whitetail food plots tips

As a rookie deer hunter, Wayne Bills had one of the best cases of beginner's luck in recent memory. and it gets hunted long and hard. Unless you have a planter designed specifically to handle various sizes of seeds in one pass, diverse mixes can be tricky. As it turns out, Collins got a whole lot more than he bargained for. The landowner that controls the afternoon feeding movement is the one that can influence herd and hunting results for often the entire neighborhood. The buck was given back to him, and his longstanding place as the No. However, if you are doing a great job, you will create herd and hunting opportunities that include mature bucks. Finally, stand locations and access routes for numbers 1, 2, 11 and 12 can be used to safely hunt evening food source locations. Ideally you'll know they do before planting, but it's easy to get lured into taking chances on new crops. How 3 Top Whitetail Outfitters Grow Killer Food Plots If an outfitter’s food plots don’t produce, it can mean tough hunting for clients and lost business. The difference in overall quality relative to the local habitat is what has the ability to change the health of the herd, and not the ultimate quality of the planting itself. In fact, on the four acres of food plot on which I arrowed this buck, name-brand seed was used, but it still was put in for under $200. An obvious way to see if you and the bucks are just on different daytime schedules is with cameras. McGarvey's safety harness got an assist in this case, as he almost fell from his tree after spotting the deer but was held in place by the device. In many cases, plot location is at least a partial culprit. Then conditions must stay favorable long enough for the plant to develop a sufficient root system and begin putting on healthy growth above ground level. Quality Seed and Blends beat Cheap Seed and Mono-Plots Most low-end, low-cost food plot seeds also deliver low performance. And then they're quick to blame the seed company for failure when something else entirely was the culprit. Nearly all forages grow better in tilled soil than untilled. In fact, the more attractive your food plots become, the more carefully you need to manage that level of attraction, before your ultimate potential of herd and hunting opportunities have quickly eroded away. The buck scored 202 3/8 B&C and is officially listed under both names. Years later, Jansen's curious nephew took the rack in for scoring. Soybean Food Plots. McGarvey killed the buck — which scored 199 5/8 B&C and holds the No. While on a hunt on the North Saskatchewan River in 2006, Tarala and Berezowski both fired on the same deer, at exactly the same time. 18 spot on our list — at 10 yards in Edmonton, Alberta. The most inaccurate misconception when it comes to food plots is that they're too expensive for the average hunter to plant and maintain. Bruce Ewen was hunting in Saskatchewan in 1992 when he downed this massive buck, which scored 202 6/8 B&C. Choose the Right Load for Your Muzzleloader, What You Need to Know About Decoying Bucks, Preparing for All-Day Sits in the Deer Woods, Scouting Deer Bedding Areas: Locating, Creating and Observing, Training to Shoot When Stuck at Full Draw, Wireless Whitetail Work: Moultrie Mobile Does it All, No Matter the Season, Deer Orchard Work Brings Big Benefits to Whitetails, Balanced Land Management for Healthy Herds & Hunting, Plotwise: Tips for Maximizing Your Whitetail Food Plot, plant when deer are focused on another prime food source, Deer Factory: Northern Climate Warm-Season Food Plots, On Target: Tips for Handgun Hunting Accuracy, Deer Herd Health and Antler Development with Mineral Supplementation. While "mature" is all relative based on your parcel size, region and personal aspirations, you can't consistently shoot mature bucks without doing a great job with your herd and habitat management efforts. This plot is better than the V or U for increasing forage amounts, but it still takes advantage of a whitetail’s curious nature and funnels them into range. In my experience, deer prefer to hit their afternoon food source dependably, about 90 minutes prior to dark. As any parent knows, it's not always easy to teach your kids how to share. In a show of good sportsmanship, they came to the mutual decision to share the deer, which holds the No. This is particularily true when including mature bucks, adequate buck age structure and improved sex ratios. Yes, much can be done to create the best food available for your deer. Learning how to set up and maintain good whitetail deer food plots is the key to increasing whitetail population on your property.. What I have implemented the last 3 years works. 16 on the all-time typical whitetail list. Even if your food plots have the ability to change the health of the herd during any season of the year, the health of the local herd may be still negatively influenced if your efforts are creating nocturnal herds that include young bucks and deer your management efforts target to protect, that live on your neighbors land during the hunting season. As a college student in 1969, Jeff Brunk didn't have any intent to kill a trophy deer — just to fill his tag. 13 typical whitetail of all time, which scored 201 B&C. We went from no resident deer to well over 40 deer at any one time grazing in our fields. That's actually solid advice for any food plotter. This will not only establish consistent deer movements to each plot based on the same diversity designed to hold deer for the entire hunting season, but it will keep the deer herd from infighting and higher herd stress levels. With a buddy and an old beat up pickup, Switsun went after the deer after sighting it one evening while doing chores. 17 typical on our list. As the story goes, Johnson was a diehard archer who'd sneak out to hunt every chance he got, whether it was after work or on the weekend. He killed it in Macon Co., Ill. Peter Swistun was a Saskatchewan farmer who lived in the middle of nowhere. I'll show you how to master the surprise release and introduce my new plots. All North American Whitetail subscribers now have digital access to their magazine content. Any piece of deer hunting ground can be made better in two ways with the right food plots. With a couple of spots he'd obtained permission to hunt near his work, McGarvey headed out to find a monster closing in from 200 yards away. In particular, I've found time-lapse cameras helpful for confirming the extent and timing of daytime plot use. Planning Food Plots Research indicates that 1/2 acre is the average size of a whitetail food plot. These become great staging areas for deer before dusk. Bright lights in your city lights, all right. Even if a club controls a lot of acres, there are a bunch of members, and one will be sitting over the "best" plot every time there's a hunter on the place. How can you argue against a food plot species that provides protein all summer long and during late spring that suddenly turns into a food source that can provide grain even with a foot of snow on the ground? I have seen a great increase in the deer herd and the size of deer. Hansen killed the world record holder, which scored 213 5/8 B&C, in Saskatchewan after the bus driver told him which field it had been hanging out in. After years of searching, Stewart located the rack and returned it to his home, where it now resides. Proper thinning of the right areas is an effective way to start the regrowth process. Other variables frequently come into play. Because he knew the rack was special, Stewart kept the rack in his garage. Fall food plots consisting of winter wheat, oats, and rye can often be established by broadcasting over recently harvested crop fields, over other food plot species (such as soybeans or peas), or over freshly sprayed (glyphosate) fields. Your success will not simply be found through the creation of pretty food plots, but instead by making sure that you match your food plot efforts to the following proven concepts. However, for most lands, you can count on the extremity of the movement (including mature bucks, young bucks, does and fawns) to be roughly 300-400 yards. Why? That also means that they are exposed to neighboring levels of hunting efforts that may not mirror your own, they are more likely to choose somewhere else to feed during the afternoon and ultimately, that your potential of herd and hunting influence is greatly reduced. This could be due to the draw of some other food source, such as fresh acorns in the woods, but it also could mean your plot is so far from good cover that the bucks feel exposed. Hot Spots: Place your primary stand at the mid-point of the stem, where it meets the two legs. You see fresh tracks and droppings, and exclusion cages indicate deer are feeding there. Interestingly enough, the buck had a broken brow tine but was still able to place high in the record book. Cartwright was hunting in Stevens County in 1992 when he connected with this 200 3/8 B&C trophy, which is the No. As the video explains, QDMA has grown successful no-till food plots using only a mower, a backpack sprayer, an over-the-shoulder seed spreader, and an ATV cultipacker. Regardless of how you achieve it, you need to plant the larger seeds at the right depth, then come back over the top and broadcast the small seeds. The diversity of plants in a mix naturally increases the chances of getting some plants to grow, but it also means conditions probably won't be equally good for all of them. Most cultivated deer forages have long histories as livestock forages, and millions of dollars have been put into researching them. If you aren't going to plant them at the right depth, don't complain about having been sold "bad" seed when your crop fizzles. And I mean nothing. But plenty of hunters like James Cartwright know what treasures the state holds. Easy Steps For A No Till Food Plot: Turning the clock back all the way to 1999, my annual no till food plot process began in the early Spring, when the various grasses and broadleafs were in their first aggressive growing phase. With these moveable, solar-powered systems you can keep virtually all deer off the plot until you're ready for them to start hitting it. He spent a few days watching a group of does, then finally put a stalk on a buck that'd been chasing them. You can't have one, without the other. The bucks bed too far from the plot to get there before dark. Food plots are so popular these days, even most states are now planting them. 1. Keep in mind, Johnson killed this world record holder in the 1960s, well before archery became what it is today. Germination — the act of sprouting — is a perilous process. Their main functions are to draw deer for harvest and provide nutrition. Bedding areas need to be in place, secure movement between bedding areas and a diverse food plot that provides food for the entire season, all have to be in place as well. 5 Reasons Food Plots Fail – Don’t fall victim to one of these five common food plot mistakes. While you can build a nocturnal parcel with high numbers of doe and fawn, even if the herd stress levels are high, you can count on mature bucks to learn to completely avoid the area during the day. Viewers see TV hunters sitting on plots and shooting nice bucks. One way to minimize this problem is to try to plant when deer are focused on another prime food source in the area, such as a nearby soybean or alfalfa field. No-till planting equipment like seed drills can be very expensive, but it’s possible to do no-till food plots with very minimal, low-tech equipment. This is a serious consideration. Fall and winter plots are what attract and keep deer on your property, but it’s the summer nutrition that gets them ready for the taking. As with many hunters in the 1960s, Minnesota teenager Wayne Stewart wasn't out looking for a huge set of antlers. Only after approaching did he realize what lay before him — a 199 4/8 B&C trophy that ranks No. Planning, Planting & Managing Food Plots It can be extremely rewarding to effectively plant and manage a food plot and see the results of your efforts: improved visibility and quality of wildlife! Even if the bucks are bedding far from the plot, there's a good chance at least some does and fawns are staying close to the food supply. Mature buck hunting, herd and habitat techniques. But as you might have found, a good-looking plot isn't all it takes to have a great hunting spot. Show me your bright lights and your city lights, all right. This alone increases chances that hunters to score on public hunting land! Some plots look good but never produce good hunting results. Improve the nutritional benefits that your land offers local deer. (There's way more growth inside the cages than outside them.) Each of your plots, should carry the same food plot combo, across your entire parcel. I am revealing these food plot tips to you for free because at WHS, our mission is to deliver quality and proven whitetail content to you. Many novice food plotters unknowingly all but dare plants to grow. The art of advanced food plotting goes well beyond a pretty field of green. Don't hesitate to ask anyone what to do or not to do to grow better forage. Is quality deer management all about shooting mature bucks? If you have to walk through it, drive through it or just as importantly - blow your scent into it, push your sound into it or allow deer to see you from whatever distance, make sure to shrink the plot, screen the plot or get rid of the food plot all together. He first saw deer feet moving in his direction, then realized it was a decent sized buck. Nearly anyone can accomplish advanced food plotting results however, there is a whole lot more strategy that goes into food plotting, than growing pretty fields of green. 15 all time. This often involves a herbicide treatment or mowing. This is the best location to get a close shot opportunity. Having food plots within reach of an entire afternoon movement alone, will not provide success. You don't need video before you shoot, so you need not worry about pre-roll or camera light. 14 all time typical whitetail. Not that it's impossible to get a decent stand by just throwing seed onto the ground, but it takes the right plant and the right conditions. The same goes for cereal grains, such as oats, wheat, rye and triticale. "They plant it too deep," he told me. After studying and designing food plot programs for over 600 parcels in 22 states, I have experienced several extremely important food plotting concepts that have been proven over and over again. Subscriber Services. (It's especially hard before leaf fall.) Planting food plots is at the same time hard work and fun work. Give a Gift   Let's face it, single food plot varieties are attractive and useful for only 4-6 weeks at a time, during the Fall. When deer choose to avoid your land during the hourse of daylight, that means that they are living somewhere else during the day. In low population wilderness settings I have found that movement can be a mile or more. Bucks will then bed behind the doe family groups and young bucks. Sometimes hunters just lack self-control. Stand locations 3, 8 and 9 can be used for mid-day cruising hotspots and potentially all-day rut sits. 20 typical whitetail of all time, killed by Tom Dellwo in 1974. If you want to try a "no till" plot, first look for someone in your area who's done it successfully, and ask a ton of questions. 11 typical whitetail of all time, scoring 201 4/8 B&C from the state of Iowa. It’s very rewarding to see the fruits of your labor hanging on the wall no matter who fired the shot. It's still possible to plant food plots without expensive equipment. Creating some of the best late season plots will mean you should plant more than one type of plant, much like you do with summer food plots. Period. The afternoon food source movement is where the true power of food plots really shines! After all the stories we hear of people who've kept trophies in their basements for years before having them scored, it really makes us wonder how many world record animals are out there. The sheds are also in the picture. As you look ahead to planting time, here are some points to ponder. Food plots have the ability to improve herd health, but only if they target times when the local habitat is at it's worst - not best. As with many hunters, Ewen said he was simply at the right place at the right time. The key is to look for travel routes and focusing on areas with wooded escapes on most sides. When Jordan went to check it out, he was shocked to see the buck he killed many years prior. There is a distance based on the overall percentage of cover in your neighborhood, that deer are used to traveling to their afternoon food source. However, you should not be disappointed when access to wide open fields with the perfect pH is hard to come by. In blackpowder hunting, details always matter. Several universities and public agencies have published online materials on food plot development and maintenance. We already know what whitetails eat, and we know what tends to grow best. It's also home of the No. No problem! If there are fresh rubs on trails and scrapes under some branches overhanging plot edges, it might be time to set up a 24/7 trail camera. The X-6000 series is the latest top-notch wireless trail camera option from Moultrie. At the same time, you can't pat yourself on your herd and habitat management back to much, without creating quality hunting and herd opportunities that include mature bucks. Sign Me Up! Again, I'd be cautious about going far at all into the cover. Instead, Stewart was on a deer drive with family members, simply looking to fill a tag€¦and his freezer. When you control the afternoon food source movements by following these 10 advanced food plot tips, you have the ability to mold, shape and control the deer herd for the entire neighborhood; even on parcel sizes of 40 acres or less! Enclosed is a picture from last year, a 16-pointer scoring 181 3/8 inches. He didn't find a glass slipper, but something even better — a 200 1/8 B&C whitetail and the No. Deer feed 5 times in a 24 hour period and that daily clock resets during their afternoon food source movement, every single day. Breen had an extremely successful hunt, too, killing this 202 B&C trophy buck, which is the No. One reason is Robert Smith's Pendleton County buck, which was killed in 2000 and scored 204 2/8 B&C. I absolutely love soybeans, they are hard to beat for a whitetail forage and late season food source. What separates the best from the rest? *When you allow afternoon food plot movements to continue for several weeks into the season, the deer can become "sitting ducks" when it is time to hunt. There are a lot of solutions out there for deer hunters who want to plant food plots and not break the bank. And that can bring its own concerns. So there's at least one stand on each plot . This is a serious consideration. After a few hours Jerman came to his senses, crawled back home for some sleep and then went back for another go-round at 3 a.m. I've seen plots in deer-heavy areas go untouched because the crop just wasn't attractive — at least, not to those deer at that time. You can't necessarily afford to be that aggressive. If not created correctly, food plots have the potential for as much harm as they do good. When these concepts are in place, you will find an incredible level of success. Even in an open area we can't start taping when legal shooting light begins, and we must quit before it ends. Whitetail Deer Food Plots. There were no celebrity hunters or TV shows, and most hunters didn't spend a lot of time thinking about what kind of mount they'd get — if they even kept the rack. They consistently reach it after the end of shooting light and are gone again before dawn. As it turns out, Jansen's whitetail is the No. Jeremy Moore talks about the importance of your deer dog's physical conditioning. ©2021 Outdoor Sportsman Group. best whitetail food plot‘s a vision from coast to coast, sea to shining sea. Forage plants tend to produce huge numbers of seeds because, in nature, few survive to turn into reproducing plants themselves. 10 typical whitetail of all time. In many northern areas, deer have several times more food than they need, during the growing season. Absolutely not! I'm reluctant to tramp around in nearby staging areas just to check for sign during open season, but a bit of cautious intrusion might be necessary. Not necessarily. If you can manage both the risk and reward of food plots, you can control the most important deer movements within the neighborhood. While food dictates and defines the daily afternoon food source movement, it also works to dictate and defined deer bedding opportunities. The most reliable movement in the deer woods, is the time of the day that bedded daytime whitetails travel to their afternoon food source. Should you be planting food plots in the first place? If you have acres of cover outside of the typical distance of afternoon movement, you will have acres of random and non-dependable deer use. Jansen kept the antlers for years in his shop, where he hung belts off of them. Depending on plant species and variety, some combination of temperature, light and moisture will trigger a seed to germinate. Try asking yourself these 5 food plot consideration questions: If you can answer yes to each of those 5 questions, you are well on your way to becoming a successful food plotter, deer manager and deer hunter, on your favorite hunting parcel. Finding just the right balance between benefits to the deer and to the hunter is an art. If you've planted a seed mix, rarely will all of the plants in it establish equally well. Most experts suggest a 1/4 acre minimum size although some hunters clear small remote areas, known as “micro plots”. Some time later, a relative of Jordan's told him about a trophy whitetail mount he bought at a garage sale for $3.

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