Plot advice needed.

[zeus1gdsm]

So it was an extremely sparse year for my buddy's property that we have put a ton of work on over the years.

 

Property : 50 acres. 35 is fallow field with no trees. Severely overgrown and marshy. 25 wooded. Hard woods. Alot of scrub under growth and stick like young trees.

 

Issue: deer only cross through they bed in the field. And cross through his property on the way to somewhere far east of the property. Far enough that they are gone by legal light and dont get back till after sunset.

 

We have an 1/8 acre food plot. If that. In the center of the hard woods. Doesnt grow well due to canopy issues. ( soil tested and limed) and doesnt get used once the snow hits.

 

Property has abundant water from a decent crick that slows good all year straight through the center. And through the woods.

 

Only one sighting this year. Despite a decent amount of trail pics.

 

So we have tons of bedding and water.

 

How large of a plot do we need to cut outta the field to hold the average 10 deer we get on cam?

 

What should we plant in this 2-3acre plot to hold through gun season?

 

We will be paying someone to come in and brushhog then till the soil.

 

I am thinking corn with an outside ring maybe 20 yards wide of clover.

 

Thoughts?

 

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

 

 

[zeus1gdsm]

The field south is all hay every year. Hardly ever see deer in it.

The blue rectangular circled area is anticipated plot location.

Yellow is deer movement based on 6 years of data.

Black is most common wind direction.

Red is bedding. Large portion at top is most used.

Blue line along the right is property line.

Green dots are stand locations currently.

Only viable entry point is the buildings middle left border.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

[zeus1gdsm]

I should that the sought and east borders is a hundredish acre property. 5- 6 guys hunt it for essentially rifle only as far as I know. They tend to hunt sat/sundays. And all of them will be spread out in the property.

Even with all of that activity there. The deer still head through there every day headed to ag fields further east.

North and east borders are highway.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

[Zag]

For me I'd really have to see the grounds first hand. I'd leave the bedding alone and maybe look at expanding your existing plot. Not sure if the timber is harvestable, if so have it logged and have them remove the trees in the expanded plot.

[G-Man]

A stripped field.of clover/ alfalfa, brassica, and a cereal grain should do most.of what you want. You would need a bout an acre of each irregular shaped with pinch points no wider than 50 yards a strip... corn or soybean would be nice but takes a lot more prep to do it right. If field is to wide and open deer will not enter it till dark narrow with angles will allow greater use as well as causing bucks to cruise entire edge to wind/ see it ..a big square field while easy to work up is not good for deer movement as one look into field and buck knows everything in the field

[zeus1gdsm]

A stripped field.of clover/ alfalfa, brassica, and a cereal grain should do most.of what you want. You would need a bout an acre of each irregular shaped with pinch points no wider than 50 yards a strip... corn or soybean would be nice but takes a lot more prep to do it right. If field is to wide and open deer will not enter it till dark narrow with angles will allow greater use as well as causing bucks to cruise entire edge to wind/ see it ..a big square field while easy to work up is not good for deer movement as one look into field and buck knows everything in the field

An irregular shaped plot. I understand the concept but I am having a hard time visualizing it. Can you draw a rough sketch of what you mean?

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

[zeus1gdsm]

For me I'd really have to see the grounds first hand. I'd leave the bedding alone and maybe look at expanding your existing plot. Not sure if the timber is harvestable, if so have it logged and have them remove the trees in the expanded plot.

The timber was logged a 10 years ago. No trees good enough to log. Barely enough decent trees for tree stands. Sightlines in the hardwoods are limited to 20-30 yards due to under growth. Leaving deer many different routes through

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

[zeus1gdsm]

We have been hesitant to strip out the under growth as the deer find safety in it. Other than clearing a lane or two for the stands. And a trail going to the back of the hardwoods.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

[crappyice]

A stripped field.of clover/ alfalfa, brassica, and a cereal grain should do most.of what you want. You would need a bout an acre of each irregular shaped with pinch points no wider than 50 yards a strip... corn or soybean would be nice but takes a lot more prep to do it right. If field is to wide and open deer will not enter it till dark narrow with angles will allow greater use as well as causing bucks to cruise entire edge to wind/ see it ..a big square field while easy to work up is not good for deer movement as one look into field and buck knows everything in the field

Have you read some of G-mans latest posts - listen to him!!!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[G-Man]

If you send me a clean pic of your place with north a d prominent wind direction. Marked I can draw some thing,  bowtie,, hourglass, L shaped , Z shaped, M shaped .all will make a buck come to the pinch points to see as much of the field as possible , or get downwind to scent check it.. plot design is the most over looked thing in plotting as well as talking into account the dominant doe will not allow any other family group in that plot if she can see them , sometime s split up plot allows more deer to feed as different family groups can enter and use the field at same time. Sometimes barriers must be created to make views hard or entry points limited by deer for hunting purposes.   Every property will need it's own design to fit terrain and conditions as well as population

 

[LET EM GROW]

Gman hit the nail on the head. Plant strips and try not to make the plot a perfect square or rectangle. Unless you can run a pass of Egyptian wheat of hybrid sorghum as a screen to divide each section. It will promote daytime activity and deer will feel more secure, not being able to see a long ways, or be seen from a long ways.

The outside strips plant your perennials(clover/chicory/alfalfa) or an annual like oats or winter wheat. Towards the center get in your brassica bulbs and or winter peas.. Lots of options. And if possible you can plant a row of screening between each like i mentioned earlier, and cut a hole in it to get deer to pass through right where you'd like them too.. You can do a lot with what you have there.. 

[Robhuntandfish]

ive got an AG field i hunt and it is a square plot but it also is on a slope .  The longest of the field goes up pretty sharp from the road then at the peak of the hill it drops a bit the other way.  Just enough so that deer cant be seen til you cross the peak of the hill.  And thats always were you find them.  I have to be careful gettign in there and peak over the hill first when its beans or clover, then if its corn sneak all the way around.  But both deer i got this year came from that spot.  So elevation changes also can be a factor for security.  I dont have any control over food plots as its all farmland but this sure helps me out.   

but anything G man said above for doing it yourself and making setups!!!!!

[tuckersdaddy]

2 things..... first is thick undergrowth.... are the deer there and you dont see them during shooting hours? Once deer become pressure cover becomes more important then food, and if you hunt the same stands the deer will catch on.... 2 what are your cameras and tracking telling you? If you don't monitor what the deer are doing (as in figuring out where the deer are going and why) your plots will merely be feed bins at night... also you said you plot is dead by hunting season, is because its overgrazed, or past maturity, or wrong plant for the time of year or a food source outside of the property that doesn't nessatate the deer to feed elsewhere? Homework is key...

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

[goosifer]

I have the same issues and challenges with my property. Hasn't snowed much this year, either, which usually helps to knock down the goldenrod. Now that the vegetation is thinned out, it is amazing to see all of the deer trails. Any way to tell if a deer trail is more than a year old? Hard to believe they are all active given how distinct and used they look.