Deer Management and Food Plots 101!

Hello fellow outdoorsmen! This week I am going to discuss deer management and the importance and benefits of food plots. Have you ever sat down to watch the hunting channel on TV and find yourself amazed and blown away by the monster deer that these shows seem to produce? That is because proper deer management activities are being done to ensure the herd is mature and able to produce the monster bucks we see on TV.

Food Plots are a great way to produce and maintain nice deer on your property. Not familiar with food plots and how to start one? Well you are in luck because I am going to give you a crash course. Growing a food plot is a bit more involved than it sounds, but following these six simple steps will help you in growing an amazing food plot.

1. It’s all about the soil! The soil is the base of the food plot. Get your soil tested to see its state. The sample will recommend what you should add to the soil if anything. Most times you will need to add lime. You want to naturalize the PH in your soil to make sure your seed grows as it should.
2. Mow the area you plan to put in your food plot as short as possible then hit it with a commercial weed / grass killer.
3. Wait about 10 days after the week killer to spread your lime and fertilizer as recommended in your soil report. After this is spread you want to disc it into the soil.
4. After Fertilization expect new weeds and grass to grow. Wait about 10-15 days and hit it once more with a weed / grass killer.
5. 7-10 days after the final application of weed / grass killer, it is time to seed! After you spread your seed it is recommended that the field is gone over with a cultipacker to make sure it has good contact with the soil.
6. Watch your hard work come to life!

Image from cultipackers.com

Food plots can get quite costly, but don’t worry, you can also plant a nice food plot on a budget! Check out this short video of seed selection and food plots on a budget for more information.

http://bit.ly/budgetfoodplots

 I hope you enjoyed this week’s post. We will discuss more interesting topics next week!