Deer Food Plots Made Easy By Dr. Judy McFarlen Copyright 2008 Judy McFarlen, All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise, without the permission of the publisher. ISBN: 978-0-9809947-0-4 For additional information please feel free to visit our website www.diydeerfoodplots.com/ We welcome your comments and feedback or questions anytime. jmcfarlen@diydeerfoodplots.com Chapter One Food Plot Design Strategies By keeping in mind the instinctual behaviour and perception of deer, along with some very basic science, you can come up with several strategies for managing deer and their food plots on your property. Photo by Paul Tessier
Most hunters become interested in food plots because of the utility of plots for attraction and harvest during hunting season. It is often said, when it comes to deer hunting, he who has the food wins! During the rut, the food is where the does are, and the bucks are out there looking for them. After the rut, the bucks are under pressure to find nutritious food to recover from the rigors of the rut and to increase fat stores in preparation for the winter. The concept of food plotting is to create and enhance available food sources. This, in turn, may influence deer travel patterns. Whitetail deer are selective feeders, consistently eating in their home range as long as palatable food is available there. Lucky for us, they will also move to other areas if better options are made available. Once a person starts food plotting, they often develop a secondary interest in habitat management. What starts out as a project to create a single hunting plot can turn into a lifelong passion for native resource management as well as creating both feeding and hunting plots. Larger scale habitat management includes water, tree resource and deer population management. If you are interested in larger scale management of your deer herd, the best resource I can suggest for food plots and their relationship to habitat management is the Quality Deer Management Association s: Deer Steward Certification Courses. http://www.qdma.com/qdma/reach-certification.asp
Plants That Are Important To Deer Throughout most of the year, food and cover is pretty much the number one and number two things on a deer s mind. Photo by Paul Tessier The nice thing about habitat management is that, over time, many habitat features can be improved, managed or added to better suit the requirements of your local deer population. Property features considered ideal for growing plots and managing deer herds include: mast producing trees creek beds adequate cover ability to create areas of transition open areas for growing feeding plots accessibility for equipment but not too much road traffic adequate rainfall optimum soil conditions Deer behaviour and preferences are such that you can use information on favoured food sources to both pick an ideal plot location and use it to your advantage for game viewing. Some of the plant categories you will often read about in relation to deer food plots are crops, forbs, shrubs, and trees.
Photo by JPecha Crops: This is the category of cultivated plants grown in food plots. In general, they refer to agricultural crops grown in selected areas and chosen relative to their nutritional or taste properties. Some of the more common ones used in deer food plots are clovers, brassicas, alfalfa, chicory, soybean, corn, and peas. These plants have various functions in addition to nutrition. They can be invaluable in providing cover for slower growing plants, nutrition for the soil, and cover for the deer and can also be used to channel deer along certain favoured routes. Forbs: These are what many of us consider weeds, but are scientifically defined as herbaceous plants (anything not grasses). While deer utilize forbs as a food source and do exploit their use for cover, they are of particular importance when it comes to competition in your food plots. Diversifying forb species in existing native cover can have positive results in creating great deer habitat. However, forbs do compete for resources and are often of poor nutritional quality when compared to cultivated crops. For some plot owners the forbs are considered a full time project when it comes to controlling them. Shrubs: These are basically the bushes or brush. Deer will also take advantage of this food source option, especially so in times of stress, and will take advantage of the cover shrubs provide. Trees: The mast bearing hardwoods, fruit bearing hardwoods, hardwoods and softwoods are all used by deer for food and shelter. Mast-bearing hardwoods: Oak, beech, hickory and chestnut are the ones deer prefer. Within the oak family, deer prefer the white oaks as red oak has a bitter taste in comparison. Examples of white oak are; post oak, white oak, chinquapin, and chestnut oak. These trees generally produce acorns every year. Red oak examples are red oak,
black oak, pin oak, willow oak, and water oak. Most of these bear mast every two years. Beech trees seem to be inconsistent with mast production but deer do love these. Fruit-bearing hardwoods: Apple, pears, cherry, persimmons (all time favourite), and plum trees are the most common. Deer will take full advantage of both the fruit and the leaves. Deer hunters love these trees, especially when they are ripening at hunting time. Other wild fruits deer lover are wild grapes, scuppermongs, muscadines, mulberries, and sumac, osage orange fruit, maypops, paw-paws and honey locust. General Hard Woods: Maple, birch, ashes, elms, and gum trees are notable here and provide cover and food depending on the conditions and area. Soft Woods: Pine, spruce, cedar, hemlock, firs and junipers also important for food and cover; pending conditions.
Prevailing Wind You will want to know what the prevailing wind direction is most likely to be during the time you will be hunting or photographing game. Photo by Kevin Law Prevailing wind is important because deer have an exceptionally keen sense of smell. The goal, of course, is to remain downwind of the herd so that your scent and that of your home or stand are not immediately apparent to the deer. Hunters and game photographers know to keep the wind in their face to prevent at least one of their quarry's five senses from giving them away. It doesn t matter if you live in the hills, a valley, or on a wide open lane, every location has a usual direction that the wind is blowing from. The macro prevailing wind is the easiest and obvious to most people. Wait until a brisk and you can just walk out there and note which direction the wind is blowing. The micro prevailing wind is created by topography differences. For instance, living in a valley can focus winds right through the valley, even if it runs north and south. If you live on a plain, even a small hill can redirect winds to whip around and appear to be coming from a different direction entirely. Some coastal areas have winds that are driven by ocean currents to come from the south. You may even live somewhere where the wind comes from one direction one time of the year and another in the other months. In these situations, you may need to use smoke bombs or gliders to determine the overall wind pattern in this selected region. Consider where the deer will enter your property, whether clinging to the edge of a wooded area or emerging from a game trail in the woods. You want to envision the
shape and location of your hypothetical plot by imagining where they will enter onto the property. Imagine them being funnelled with the wind at their backs, just in front of your blind or stand. Make sure to arrange the plot to shield the entrance to your stand or blind from scent detection. While you can't determine wind direction without error in most locations, you will likely be able to hedge your bets. Cover and Maximum Interface If you want to see deer in your food plots during daylight hours, one of the key concepts you should consider is maximizing interface. The interface is the area where the plot meets the cover. The deeper the interface area, the safer deer feel when entering and using the plot. Consider that deer, with their giant rotating satellite ears, bolt at just about any sound unless they are acclimatized to it. Deer feel much safer staying close to the woods while feeding so they can make a quick escape if necessary. During daylight hours, if deer feel exposed, they will generally stay out of plots until dusk or dark. They make exception to this rule only when native forage sources are extremely poor. Combine the feeling of safety with a good nutritious plot and you will have a winner. At the edges of a forest there are also new areas of plant growth, which is younger and more succulent, encouraging deer to eat there. Such seams of diverse vegetation offer the benefits of naturally drawing animals to browse. By having a great deal of botanical and animal diversity in a relatively small area, there is a little something for every animal at these margins, and deer are no exception.
Photo by David McManus Islands Corners and Peninsulas Islands, corners and peninsulas all maximize the surface area where cover and fast growing forage collide. This meandering edge provides deer with a desired sense of security yet accommodates the hunter by allowing changes in position in response to varying wind patterns. Islands are even better than peninsulas at providing cover for bucks. In fact, since bucks will rarely venture out into even a small plot, preferring to stay just inside the tree line, the island gives the buck the illusion he can get closer than usual to the does feeding in the food plot without revealing himself. Using the thick cover of trees or brush that juts out between open areas (peninsula) is a way to use natural cover to your advantage. This can also be accomplished by planting shrubs into the field to form cover, or cutting trees and shrubs out of an already existing wooded area to form a food plot grazing area. This is by far the most common method used. In mild climates, you could set up trellises using trees already in nearby wooded areas and plant veining crops for instant curtains of cover. Hops, fuzzy kiwi or bramble berries work well for this type of plan. The best crops to give the herd cover are the rapidly growing ones in your area, not just edibles.
Photo by Bharat Ram Much like islands and peninsulas, the corners of existing fields offer many of the same advantages, especially when grass is tall enough to put bucks at ease. Corners commonly provide two distinct vantage points, giving you an option to move your cover if the wind changes. Feather Edging The technique of feather edging is a practice of softening the interface between plot and woods. Here, you plant a transition crop, something like corn, sorghum, wheat, and sunflowers. This gives a buffer between your plot and the trees, helping deer feel more confident when entering the plot. An ideal choice here would be something that would grow rapidly and come in densely.
Plot Shapes You can use whatever shape of plot you would like. It really just comes down to how easy is it to access, manage, and get access to game. A common design is the wagon wheel look. This is where the spokes radiate out from a central and often circular spot. The plot plantings themselves are within the spokes between the wooded areas. The spoke themselves are created by clearing trees in bands. The advantage of this format is that deer can approach from multiple directions and are never very far from cover. People also use rectangular plots, especially for feeding plots, because equipment access is easier and more effective. Smaller, irregular shaped plots are often used for hunting. These are often maintained using ATV s and attachments or managed by hand if small enough or access is limited. The width and length of the ideal plot is often determined by hunting method. Plots used for bow hunting are often less than 1 acre and narrow and those used for rifle hunting can be larger and limitation is often tree stand or blind location. Photo by Susan Adams
Trails and Access Roads Logging and access roads, as they grow back, can be quite narrow, winding and boarded with high grass or brush on each side; just how deer like it. Photo by Eric Ward The biggest consideration here is access for equipment, sunlight, prevailing wind and soil conditions. If possible, try to set up with the prevailing wind perpendicular to your access-road hunting plot. If the ground has been logged recently, the chemistry of the soil may vary from being in good shape to being compacted from the weight of heavy logging equipment. These areas may require deep tillage to improve soil conditions and promote productivity. You may also have to cut additional trees to get enough sunlight. Even the most shade tolerant plants require 4-6 hours of direct sunlight daily in peak growing season. Also, just like modern logging operations, very steep slopes, areas right up against a water supply and areas in a northern shadow of a mountain should not be cultivated. Often these logging trails lead into clearings, possibly allowing you the opportunity to simply use a broadcasting seeding technique which requires very little equipment. It may even be amenable to the use of hand held equipment. However, most locations require some type of amendment to grow productive food plot crops.
Photo by David Baron Wildlife and perimeter trails are walkways cut by wildlife movements. Deer also follow old creek beds, ravines, and other contour lines. Given that most wildlife trails tend to be more remote, you may find the need to do most things manually or with an ATV. You will find these trails when you go scouting. Look especially for trails that run into the wind. Deer only go out of their way for something really good and even then rarely more than a mile. With some careful planning, you can deliver something they like close to their normal route of travel. If your land is in a somewhat hilly region with low moisture and mild winters, the bottom of a slope can be a good location for a plot made of hearty grains. As long as there is really good cover around the clearing, they may be used largely for the convenience of hunting from on top of the hill or on the slope. You will generally have a good vantage point to view deer entering your plot. With some restrictions, low points should always be considered while searching for good food plot locations. Be aware that frost can gather in the low spots in what is called frost spots. There are some limitations to what you can grow in an area like this because some tender crops just don t do well. If there is standing water in the spring, the growing season is short, or the slope is too extreme, this should be considered a poor site for most planters. However, if the standing water generally retreats mid season and there is time for pre-planting weed control strategies, then the use of fall annuals may be a good option for this location.
S t e a l t h T a c t i c s an d D e s i g n The deadliest location for a food plot is below a north-south ridge. Photo by Paul Tessier A-Way Hunting reported some interesting research results in Whitetail News in fall of this year (2009): Volume 19. No 2. Page 31 If you know about A-Way Hunting you know they develop their own products. They do research on potential problems with hunting aids and they try to find a solution to the problem and develop a product based around the solution. These people are serious about research. They spent a lot of time and effort designing research around two key problems with plots and came up with some interesting and useful answers to those hunting in and around your plots. Those looking for key locations to develop plots will want to consider this research seriously. The two of the key problems were defined as: 1. Many hunters place permanent blinds overlooking plots and then hunt them with a rifle or shotgun and often notice that the smarter larger deer become more nocturnal in their visits, or outright abandon the plot. 2. Most bucks enter food plot in the evening, stage in the nearby woods prior to entry near dark, and leave the plot before daylight thus impacting the ability for harvest in daylight hours.
They planted a 2 Acre Rectangular Plot with Chicory Plus and Alfalfa Rack Plus (Whitetail Institute). At the 100 and 300 marks there were inverted L shaped subtle shooting lanes placed. By subtle, they meant, there was a tree or scrub removed here and there so deer wouldn t notice, but a shot could be weaved through an opening. It did not refer to a big clearing pushed out of the trees. Each lane went approximately 150 yards in each direction. The duplicate shooting lanes were place at either end to allow for wind changes. 300 yards PLOT 100 yards 100 yards 300 yards Here are the findings: 1. When guns were fired deer in the food plot were started but soon went back to eating. 2. Deer staging in the evening would cross the 100 yard mark almost an hour before dark and stage at 50 to 75 yards from the plot while waiting. 3. Deer left the plot one to two hours before dawn, but the most interesting finding was that after they travelled past the 100 yard line, they tended to linger for more than two hours before they crossed the 300 yard line. The moral of the story here is: don t hunt immediately over your food plots and use the timing and distance information above for better stand placement around your plots. If you keep these points in mind when placing your hunting plots, you will be met with better success year after year. Thank you for previewing Chapter One of Deer Food Plots Made Easy by Dr. McFarlen