*Don’t forget to check out my trilogy of Advanced Whitetail Hunting, Food Plot Planting and Habitat Strategy Books.
Many hunters begin their annual food plot dreams with visions of fields of green on their land and monster bucks on their wall. However, many hunting season food plot plantings are destined for hunting season failure before the seeds begin to germinate. Why? Because if your food plot plantings do not allow you to attract, hold, influence and hunt a quality deer herd all season long, than you are really missing a major opportunity. Here are 3 ways to accomplish your fields of food plot dreams this Fall:
- Food Plot Planting Diversity -Fall food plots should be diverse and available for the entire hunting season. That means that single variety plantings of beans, brassicas, clover, rye, corn and any other single seed planting should be avoided. Each food plot variety has enough power to attract for 6 to 8 weeks at best over the course of a 3-4 month hunting season so do your best to avoid creating holes in your food plots during the hunt, by not offering enough diversity to substantiate deer movement patterns for the entire season. What I personally recommend is that you cut each of your plots in 1/2, by planting a blend of different seed varieties on each 1/2. For example rye, oats and peas can be planted on one 1/2 of the plot and then a quality brassica blend can be planted on the other. If you have plots totalling 1 acre or larger, it may be appropriate to cut your plot into thirds, by adding a strip of corn or beans. If you don’t account for each week of the season, you can literally lose an entire herd over night when the food runs out.
- Hunting Season Doe Bedding -By making sure that all of your food plot plantings carry the same level of diversity, you can more effectively spread out the doe family groups that reside in and around your land. By scattering your efforts you will lower the overall amount of herd stress on your land, as well as keep the local bucks focused on all of your acres and not just the acres with food. Hunting season food plots that end up running dry with forage at some point, stop being a part of the local deer herd’s daily diet. It is hard enough to keep the deer from knowing they are being hunted, but when your land is not fully supported by food, your land becomes extremely inefficient in its ability to offering consistent deer usage across the entire parcel.
- The Food Plot Planting Stage -Should your food plot plantings offer enough diversity across your entire parcel for the early season, mid season, rut or late season? The short answer is, ALL 4! No one hunting season food plot timing window is more important than the rest, when it comes to creating the ultimate food plot planting that will last from the beginning to the end. I like to attract them early and hold them late, and I suggest that you do to.
*What is the latest and greatest food plot planting? To find out you can view the action above or read, The Best Food Plot Mix.
Food Plot Planting For Big Bucks
Really, it shouldn’t be just about big bucks! However, mature bucks are by far the lowest hole in the bucket when it comes to hunting, herd and habitat management. Sure, anyone can raise a deer population with great habitat and at the same time a population can often easily be reduced through great hunitng practices. But when it comes to creating quality herds that include mature bucks, your efforts during the hunting season have to be perfect. Your hunting season food plot plantings, the amount of cover on your land you create and how you hunt both your food and cover, dictates the amount of power you will have to be a herd influencer. Do your plantings have what it takes to allow you to attract, hold, influence and hunt a deer herd that includes mature bucks? If your food plot planting isn’t peaking during the hunting season, you are in for a rough road when it comes to realizing your whitetail dreams.
