I refused to

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KENBOB10

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Jun 22, 2006
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Benton tn. Polk Co.
put anymore foodplots out on our lease. We've put them out every year and every year I have watched many deer walk through the plots and eat rabbit tobacco off of a stalk. I don't know why they won't eat out of them. It's been turnips, rape, biologic and more things. I'm not gonna waste my time anymore.
 
Yea bud you can't find any evidence they are eating the stuff. They're tracks in them, but they are walking through tracks. I've actually saw them time after time walk through and not stop.
 
Even when the best agriculture is available, more than 50% of a deer's diet will consist of plants other than the aricultural plants.
 
KENBOB10 said:
Yea bud you can't find any evidence they are eating the stuff. They're tracks in them, but they are walking through tracks. I've actually saw them time after time walk through and not stop.
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Bet ha if you put a cage in you would see the difference.
 
Either your ph isnt right, or they are just there when your not there. Like others have mentioned, I would put up a small fence (2ft X 2ft) to see what they havent eaten. Do some soil test and get that ph right, and they will mow it down. It will suprise you. They eat it at some point, no matter what.
 
JCDEERMAN said:
Either your ph isnt right, or they are just there when your not there. Like others have mentioned, I would put up a small fence (2ft X 2ft) to see what they havent eaten. Do some soil test and get that ph right, and they will mow it down. It will suprise you. They eat it at some point, no matter what.
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Yea JC we did all of that. The turnip greens were not touched. I have a stand that is next to one plot and I would watch numerous deer walk past and through the plot and never stop. When they would get to the browse they would stop and start eating.
 
I think food plots are highly over rated.

Fertilize and lime the field and let it grow up. Bush hog every 2-3 years. You will have an abundance of native forage PLUS some weedy cover that deer love to hang around in.

By mowing every so often, you will promote tender new growth and by adding lime and fert. you will keep the plants nutritious and tasty.

Once the deer catch on to being hunted in a food plot they will avoid it during daylight. Give them a field full of 2-4' tall weeds and they will use it much more and later into shooting time. Just be sure you can approach without being detected and have some tall trees to climb so you can see down into the goodies.
 
agree and disagree. agree that natural food is always better no doubt but food plots serve a very good purpose and if planted right and hunted right can be awesome.

the goal IMO for food plots is to draw in Does to which come rut time are where i want to be. I usually try not to even hunt FP till around rut so the "knowledge" is not much of an issue.

we have used FP's on my place in bama as long as i can remember and i have killed some NICE deer off of them almost every year come January.

also sure does add value if you turkey hunt in the spring as well.
 
The most important thing is to have diversification. Dont put all your eggs in the food plot basket. Put a few in food plots, a few in timber stand improvement, a few in letting fields grow up on a rotation, a few in soft and hard mast, etc.
 
richmanbarbeque said:
Good post, Steven.

Fishboy, wish I had more time to play devils advocate. Just hope your feeling(from your surgery) better. :)
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Feeling much better now that I am off those meds Thanks!

I stick by my assertion that food plots are over rated. YES they have their place, but we are sold "plant $$$$$ seed and super mack daddy whomper buck will come".

I am not saying that you can't kill deer in and around food plots. Thinking that you have to have food plots to kill deer isn't necessarily true.

In a lot of instances, you will get more bang for your buck by providing a good "dine and dash" cover buffet like a grown up weedy field. Its not nearly as pretty as a food plot and you don't get that "I made the deer come here to get killed" feeling you get from food plots, but its effective.

IF your property is mostly mature forest with no real food sources other than seasonal mast, food plots can be a gold mine.

Since hunting is elective and recreational for most of us, getting the most bang for your buck is an important factor. Letting an unfarmed field grow up into weedy food/cover is a better investment that trying to create a putting green of preferred salad for the deer in a LOT of situations.
 
I think your right to a degree Fishboy,but the ones of mine I have in mind would be nothing but sedge and Johnson grass if II didnt fight em,HARD.

PLus.....food plotting is fun to me,like to watch stuff grow,last year on opening day of bow,when those does came in my plot and started eating my hard work....man that was a big pay off.
 
i 100% agree they are not NEEDED as much as most think they are...heck you hunt in my spot up in Trousdale and i assure you a FP is the last thing on those deers mind with all the other food that is out there....different strokes for different folks

it all just comes down to the persons goal. FP can be great if you have youth hunting with you and can create more of a "mystic" per se for newer hunters and add more of a wow factor. they work great for what we need on my property in bama with all the pine forests but that same logic does not really apply to my spots up here in TN.
 

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