Trying to fix my food plot mistakes

savanna

Member
I have 25 acres in WNY that is my family's get away; about an hr from home. I bought this property in 2005 and have spent so many hours working the land. Well, when I first bought the land I watched all the food plot videos, read all the articles from a QDMA forum that used to exist, etc. Little did I know that not knowing how many other variables and factors play into food plots, deer activity, I was about to make some big mistakes. My property is mostly a ravine filled with overgrown brush, old apple orchards, hemlock trees etc. Theres not a lot of timber value, but I didnt care about that. So when I designed the stand sites I got a dozer and a chainsaw and for years went to work.

In the end I created 4 small 1/4 acre food plots and trails connecting them. The ground was worked, fertilized, limed, everything. My plots look great every year. I have two perennial plots of clover and chicory, and 2 annuals that are winter peas, winter wheat, and some brassicas. My deer love my plots, love them! My trail cams have so many pictures of deer in them. So you ask, whats the problem? Well, you know what time they come into these plots?

My trail cam pics start about 9pm and end about 5am. So now what? well I have to start over. For everyone that thinks, "just put your stands on trails that come to and from your plots." My property is small. There is probably only 17 of the 25 acres huntable. There is nowhere to do this before your off the land. The deer bed in my golden rod and walk to my plots at night, its just that simple. You know who benefits from this? My neighbors. Their property 4 acres away see the deer during daylight and they shoot them.

So now I am trying to fix this, literally trying to undue years of clearing by replanting. If I had known then what I know now I would have done very little clearing other than trails. We are in a very good AG area. The deer have plenty of food. Right across the street from me is a 30acre corn field. The deer dont need food. They need cover and trails and they are all set. So now I am trying to plant things to close these open areas up. Is it working, yes. Two years ago I tilled one of the plots and planted hybrid willows and poplars all over and let it go fallow with the exception of one 8ft strip down the middle I planted in clover. Well this year, year 2, there is brush and junk all over. The willows and poplars (literally like weed trees) are about 6ft tall, have rubs all over them, and are filling in nicely. I saw 4 different bucks during the rut walk down that strip I assume looking for doe. I shot at one of them and went over his back with an arrow at 35yds. I was ecstatic to see the movement I havent seen in years.

So anyone starting out that has a similar set up to me, before you go renting a dozer and make a 2 acre food plot that looks great on TV, be aware the deer may not like the look of it until its dark out. This year I am planting a couple hundred wild apple trees and american plum trees. Food and cover. The american plum trees are shrub like but have fruit as well. I am also planting a bunch more of the poplar and willow trees. I know they are junk trees but they grow fast and provide great cover, which is apparently all my deer care about. I have planted Norway spruce trees, but they are slow growing . Thanks for reading, please feel free to comment or add suggestions.
 
I know your pain. I just posted on a thread entitled "Night Moves" My land borders a national forest (that is good and bad). The activity there makes the deer nocturnal for long periods. Plus they have great food plots that are ready for them at any hour. Wish I had an answer.
 
In my experience deer move freely in daylight in areas with zero pressure. Good thick cover is also a must for higher deer numbers. Four quarter acre plots in seventeen acres is not too much, you can use those small shooting plots in clover/oats to create hunting opportunities. But those clearings will also make excellent briar patches. Bulldoze the entire property and five years later you will have the best hunting cover in NY state. Two biggest questions, what is the other sixteen acres like? It must be too open or the deer would bed there. Second, what is the human pressure like in the seventeen acres? ATV's? Walking around? Case in point; I've got a similar eleven acres, very thick, surrounding farmland, nobody ever goes on it except to manage and hunt. We shoot several nice racks every year, mostly hunting only the downwind edge because of the wind. If we hunt it more than once a week, or on a wrong wind and the deer go nocturnal. We don't even put cameras out because it's too much activity. Three keys: Cover! No pressure! The right wind! I think you're on the right track.
 
There's definitely too much pressure, if not just on my property but the surrounding area as well. Archery in our area is better and Is my favorite time of the year. Nobody is seen, heard, everyone is scent proofing, etc. Come gun season forget it. Every 25 acre place has 5-6 hunters coming and going. Trucks parked on the side of the road, people walkikg all over. I'll be in one of my stands and see some of the neighbors walking their property lines a few times during my hunt. I've actually killed a few bucks that had to move because someone was walking up to them. But other than that they only move at night. And as previously posted they definitely don't come to my plots in daylight. I'm moving forward in my plan of creating as much thicket and cover as possible. I like your bulldozer 5yr plan for sure. I'd love to buy a piece of land near my camp and do just that.
 
If you build it they will come does not apply to food plots. There are good places and bad places for food plots that can effect deer movement and times.

That being said, maybe you are not looking in the right direction. Food plots won’t hold deer unless they are in a hardship (like late season with lacking food supply). What most people overlook is the habitat aspect. A deer will move if it feels safe so we need to implement practices which accentuate what makes deer feel safe. Habitat will attract and hold deer. Look at hinge cuts, edge feathering, and lots of natural browse preferred by deer over food plots. Also don’t over look sanctuaries stradrictly placed for unpressured safety.


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It's funny how consistently the progression goes from deer hunter to food-plotter to habitat cultivator. We think all we need to do is plant food, but it frequently turns out we need do little at all, save hunt more effectively. In some places, where there is already a lot of agriculture, clearing great cover to plant food plots is about the dumbest thing you can do, but you don't know that until you've had the experience of seeing how deer react to various situations.

Is your place one of those 25 acre properties with 5 or 6 hunters? Do you hunt 2 or more? It is rare to have a single 25-acre piece that can truly tolerate more than one hunter without forcing every deer using it to go completely nocturnal. Ingress and egress are the most important words for successful hunters to fully understand.
 
Yes, unfortunately it is. When I originally bought the property not only was that about as much as I could afford, I didn't know any better. If I knew then what I know now I would have waited a few more years of saving and tried to find maybe 50 acres. There are 4 of us that use my land. We try and be as low key as possible but were still there. Now that I have the funds none of the surrounding properties are interested in selling any land. I have a search out for any woods available in the same area. Selling this piece and moving on altogether is not an option. My kids are 11, they have been on this land from the day they were born. I mentioned it once and it looked like I just suggested we cancel Christmas. We have 2 ponds here stocked with sport fish, shooting ranges, tree forts, etc. It's a beautiful piece of property thats too small for 4 hunters and needs to be reverted back to its original look...
 
I understand exactly what you are saying. An open piece of land is elbow room for young people to enjoy, hunt, fish, shoot, camp, ride atv, play and just hang out. Unfortunately, keeping a whitetail deer herd on the premises runs counter to each of those activities. But family time outdoors is important too. So sometimes I just sacrifice the deer hunting and let the teens ride atv.
 
Yes, unfortunately it is. When I originally bought the property not only was that about as much as I could afford, I didn't know any better. If I knew then what I know now I would have waited a few more years of saving and tried to find maybe 50 acres. There are 4 of us that use my land. We try and be as low key as possible but were still there. Now that I have the funds none of the surrounding properties are interested in selling any land. I have a search out for any woods available in the same area. Selling this piece and moving on altogether is not an option. My kids are 11, they have been on this land from the day they were born. I mentioned it once and it looked like I just suggested we cancel Christmas. We have 2 ponds here stocked with sport fish, shooting ranges, tree forts, etc. It's a beautiful piece of property thats too small for 4 hunters and needs to be reverted back to its original look...

IMO, four people hunting on 25 acres is an untenable situation. You probably have figured that out for yourself. I have a 217 acre place, only two of us hunt it, and sometimes it's not big enough to accomadate us in the stands we want to hunt because of wind direction. I have 85 where I live, my son and I hunt it, and the same applies. I have two other places I hunt, and the reason for this is pressure. I just can't hunt the same place all the time and continue to see deer in the daytime.

I'm in your shoes concerning hindsight. If I knew then............
 
Yes - we have all learned that we are not as smart as we once thought! Food plots seem to be where everyone starts yet we quickly realize they are not the silver bullet they are marketed as. We then take a closer look and we evolve. Sometimes I think the best
Thing we can do is nothing at all....but where is the fun in that? An old proverb goes, the teacher will emerge when the student is ready!
 
Yes - we have all learned that we are not as smart as we once thought! Food plots seem to be where everyone starts yet we quickly realize they are not the silver bullet they are marketed as. We then take a closer look and we evolve. Sometimes I think the best
Thing we can do is nothing at all....but where is the fun in that? An old proverb goes, the teacher will emerge when the student is ready!
Food plots are very important to provide nutrition for your deer, esp to grow nice antlers. But the deer aren't going to be immune to pressure just because you have food plots. The same basic hunting principles still apply to your property, with or without food plots.
 
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