Would a very small woods plot be a waste of time?

[RoadKill44]

I too tried the Throw & Grow without luck. Possibly because I raked the leaves and planted in June. The exposed soil, dry conditions, lack of sunlight and pH were probably all against me. Still the number of oaks seems to produce what the deer are looking for and no harm was done. It can be tough making a good spot better.

 

One thing I did do was to clear a path like Growalot mentioned. I call them shooting lanes never more than 6 to 8 feet wide and never more than 5 or six lanes all radiating from the blind. The fallen limbs and brush cleared from the path are leaned and tangled into trees and brush on one side of the path creating a fence of sorts. Deer passing through end up walking toward you in those paths. I also do not touch the brush in the blind area unless it's obviously blocking a shooting lane. Even then I'll bend it over three feet above the ground to create natural blind and living browse. I leave a lot of the area untouched and avoid clearing out too much. A deer standing in a heavy brush area or behind a hemlock blocking your shot, will eventually step into one of the shooting lanes.

 

A second suggestion is to ask the owner if you can clear a few trees from around those oaks you mentioned. That will help them produce and open sky for more low browse to grow. As you said the green paste in the gut is probably grass or clover. If they have access to grass or clover you may have a hard time competing with their current source. Any low browse near the blind is something different and provides a cause to linger while passing through. 

Edited February 11, 2016 by RoadKill44

[Five Seasons]

I had 20 deer a sit and numerous mature bucks in a small spot I hunted. A very small, and I mean like 60 x20' clover plot and some apple trees had them following a pattern that preciously was unpredictable. Do it!

[RoadKill44]

I almost mentioned planting an apple tree or two. But that would be a chore. You'd need to open the canopy a bit, plant and fertilize the tree, protect it with fence for a few years and all on someone else's property.

[G-Man]

Back in the early 80s a video was made by whitetail visions called tricking whitetail bucks, lots of good ideas and they do a rake ,or till method in the woods as well well before the food plot craze took off, they had a whole series of tips and techniques series if you can find it you'll learn more than you can watching and reading the last 5 years of tv shows stuff on nowadays, stand placement,making crossings, all covered in detail with little or no expense, best thin is no commercials and product endorsements

.... they didn't exist back then!!

[Berniez]

Plant Clover.  With a small plot  50 x 50 you are just interested in having them slow down in front of your stand while they are going someplace else... not a bad idea  It's an attractant not a food plot. 

[Zag]

I think it depends on the density of your deer heard. If you have alot of deer than id say it might not be worth it. If you do plant id go with something that will regenerate after being browsed. I did a 1/2 acre ish plot with brassicas and they wipped it out before bow season.