First ever food plot and expectations

[matt1336]

I'm not sure what your deer density is like, but there's a good chance that plot will be browsed to death by early November. Make it bigger if you can to help fight grazing pressure. I had some plots planted in imperial whitetail "wintergreens" (brassica mix) and the deer absolutely hammered those plots once it got cold.

I also agree with others, get your soil tested and dont skimp on ingredients to balance pH and fertilizer to the extent your budget allows. Also, if you can rent or borrow a no-till drill, you will save yourself a lot of headaches with weed germination.

Our deer density was pretty high this summer and early fall until the beans were cut in late October. They seemed to spread out when that happened. I've been told to keep micro plots small (acre or less) because mature bucks won't hit them in daylight if they're bigger. Any evidence to support this theory?

The bucks will use plots as long as you don’t give them a reason not to use them. Aka. Keep the pressure low on the plot and hunt it smart.

[218er]

In my experience, as well as read, and confirmed by trail camera photos try to maximize the edge. A L shaped plot is better than a square or rectangle. The wider the plot is the less likely deer are to use it during daylight hours. A Lima bean or hourglass that is longer than wide encourages deer to use it as a travel corridor. Additionally, since with a jump or two the can get it into cover they are more likely to use it during daylight hours. The nice thing about these shapes is that you can encourage deer to stroll by your position.