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Small food plots...

DLO

DLO

New Member
Hey guys, here's my situation:

I own a piece of property ( 10 acres in size) that I want to sweeten with a food plot. All but 1.5 acres of it is a timbered hill leading to a north-south running ridge. The top of the ridge has been leveled for use as a building site, on which we were planning on building a log home. The building of the home won't happen for some time ( years) and the empty ground atop the hill seems to be a perfect place for a food plot. My question: Is a 1.5 acre plot worth the effort? Is a plot of that size subject to being desimated by deer because of it's small size? Just wondering if any of you have had luck with small plots and what you planted. Thanks.
 
I would say yes it is worth it but would qualify the answer by saying some types of plantings would be better suited depending on what else is in the area and what your goals are for the plot. If you can put something in that provides nutrition that may be lacking in the area for a certain time of the year it could really be beneficial.
 
Pharmer, the area in which my ground is located is in the Loess Hills. There are few crop fields immediately adjacent to our ground. The majority of the land out here is native praire, punctuated by numerous fingers of timber with a few large stands of mixed hardwoods. The topography of the ground out here does not led itself to large farming operations. The majority of the ground that surrounds us is used for cattle/ horses. Although there are a few corn/bean fields within a couple miles of our ground, the majority of the browsing I see the deer doing is in the timber. Unfortunaley, we had a bit of a mast crop failure this year too which is one of the reasons I think my season has been so slow. I think the deer would utilize just about any planting on our property. My biggest question is what type of plot would you choose to plant given the following factors:
1) Few food plots exist within 2 miles of the project.
2) Native prairie surrounds the project site to the S,W and N. Timber to the E.
3) The project site is in full sun, all day and well drained.
4) The site is on the route from established bedding ares to feeding areas off our ground.
5) The project site is 1.5 acres at the most and will more than likely be utilized heavily by the deer herd.

I guess my biggest concern is not ,IF the deer will use it, but can a 1.5 acre plot survive heavy use by deer. Are there plantings that are more resilient to over grazing than others?
 
I'd go with a mix of white ladino, red clover and alfalfa. Do a soil test first and add lime and fertilizer as needed. If the deer don't keep it down or if it gets weed competition mow periodically. Set stands for several different winds and allow for a way to sneak in and out. Let us know how it works.
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Good hunting!
Old Buck
 
Ooops!
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Forgot the cover crop. Oats in the spring, winter wheat and/or winter rye in the fall. Pharmer is correct. It can attract a lot of attention and keep deer coming until the legumes are well established.
 
Record highs today with rainy skys around- probably too late to try some rye yet this year and frost seed the clover but might be worth a try if you can get the rye germinated.
 
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