habitat question

diamond hunter · Sep 14, 2014

I have a small patch of woods on my property that is about 5 acres that is surrounded by soybeans and woods by my hunting neighbor.On one side of it I can keep about 5 acres of soybeans that the farmer harvests and reclaim about 5 acres of field on another side if Id like to.My question is would you straight up rather have one big 5 acre field of overgrown junk that used to be soybeans or would you add about an acre of foodplot to that area for winter food and let the rest of it grow up.The reason I want it to go back to woods is because It would connect that 5 acre set of woods that is basically no mans land for me to my main sanctuary.I am in an area where there is an abundance of agriculture and by keeping an acre of food plot it would just give me more to do and enjoy for myself.Tha question is add the foodplot or leave it all cover.

muddyboots · Sep 14, 2014

Grown up field

BSK · Sep 15, 2014

If I had to choose one or the other, I would choose cover. But I would try to produce both. I would need to see exactly how that area is arranged, but if possible I would create the connector of cover between the two wooded areas while running a long narrow food plot along the outer edge of the connector.

Hunter 257W · Sep 15, 2014

Sounds like you have the same situation I do with lots of agriculture but not enough cover. I like your idea of adding the 5 acres of cover by letting the bean field grow up, especially since this will connect the existing 5acres of woods to your other woods/sanctuary and hopefully get some traffic between the two. Since you have a lot of agriculture you may not need much food plots area but I'd still keep 1/2 acre for Winter feeding if it were me. I'd try to put it inside the 5 acres so deer would feel more secure using it too. That helps guard against poachers too if they can't easily see deer from outside your property.

tn droptine · Sep 17, 2014

I would let the field grow up really thick but keep a strip about 20 or 30 ft wide between the grown up field and the woods and use it as a food plot. Long and narrow is what I prefer, as the deer should feel more secure in the plot since they will never be far from cover

BSK · Sep 17, 2014

Hunter 257W said:
I'd try to put it inside the 5 acres so deer would feel more secure using it too.

If you don't need to hunt the plot, slipping it into the middle of the connector of cover is a great way to increase attractiveness in the area. Deer are much more likely to use a plot surrounded by good cover.

If you DO want to hunt the plot, put the food plot along the outer edge of the cover.