Food Plots

[Culvercreek hunt club]

Seems like a hot topic so let's see where we all fit in. Pic the one that best suits the majority of your hunting

[Geno C]

This should be good.... 

and lets hear the truth.

[Doewhacker]

We don't do them, instead we hunt in the area of a human food plot   The farmer does farmers markets and the deer destroy alot of his various crops every year. This year the deer ate about 300 ft of carrotts over night on him.

[Pygmy]

My fiance owns about 100 acres, half wooded and half  old hayfield.. I put in 2.5 acres of clover along the back of the field, along the woods...

My friends and I take from 4 to 6 deer annually from the property.. . We hunt stands in the woods adjacent to the clover plot, but nobody has actually hunted over the plot.. . It's not that I have any problem hunting over the plot, but so far we have done well hunting travel routes between bedding areas and the food plot...Also, the woods are mixed oak/hemlock, and often the deer prfer the acorns over the clover, especially during daylight hours..

I have entertained the idea of building a Texas type tower stand to hunt the clover plot, but it hasn't happened yet... Maybe next year...

[Bleitten04]

I don't use food plots and I don't have a problem with people who do or really how they use them.  I think that smaller ones are more ethical though.  I might use one some day I just don't know enough about them yet. 

[steve863]

I don't own my own hunting land so I don't plant food plots on it.  We manage to kill deer without them.  Since we kill deer without them I don't think I'd ever waste my time planting them.  I don't have anything against anyone who does hunt over them either, but I think food plots are much like AR's and QDM's where hunters claim that it benefits the herd, but in reality it mostly benefits the hunter since he IS using it for hunting purposes.  As Geno pointed out in the other thread, we just need to be honest about it.  We could probably count the people on one hand who plant food plots without any hunting intentions behind it.  I have no doubt that one would have way better chances of seeing a moose or bald eagle in NY state than one of these non-hunter food plot planters.  Heck, maybe even a mountain lion!  LOL

[Culvercreek hunt club]

Shame on you Steve

You forgot Bigfoot

[steve863]

I heard food plots actually benefit bigfeet.  Constipation is a serious problem among the bigfeet and the green leafy veggies from food plots are a godsend! 

[Fantail]

... This year the deer ate about 300 ft of carrotts over night on him.

Bet he was none to pleased about that.

I am trying to learn more as I go about small food plots, there are few if any farm feilds near my lease so the idea was to increase available brouse since the few apple trees there did squat. This year, I seem to have found out how to create an expensive bedding area because I planted oats about a month early. But I believe the correct food plot can draw and help sustain wildlife. Some of the plot images that have been posted cast no doubt. I think a plots success depends on several factors, including trial and error. It is also one of the legal things we can do to try and better the season, if you are inclined and have the property to do it. I would rather spend the money on a plot instead of urine, scents and other gizmos. Even a small plot I've found gets me out to the property more in the off season and while the jury is kinda still out on final results the learning experience was enjoyable.*

*except for maybe when frankentiller found a slab of rocks or roots.

[SplitG2]

I don't own my own hunting land so I don't plant food plots on it.  We manage to kill deer without them.  Since we kill deer without them I don't think I'd ever waste my time planting them.  I don't have anything against anyone who does hunt over them either, but I think food plots are much like AR's and QDM's where hunters claim that it benefits the herd, but in reality it mostly benefits the hunter since he IS using it for hunting purposes.  As Geno pointed out in the other thread, we just need to be honest about it. 

How do you even attempt to reply to that quote?

Steve, it seems if somebody doesn't believe in your opinions than they are liars?  Wow.

Well,here is some honesty...I plant foodplots mostly to provide tonage for the deer, keep them on my property and yes to shoot them :  It costs me over 2k a year in habitat improvements every year...come to think of it over the past 6 years I have only taken one deer out of a plot.  I guess I'm wasting my money lol.

[Doewhacker]

I heard food plots actually benefit bigfeet.  Constipation is a serious problem among the bigfeet and the green leafy veggies from food plots are a godsend!

Yes but Chloryphill pills are even better for them, thats why I dump some out on the ground when I see sign of them. I guess thats baiting? and you are talking about food plots.. damn

Yes Fantail, he was pissed, but he deals with it every year. He gives us an anual dead deer quota to fill and every year the number goes up..Damn slave driver farmer. The field that the deer ate up the crops he lease's the rights to farm and the owner will not allow hunting. Its ok because we hunt not to far from it any way and I'm sure we see some of the same deer that eat up his stuff. Its not unheard of to drive by and see 30-60 deer in his field towards the end of the season.

[steve863]

I don't own my own hunting land so I don't plant food plots on it.  We manage to kill deer without them.  Since we kill deer without them I don't think I'd ever waste my time planting them.  I don't have anything against anyone who does hunt over them either, but I think food plots are much like AR's and QDM's where hunters claim that it benefits the herd, but in reality it mostly benefits the hunter since he IS using it for hunting purposes.  As Geno pointed out in the other thread, we just need to be honest about it. 

How do you even attempt to reply to that quote?

Steve, it seems if somebody doesn't believe in your opinions than they are liars?  Wow.

Well,here is some honesty...I plant foodplots mostly to provide tonage for the deer, keep them on my property and yes to shoot them :  It costs me over 2k a year in habitat improvements every year...come to think of it over the past 6 years I have only taken one deer out of a plot.  I guess I'm wasting my money lol.

Show me where I called anyone a liar here??  You can spend $100,000 on food plots for all I care.  It's your land, you can do what you please.  I have had success hunting without food plots and see no need for them for my hunting purposes.  If you want them, then grow them.  Telling people that food plots would be planted by very few if it somehow didn't benefit their hunting is surely not calling anyone a liar.  Only pointing out the truth, like a usually do.

[Geno C]

i will be ONE of the honest ones here... i do indeed do food plots, i actually like spending the time to make them and seeing them grow. On the flip side of that coin i do like the benefits that "can" come along with it. It does not always have the rate of success we all want to believe it has but it is a fun past time making them none the less and i "DO" hunt my food plots.

i have stands very close by if not off of the food plots when i hunt. i DO NOT souly rely on my food plots however as we know mother nature is NOT always on our side.

answer = yes i do food plot and yes i hunt them...

[Geno C]

i just want to put this out there... although there are not alot chiming in right now. MAJORITY claim they plant food plots and do not hunt them. this is a twist off of what i was reading in the other thread.

wheres the hunters defending the fact food plots are completely different then baiting?

seems everyone plants them and doesn't hunt them, this is pretty funny now. do we have undercover DEC agents in here that we should be afraid of? lol

[SplitG2]

"Only pointing out the truth, like a usually do."

everyone we need to start listening to Steve863, he has the TRUTH.

[Culvercreek hunt club]

We have a small quarter acre plot of clover about 40 yards from our cabin. We are a mile away from any road and it really is like hunting the big woods. A few oaks and some beech but other than my plots it is a mile down the hill to the nearest Ag crop. The deer have been hitting it a bit but we have yet to see one in there. Taking the trail cams up this weekend.

Since we put it in, Dad has this vision of him taking a deer out of it in his slippers with a cup of coffe in his hand from the front porch. Don't think he is no ethical guys....The biggest part of his fantasy is he does it while I am out on the property freezing my butt off....lol

[SplitG2]

Geno, can't speak for everone else but my main goal in planting foodplots is providing tonage for the deer.  I do hunt them but seldom do I harvest a deer from them.  I sit back in the woods most of the time and get between bedding and feeding.

[steve863]

Geez, some mighty sensitive souls around here!  So SplitG, why don't YOU tell us the truth then?  If you weren't a hunter would you be spending your 2k on food plots just because you didn't want the deer to go to sleep at night with empty stomachs??

[Geno C]

We have a small quarter acre plot of clover about 40 yards from our cabin. We are a mile away from any road and it really is like hunting the big woods. A few oaks and some beech but other than my plots it is a mile down the hill to the nearest Ag crop. The deer have been hitting it a bit but we have yet to see one in there. Taking the trail cams up this weekend.

Since we put it in, Dad has this vision of him taking a deer out of it in his slippers with a cup of coffe in his hand from the front porch. Don't think he is no ethical guys....The biggest part of his fantasy is he does it while I am out on the property freezing my butt off....lol

thats funny, hey whatever works right lol

[burmjohn]

This is my first time ever doing a food plot & having land of our own.  I setup stands both on the food plots and plenty off the plot.  I have never had to opportunity to hunt a field, food plot or any kind of semi-open area.  I have yet to decide where I'll be sitting on opening day.  And I do not think that a food plot is the same as baiting.

[Culvercreek hunt club]

I hope he gets to do it b4 they close the lid on him....It would make his season to be sitting there and tell me to go get it and gut it...lol...never taking the slippers off...of course

[Culvercreek hunt club]

I am with you John....I would put a stand on the other plots.....they are too secluded and do not offer as good of a rifle shot. I do not hunt bow there so our palcement is for a larger view of approach routes

[SplitG2]

If I wasn't a hunter I wouldn't be putting in the tradition food plots as you know them to be but still and have in the past planted soft and hard mast trees.  Is this honest enough? 

Steve, my whole point to this is I don't know you from adam and if you say you believe something(doesn't matter what) than who am I to say that's not true it has to be this? 

[Culvercreek hunt club]

Steve you liar!!!----I dind't know your name was Adam

[SplitG2]

Steve you liar!!!----I dind't know your name was Adam

Now that's funny!