Food Plots on Forested Hunting Land

Food Plots on Forested Deer Hunting Land

Installing Food Plots on Forested Land

Installing food plots on land covered in forest can be a challenge. The first step is to find where the best soil is on the tract. Soil and site quality will determine where we will install the food plot. When soils are suitable, food plots can be installed in convenient sites that were cleared for log landings and skid trails. Skid trails need to be daylighted to allow enough sun to shine on them to grow your plants. The best soils and moisture situation will be found on the lower slopes of ridges and near streams. Look for places where soil has been deposited in the past by glaciers or streams. With a little luck, the tract has an existing old farm field or an area that is not very stony. Sometimes, the area had been farmed many years ago and the stones removed by hand by some long ago settler. Look for old stone rows in the woods and there should be some land that is somewhat suitable to plant next to it. Here in Pennsylvania, woodland is almost always rocky. The trick is to find the least stony area and prepare it for food plot installation.

One property I worked with had so much rock, we ran a rock picking machine for five days before I could get enough soil on the surface to plant. The pH level was 4.7. I had to haul many tons of lime and chicken manure to the site before I could plant anything. After two years of work, we have a good looking food plot that was once poor timber, blue berries and mountain laurel. This is the worst case scenario and I don’t recommend spending this amount of effort and expense. I ended up doing this plot at cost for the landowner. I said I would get him a field and I did not want to disappoint him, but it was more work than I bargained for.

Other characteristics to look for when choosing a spot to place a food plot are its proximity to bedding cover and areas where deer are likely to show up in daylight hours. Although one does not have to hunt over the food plots, they influence deer movement and should be located so as to create good observation and hunting scenarios. Consider the prevailing wind on your land and which way deer are likely to approach the plot from daytime bedding areas. Position the plot to take advantage of terrain, wind and cover so you can set up to intercept deer headed to or from the plot. Bucks and wise old does will tend not to approach and enter plots without the wind in their favor, especially during daylight hours. If you have a travel corridor or pinch point that deer like to travel and buck sign is present, consider positioning the plot upwind of that travel route. Bucks cruising for does are more likely to pass by downwind of the plots on regular historic travel routes than to come directly into the plot. They will feed more at night, but will want to check for hot does that are or were in the plot while traveling into the wind for protection.

This past season, I hunted the edge of a four-acre old field I had rehabbed and planted. On the neighboring property to the Southeast, there is a bedding area that always holds deer. The prevailing wind is out of the Northwest and usually blows from the field to the bedding area. There was a smart old doe that would lead her family group to the field every evening. I had positioned my tree stand crosswind from the usual entry point to the field. That doe never entered the field without first scent checking up and down the edge while still in the timber. Swirling and shifting wind would give me away every time and she never showed up at all when the wind was wrong for her. I made it a goal to take this deer during archery season and was unsuccessful. She never put herself into a situation in which she could not detect my presence. Although we don’t have older age class bucks in my area, I imagine an older buck will behave the same way. Even the younger bucks that I see coming to my plots will vanish once they smell me and not show up in the plot during daylight again. So, I cannot emphasize enough the importance of positioning with respect to cover, wind direction and normal travel routes of the local deer.

Once a suitable spot is located, it’s time to clear the land. Dozer work is expensive and is paid by the hour. The bigger the machine the more it costs. However, a bigger machine can get more done in a shorter amount of time. I have experimented with different machines including big track hoes with thumbs for removing stumps, big, fixed blade dozers and loaders. I find that a track loader of about the Cat 953 – 973 size is about right. A good operator can push out trees, remove stumps and big rocks and grade the surface with the long teeth of the bucket on these machines. They usually charge about $80 or $90 an hour. Appropriate use of the teeth and bucket on a loader will get the stumps and debris out without scraping the topsoil off the sight. This is important as there is often only two inches of good soil on the surface of forestland. Don’t let a dozer operator scrape it all off and mix it in with woody debris so you can’t get it back. Give some thought to where the debris will go. You can use this stuff to guide deer into your plot in a way that is to your advantage when hunting.

The next aspect of food plot installation to consider is the size. This depends on the availability of other food sources and the amount of suitable area available to you. In big woods country, a one acre plot will not keep up with the deer browsing. I find that three acres is a good size and will be able to grow enough to keep ahead of the deer. Three acres is a lot of area. I prefer to create many, smaller plots than to put in one big field. If this amount is not feasible, try using the Plot Saver or some other system for keeping deer off small fields during establishment.

Once big woody stuff and rocks are off the site, it’s time for the site prep. The first thing you want to do is pick the rocks. This is where you find out who in your hunting group is dedicated to establishing food plots. The more hands you have here, the easier it is, but the surface rock has to go. Otherwise, you will be ruining your planting equipment for years to come. I use a spring tooth harrow to bring the stones to the surface and a front loader on my tractor to collect them. Although I have used big rock picking machines, I find that it is better to hire a couple of young studs for a weekend, if your buddies won’t come, and have them throw stones into my loader.

The next step is soil amendments. The most important soil amendment is lime. Forest soils are very acidic. The problem with acidic soil is that it does not store nutrient molecules well or let the nutrient ions move to the plant roots. If soil pH is low (below 6) application of fertilizer can be ineffective. I like to apply pulverized lime and incorporate it into the soil with a disk harrow. Pulverized lime has the consistency of baby powder so it does its job very quickly. This can be applied with a delivery truck and spread for you for a cost of about $40 to $50 a ton. You will usually need at least three tons per acre, but you should always obtain a soil test and apply your amendments accordingly. A lot of wasted expense can be saved with a soil test costing less than ten dollars. Your soil test will recommend fertilizer rates for the plant you will be using. At Penn State Soils Lab, I can indicate up to three different plants and get the recommended fertilizer for all of them. If I am planting a mixture, I just take the highest amount of N, P and K from each plant and use that as my fertilizer mix. I have the fertilizer custom mixed into a spreader at the mill and haul it to the site. These spreaders have accurate gauging that feeds according to the speed you are traveling. That way you get the stuff on at the correct rate and coverage. I incorporate this in with a disk harrow and pick a few more rocks that will inevitably come to the surface. If I am working in an area that has very little organic material, I bring in some manure if I can get it. I like to use chicken bedding. I call it my “secret sauce.” The mixture of high nitrogen chicken manure and sawdust gives the soil a shot of nutrients and moisture-holding capacity. Look for chicken farms and dairy manure haulers in your area. Usually, the stuff is already spoken for, but it’s worth a try.

Now, you are finally ready to plant some seeds. At this point, you have a lot of work and expense invested. Don’t skimp on any of the process as your food plot is only as good as the weakest link. Plant good seeds properly at the right time. I use a Brillion seeder which cultipacks the soil and feeds the seed at a set per-acre rate at the same time. Here in Pennsylvania, we have hot, dry condition in early fall, so I like to plant in spring. With good luck I have a good food plot growing and attracting deer in a few weeks. With maintenance and care, I can keep the plot producing well for many years. Rather than try to plant sensitive forbs like clover in a very poor site at first, I will put in a very hardy plant like oats, buckwheat or annual rye grass. Dead plant material adds nutrients and moisture holding capacity. The next year, I can put in my clover/ chicory plants and use mowing and herbicides to keep the grasses down once they have done their job to act as nurse crops to protect these forbs from the hot sun and add “green manure” to the soil.

I have my favorite plants for food plots and I am always experimenting with new and different things. I find that it is very good to vary what I plant and have several different plots going on the same property. Some plots are perennial clover, some mixed and some are forage oats and wheat that I plant in the late summer. This way, there is always something the deer prefer growing the property. I have been using a turnip/rape cross this year and it performed very well all summer and fall.

Installing food plots in the forest is not easy or cheap. Be prepared to spend well over a thousand dollars per acre and many hours of hard work. Be patient – it may take two or three years to get the site to grow a good stand of forage. Don’t skimp on site preparation, soil amendments and proper planting techniques. If you don’t have time, equipment or man power, contracting with a professional installation may be a good choice for you. Once the initial struggle is over, your food plots can be maintained inexpensively and provide food and attractant for many years.

Stephen Chilcote is a forestry consultant. For more information on this or other forestry and wildlife issues.