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Started By
Message
Food plots for dummies
Posted on 1/26/26 at 3:54 pm
Posted on 1/26/26 at 3:54 pm
In January 2025 I purchased a 160 acre (square) property in area 4. It was clear cut in the early 2000’s and never thinned since. It’s mostly pine with scattered oaks, but completely wooded. Not much underbrush and none on probably 85% of the property. Where it does get a little thick, I can see plenty signs of bedding. There is a constant water source that goes through the property and has one main road that needs work, but I plan on tackling that asap. In the one year I’ve had cameras out I’ve seen does, fawns, a spike, 6 point, 8 point, 10 point (2 consecutive days only, but recently), lots of hogs/coyotes and a few bobcats. Also tons of raccoons/rabbits/squirrels/etc. but not sure that matters. There is zero grass/green anywhere on my property and also surrounding it, so my thought (possibly “dumb”) is that adding a couple food plots would be very beneficial to the future of the property in regards to hunting. I’m very capable of putting in the work myself, but not against other options. I only live 15 minutes away and have a Kubota with front end loader/grapple and box blade with rippers. Also have a friend closer to the property than me who has skid steers, dozers, excavators, etc. Deer flies are brutal here when it’s warm, so I’d like to start asap.
Questions:
Is there a company/consultant who would advise on locations/sizes of food plots/stands?
If I go at it alone, what should I plant……and when?
If I’m incorrect in my approach, please tell me why and offer a better alternative.
Thanks!
Questions:
Is there a company/consultant who would advise on locations/sizes of food plots/stands?
If I go at it alone, what should I plant……and when?
If I’m incorrect in my approach, please tell me why and offer a better alternative.
Thanks!
12
Posted on 1/26/26 at 4:09 pm to HES
Food plots would help but nothing beats what Mother Nature has to offer. A little forestry management would be best for your woods. Deer are naturally browsers so any native vegetation and sprouts would do wonders along with adding a couple food plots to property.
Open that canopy up and allow sunlight to hit the open ground. Not only are you helping with food but also cover so they feel secure. Also couple prescribed burns on different burn schedules would help. Just my 2 cents and what I’d concentrate on 1st.
Open that canopy up and allow sunlight to hit the open ground. Not only are you helping with food but also cover so they feel secure. Also couple prescribed burns on different burn schedules would help. Just my 2 cents and what I’d concentrate on 1st.
Posted on 1/26/26 at 4:11 pm to HES
They will definitely feed on rye grass but it nutritionally lacking. They get very little from it.
You would be better off having summer and fall plots.
summer pilot of vetch, soybeans, or other gives the deer much better protein to grow.
In the winter I plant a mix of clovers, oats, cereal rye, wheat, winter peas, rape and turnips.
The deer took a couple of years to figure it out but the will eat the turnips, rape and peas to the ground and then start on the other plants.
That mix gives them what they need. Also gives turkeys cover for nesting if you don't plant in the spring.
You would be better off having summer and fall plots.
summer pilot of vetch, soybeans, or other gives the deer much better protein to grow.
In the winter I plant a mix of clovers, oats, cereal rye, wheat, winter peas, rape and turnips.
The deer took a couple of years to figure it out but the will eat the turnips, rape and peas to the ground and then start on the other plants.
That mix gives them what they need. Also gives turkeys cover for nesting if you don't plant in the spring.
Posted on 1/26/26 at 4:56 pm to HES
Narrow plots make deer less wary but make sure they’re wide enough to get at least 6 hours of sunlight. Buckwheat and cowpeas for a spring/summer plot. Fall plots are wide open with options. I like to plant a cereal grain, a legume and a brassica. My current mix for October planting is Triticale, dundale pea and bayou kale. This mix did well in red clay dominant soil located in area 4 near Greensburg. Also there is a plethora of knowledge on habitat talk forum and good luck.
Posted on 1/26/26 at 5:40 pm to HES
I wouldn’t be able to resist having a mulcher come in and clear one large plot in the middle of the property 3 to 4 acres in size, mostly because that’s not feasible where I’m at. Regardless, sunlight hitting the ground is what feeds deer, and they can’t climb trees. I would look at hinge cutting to encourage natural browse, thinning around hardwoods to reduce some competition, but not change much else. Burning is an excellent way to get forbs established if you can manage it. Short of that, drag your box blade and break dirt anywhere you can get to.
On 160 acres you aren’t in charge of enough property to truly manage the herd, but it’s more than enough room to encourage regular use and for plenty of deer to take up residence there. Goal should be to provide food, water, cover, and keep human presence to a minimum. Sounds like you’re about 85% there.
The standard plot mix is winter wheat, cereal rye, and oats planted when rain is coming in late September or early October. Most folks will add clover and brassicas to this but those three do the heavy lifting. You can do a soil test to find what’s really needed but lime at 2 tons/acre is almost an automatic result along with 100 lbs/acre of 13-13-13 at planting.
On 160 acres you aren’t in charge of enough property to truly manage the herd, but it’s more than enough room to encourage regular use and for plenty of deer to take up residence there. Goal should be to provide food, water, cover, and keep human presence to a minimum. Sounds like you’re about 85% there.
The standard plot mix is winter wheat, cereal rye, and oats planted when rain is coming in late September or early October. Most folks will add clover and brassicas to this but those three do the heavy lifting. You can do a soil test to find what’s really needed but lime at 2 tons/acre is almost an automatic result along with 100 lbs/acre of 13-13-13 at planting.
Posted on 1/26/26 at 6:18 pm to TheDrunkenTigah
Currently have 20+ years of pine needles on the ground. Is your recommendation to remove that and expose some bare soil to sunlight?
Posted on 1/26/26 at 6:44 pm to HES
You need to focus on a forest management plan first. In the meantime, figure out where you have fertile soil and topography conducive to growing a crop. Hire the dozer an excavator to clear.
Posted on 1/26/26 at 6:56 pm to HES
The straw is a symptom not a cause, it’s there because there isn’t enough sunlight to allow anything else to grow. Disturbing the soil, either by fire or mechanically, will release the seed bank and encourage more of what you want. I was assuming it was regrown naturally after the last cutting but that sounds more like planted pine if you have areas shaded out heavily enough to leave a straw carpet. In that case I’d let the loggers do the work for me and just ask that they leave thinner areas and hardwoods standing, assuming your sole use of this property is wildlife/recreation.
Posted on 1/26/26 at 7:17 pm to HES
You need to offer food your neighbors don’t offer. I’d like one large, destination food plot. Feather the edges and be able to access and egress without spooking deer.
You’ll have a better chance of killing a buck if he beds on your place. Sanctuary is needed, the larger the better. It will have bedding cover and humans will never enter it.
You’ll have a better chance of killing a buck if he beds on your place. Sanctuary is needed, the larger the better. It will have bedding cover and humans will never enter it.
Posted on 1/26/26 at 7:18 pm to HES
Have you got enough pine trees to cut? I’d start there
Posted on 1/26/26 at 7:39 pm to shamrock
Once you disturb the soil, prepare yourself for a potential explosion of sweet gums. Using the Craig Harper cocktail and the hack-n-squirt method should allow you to keep them under control. Also, Check out Craig Harper, Grant Woods from Growing Deer TV and the guys from Land and Legacy(there are many others). They all have some information that may help you decide on a plan of action.
Posted on 1/26/26 at 7:48 pm to HES
If you want, email me at woodbirdtd at gmail and send me info on where it’s at. I’m definitely not a consultant but have done what you’re wanting to do on several places and enjoy fooling around on Google Earth and OnX. I’ll work something up for you and email it back to you and you can do with it whatever you like.
You’re definitely going to need to get a dozer in there to make much of a change. Opening up food plots, putting in fire breaks, etc. You’ll be able to use your tractor for maintenance but definitely need something bigger to get things started.
You’re definitely going to need to get a dozer in there to make much of a change. Opening up food plots, putting in fire breaks, etc. You’ll be able to use your tractor for maintenance but definitely need something bigger to get things started.
Posted on 1/26/26 at 8:12 pm to HES
The best thing I did to my property was hinge cutting. Research it and carefully locate the areas. Only go into the area every Jan/Feb when you are freshening up the locations. The buds offer food, protection, can help funnel deer the direction you want etc. They definitely kept more bucks on my property.
I also thinned around white oaks and fertilized trees, hedges, etc deer could feed on. Plant some persimmons, crab apple and fruit trees. I don’t even do food plots anymore.
I also thinned around white oaks and fertilized trees, hedges, etc deer could feed on. Plant some persimmons, crab apple and fruit trees. I don’t even do food plots anymore.
Posted on 1/26/26 at 8:18 pm to HES
When you get the dozer in there to work the road, go ahead and “daylight” the road. Clear at least 20’ on each side. You can strip disk sections in the fall in addition to planting cereal grains and clover in the fall in strategic spots.
Figure out your access into plots so you can slip in/out of stands without spooking game off the plot. Do not create plots where you have to drive through them.
MSU Deer University, any podcast featuring Dr Craig Harper, etc are good starts. Pierce Young at MS State Extension is putting out good content as well.
Figure out your access into plots so you can slip in/out of stands without spooking game off the plot. Do not create plots where you have to drive through them.
MSU Deer University, any podcast featuring Dr Craig Harper, etc are good starts. Pierce Young at MS State Extension is putting out good content as well.
Posted on 1/26/26 at 8:28 pm to TheDrunkenTigah
quote:
HES
If you can put 10% in food plots, that’s good.
I prefer hour glass plot design because I archery hunt 100% of the time.
Start by selecting where you want to put your plots in and pull soil samples. Once you get the results back amend the soil as needed. Not doing this will cost you lots of money in the long run
I’ve never been much on spring/summer plots because I have my place on a summer burn regiment.
Depending on whether you want turkeys or not, you may want to thin and allow some sunlight to the ground. In addition, if you have a creek running through the property you may qualify for funds from NRCS/USDA to not harvest hardwoods.
You can use your local NRCS/USDA biologist for help. It’s free and they do a good job of helping you draw up a management plan.
As for fall/winter plots, it really depends on how much work you want to put in. Don’t want to fool with it every year, plant clover. Enjoy turning the first over and getting your hands dirty, plant a mixture of wheat, soybeans, brassica and Oates.
I like mixes because deer like to move around while feeding. The different seeds planted will come off at different times and allow the deer to forage around the plot searching for the most desirable plant at that time of the season.
This post was edited on 1/26/26 at 8:30 pm
Posted on 1/27/26 at 7:55 am to HES
I’m no land manager, but recently ran across Dr. Bronson Strickland, biologist at MSU for several yrs. He has really good data from a study (i.e. clean bell curve) showing deer tend to spend significantly more time in food plots sizes at 4 acres (3-5 acres). It hits a good balance of forage availability and animal use. Usage picks up to 3-5 acres and then begins to drop off as the plot size becomes larger. Thought that was interesting.
Posted on 1/27/26 at 9:47 am to HES
Before you start putting in plots, I would talk to the NRCS about getting enrolled in the CSP program. While there isn't an enhancement specifically for food plots there are other activities (timber thinning, burning, patch openings, etc...) that you can get paid to do that go hand in hand with food plots. For example on a tract I bought about 5 years ago that sounds very similar to yours, I've done patchwork burning, thinned to a 60 BA, marked my SMZs, put in patch openings, and few other things and got paid to do all of it. I put my food plots in after the logging operation so that the loggers would mess up existing plots, to position them correctly long term based on residual timber stand, and to save some money on equipment costs. Putting iron in the woods gets expensive quick.
Posted on 1/27/26 at 10:33 am to HES
What state are you in? Many states offer free consulting services for landowners - as an example, here's a link to the Private Land Program in Mississippi.
You're on the right track asking these questions now, on the front end!
You're on the right track asking these questions now, on the front end!
Posted on 1/27/26 at 11:14 am to Red Stick Rambler
quote:
in? Many states offer free consulting services for landowners
I tried calling and emailing MS forestry commission for an eval of my 45 acres and they didn’t respond for a month. On a chance I called MS state extension and had a very helpful guy come out. Gave me recommendations on forestry practices, foodplots, invasive weeds etc.
This post was edited on 1/27/26 at 11:15 am
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