Do deer flow in the direction of your big plots or ag fields in the evening?
Food plot location strategy poll - numerous kill plots (<0.25 ac) or larger feeder plots (>1.0 ac) throughout property
- Thread starter Hoytvectrix
- Start date
omicron1792
5 year old buck +
There are no ag fields for miles and miles.
My large plots have deer in them from about an hour until dark until and hour or two after sunrise. I often see 10 plus deer anytime I check camera or sit in shooting house.
That said, almost never a buck until after dark. Even then I see them more in the 0.5-1 acre fields that are surrounded by thicker stuff
BenA
5 year old buck +
I used to have a lease in Louisiana with about 25 plots spread across 2100 acres ranging in size from .25 to 1.5 acres. It was aggravating to move between each one. I also think it alerted more deer. And, I had bucks that would use several different ones. I always planted them with the same mixes. When I bought property in Kentucky, I started with 3 plots on 40 acres. I've narrowed it to one big one. I may add a small one in between it and bedding. I only have about 50 acres now though. But, I find it easier to hunt a property with concentrated food attraction and designated bedding.
Wind Gypsy
5 year old buck +
Ideally - Fewer bigger food plots with good access to locations between them and bedding. The food plot doesn't need to be the stand location but rather keep deer around and create predictable movement. Like has been mentioned, can have narrow or small more secure entrances to them for deer to work their way towards the bigger destination.
Hard to have predictable movement and good access when stuff is scattered everywhere.
Hard to have predictable movement and good access when stuff is scattered everywhere.
This is exactly how it works at my place. I have 11 food plots and I may have a picture of one buck in all 11 plots over the course of three days. My neighbor 1/2 mile south will have a picture of the same buck at his feeder as will my neighbor 1/4 mile north. The neighbors are much more likely to kill him - as they have one place to hunt on their ten acres - so they are more likely to be there when the buck shows up. I am trying to decide which of 11 food plots to hunt, plus I have some stands on trails and crossings, etc. My chances of having an encounter with the same buck is slim.
I have been thinking about this more - I have 3 food plots under one acre in size. Eight over one acre in size. We have never killed a deer out of any of the three smaller plots - that is over the past ten to 20 years. We have killed multiple deer out of the eight larger plots. This isnt because deer dont come to the smaller plots - but they dont come there consistently enough to feel as confident about hunting there as one of the larger food plots. That is how my place works.
Hoytvectrix
5 year old buck +
These experiences have been pretty helpful and have given me things to consider.
I'm frankly more concerned with access than I am with huntability. I've been wondering about this for a farm that is less than 200 acres, which likely changes things. I think having predictable deer movement is something you can plan around in the future and build off-of. If they can be anywhere, you will never know if changes you are making to your farm are for the better or worse until a season or two after.
I'm frankly more concerned with access than I am with huntability. I've been wondering about this for a farm that is less than 200 acres, which likely changes things. I think having predictable deer movement is something you can plan around in the future and build off-of. If they can be anywhere, you will never know if changes you are making to your farm are for the better or worse until a season or two after.
jsasker007
5 year old buck +
I just have my plots there to help give the deer options and maybe add to the dinner menu for them and maybe help keep the deer around on the property. I don't really hunt my plots. I might take a peek once in awhile to see if any deer are in the plots but food isn't really their top priority during the rut. Maybe I'll go back to hunting the plots if I start bow hunting again. Strictly rifle for the last few years for me.
I agree - plots arent primary focus for bucks during the rut - but they are for does. The bucks we kill during the rut are checking on the does in the plots
TreeDaddy
5 year old buck +
For grins, I had Brooks Johnson do a skeletal aerial plan for my place at 100 $
I learned more from the 20 min audio than from the entire book series of some authors
He states that improvements ( food plots, etc) should be based on access and how the deer bed on your property
He used LIDAR apps to determine slopes,topo, etc where deer are most likely to bed
Its worth a look
bill
Curious - did he consider bedding areas, slopes, topo, habitat type and adjacent property owner use - OFF your property?
TreeDaddy
5 year old buck +
Not really
I didn't provide adjacent property owner use
He commented on the other topics briefly but focused on my place
Another set of eyes from a different perspective was helpful to me
bill
$100 pretty reasonable for another perspective.
Triple C
5 year old buck +
Each property is unique. On my place, give me big linear destination plots (3+ acres) over micro plots - (1/2 acre or less). My largest is just over 5 acres. Son counted 26 deer in field at same time last Sunday before dark. Micro plots may have 1 doe group in em at a time. Largest plot has 6 stand sets, depending on gun or bow and wind.
Don’t hunt em much during the rut but from December thru end of season in mid Jan, the deer pile into the destination plots at any time of the day and particularly late afternoons.
Don’t hunt em much during the rut but from December thru end of season in mid Jan, the deer pile into the destination plots at any time of the day and particularly late afternoons.
Exactly what I see.
Spike_Horn_Shooter
5 year old buck +
Fewer bigger plots let’s you put nice enclosed blinds on them. 3 plots with weatherproof / scent proof blinds is affordable. 10 plots not so much. Even in a big plot - the deer usually are going to come out from 1 or 2 locations.
Wanabhunter
A good 3 year old buck
I’m hunting a 20-acre property that, at its widest point, is about 350 yards. The land is so thick that you’d have to crawl to move through most of it. On one side, there’s all hardwood forest; on another, a small block of agriculture. One edge is bordered by an open field, and the front faces a street.
My plan is to create three small food plots and hunt the trails leading to and from them. I’d place one plot just inside the woods to serve as a staging area before the deer move out to the agricultural field to the south. The other two plots would go deeper into the woods along trails the deer are already using to travel between their bedding areas and food sources.
Given the limited space, I was thinking these plots would range from about 0.4 to 0.7 acres. Access is a challenge, so I’d have to plan my hunting strategies carefully. My idea is to rent a brush hog to clear out the areas for the plots. Essentially, this property is a 22-acre block of bedding ground that’s heavily pressured on all sides, leaving me limited to small pockets along the edges for hunting. I need a better approach to make the most of this property.
Do you think this plan is worth pursuing? If not, why?
I’m considering planting clover or radishes but am open to other suggestions as well.
My plan is to create three small food plots and hunt the trails leading to and from them. I’d place one plot just inside the woods to serve as a staging area before the deer move out to the agricultural field to the south. The other two plots would go deeper into the woods along trails the deer are already using to travel between their bedding areas and food sources.
Given the limited space, I was thinking these plots would range from about 0.4 to 0.7 acres. Access is a challenge, so I’d have to plan my hunting strategies carefully. My idea is to rent a brush hog to clear out the areas for the plots. Essentially, this property is a 22-acre block of bedding ground that’s heavily pressured on all sides, leaving me limited to small pockets along the edges for hunting. I need a better approach to make the most of this property.
Do you think this plan is worth pursuing? If not, why?
I’m considering planting clover or radishes but am open to other suggestions as well.
bigboreblr
5 year old buck +
A aerial view of the place would be very helpful. Bedding areas can vary quite a bit. Do you have to stay on the property to hunt it, or just drive in there in the morning.
Brush hogging means you have a good bit of residual ontop of your soil. Might be better with a larger seed like plain old winter rye.
Whats in the open field? A place like that might only need a quiet way to get between bedding and that field. Like a trail alongside the property edge. Do what you can to hunt it quietly this season. If you get some snow, check out the trails about a week after a snow.
Might be doing well opening up light for any mature trees you have like oaks, if you do have them.
Wanabhunter
A good 3 year old buck
I cannot stay there. It’s a family friend land that I only have permission.
In relation to the brush hog, what if I cleared it, then either burner the top or raked it all up and used a backpack leaf blower to clear the ground?
The field is a mix of golden rod and smaller trees mixed in. There is a trail and several trails that land owner mows down with his tractor as he hunts also.
Now in reference to opening the area around oaks, would I just go in and cut out all the way around them so it only gets sun?
bigboreblr
5 year old buck +
Just remove the trees around the oaks. East, west, and south of the tree. North side less important.
I'd brush hog that field if you do that. Leave some edges alone to make the deer feel more comfortable. Likely the landwner might prefer you clean up his existing field than the inner stuff anyways.
I have 2 plots I let them go over until late summer. They're mostly golden rod. I knock down the golden rod with an ATV and a tire drag. I spray if weather permits. I put rye clover and some brassicas an peas. Those daikon radishes are great for winter food.
You'll likely be fighting old seeds and grasses in either spot. The rye grows tall and can choke the weeds. With grains you can use 2,4D, with brassicas and clovers you can use clethodim.
I'd brush hog that field if you do that. Leave some edges alone to make the deer feel more comfortable. Likely the landwner might prefer you clean up his existing field than the inner stuff anyways.
I have 2 plots I let them go over until late summer. They're mostly golden rod. I knock down the golden rod with an ATV and a tire drag. I spray if weather permits. I put rye clover and some brassicas an peas. Those daikon radishes are great for winter food.
You'll likely be fighting old seeds and grasses in either spot. The rye grows tall and can choke the weeds. With grains you can use 2,4D, with brassicas and clovers you can use clethodim.
S.T.Fanatic
5 year old buck +
I’d do a plot in the interior as big as you can go (wider than longer) and just hunt from the outside. The plot would create a nice funnel and you could hunt either side based off of the wind direction.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk