New Food plot feedback

[bearcat]

I've got some clearing work starting on the farm next week. I'd like to put in a new food plot in that is long and narrow.
I was thinking about something that cuts diagonal across my timber and snakes it way through the bottoms. For ease of drawing, I just added a rectangle to my map, I have plenty of trees in there to hang stands from as well as access from many sides. Until it gets very cold, I get a lot of winds from the SSE.
The dark green you see are all the Eastern Red cedars which are being thinned out as well.
Instead of have a few small plots, I like the idea of one long linear plot.

My original thought was having it go east to west along the south fence line leaving the middle of my property undisturbed.

 

[Buckly]

Just make sure it’s wide enough to get proper sun. Narrow plots can be problematic with growth around the edges and you only get 1/4 of the plot that actually grows anything. But, I’m not sure what your thinking is narrow. Personally I don’t go less than 150 ft wide. That still makes easy shots but gets more sun on the plot.

 

[bearcat]

Just make sure it’s wide enough to get proper sun. Narrow plots can be problematic with growth around the edges and you only get 1/4 of the plot that actually grows anything. But, I’m not sure what your thinking is narrow. Personally I don’t go less than 150 ft wide. That still makes easy shots but gets more sun on the plot.

I was thinking about that wide with buffers on both sides


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[RGrizzzz]

Long and straight is the easiest for planting. Less turns!

 

[bearcat]

I may stick with the plot that is parallel to the property line. I will probably do about40- 50 yards across and as long as the terrain permits. I could get close to 500 yards
That part of my property mostly made of of winged Elm and Greenbrier. There are lots of oaks to the east and west.

 

[tlh2865]

Where are deer bedding in this photo? It looks like a good plan to me except that I have no clue where your scent is going to be blowing hunting. It looks like to me you would just be blowing scent back into the heart of your property with a SSE wind. But that might be a good thing for you, I just dont know!

 

[bearcat]

That has been one of my concerns. I don't believe many deer currently bed in the area north of the proposed plot. . Its almost impenetrable due to all the greenbrier, cedar and saplings. I have a camera about 150 yards to the east and most of the deer I see there come from the east and south. The irregular shaped food plot to the north has a lot of deer come from the SW corner.

The southern part of the property is frustrating due to how thick it is. I have thought about just doing some clearings and just getting some native browse growing in stand of planting something. Regardless, it needs some maintenance down there.
Once I get my firebreaks completed, it will get burned every few years to keep it from getting so overgrown again.

 

[jackson13]

Think I’m a little late to the party here but thought I would chime in.
I’m a big fan of having foodplots with bulletproof stands with little to no chance of getting busted. With that being said I think there’s a major opportunity here to add a larger plot in the NE corner. With your primary wind out of the SSE most deer approaching should come from the south or east and you should be good to go. Pair that with a nice screen on the north side of the plot for access and I would call that bulletproof.

With your plot on the south side of your property with primary winds out of the south you are going to blow out the interior of your property. Which is okay but I would suggest only hunting high risk areas during the rut and having low risk areas to hunt other times of the year.

With the plot horizontal along the south side it does create a great opportunity to hunt it with a wind out of the north and hunt your deer coming out of the interior of your property.

Have been changing the way I hunt to be more careful with winds and access and am seeing significantly more daytime buck movement. Hopefully this makes sense and might help!


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[bearcat]

Think I’m a little late to the party here but thought I would chime in.
I’m a big fan of having foodplots with bulletproof stands with little to no chance of getting busted. With that being said I think there’s a major opportunity here to add a larger plot in the NE corner. With your primary wind out of the SSE most deer approaching should come from the south or east and you should be good to go. Pair that with a nice screen on the north side of the plot for access and I would call that bulletproof.

With your plot on the south side of your property with primary winds out of the south you are going to blow out the interior of your property. Which is okay but I would suggest only hunting high risk areas during the rut and having low risk areas to hunt other times of the year.

With the plot horizontal along the south side it does create a great opportunity to hunt it with a wind out of the north and hunt your deer coming out of the interior of your property.

Have been changing the way I hunt to be more careful with winds and access and am seeing significantly more daytime buck movement. Hopefully this makes sense and might help!


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We are going to start on the plot in the NE corner once the season ends. Besides clearing the plot, I’ll be thinning the woods out and creating a firebreak around the triangle inside the creek fingers.
I was think about a “T” shaped plot with the vertical part of the T going SE

I’ll be softening the edges quite a bit around plot as well

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[Drycreek]

I like a T shaped plot. I had one on the 217 acres I used to own. My stand was set at the top of the T, looking down the “stem” toward the South. I accessed it from the North and it was good for any kind of South wind as long as the wind was actually blowing from about ten mph on up. Light wind would get me busted.