We're in the process of doing some plot work/expansion/design.
I remember years ago some ideas I read about in DEER AND DEER HUNTING or BOWHUNTER magazine perhaps, but have moved several times and the article was lost in the shuffles from place to place. Seems the idea was small, hourglass shaped plots where the 'pinch point' in the middle was 20 yards or less across and you put your stands in those locations...but that's all I remember.
Does anyone have a resource I could go to, or some thoughts they'd like to share on designing food plots for bowhunters to hunt over AND to assist wildlife in the other portions of the year.
We have some things working against us- sandy soil which will obviously limit the things we can grow- example- clovers don't do well here without an enormous amount of fertilization so they're out for us due to expenses.
We have planted pines, oak bottoms and flats, a big swamp along a river, palmetto flats, and have all the equipment one would ever need to create just about anything you could come up with.
What we need is design and prep requirements to turn them into plantable plots/planting strategies once they're developed into plots/ and ideas on what would be the best crops for our area- which is the low country of SC within the Savannah River basin. It's a mixture as I said of flat as a pancake 'hill' land nearest the paved road that is covered in varied age classes of loblolly and long leaf pine plantations - from 6 feet tall to 100 feet-with a good road system..
That's really where we think we need these plots but we do have a very large, never logged old growth river bottom swamp of white and red oak, cypress, hickory, tulip poplar-with 125 foot canopy that is filled with grape vines running up the trees. There are some open places there we could do limited small plots in.
Additionally, we also have a second growth water oak flat with a floor covering of palmettos and we're open to doing things in there as well.
If we're going to do this- we want to do it as well as we possibly can within our budget and with the tools we have at our disposal- which are considerable.
Ask Dave Balowski aka "Bow Man". ;)
Ray check QDMA website they will give you many great suugestions
As far as food plot you can not beat Legumes I would Recommend Alfafa on Sandy ground over Clover. AlfaRack from The Whitetail Institute is the best out there
If you have some plots that are on wetter ground I would recommend Power Plant it is a Froage bean that will continue to grow after being eaten unlike Soybans it also has Sunflowers and Sorgum mixed in the seed for the beans to climb on
Also don't make the plots square give thim some contour if possible, Not sure how big your plots will be
I sent you a PM. Shoot me an email if you would like.
God Bless,
Nathan
I have found that if You run Your plots North & South, This helps 2fold.
1> Gives shadows to help conceal the hunter.
2> doesn't let the ground get to dry.
Also do some long plots, Like on old logging roads, On the edge of a swamp. If Your also going to cut down trees and make a plot in the woods, Use the fallen trees to funnel the deer in to the plot. Not only do You make them walk where You want them, But You can use them to make ground blinds, blocks the view of the deer so Calls will work better.
been planting plots for years! this is the fun part!!!
design plots north and south. so you can hunt the wind. here we have alot of SW winds early and NW winds late in the year. so design them accordingly to the way the wind blows in your area.
also you can create funnels in your fields with logs or make shift fences. i like the fences b/c you can move them when its time to plant. just take 3 or 4 fence poles or sticks run 3 strands or barbwire across them.(loose) and put them in the field directly across from your stand from the opposite side of the field run it strait at you and stop 15 yards from your stand. this will make them cross between you and the fence! make them just sturdy enought that they will not fall over in the wind. DEADLY!
dont know the type of equipment that you have. you can rent a dozer for a day or half a day to make your plots and move logs. should be around 60-80 $ a hour for the dozer. but well worth it
one more thing lime! lime ! lime! your plots! get the PH right so you dont waist alote of money on fertalizer. and lime is cheap! talk to the CO-OP
Put your plots in with wind direction and travel patterns in mind, and if possible, try to plant small plots in some of your very secluded areas. My experience has been that deer and any other animals for that matter are much more comfortable in small remote plots, and are likely to visit them at any time during the day, especially during the rut.
Ray,
check out www.growingdeer.tv. (http://www.growingdeer.tv.) That's Dr. Grant Woods web tv show and it has a lot of info on it. Even if you don't like watching videos, check out his FAQ sections as there is a lot of good info in it.
I second the QDMA reference as well, lots of info there.
And depending on your moisture levels (being on the edge of a a swamp) planting the plots running N/S or E/W may make more sense. One gives more shade to hold moisture the other lets it dry out faster.
If you can pick your places to put them in go with the best soil possible while considering predominate wind direction. Also try leave plenty of irregular edge and vary the size. For hunting plots smaller is better and the hourglass shape is a good one.
Every property has it's own good and bad points so considering all angles and options before dropping the disc is the best method. It tok me a few years but I finally learned to spend my money on soil tests and fertilizer first and then seed.
If you want a lot of info, PM me as I've got some great books I'd be happy to loan you.
Hope you had a very, merry Christmas!!
QDMA has a terrific book- i think its $35 but its helped me a ton
I'm in Ky with Ohio River frontage on my farm all bottom land. We have found soybeans and alfalfa to be very good for us as long as we follow a soil sample instructions. I do a soil sample every year for about $3.50 it's one of my best tools. But with beans and alfalfa you have to stay ON TOP of the soil so an alternative might be some type of turnip and I've had good luck with Marshall Ryegrass (@ 19-22%) protein and doesn't require hardly any upkeep just min. fertilizer.
When you talk about the size of your plots you need to make them big enough that the deer don't eat them down to the dirt before season comes in. If you have a bunch of deer on your property they can clean out small 1/2 acre plots in pretty short order. Clover plots can handle it, but most clovers have been designed to handle heavy grazing and mowing. Annual food plots like soybeans might need to be somewhat larger. Soil testing is a must. It will save you in the long run.
Nate is correct about the size of the plot.They are also harder to prepare b/c you have to stop short to turn the tractor leaving bare ground.The best I have found is long narrow or wide ones even if they make slight turns.I like to plant rape with my other grains.Rape does not get sweet till a frost then they really hit it, so in S/La. it makes the food plot last longer.I mix oats,soybeans,rape,austrian winter peas,clover and some wheat.Kip
Yep QDMA site is a good source
Get a soil test.
Ray try Iron Clay Peas or soybeans (not the Roundup ready ones) also contact Pennington Seed Co. they are very helpful they know alot about each county and what will work for what you want to do.
i can only do small plots and have had good success with brassicas. I plant in the fall to limit the deers time in the food plot to hunting season and help prevent overgrazing. That being said, when the plants mature or frost over.. they dissappear QUICKLY
I'm sure if you contacted a state biologist - they would be willing to help you out also - just a thought - good luck .