Food Plots the Simple Way

[Osceola]

Hi Guys. I have friends ask me from time to time to help get them started with food plots. I've written the attached booklet/article/paper documenting my simple methods of food plotting, much of it learned on this forum and others. It's not complete, but I thought I would run it by you guys to see if anything stands out as egregiously false or misleading. Take a look and let me know your thoughts. I don't know what I'll do with this other than share it with friends, but I may self-publish or submit to some publication when complete. I think this could be helpful to novice plotters who want to start out simple and economical.

 

[MarkDarvin]

You can't fit it all. There are too many variables to make a single guide. A book may not even do it.

I'd talk about how to get a good soil test report (w/CEC, base saturation, and micros), and how to pick the right lime and make the right lime rec based on their soil type. You can't drive blindfolded. I wouldn't food plot blindfolded either.

From there, I'd ask questions before you start with any answers.

What is your goal?
Attraction or tonnage?
How big is your plot?
How much do you want to invest?
When do you want food?
What kind of equipment do you have?
How often can you work on it?
What is your readiness level for using chemical?
How much total time do you want to spend on it?
What do you have access to for seed, chemical, fertilizer, rental equipment?
How long is your growing season?
What zone are you in?
Wet ground or dry ground?
Sandy soil or clay?
What do you want to plant next?
Do you have a high or low deer population?

That's just what comes to mind now. If just one of those questions is different from person to person, the answer may be completely different.

 

[Osceola]

You can't fit it all. There are too many variables to make a single guide. A book may not even do it.

With all due respect, Mark, your post is the kind that overwhelms novice food plotters. I'm trying to give them a place to start. Then all the nuances you bring up can be answered over time for each property and manager.

 

[MarkDarvin]

And I emphasize the complete soil test part of this. I had perfect soil pH, and good P&K but couldn't get my deer to eat my perfect looking clover. I went back and looked at my results and realized I had zero sulfur in my soil. The flavor nutrient was missing.

I threw on a 300/lb/acre rate of gypsum, and the deer started eating it all season.

 

[jsasker007]

I thought rye grass was something that deer do like to eat but was not a good option for a foodplot because it is really hard to get rid of and will take over other things you might be trying to grow?

 

[jsasker007]

Maybe a disclaimer stating options for different regions of the country will vary depending on growing seasons and climate? Things up north won't survive in the summer heat and vice versa. Give a link to this forum would be a great option then they can come here and ask questions specific to what they want to achieve. Good luck sir

 

[MarkDarvin]

With all due respect, Mark, your post is the kind that overwhelms novice food plotters. I'm trying to give them a place to start. Then all the nuances you bring up can be answered over time for each property and manager.

Those considerations can ward off years of painful learning, failed plots, and wasted dollars.

I wouldn't wish rye duff on anyone that didn't know it was coming, buying the wrong lime, too much lime, not enough lime, wasting white clover seed on a spring planting, broadcasting oats in a dry region, white clover on a dry clay hill, soybeans in a small plot, corn in bear country, clover without a mower, how to plot a no-duff situation etc.

I wouldn't touch the topic with anyone unless you can finish the conversation.

 

[Osceola]

Thanks for your suggestions, jsacker007.
My understanding is deer generally don't eat any grass unless they have to. Maybe they do eat rye grass, but if it was preferred, even if invasive, I think more managers would be using it. After all, clover can be pretty invasive once established. I've heard rye grass gets included in some commercial food plot mixes because it's cheap filler and germinates well. The only habitat use I've ever heard it recommended for is soil erosion control.

 

[shawn cox]

Thanks for your suggestions, jsacker007.
My understanding is deer generally don't eat any grass unless they have to. Maybe they do eat rye grass, but if it was preferred, even if invasive, I think more managers would be using it. After all, clover can be pretty invasive once established. I've heard rye grass gets included in some commercial food plot mixes because it's cheap filler and germinates well. The only habitat use I've ever heard it recommended for is soil erosion control.

annual rye grass and cereal rye are two totally different animals, One is for your yard and the other is a very valuable food plotting tool. Check out LC's threads.

 

[jsasker007]

I was just giving feedback about if deer eat rye grass as the op requested some proof reading for accuracy---I only plant rye grain myself but have heard of some bob seed mixes having the grass in their mix which I agree would be a no-no but I thought that deer actually do like the grass.

 

[Cap'n]

I think your info is good and will help people. You don't have to teach on an advanced level if your goal is to get people started in the rewarding and beneficial aspects of plotting and or habitat improvement. I like, and agree with the way you broke down the different type of plots and their uses.
I have 70 acre of cereal rye on my place every year and I can tell you it isn't a big part of our deer's diet. You would think it would be but they will walk right across it to get to wheat or acorns. I can count on one hand the times I saw deer enter the field to graze it during hunting season. They may browse as they are crossing it but it could be dormant bermuda and they would browse it just as well. This may not be the same everywhere but it is where I am. Cattle sure like it though.
I have 3 "transition plots" which I always called convenience stores, on my place and they are not even 1000sq ft a piece. I put them on travel routes and bow hunt them. They are invaluable to me because I get pictures of every deer that uses or crosses my land and we only take 1 buck a year off the land so they play a part in showing us which ones are shooters and which one to let walk. You can't do that with a big plot as easily. I plant them with a bob seed that has triploid or tetraploid annual rye in it ( plus clover & brassica's) and it wont spread to the cereal rye because it's sterile.
Tetraploid Annual rye is a great cover crop ( as is turf type annual rye ) and has many benefits that cereal rye doesn't, like biomass and greater root depth and keeps nitrogen in the soil so it is helping your clovers and brassica's get a better root system and improving tilth in the soil. And it leaves behind some nitrogen for a summer plot. And the deer do eat it.
The seasonality of when to plant in what ever zone you live in can be shown in a zone map, and probably should be since some folks don't yet have an understanding of when to plant or what to plant.

 

[Osceola]

Thanks for taking the time to read and provide feedback, Cap'n.

 

[Chainsaw]

You have an excellent start on it Osceola. One small edit that could be made "Oats die after a couple of frosts" to "Most oats die after a couple of frosts. Some though are much more cold tolerant than others. BFO (Buck Forage Oats) for one while more expensive than bin oats is much more cold tolerant than a couple of frosts and actually takes a lot of freezes to kill it. There may be others but if so I am unfamiliar with them.

I agree with Mark that the subject is huge with conditions, soil types, deer populations, weather zones etc. being so different that one size just doesn't fit all but I also agree that everything involved is too much all at once . Also I have fields that throw and mow just plain hasn't worked for me while in others it works pretty well. I'd consider the approach that this is the easiest least complicated way to grow a food plot with the least amount of equipment and it works between 50 to 100% (guessing on the 50% based on my experience here) depending on so many variables that a try it and see to begin with is worth a shot on small plots or parts of large plots.

I also think that when it comes to complete food plotting design and technique that articles written by the late Paul Knox has it covered. I don't believe he has the entry level addressed as you are working on however. If I'm mistaken on that anyone please point it out.
Thank You

 

[Triple C]

I also think that when it comes to complete food plotting design and technique that articles written by the late Paul Knox has it covered. I don't believe he has the entry level addressed as you are working on however. If I'm mistaken on that anyone please point it out.
Thank You

Dave...You said a mouthful right there! I still reference his "Getting Started" thread.

 

[Cedar Ridge]

Hi Guys. I have friends ask me from time to time to help get them started with food plots. I've written the attached booklet/article/paper documenting my simple methods of food plotting, much of it learned on this forum and others. It's not complete, but I thought I would run it by you guys to see if anything stands out as egregiously false or misleading. Take a look and let me know your thoughts. I don't know what I'll do with this other than share it with friends, but I may self-publish or submit to some publication when complete. I think this could be helpful to novice plotters who want to start out simple and economical.

Very nice write up. I’m contemplating moving away from discing and will definitely give some of what you referenced a try this year. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Osceola]

I also think that when it comes to complete food plotting design and technique that articles written by the late Paul Knox has it covered. I don't believe he has the entry level addressed as you are working on however. If I'm mistaken on that anyone please point it out.
Thank You

Thanks for taking the time to read and comment, Chainsaw. I am definitely a disciple of Paul Knox and I'm sure you can see his influence in my food plot system. The one problem with his "Getting Started" threads is page after page of posts with other posters comments thrown in intermittently makes it hard to easily digest. Most of his photo's have disappeared from the threads, as well. It's just a tough format for me at least. I really wish Paul had written a book while he was living.
Paul was a traditional tillage farmer and food plotter. The no-till concepts really took off after he passed I think. My attempt here is to introduce "the simple way" to get started. I realize "throw-n-mow" is not for everybody, but it's a good place to start for a novice without a tractor and implements.

 

[Mennoniteman]

Planting is the key, a novice plotter needs to be prepared for some planting failures. Once you have a crop growing, a mistake or two in spraying, mowing or reseeding won't be huge. But new guys need to pay attention to planting details.

 

[Bowman]

Waiting for year 2.

 

[Tap]

You can't fit it all. There are too many variables to make a single guide. A book may not even do it.

I'd talk about how to get a good soil test report (w/CEC, base saturation, and micros), and how to pick the right lime and make the right lime rec based on their soil type. You can't drive blindfolded. I wouldn't food plot blindfolded either.

From there, I'd ask questions before you start with any answers.

What is your goal?
Attraction or tonnage?
How big is your plot?
How much do you want to invest?
When do you want food?
What kind of equipment do you have?
How often can you work on it?
What is your readiness level for using chemical?
How much total time do you want to spend on it?
What do you have access to for seed, chemical, fertilizer, rental equipment?
How long is your growing season?
What zone are you in?
Wet ground or dry ground?
Sandy soil or clay?
What do you want to plant next?
Do you have a high or low deer population?

That's just what comes to mind now. If just one of those questions is different from person to person, the answer may be completely different.

I don't disagree with any of that list, but as the OP said, throwing a list of questions like that at novice plotters can be overwhelming and even discouraging.
I think the questions are all valid, but how, or even if, someone should food plot starts with your #1 question..."What are your goals?". The answer to that single question will lead the plotter's mindset in specific directions. Once they start breaking it down by "goals", then the subsequent questions and answers may not seem so overwhelming...take one question at a time.

Probably a good follow-up question to goals, is "Are your goals realistic within your parameters? If the plotter's answer to goals is to grow B&C bucks and he lives in South Florida for example, then that may not be very realistic for him. The answer to that question alone may dictate how many of the other question should be addressed.

Hey, whether it's food plotting, trophy hunting, meat hunting, or almost anything we do, starting out by defining realistic goals should be the 1st place to start.

 

[buckhunter10]

I havent had a chance to read this yet but I have read the comments on here and I am anxious to give this a read. I think most have hit on the great points. With new soil plotters, keep it easy.

1. Soil test
2. goals of plot
3. how to plant
4. Observe, ask questions, adjust methods.

You can overwhelm even an experienced plotter with the number of questions that get tossed out at time.

Mark - that is a an interesting point about lacking sulfur in soil. I havent noticed my plots not getting eaten but I am going to dig into my soil test results more and see if I have overlooked anything.

Keep up the good work guys!