Management plan review - input for food plot locations

[Bszweda]

Hi All,

I am about to pull the trigger on buying out 5 acres of CRP to plant into food plots. I hired a habitat consultant last year and he outlined recommended spots In lavendar. The red areas were going to be bull dozed and planted into food plots, but I am going to leave them as they provide great cover for deer or access. The 1.8 acre area I am going to shrink to 1.0 acre, and then in the center increase the food plot to 2.0 acres, and have it follow a boomerang shape. Then add 1 acre In the upper left hand corner, by where the .70 acres were planned. Just wanted to run it by everyone to get their input.

Thanks,
Brad

 

[Wind Gypsy]

Access from the North? Where are your desired stand locations? Does the blue P designate a parking location?

 

[Bszweda]

Yes access from the north...Where the lean shed/cabin is. The P is for a pipe the consultant said I could increase the depth by raising the pipe a few more feet if I wanted to. Right now its not a very deep pond less than a foot. Red dots are stands and the lavender lines are access route.

 

[swat1018]

Base your decision on best ingress / egress. Secondly on soil quality, not too dry / wet.

 

[Greta&Gus]

I would have a minor concern with the deer bedding in that patch of woods west of your cabin and having to cross your neighbors to get to your food.

Does the CRP actually hold deer?

 

[GMan5465]

Base your decision on best ingress / egress. Secondly on soil quality, not too dry / wet.

Agree. Access is concerning. For example, one access trail circles bedding on three sides.

 

[Wind Gypsy]

I would have a minor concern with the deer bedding in that patch of woods west of your cabin and having to cross your neighbors to get to your food.

Does the CRP actually hold deer?

Agree. It’s tough to not benefit the neighbors more than yourself with any improvements in that NW finger if your neighbors hunt much at all. They could just hunt the downwind side of your bedding or travel paths to/from and be the main beneficiaries of your work.

 

[Tree Spud]

Hi All,

I am about to pull the trigger on buying out 5 acres of CRP to plant into food plots. I hired a habitat consultant last year and he outlined recommended spots In lavendar. The red areas were going to be bull dozed and planted into food plots, but I am going to leave them as they provide great cover for deer or access. The 1.8 acre area I am going to shrink to 1.0 acre, and then in the center increase the food plot to 2.0 acres, and have it follow a boomerang shape. Then add 1 acre In the upper left hand corner, by where the .70 acres were planned. Just wanted to run it by everyone to get their input.

Thanks,
Brad

Initial observation is you are planning for a lot of food plots and reducing cover. With multiple large plots, deer have many choices which could make selecting the right stand a challenge.

Some thoughts...
- What areas could be made into bedding with switch grass or conifers?
- Are there browse lines and shrub/tree/conifer travel corridors?
- Could some plots be smaller and set-up as transition plots leading to the destination plot?

 

[Mortenson]

Going along with Tree Spud, I'd consider making only as many plots as it takes to make good stands for every possible wind direction. My forecast shows a 4 day stretch starting of strictly ENE and NE winds. If that happens during IL gun 1 someday you'll feel bad if you don't have a good set for that deal. We get a ton of SW winds during Nov here. Gotta have a few options for that. I like putting in plenty of food plots, but a good majority of them are just for middle of night middle of winter food, help deer survive.

 

[Bassattackr]

Building on what Tree Spud mentions…

With that small of a property I’d want one single food source, located nearer to the exterior of the property.

Turn the interior portions with poor access to bedding/switch/early successional habitat.

 

[rocksnstumps]

^^^ would caution about putting a food source nearer to exterior of property if your neighbors are the line sitting types. I stopped food plotting on a log landing too close to my fence after the neighbors (they lease) relocated their stand even closer to the line to get a better view on to my side. Not saying they ever shot over the line but they definitely wanted to check things out. After several years they have lost interest in that spot and have moved back off the line a little to concentrate more on their side to a field.

 

[Bszweda]

Thanks for all the responses... This is giving me analysis paralysis. The CRP can hold deer, but I wouldn't say its ideal. ( normally only see the big guys in their chasing does not to say they aren't just sitting tight) Right now my property is a travel corridor, and my woods compared to my neighbors isn't as thick as theirs.(only exception being the .70, 1.98, and the 4.62 area), I am going to try and clear cut some of my woods (mainly that big draw).I feel like food is the limiting factor in my area after the farmers harvest their fields is food. I usually hunt all day stands cause of my access. Too make matters worse the wind swirls a lot on my property. I just purchased 3 bank stump 4's (also having analysis paralysis on placement.) The 5 acres of separate food plots is to give me more opportunities.( stretch out the doe groups, and keep them on my property longer, pull in all the deer from my neighbors onto it, and too burn out sections of my property in a controlled fashion to allow for 3 days of fresh hunting if possible) I know planting food plants could hurt me as and benefit my neighbors. All my neighbors gun hunt, but the north east neighbors seem to shoot the most. They don't line sit. All neighbors seem to be respectful . ( I am more guilty of line sitting because of how my property lays out).

 

[Wind Gypsy]

Thanks for all the responses... This is giving me analysis paralysis.

It’s giving me analysis paralysis looking at it too. There is a lot of stuff going on so it’s kind of tough to guess where the movement would be. Are the winds at least fairly steady on the higher ground?

I like the ideas of having a single larger food source in one area to result in more predictable movement. Maybe spread it out a long way linearly if to help with concerns of family groups being stressed by other family groups being present.