Food plots are worthless for hunting

[S.T.Fanatic]

I'm in mixed hardwoods AG area so it really doesn't matter If I plant plots or not. The deer will be there no matter what. I can say that the bucks are sporting racks at least 10" bigger than they ever had before I planted plots. I suspect it is because I concentrate on winter food sources when nature in Minnesota is stingy to say the least.

 

[Bill]

Every property is different. You may have learned something very important for yours.

 

[Ben.MN/WI]

My food plots don't change the number of deer in my area since there are lots of oak woodlots and large ag fields that provide far more food than my plots can. My food plots get the deer to use my property in a way that makes them kill-able though.

I arrowed this one last week in MN while he was slowly feeding through my food plot. It took some trial and error trying to figure out what to plant and where, but it can certainly work. This was the best buck I had on camera all year and I killed him with my 7 year old son in the stand with me.

 

[Telemark]

Jeeeez that's a big deer!

 

[jsasker007]

Did you weigh him? Absolute monster---congrats!

 

[Ben.MN/WI]

The buck field dressed at 195 pounds, so there is a lot of meat in the freezer right now. Luckily he died in the food plot, so I was able to drive right up to him with the ATV.

 

[TreeDaddy]

My food plots don't change the number of deer in my area since there are lots of oak woodlots and large ag fields that provide far more food than my plots can. My food plots get the deer to use my property in a way that makes them kill-able though.

I arrowed this one last week in MN while he was slowly feeding through my food plot. It took some trial and error trying to figure out what to plant and where, but it can certainly work. This was the best buck I had on camera all year and I killed him with my 7 year old son in the stand with me.

View attachment 26543

Dayem!!!!!!

bill

 

[scott44]

My food plots don't change the number of deer in my area since there are lots of oak woodlots and large ag fields that provide far more food than my plots can. My food plots get the deer to use my property in a way that makes them kill-able though.

I arrowed this one last week in MN while he was slowly feeding through my food plot. It took some trial and error trying to figure out what to plant and where, but it can certainly work. This was the best buck I had on camera all year and I killed him with my 7 year old son in the stand with me.

View attachment 26543

Congrats!

 

[Freeborn]

I'm also in mixed hardwoods/Ag and my plots won't change the number of deer in the neighborhood but they allow me to persuade and predict buck movements.

In my area many of my neighbors have quality plots and from what I have seen plots keep mature bucks on my place longer.

 

[4wanderingeyes]

I honestly use to see more bucks before planting food plots as well. I get a lot more doe on my land with the food plots, and the bucks come through on occasions. But I don’t own much land, and my land is more of a passage between a large swampy state land, and the only ag fields for miles. To generalize, before food plots I wouldn’t be able to survey deer, or pattern them. They would just wander my land where ever they wanted too. But deer sightings were low, I would say 1-2 deer a day during season. But the bucks seen were usually larger bucks. With food plots, I see 5-10 deer a day, and smaller bucks. Luckily I could care less about the bone on their heads, I would be just as happy if I shot a 170 pound doe, or a 170 pound 8 point buck. Obviously a 210 pound 170 + class buck gets the blood flowing more then a doe, but being a small land owner, they don’t frequent my land very often. If I was to hold my standards to only being happy with a 170+ inch rack, I wouldn’t be happy very often, or ever.