Food Plot Process
FOOD PLOTS
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AUGUST 01, 2018
Planting food plots should play a major role in your hunting strategy. Just about every serious hunter can and should establish great, high quality whitetail deer food plots on their hunting land. All it takes is determination, work and effort, and a little money. Keep in mind that your ultimate goal is to improve the quality of the deer through better nutrition. There are two types, or a combination, of deer food plots; perennial and annual.
Here is a short overview of the food plot process:
1. Once you have found your wildlife food plot site location you will need to clear it.
2. After clearing a new wildlife food plot site of brush debris, you can spray the whole food plot with a grass/weed killer such as round-up (or you can just start using your GroundHog Max to disc up the land).
3. Now you need to take soil samples from different locations of your food plot and mix them together. Take/send this sample of soil to a soil testing lab for analysis. You should have the results back in a couple weeks.
4. While you are waiting for your soil sample analysis results to come back, you can finish the preparation of the food plot site. You need to break-up the soil using your GroundHog Max.
5. Once your soil sample comes back, take it to your local fertilizer store to have it read. They will help direct you as to what you should do from this point!
6. Purchase the deer food plot seed you want; most hunters usually start with clover or alfalfa, or even a mix of the two, and sometimes even combined with other plants like chicory, which is high in protein and oats that help with weed control.
7. Now spread the seed; follow directions on the bag for seeding exactly. Do not over seed your food plot.
8. After your food plot is up and growing, you will need to mow it periodically. You should mow it when it reaches a height of 12 – 14 inches and mow it down to 6 – 8 inches in height. By doing this you will optimize the nutritional quality of your food plot while thickening it.
