Food Plots

[YFKI1983]

I dont have the pleasure of having a nice field for a food plot on my property.  I have one field but we have to travel through it to get to and from our stands and it is right by our cabin so I dont think its a conducive spot for a plot.

 

Does anyone have any experience with plots in the woods, near a stand location.  I looked some stuff up and it looks like its pretty simple to do and there are some that can be planted in august but Im not sure what to trust. I dont want to go through the work if its bull @$%#.  Nothing huge of course.

[jfarrell90]

My friends and I just recently built a few small plots on our land in the Catskills. The ground was far from ideal for growing but we lugged up a small tiller (small enough to carry over shoulder with one guy) and a few rakes to break up the ground. Cut a bunch of trees to shed good sunlight and threw down a bunch of mixed seed. Took a bit longer than expected but we are seeing some pretty decent clover growth now and have the deer on camera eating it. It is by no means pretty because some of the growth is spotty and there are tree stumps around but we have decent growth in about 4-6 weeks and the deer are eating it!

 

Good luck!

[YFKI1983]

Thats awesome!  what did you plant (brand)

[jfarrell90]

We used Whitetail Institute. We found that areas that got the most sunlight grew the fastest, which seems obvious but that's when we cut back a few more trees.

[agross]

I went through the exact thing as you did a few years back.  Decided to make some small plots but didn't have the cash or equipment to perfectly clear a plot.  Our property was logged years ago so we started out in the area with the biggest opening (where 3 logging trails intersected).   Have been working on it ever since each year getting bigger and better.

 

The number one tool you need is a chainsaw.  Cut out useless trees ( I left all my oaks) to let sunlight in because nothing is going to grow in the shade.  If you can get the stumps out fine but you don't have to.  I cut mine down flush with the soil and its fine.   

 

This year since it is already late you really don't have many choices to get an ideal plot but something is better that nothing.  Throw out some pelletized lime all over the top of the ground after it is cleared.  I would say if your plot is close to a 1/4 acre you could start with 8 bags and keep adding every year till your soil PH comes up. (do a soil test next spring)  I would weed whack any of the weeds and junk brush around to get a clean slate  to start with and seed with some fast growing sure things like oats, wheat, winter rye.  Winter rye grows anywhere (even on a spot of mud on the bed of your pickup)  You just have to throw it (broadcast) on the surface of the churned up dirt (see below for quad method) and then I just took a big tree branch and dragged it around to cover up some of the seed so the birds and squirrels wouldn't eat it all.

 

My first year I used mossy oaks Green Patch Plus.  It has 2 brands of clover, chickory I think and winter rye.  A bag big enough for a quarter acre with cost you $25.  Seed and apply a bag of starter fertilizer and you should be in business.  I would say you could seed any time up until the first week of September or so depending how north your property is.  Try and do it when rain is forecast in the week ahead because you need it to germinate.   

 

When I first started I didn't have a tractor or a disc so me and my brother just used our quads.  Basically doing donuts and burnouts to turn over the top of the soil. (Could never plow it because of the stumps, roots and rocks)

 

In the spring the clover that was slow to grow this fall will pop out good and it will be a spring attractant for turkeys and deer. 

 

and FYI...I planted 2 plots, run trail cameras over the plots and have had small bucks and as many as 6 does and fawns in my plot from July through October but I have yet to harvest a deer in or around one of my plots..  Bad luck I guess but definitely not what you see on tv.  Well worth it in my mind as it extends you time afield and gets you thinking about hunting all year long.

 

Good luck.