Hi,i am new to this forum and this will be my first year hunting,so i need all the info i can get. I was wondering when i should plant a food plot and what i should plant in it?I will be hunting 30 acres of bush,and the field is planted in corn.
Im just going to say welcome, and im sure someone will help on that...there are a lot of good people on this site.
It's pretty late in the game to be thinking food plot for this year, but you still have time for turnips, rape, oats, wheat. There are plenty of mixes out there that will work. Just check the planting times in your area. Lots of the decision needs to be based on your capabilities and equipment available to get the job done. If you've got corn, then I'd scout out their heavily used trails too and from the corn field and set up near those.
You're not too late unless you're putting in soybeans, corn or such. We have always focused more on Fall Plantings here atleast for us. I do agree with Sky, first thing discover the heavy trails leading to the corn and hunt those...not the field edge but the trails within the woods/bush. As for food plots couple things come to mind without seeing your propert layout or anything. I would recommend possible making 2 small plots that are along/near/between some of the heaviest trails leading to the corn. Here I'd put in some good blends...perhaps in one put some oats, winter wheat, winter peas and whatever else.....then in the other do brassicas like turnips, radishes and rape. This will hopefully get the deer up on their feet just a couple minutes (can be the difference) earlier knowing they can feed within the woods in these small plots on their way to the destination food plots. Size wise as small as a couple 1/4 acre plots would do the trick but if you can go 1/2acre or bigger don't make them a box or big circle...use winding S or a big Y or a C shaped plot...this helps make the deer feel secure in a plot that doesn't (isn't) wide open. If you are set you want to put plots in this fall I'd say first step is to spend a couple days clearing and prepping them now. Use the tree tops or brush piles you create by doing this as edge cover for the food plot...you don't want the edge to be wide open. I wrote a post for Monsterraxx on the basic rules I follow when designing food plots here: http://www.monsterraxx.com/publisher/blog/2012/5/11/create-the-ultimate-kill-plot Hope any of this helps
Actually even with soybeans you're not late if you get them in soon, and actually will mature later which is better for us hunters. One farm/wooded property we have this year is just now going to put in a 3/4acre soybean plot....may get decimated but we'll see, if any still there come October you can bet I'll be hunting it.
yes fawning is most definitely in full swing...if you come into your area that may be holding fawns this time of year don't be afraid to sing, whistle or clap to let the deer know you're coming. This will trigger them to use escape routes out of the area and strengthen their belief that it's a good area to bed up due to being successful in slipping out safely...obviously if done daily they'll just stop coming but the occasional instance isn't going to hurt at all.
