This category is all about establishing food plots for deer and turkeys on your property. There are many articles and videos that explain everything from soil science, land clearing, soil amendments, what to plant and how to maintain food plots.
Establishing food plots for deer is a popular subject in hunting land management but there is a lot of misinformation and salesy content out there trying to sell you on the “magic beans” or on the latest fad in food plot planting.
In this blog, I will explain the science behind soil health. My blog articles and videos will educate you on how to get your soil in shape to plant and produce forage for game.
I explain the benefits of cover crop mixes when choosing seeds for your food plots. Cover crops are great for healthy soil building and maximizing the productivity of a particular site.
There are articles and videos on soil testing, pH correction, equipment and materials I use in building good food plots and what are the best plants to try in your area. My plots are all in the Northeast in mountain soils, so anything I suggest and more should work in all regions.
I will also go into food plots that benefit turkeys, although the two plantings are not mutually exclusive. Any good clover plot is good for turkeys and deer. Turkeys will benefit greatly from any forest opening with short forage growth where insects and forbs can exist for turkeys to eat.
I was perusing the internet when I thought of writing this article to get some ideas of what information is already out there on the subject of liming food plots. There seems to be plenty of bad advice and over simplified explanations, so I want to break it down for you in this article and …
Fertilizing Deer Food Plots While reading the comments on a youtube video I made about how to interpret soil test reports from the PSU soils lab, I can see that there is a lot of mystery and confusion around the subject. A search of the subject brings up a lot of “simple remedy” ideas …
Deer Food Plots in the Woods are the most popular habitat improvement I have in my arsenal. However, food plots aren’t always necessary and they can often cause problems for your hunting success. In this article I will discuss creating deer food plots in the woods and the plan to create the best fall food …
Its not too early to start thinking about what seed to buy for spring planting. Frost seeding time will be upon us soon and it will be time to overseed out clover plots. This article will explore what deer food plot seed to have on hand to plant this spring, both early and later when …
What Does it Cost to Install and Maintain a Food Plot? What a disastrous food plot year, with planting problems and record-breaking rainfall (who would have thought we would complain about too much rain.) After a particularly hard day of tractor work, trying to fix a failed plot, I turned to one of my clients …
There are a lot of questions and comments about liming soil and how best to correct pH. Some folks feel that pelletized lime is best, some say ag lime is the way to go. There are liquid products sold in jugs to spray on your plots. I think there is a lot of misinformation out …
The Best Spring Food Plots for Deer and Turkeys I was looking at the shiny bags in the store the other day and was amazed at the marketing effort, obviously successful, targeting hunters who want magic bag of beans to attract deer to their property. I picked up a bag of Monster, Super Giant Buck, …
Food Plot Soil Health Today I would like to write about soil health. Everyone knows we have to lime and fertilize our food plots, but why? When? How much? How often? Once you have your food plot soil corrected in terms of pH and fertility and plant and animal communities working correctly in the soil, …
I got a phone call from a client that hired me to clear stones and plant some food plots on a hunt club property. He was mad…weeds had taken over the food plots. When I went to take a look, big nasty thistles were all over the place. There were three causes for this: …
Recently, the question came up from a couple of clients and information seekers about what to plant in summer food plots now that its hot and too late for clover. Although the past couple weeks have been great for clover or just about anything you want to grow with consistent rain events and cool temps, …
Establishing Food Plots in the Summer for Winter Cover Read More »
