 |
|
The author uses hand
seeder when establishing most food plots. |
Complete Food Plot Primer
By Charles J. Alsheimer
|
|
|
The author uses hand
seeder when establishing most food plots. |
I receive many questions as a traveling seminar speaker. Attendees want to know a host of things about the whitetail, from how to hunt them to how to feed them. When I first hit the seminar trail 25 years ago, hunters were primarily interested in how-to hunting strategies. No more. Today, my most frequently asked questions are. “How do you lay out your property and how do you construct and plant your food plots?”
There is no question that the face of hunting is changing. Today’s hunter is more management conscious than at any other time in the history of American hunting. Soil composition, food plot layout and seed selection now dominate discussion.
I wish I could tell you my first experience with land management and food plots was the perfect model. It wasn’t – far from it. When my wife and I purchased our 200-acre farm in the fall of 1973, I immediately planted my first food plot. Though adequate for the times, it was a far cry from what I now do. During the last 31 years I’ve worked to refine our land management practices. It’s been an interesting journey, one worth sharing.
Before the first morsel of dirt is turned, thought must go into what you want to accomplish. Doing land management and food plots is far more than looking at an open patch of land and saying, “It won’t take much effort to put my food plot there.”
First and foremost the process needs a plan. Since 1990 I’ve made a concerted effort to think through what I want to accomplish. In 1990 I traveled to Texas where I met with legendary quality deer management pioneer Al Brothers. What he shared with me regarding land management, deer management and food plots changed my way of thinking. Prior to this I gave little thought to layout and managing our property for quality deer. I do now.
If you looked at the way I did food plot management prior to 1990, you’d see almost no resemblance today. Unlike pre-1990, when I planted food plots wherever the land lay right, today I lay out my food plots so that I can hunt deer better and keep the deer that use them from being harvested by my neighbors, while at the same time provide the deer with the highest tonnage and nutrition levels possible.
How I’ve been successful turning a 200-acre property into what I consider a great hunting location has not been rocket science. Basically I have twelve steps that work to accomplish my goals. The order in which I go from planning to planting is as follows:
1. Goals: In simple terms, my goal is to grow bigger, healthier deer and maximize hunting opportunities. I make no bones about the fact that I’m a strong advocate of quality deer management. I know of no better way to steward the land and its resources. The bottom line is that over the years we’ve been able to accomplish some great things on a small property, which is in the heart of deer country that has been hunted traditionally at the highest-pressure level known to man. Consequently, getting bucks to 3 1/2 years of age, controlling doe numbers and maintaining high-quality habitat has required a sensible plan and setting goals.
2. Property Layout: For starters, I’ve laid out our farm in such a way that we have the best possible sanctuary to make whitetails feel very secure. I learned a long time ago that if I could provide a great, unpressured bedding area with food close by, that I will have a great huntable deer population. More than half of our farm is designated sanctuary, with food plots surrounding the multiple sanctuaries we have. The only time we set foot in a sanctuary area from September through January is to track a wounded deer and then only at night.
3. Food plot locations: I strategically place hunting and feeding food plots near the sanctuary in such a way those non-QDM neighbors and road hunters cannot benefit from what I’m attempting to do. In addition, if a particular food plot is earmarked as a hunting food plot, I go out of my way to make sure that the wind and sunlight direction will be in the hunter’s favor. My hunting food plots have an irregular shape and are less than a half-acre in size. Feeding food plots, that provide the tonnage of forage my deer need, are larger, with little consideration given to hunting.
4. Forage selection: I base my forage offerings on our deer’s nutritional needs. Because we have snow cover from January through March, I have to do “meal planning” for nine months. This requires that some plots be planted in the spring and some in late summer in order to provide the adequate forages that deer need.
A unique aspect of our farm is that I own and operate a 35-acre high-fence deer research facility, which is located in the center of the farm. No hunting goes on in the enclosure, and it is set up to study whitetail behavior and conduct nutritional research. Over the years, we’ve done many interesting studies, some of which I’ve written about in this magazine. From a nutritional aspect, our deer have shown us that nothing trumps Imperial Whitetail Clover when it comes to forage preference (Volume 14, No. 1).
Variety is something I’ve offered. Roughly 60 percent of my food plots are perennial clovers (Imperial Whitetail Clover). The remaining 40 percent of the food plots are planted in Imperial Whitetail Extreme and annuals like cereal grains, brassicas and turnips, which our deer can utilize in the snow-cover months (No-Plow is an excellent winter product because it contains cereal grains, clovers and brassica). All together, about 15 acres of our farm are in food plots.
Because our part of the country can sometimes go from winter to summer without seeing anything that resembles spring, I’ve come to realize that my best food plots are the ones planted in early August when the ground temperature is excellent and late summer/early autumn rains occur on a regular basis. I strive to do this planting the first week in August. It takes roughly 45 days to get the plants big enough for deer to utilize them, so by Sept. 15, my deer are on the plots getting great new-growth nutrition.
Because most of my food plots are perennials (Imperial Clover and Extreme), I always have adequate forage available, even when a new plot is growing.
5. Soil: The plants that grow are nothing more than the delivery device for the nutrients in the soil. It is critical to get the dirt right for optimum food plot success. Consequently, I’ve worked diligently to get our soil’s pH as good as possible before the first seed is planted. Because of our farm’s soil make-up I’ve had to apply many tons of lime over the years to our food plot locations.
6. Soil Prep: Before the earth is turned I insure my seed selection has a fighting chance to grow by spraying the food plot location with a herbicide like Round-Up. This kills all the existing grasses and weeds.
7. Turning the soil: Once the herbicide has done its job, I prepare the ground for planting using plows, disks and a commercial-grade roto-tiller. I attempt to do this just prior to a frontal system arriving so that the plot can be planted a day or so before rain. It isn’t always possible, but I have had a fair amount of success by being a weather watcher.
8. Prep for planting: After the earth is turned, I smooth the tilled area’s surface (and add lime, if needed) in preparation for planting. Though I’ve had success with disking, I find that floating the surface with an 8-foot by 8-foot piece of weighted cyclone fence works better.
9. Plant the seed: Because none of our farm’s food plots are larger than three acres in size, the next step in our process is to hand-broadcast the selected seed over the site.
10. Fertilize: Once the seed has been broadcast, I apply the suggested amount of fertilizer with a fertilizer spreader.
11. Pack the seed: With seed and fertilizer in place, I roll the food plot to pack the seed in the ground. Though a cultipacker might work better, I have a good tractor-pulled roller to do this step. It should be noted that also rolling the plot before broadcasting the seed, usually works much better.
12. Pray for rain: Rain is the lynch pin to successful food plots. Getting a good soaking rain shortly after a planting works wonders for a food plot. If rain doesn’t come shortly after a plot has been planted, weeds have a way of rearing their ugly heads. Consequently, I’ve always tried to plan my planting around times when rain is forecast.
Food plot maintenance is one area of land management that is often overlooked. Never assume that perennial forages will just grow and grow and grow. Even the best seed requires seasonal maintenance.
Frost-seeding: To keep my Imperial Clover and Extreme food plots humming, I frost-seed existing plots each spring with a light application of seed. Frost-seeding guarantees that I have a lush plot from year to year. It also allows me to get 5-plus years out of my Imperial Clover food plots. This isn’t necessary to insure a perennial plot produces for many years, but I do it just to make sure. It’s cheap insurance.
My view of frost-seeding is evolving. I used to frost-seed my perennial plots in March, when there was a thin layer of snow on the ground. The last couple years I’ve opted to wait until early April. Why? I’ve read that frost-seeding in late winter often causes the seed to lay on the cold ground too long, and by the time the ground is warm enough for germination, the seed has rotted. Though I’ve never seen this to be a problem, I did wait and frost-seed in early April last year. My initial observation is that I’ve not been able to see a difference in whether I frost-seed at the last snow of the season or wait until early April, just before spring green-up. Time will tell which way is the best.
Mowing: One of the best ways I control weeds and maintain the highest nutritional levels in my Imperial Clover and Extreme food plots is by frequent mowing. When the Imperial Clover or Extreme reaches a height of 12 to14 inches, I mow it back to 8 inches high. By keeping my Imperial Clover and Extreme food plots in the 8- to 12-inch range, I know that I can keep the protein levels near or exceeding 30 percent, which is what I strive for.
Of course, I’m careful to not mow when the plots are stressed by heat and drought and often schedule mowing when I know rain is coming. In addition, I never mow the entire clover or Extreme food plot all at once. Rather, I mow a third to one-half of a given plot at a time. Understand that when you mow, you stress the plant. So by mowing a little at a time, I can keep part of the plot attractive to the deer using it. After four or five days I return and mow the rest of the plot, which by that time has allowed the previously mowed section to recover.
Spraying: Herbicide maintenance can be critical for food plots. Right after spring green-up, I spray my clover food plots to kill the grasses and weeds. I make every attempt to do this before the grasses and weeds get six inches high. If they get any higher they will be tougher to kill. Specifically, I use Arrest for the grasses and Slay for selected broadleaf weeds. If we have a wet summer I may spray a second time.
Fertilizer: All of my Imperial Clover and Extreme food plots get a fertilizer “drink” twice a year, once just after spring green-up and another in late August or very early in September. One of my goals is to provide our deer with the nutrition and tonnage of forage they need. Fertilizer allows the plants to be fed so my goals can be reached. Of course the forage that is planted and the soil’s requirements dictate the blend of fertilizer I use.
Economics and need have dictated the kind of equipment I’ve used over the years.
Spraying: Though I’ve never used ATV equipment for constructing my food plots, I do use a John Deere Gator for farm maintenance and food plot spraying. A 15-gallon portable sprayer, equipped with a boom allows me to spray one acre at a time.
Tractor: I started my food plot career 31 years ago with a Ford 601. This tractor served me well, but because it was only a little more than 20 horsepower, it didn’t quite have the power I needed to meet my goals. Today I have a 39 horsepower diesel tractor, a four-wheel drive John Deere 4510. I find this size tractor to be just the ticket for my entire food plot needs.
Soil Prep: Though I have a set of plows and a good set of disks, I try to construct my food plots with a 6-foot-wide, heavy-duty tractor-driven tiller whenever possible. This is an incredible piece of equipment that allows me to sculpt the shape of the plot while at the same time being able to get into tight places. It is also much faster than using a plow and disk.
Mowing: I accomplish my entire food plot mowing with a 6-foot-wide, tractor-pulled mower that some might refer to as a bush hog. I always mow with the tractor’s engine at high rpm’s so that the mower’s blades rotate fast for cleaner cutting.
My excursion into land management and food plots has been an incredible journey that continually evolves. It’s a process that makes you appreciate the land while at the same time give back more than you started with. For me the process has been extremely fulfilling. I can’t think of a better way to help steward what God has entrusted to us.