Bring the Deer To the Food, or the Food To the Deer?: Proper Food Plot Location, Size and Design

BY TODD AMENRUD

Every property is different – from the obvious disparities such as topography, natural flora and the type of agricultural crops grown in the region, to more specific, subtle variances like herd dynamics, property history and each land manager’s goals. So the job of food plot design is definitely not a “cookie-cutter” procedure. Although we want to base our management decisions on science and facts, food plot design may be more of an art than a science. Breaking it down to its most basic elements, you must weigh the property manager’s goals, read a deer herd’s potential reactions and design a plan for each food plot.

An often-asked question of our management consultants at Mossy Oak is, “How many acres do I need in food plots?” Some claim to have formulas, but in reality, it’s impossible to tell you how much acreage you should put into food plots simply by going off of how many total acres the property consists of. There are so many variables – the number of deer per square mile, the quality of your native vegetation, agricultural area vs. big woods, what your neighbors are doing, etc. I’ve heard people say that you should put roughly 5% to 6% of the total acreage of a property into food plots. But that doesn’t make sense … what if someone owns 10 acres in the middle of a 3,000- acre chunk of state land? They could plant their total acreage in food plots and it still wouldn’t be enough. Granted, that’s a very extreme example, but about the only thing you can do is to plant what you think is enough and monitor everything closely. Put a utilization cage on each plot, record body weights, examine your native vegetation, etc.

So, how many and what size food plots do you need? For the most part, like many land managers, I classify my plots into either “feeding plots” or “hunting plots.” But … I do hunt some feeding plots, and my hunting plots in turn provide lots of nutritious food, so there are no hard and fast rules that you absolutely have to adhere to.

Some basics that I will try to provide if adequate acreage is present are a productive perennial like Clover Plus, cereal grains, brassicas and beets including Deer Radish, Maximum and Winter Bulbs & Sugar Beets along with several annual legumes and corn. Certain plants are for attraction, some for nutrition, but many provide both. Placement and timing will dictate how they’re used.

Just as an angler searches for that “spot on the spot,” a manager needs to design their hunting plots with specifics in mind. Ideally you’ll have a spot to hunt regardless of the wind or other conditions if you do things right. Here, the author poses with a Minnesota buck that chased a harem of does into one of his plots.

If you have limited available acreage for plots, then you must be precise in your food plot-related goals – what is most important to you? Attraction, nutrition, holding tight on your property, antler growth, etc. … most people with limited acreage tend to devote all that they have to “hunting-time attraction.” Lucky for us, some of the most attractive plants are also the most nutritious, but when hunting season comes, they’ll have the best “draws” planted for that timeframe.

If you have plenty of ground so that you can seed enough acreage to “do it all,” then most of what a plot is used for is your choice. By what you plant, how you design the plot and how you treat the area, you direct the action. Ultimately, you and your deer herd will determine what each plot will be used for.

In agricultural or rural areas, it’s a little more “black and white.” Thickets and timber give way to open agricultural areas, so the typical property setup will have smaller hunting plots located closer to the bedding areas and the bigger feeding plots further away in the larger open areas.

Two of the most significant determinants will be what your topography has dealt you and what your budget can afford. Are you in an agricultural area or maybe the “big woods?” Do you have natural open areas or will you need big machinery to create them? Budget constraints can force many people to use the property’s natural open areas for food plots. In an agricultural area, it’s very easy to find open areas to plant, but in the big woods it can be impossible. In this case, you’ll need to bring in equipment to clear plantable areas.

If you have this “big woods” dilemma, I suggest you plan very carefully, because where you place your plots and how you design them will have a huge impact on your future hunting. Combined with properly placed sanctuaries and bedding areas and well-designed travel corridors, you can dictate to your herd – where they will bed, where they will travel and where they will feed – and hunting them can seem easy if you have it laid out properly.

With small plots, you must be very specific with your goals and the plants you will plant. The spot isn’t large enough to do the “variety idea” justice. With too much variety there’s not enough to go around when a specific plant turns palatable.

When designing your plots from scratch, I believe that hunting plots take much more thought than feeding plots. This is oversimplifying it, but with feeding plots you just need to make sure there are the right foods and enough of each. With a hunting plot, you need to construct the plot to give you as many options for an ambush site as possible.

With hunting plots, the more structure to the contour the better. A plain square doesn’t let you play many options. With hunting plots, I want twists, turns, curves and bends; obtuse and acute angles; odd shapes; and multiple access points. With all of these features, creating productive ambush sites is much easier. Since you also have to factor in the preferences of a whitetail, if you only have a big square or rectangle for a plot, under certain wind directions or conditions, you may not have any huntable options. A plot with many different angles and turns will likely offer you at least one option for a setup regardless of the wind direction so you can remain undetected by their noses. Think of it how a good angler reads it – you don’t just want the “spot,” you want the “spot on the spot.”

As stated, much of what a plot can be used for will have to do with how far it is away from bedding areas and security cover, so there really isn’t a straightforward “one-size-fits-all” approach to food plot design. A land manager’s goals are the biggest determinant. You need to play what the natural topography deals you, figure out what you would like to accomplish with each plot and adjust the layout and design to realize those goals.

When designing hunting plots it’s best to include as much contour and structure as possible. A plain square doesn’t let you play many options. The more features you have the more options available for creating ambush sites. This buck makes a great target in this clover plot.