Tornado zone “U” shaped food plot

[bearcat]

I am a bit intrigued by Bartylla’s tornado zone food plot. A “U” shaped foot loot with stand locations on each end of the U for opposing wind directions. In the U, there is a massive amount of tree debris, low hinge cuts, etc to discourage the deer from using that area. It provides a safe zone for your scent with the wind blowing your scent into the tornado zone.

Has anyone actually made a plot like this on your place?

If so, how did it turn out? How big did you make the plot?

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[Chainsaw]

The concept looks perfect for hunting from a ladder stand or any open stand that most bowhunters would likely be using. As a rifle hunter though I'm more for using scent free blinds like Redneck or any other of the enclosed blinds that pretty much hold ones scent. I'm not pushing Redneck; it just happens to be the only one I have experience with and combined with good scent control habits, downwind deer don't seem to detect enough scent to alter their activity. I can see using the tornado area for blind access though. Further, Steve B is on a deer hunting planet beyond my experience; it is difficult for me to create one great access to a stand for a certain wind let alone for two opposite winds. I am not doubting for a second that Steve can pull it off though.

 

[Jeff H]

I would think a massive amount of tree debris and hinge cut would encourage deer to bed close to their food source. I'd be more apt to plant the dreaded fescue or something entirely undesirable.

 

[Paradise725]

I haven’t done a tornado zone, but I did a windrow along one edge of a plot with a 10-yard wide opening next to the best stand tree. After hunting it for two seasons, I actually am thinking about creating the tornado zone to give me more wind options when I hunt it. I’ve noticed deer parallel the windrow sometimes on their way to the opening, and have gotten busted a few times when the wind isn’t perfectly in line with my windrow


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[Mennoniteman]

I am a bit intrigued by Bartylla’s tornado zone food plot. A “U” shaped foot loot with stand locations on each end of the U for opposing wind directions. In the U, there is a massive amount of tree debris, low hinge cuts, etc to discourage the deer from using that area. It provides a safe zone for your scent with the wind blowing your scent into the tornado zone.

Has anyone actually made a plot like this on your place?

If so, how did it turn out? How big did you make the plot?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

It's an intriguing concept that I've played around with a little bit, but I've never made any to this level of perfection. It seems to me like it's one of those ideas that looks very cool on paper, but lacks somewhat in reality.
Number one, it takes a lot of space to make, space that for a lot of us is often subtracted from plot size, because it needs to be bigger than what a fickle breeze can blow your scent across. A somewhat U shaped plot with several good well brushed in area for cover seems to achieve many of the goals while using less space. Space that might be better utilized in putting out a slightly larger plot to avoid the crops being overrun by deer.
Number two, it takes a lot of time to create and maintain, time that might be more effectively used for actually making cover and food for deer on your property, rather than making a large area specifically so deer can't use it.
Number three, you have to cut even the valuable trees to create the tornado area, which isn't good long-term stewardship of forest usage.
After considering the above points, I am wondering if it wouldn't be easier just to put up a deer fence to keep the deer out of the U? And, now that I have mentally gone full circle on the concept, I realize that fencing isn't an ethical option for me if it's strictly to force the deer into a position to shoot them. Therefore I conclude that I am not interested in this sort of devastation in my woods, and I will continue to create better cover to get the deer where I want them, and some smaller windrow projects to keep them from hunting stand areas.

 

[bearcat]

All good points. I'm still trying to figure out where and how to implement plots on my new place. I expanded a few of the plots already in place and added the small one on the south side. I had a lot of good deer sightings in November when the deer where moving on the acorns, but encounters went way down after the acorns soured/disappeared. This year I will definitely be adding screening cover and doing some edge feathering around my plots. The plot on the south end will get enlarged and I need to think about the shape. I had more deer coming from the south than I expected. I was pretty limited this year on N wind stands as the season went on.
I enjoy hunting the oak bottoms more than the plots. We dont have much Ag in the area and I like the plots for late season food. We received very little rainfall this fall, so they didnt do well.I'm really trying to focus on eliminating the cedar and opening up the canopy for native vegetation growth. However, plots are fun and I like playing around with different ideas

 

[Mennoniteman]

Looking at your map I get the vibes that investing in food and cover will get you a bigger return on investment than creating better hunting layouts. Is most of that green cedar trees?

 

[bearcat]

Looking at your map I get the vibes that investing in food and cover will get you a bigger return on investment than creating better hunting layouts. Is most of that green cedar trees?

It’s probably 50-50. What isn’t cedar is oaks, hickory, hackberry and winged elms. I may hinge some of the hackberry and elms
I’m really working on thinning out the timber and opening up the canopy. My chainsaw and I have become quite close since hinting season has ended
I’ve got some massive oaks that I’ve been working up freeing up. It’s nice seeing the aftermath

 

[BenAllgood]

I agree with @Mennoniteman. Steve Bartylla knows his stuff and what works, but I don't have the room for that. I'm sure some animals will use it for cover and food besides deer. But, how big does that area need to be so that your scent can blow into it and dilute enough to where deer feeding in the plot downwind across the tornado zone are comfortable enough to keep feeding to the ends of the U? I'm pretty sure deer can smell and pinpoint danger from a long way.

 

[Mennoniteman]

It’s probably 50-50. What isn’t cedar is oaks, hickory, hackberry and winged elms. I may hinge some of the hackberry and elms
I’m really working on thinning out the timber and opening up the canopy. My chainsaw and I have become quite close since hinting season has ended
I’ve got some massive oaks that I’ve been working up freeing up. It’s nice seeing the aftermath

Now you're talking! A chainsaw is my favorite habitat tool. And it looks like you have a grapple. I'd position my hunting blind, then use the grapple to stack up small and medium sized trees right in front of the blind. Sometimes I dig 3' deep postholes and set posts right in front of the blind legs so that the brush doesn't put too much pressure on the blind legs. I usually continue the windrow a considerable distance to each side to keep the deer from traveling through my blind access area.