Food plots necessary in cropland/farm country?

[johndeere506]

I have been playing with food plots for about 8 years now. I agree with most have said above. If you plant near good cover, 3.5 yr olds have been known to come in the open plot shortly before dark so it can work. It helps if the plot has some cover such as strips of corn, many fruit trees (mine are close together and caged still), and very good access. I rely on these mostly late season, so I can hunt FAAAR from where they enter the plot. I do pick a couple times to hunt it pre rut if I feel like hunting it. Its a great place to attract doe families for late season, but also the bigger bucks always watch the does come in first, and make sure they dont sense danger. After 10-15 mins of hanging back in the cover with the all clear silence, the bigger bucks will come in.

I dont have any "kill plots". I think sectioning the 2-3 acre plot by the entrace they use, makes a similar kill plot effect.

My best plots for archery BY FAAR are clover/chickory mix. Mix in strips of corn for cover (even though corn will be long gone....).

Hope that helps.

[Bigb]

Most of what I hunt is in hill country and I would say 40% of the land we hunt is ag and surrounded by a lot of ag as well. We have 5 food plots now and all are under .5 acre and I'd say most are .1 acres or less, mainly set up as kill plots. I highly recommend these plots. The top photo below traditionally is the best camera we have. This is always where we get some big bucks, some that we have never seen before. The does love the clover and usually hit it before they make their way to the corn. A lot of good daytime pictures on this one. We actually don't even hunt on this clover, it's at the bottom of ridge so the wind swirls. we actually hunt a spy right over the bucks back up abridge about 75 yards from the clover plots




This picture is of a small clover plot right next to a bedding area but about 75 yards from a big ag field. The clover didn't come up very good this spring but we're looking to replant it. When its healthy, this spot is almost a guarantee to see deer and with the right conditions a good buck.

As you can see, I am a believer in kill plots. While they don't always pay off, I do get a good inventory of buck on them. Every kill plot camera I have always gets 4 or more shooters per season.

Oh ya, all of them are clover but I'm going to try and put some brassicas down in spots this year to.

[whitetail4ever]

Shawn you talking your land ?

Yes BH!

[BigHunt]

Shawn you talking your land ?

Yes BH!

Pm sent

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[dan]

Having good food plots on private land is a night and day difference. I have hunted farms that are a ghost town without food plots, and a hunting mecca with them... I have never seen a farm that was worse cause of food plots. Always better.

[Stanley]

I kind of am starting to think food plots are more of a hobby than anything else. Nothing more satisfying than seeing something you planted grow. I'm really not sure of the real benefit of a 1/2 acre food plot? I never hunt directly on a food source. Never have killed a buck on a food plot. I do think like Dan said a food plot more than likely will help a hunting area.

[bucksnbows]

I kind of am starting to think food plots are more of a hobby than anything else. Nothing more satisfying than seeing something you planted grow. I'm really not sure of the real benefit of a 1/2 acre food plot? I never hunt directly on a food source. Never have killed a buck on a food plot. I do think like Dan said a food plot more than likely will help a hunting area.

As one who is into deer habitat I'm starting to think the same way.

My sole purpose of a food plot on any property serves one purpose for me. To create a line of movement between bedding and food.
My plots are in cover and between bedding and food. I do not hunt the plots and rarely have mature bucks in them during daylight.
The mature bucks typically stay in cover scent checking the plots or cruising perpendicular to the trails leading into the plots.

My opinion is cover before food in Farm country.

[Dan T]

No, I don't think food plots are "necessary" anywhere. I like to hunt not manipulate. learn about the animal and his home, and play the ball as it lies so to speak. It's more important/ meaningful for me how I succeed not if I succeed.

[dan]

. It's more important/ meaningful for me how I succeed not if I succeed.

That... is a great quote.

[Clink]

. It's more important/ meaningful for me how I succeed not if I succeed.

That... is a great quote.

x2!

[JoeRE]

Regarding food plots, they are definitely not "necessary" or no one would have ever killed a deer before about 10-15 years ago

But I know what was meant. I would agree that done correctly they generally improve hunting on most properties. And more importantly to me, if done well (many times they are not) they can provide nutrition when otherwise its lean times - like late winter or early spring.

So generally I don't like fads, and food plots have definitely become a fad, but they are helping the wild critters out a lot.

I have a couple acres behind my house broken up between milo, sunflowers, clover, brassicas, and soybeans. Its awesome just to watch the deer but also other animals in there. I had 2 rooster pheasants in there all winter. After every fresh snow I saw hundreds of songbirds hopping around the milo and sunflowers. Now the clover is greening up and the couple resident big momma does that are heavy with fawns are pounding that every night.


A lot of celebrity hunters who have gotten serious about farming deer have gone beyond food plots - they are straight up feeding them high protein food pellets through the winter and early spring. I suspect that will be the new fad over the next decade.

. It's more important/ meaningful for me how I succeed not if I succeed.

That... is a great quote.

x2!

Amen!

[mainebowhunter]

I travel to hunt midwest...only farmland I really hunt. No. I do not think they are necessary.

The "fad" as Joe calls it, yeah, its kind of old. I know I have seen just about enough shows with 4 wheelers and tractors planting. Sometimes I feel like I am watching my sons mighty machine videos on how machines work rather than a show about deer hunting.

Its the unpredictability of hunting that drives me I guess. Take the good with the bad.