Wind Gypsy
5 year old buck +
it makes sense to me that a hodgepodge of nonstop food and cover could be more attractive to deer than them being completely separate. It’s just way harder to hunt and predict where movement will be without blowing up.
Food Plot & Property Flow where there is no ag/destination fields
- Thread starter gjs4
- Start date
Ive got 15ish years into serious deer hunting and deer layout. My threads on here have looking like a newbie for the simple reason I am horrible with objective (KISS) views of my own. The ole "cant see the forest through the trees" deal. You nailed it and I appreciate your input an insight.
I was wondering about destination plots versus kill plots, and this circuit vs that, and being so different from everyone around me.....I am likely just missing the basics due to over thinking.
That was my goal- give the deer the best of what they want and then figure out how I could capitalize. They never showed. Last year this was a big thicket with no food and the deer quantity and quality were better. Suspecting EHD last year (22), banner acorn crop to which at least half the trees are oaks in these big woods hills (23) and drought this past (23) may be the culprits for this. Only one year there and it feels like there are so many variables its like shooting at moving targets that are coming from multiple directions. Its easy to see, and admit; I am lost.
Thought it would be as simple as: add food (being the lowest hole in the bucket)> deer show> bucks show> set buck traps.
BenAllgood
5 year old buck +
For small properties, I like a primary feeding plot and maybe a small plot on the way to it, make great bedding, even if you already have plenty of cover, and make as few travel corridors as possible of good security cover going to it. Hunt the travel corridor or the food source if it isn't disruptive.
Wind Gypsy
5 year old buck +
What kind of quantity/quality differences are we talking about? I can relate to not being confident if your changes are hurting or helping.
On two properties over the past 5 or so years I've seen similar situations where it's not 100% clear if the "improvements" are hurting or helping things. I'm pretty dang confident in both cases that the primary difference in quality/quantity of bucks present during the rut has been near solely based upon what bucks are alive in the area and out of our control (as we haven't been killing bucks). The primary obvious impact I've seen that I know is due to my efforts is a bachelor group of bucks spends a lot of time on my property in sept into oct because of the improvement in food i've planted.
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BenAllgood
5 year old buck +
This is an 850 acre section of a 2100 acre tract I managed about 20 years ago. Those open spots are all food plots that I created and planted twice per year. It was a mistake because the "flow" kept the deer "flowing" all over the place and scattered. I would have been much better off with less scattered food, even on a property that large. When I bought my Kentucky property, I started out the same way with wanting food plots scattered around to get a "flow". It is only about 50 acres. I quickly learned my lesson on this one. I'd much rather have less options on where to go for the best food. That's not to say I don't want food all over. I want browse all over the place. I just want my best food source to be in one spot that I know all the deer want to go to, then I can figure out how to hunt them better.
Had some 3s,4s and a 5 yo last yr. I think most of them made it due to when those pics were, but have no proof of it.
This year only had a few glimpses of 3yos...maybe a couple random ghost older buck pics is all
100% with its related to what is there and I didnt really go down in quality from this summer to fall....just quantity as due to shifting or getting killed somewhere.
Is there a percentage you'd aim for?
Premium food is non existent in my area so i don't want to be over browsed and i am trying to have a major draw in an area with cornfeeders everywhere.
BenAllgood
5 year old buck +
Not really a percentage. The 2% amount used to be thrown around a good bit, but it’s all relative. The best way to find out is to plant a mixture of something with red and white clovers, cereal grains, brassicas, chicory, etc and put an exclusion cage or two on it. With that south plot expanded to 3.5 acres or so, you shouldn't have a huge problem with overgrazing if you have a mixturelike that. If you do, you need to do a good bit if FSI to produce browse. I'd do the FSI anyway.
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