What’s everybody think . Looking to add two separate 1/2 acres plots next year on our 80 acre farm . Already have 10 acres alfalfa , 4 acres standing corn and 1.5 acres of brassicas. Is there come a point where to many food locations makes patterning deer even harder ? Extremely high deer density, and neighboring land What’s your thoughts!
If you've already patterned them well and have been as successful as you want to be then I'd leave it be. Unless you think this new food plot will give you a strategic advantage that you don't already have.
If that were my situation I would focus on habitat improvements... Ie hinge cuts and homemade funnels
I suppose it depends on what the neighboring properties have. This in Food, bedding,water. It also depends on how these plots are set up on your land and what you have for bedding and water.
General rule of thumb for me is quality of the food in the food plots. If they are being hammered and overgrazed then you're still short of acres of food plots. If there is an abundance of food left not being browsed then you don't need more. That way of determination supersedes any percentage of property standards generally used by DNR or land managers and it doesn't matter what is around on other properties. It takes into account local deer density and property usage. You just have to be able and willing to determine the current usage.
To the above, it does have to take usage into consideration. Which does put surrounding properties into play. In that you maybe getting taken to the ground, but if they are bedding and eating on the nieghbors then hitting you as an all night buffet your efforts may be hurting you. So knowledge of your surrounding lands is an important part of your decision making.
Yep. The best food plot ever planted ain't worth squat unless you know the surrounding area well. Thermal , undisturbed cover is is very important to our late season deer.
Original question: "Is there come a point where to many food locations makes patterning deer even harder?" Of course whole area food, bedding and water are important as part of an overall farm management consideration but you're talking about a different problem. He asked how to know when you had enough food plots, not how to know when you needed to add cover. In your scenario, having deer over browse food plots at night and going back to neighbors bedding in daylight...he is still short on food if they are over browsing current food sources. In the reverse case...deer not over browsing and retreating to neighbors in daylight...he has enough food but still not enough cover. In that case he doesn't need any more food plot acres. The only constant there being not enough cover which is still a problem he didn't ask about. ( Like, "How do you know if you need more cover?" or "How do I keep deer on my property longer or hold more deer on my property?") He asked about how many food plot acres are enough vs. making deer harder to pattern. No need to over complicate it.
His first sentence also said" What's EVERYBODY think? " Ok I need to address this. Yes it is more complicated. 1. He has 4 acres of standing corn great, doesthe nieghbor have hundreds of acres of standing corn around him? Is it silage or grain corn? This goes to length of time left in field 2. He has 1 1/2 acres of turnips which is great. Does the nieghbors have a 5 acre smorgasbord board of brassica surrounded by white oaks? 3. Does he have a lot of wild hard and soft mast? This could make the time, $$, and land disturbance a waste or harmful to movement through disruption during a time bucks are starting to move. Wild mast availability changes YEARLY especially in places like Minnasota. Where winters dictate mast. Yes it is a bit more involved.
If he leaves ten acres of corn standing the entire deer season, he's got plenty of cover for the deer. To the OP: I think a clover plot would be worth the time and money. It won't necessarily be for hunting in the fall but nutrition in the early spring/late winter thaw for you up there in Minnesota.
You gave your opinion and welcome it was but you're the one that posted "To the above", referring to me...I just replied back in kind. Take a little sugar with your salt, you'll maintain more balanced nutrition.
That is a great consideration,especially if he is also a turkey hunter. Though with the alfalfa I'd go with winter wheat that could have clover seeded into .
Would need to know vastly more about the habitat present throughout the property before I could say if more food is really needed or just a want the OP may have. You already have some incredible planted food sources that are seasonal, but how much early successional growth and low woody brows level plants are there?? A property void of those things will never need a focus on seasonal food plots IMO...and the power of food plots is exponentially greater with amazing habitat as described than they are without. Vastly too much infatuation for plots these days over creating true awesome habitat IMO. Best of luck to the OP but on the service 80 acre property with that much food should be just fine IMO, that is with the assumption the rest is high quality habitat.
