One of My Take-aways From This Season

[Osceola]

In addition to my larger plots, I put in a couple little micro food plots of about 1000 sq. ft. this year near stand locations. I just cleared, sprayed and threw down some rye, radish and clover. I didn't expect much, but thought it couldn't hurt and my effort and cost was minimal.

They didn't come in very thick and were so small, I felt they were probably of no value at all, but, surprisingly, I had deer hitting these areas well into November. Even when they had been browsed to the point where I couldn't visually see anything growing, deer still came to root around a little before moving on to other food sources. These were located in secluded transition and staging areas between bedding and larger food sources, so I may have seen these deer with or without the planted food, but it was nice to have them stop on their way through. I ended up shooting a buck on November 10th as he stood in one checking for does.

I'm sure the effectiveness of secluded micro-plots varies by location, but, for whatever it's worth, these sorry looking, weedy little openings really proved their worth and improved the quality of hunting in my neck of the woods.

 

[Jeff H]

I put one in last year also. The idea was not necessarily to feed the deer but to give the does a reason to pass by a very specific area dragging Mr Biggs behind them. Mine also had frequent use but no Mr Biggs this year. I have another inside a sanctuary as an added feature for them to be on that particular ridge. I hunt them on the trails coming out of that area. I think they will get better each year as soil improves.

 

[Cap'n]

I did the same thing. I put in 3 small plots in staging areas or travel routes with rye, radish, red clover and brassicas. This is the 2nd year and the plots are much improved over last years, and the deer are visiting daily even though I have 70 acres of cereal rye on the property. I didnt even spray I just mowed, came back 2 weeks later and mowed again and seeded. I timed it with rain in sept. and it worked out great. All 3 are set in small openings in the woods along trails that lead from sanctuary's or bedding areas to food or water.