is the opposite. Never goes to the blind without his mints...coffee.. He makes a racket. Always has his headlamp on (white). I hear the blind door slam open and closed. His throat is always in need of clearing.... ha! And the key to this question/post... because he is a DAV and at an age where a walk for him is hard he ONLY sits in the blind closest to camp. I bet you it isnt 75 yards. You can see the blind from the driveway when leaves are down. You can see the camp lights from the blind.

Further, he never hunts the wind... there is a pond in front of the blind which saves him a bit. For the last three years..... opening day of gun season.... by 9am...bang! Biggest buck on cameras... down! (which btw has followed multiple misses during archery season - don't get me started). I am back freezing deep in woods in a stand and i hear bang... and then feel my phone vibrate.... text reading "i just shot the biggest buck of my whole life" or "it was a monster". I just sigh.... LOL.

Each and every year these are the largest bucks we have on camera. And i keep one of my cameras (out of 5) right here on this plot. And every single year it has the most visits by the biggest bucks.

So.... IF the deer are used to people (farmers, rural area living, etc.) then my experience they will not let a wood stove, engine smells, quad/tractor sounds... etc. deter them from eating in a fp. I do believe the more mature bucks will hunker down deeper in the woods/cover when the shooting/commotion starts...BUT archery season through opening day...which is frequently in the middle of the rut for us they make an appearance. The last three years my pops has harvested a "mountable" buck.

I would not let proximity to the house deter you. Instead, I would focus on the quality of the FP (what is planted is different from what is around you). Cover nearby. Lots of bedding for "cells" for deer families leaving cover/beds for bucks, etc. If you have that.... they will come.
 
I Agree the big boys may not get to close if they know they are being hunted.

Driveway use drops significantly when I’m there but they sure seem to know when I’m not home. Not an uncommon email from my security system even during daylight hours.
One of my best deer trails is my driveway!

And a food plot close to the house is called a garden - Im pretty sure my garden is a better draw then many of my food plots have ever been. Plus its good sent conditioning for those young deer to be sniffing my sent. Before the whole bait ban thing I used to bucket feed corn in the yard. The fawns would come running in to get ahead of the does when they heard the plastic pail rattling. I would leave my sweat shirt or long sleeve button up shirt hanging off a branch in the yard as an added way to get them used to my sent. In those years it was real common for me to be able to go out to my stands and walk by young bucks (that were those fawns) browsing in the field without them spooking. I agree the big boys wont come in till night, but their still out there waiting - if not for the food for the does.
 
These forums would be no fun if we all just answered....it depends... but i suspect that is true for every question asked on here.

I can share our situation which is borderline comical. I have about 100 acres which is surrounded by 20-40 and other 100 acre properties all set up for hunting. Some have houses on them. It is rural and then there is a lot of ag around us. And, the question (and the funny part of our facts) is that the food plot closest to our bunkhouse has generated the oldest/most mature kill the last three years. What is funny about it is i am the guy who reads every magazine....watches the shows... visits the forums. I hunt the thick stuff. like runs out of the sanctuary, etc. The stands I set are after scouting. I focus on scent control. Hunt the wind... I am quiet... all of the jazz..... I go as far in as i can go. I NEVER hunt the blind closest to camp.

My pops is the opposite. Never goes to the blind without his mints...coffee.. He makes a racket. Always has his headlamp on (white). I hear the blind door slam open and closed. His throat is always in need of clearing.... ha! And the key to this question/post... because he is a DAV and at an age where a walk for him is hard he ONLY sits in the blind closest to camp. I bet you it isnt 75 yards. You can see the blind from the driveway when leaves are down. You can see the camp lights from the blind.

Further, he never hunts the wind... there is a pond in front of the blind which saves him a bit. For the last three years..... opening day of gun season.... by 9am...bang! Biggest buck on cameras... down! (which btw has followed multiple misses during archery season - don't get me started). I am back freezing deep in woods in a stand and i hear bang... and then feel my phone vibrate.... text reading "i just shot the biggest buck of my whole life" or "it was a monster". I just sigh.... LOL.

Each and every year these are the largest bucks we have on camera. And i keep one of my cameras (out of 5) right here on this plot. And every single year it has the most visits by the biggest bucks.

So.... IF the deer are used to people (farmers, rural area living, etc.) then my experience they will not let a wood stove, engine smells, quad/tractor sounds... etc. deter them from eating in a fp. I do believe the more mature bucks will hunker down deeper in the woods/cover when the shooting/commotion starts...BUT archery season through opening day...which is frequently in the middle of the rut for us they make an appearance. The last three years my pops has harvested a "mountable" buck.

I would not let proximity to the house deter you. Instead, I would focus on the quality of the FP (what is planted is different from what is around you). Cover nearby. Lots of bedding for "cells" for deer families leaving cover/beds for bucks, etc. If you have that.... they will come.
great story!

bill
 
Top