Why are they called food plots instead of bait plots? I mean really... I would say most people (not saying why you may have planted them, generalizing here) who plant them plant them to attract deer, not to subsidize their diets... Really, the name "food" plot was probably coined to distance the practice from baiting. I can't blame them as many look down upon the practice of baiting. No dog in this fight, as I do not have anything against someone baiting or planting these plots.. Just was listening to some guys talk about a 1000 SQ FT food plot the other day.. Seems no different than baiting to me? Sway me one way or the other, as I may be missing something.
I call it food plots because thats what I have heard them called. I use mine to keep the deer on my land as I have bedding areas and watering holes already. Only thing I am lacking for them is plenty of food. Thats why I grow them. I don't and wont use them as baiting and hunt over them. Just like I don't hunt over my mineral stations. If I were going to bait, I would do it in the form of a corn pile or feeder. Its a lot less work to poor food on the ground or in a feeder rather than work your butt off planting a food plot.
[FONT=Times.New.Roman083.313341][FONT=Times.New.Roman083.313341]Personally for us it is about providing a good quality food source than typical grass hay that grows in our fields. Guess an easy explanation is why you see farmers turn the soil and plant alfalfa or clover to then hay the fields the following year. Normally to maintain the highest levels of protein in these legumes, cutting them on a 28 day cycle (given adequate growing) produces the highest protein. After that it will start to decrease.[/FONT][/FONT] Legumes, such as alfalfa and red clover, are typically much higher in protein and calcium than grass hays (timothy, orchardgrass, bermudagrass). Legumes may also be higher in energy and total digestible nutrients. As we know, protein, or the lack there of, will have an effect on antler growth, fawns and the herd in general. Now acorns are another favorite food source, however acorns are low in protein, but high in carbohyrates and fats....to me a combination of these two with adequate cover and water makes for a great whitetail paradise
True i could care less either way also , but arn't the seeds for the plot placed on the ground too .....lol
If a field of corn or beans count as 'bait'... I live in the most baited county in the USA. We produce more corn and beans than any other county.... and weirdly, there are very few deer.
You are misunderstanding what I was asking... I am talking about hunters who plant small food plots to attract deer... Not a farmers crop fields.
I run a deer feeder half the year that throws out corn on a schedule. Less corn during the summer because there is other food available but enough to keep them coming through a certain section of land. It becomes a deer baiter once deer season opens . I don't hunt deer over or near it but I will shoot them over it or near it on occasion LOL.
thats what they are is year around food plots right, if you manage your heard and want them to reach ther full genetic potental .
A couple of things that may control that. 1) size of the equipment. Most wouldn't have the equipment to work more than 1/2-3 acres. 2) Money. To do it correctly, the cost of fertilizer and seed gets costly. The cost for us this year was about $280/acre not counting fuel. 3) Time, many with the size of the equipmet, may not have the time to do bigger plots plus keeps the maintence end (cutting) easier as well 4) Open land, some areas may have limited if any open fields therefore the "hunting plots" or plots within the timber is limited. Therefore clearing becomes a task. Just my opinion but from talking to some about doing plots these were limitations that they had, some out of their control.
Because I can't "BAIT" in MO or IL. It's a fine line there. I guess they would have a hard time enforcing any type of law against planting crops as bait. What is baiting and what is actually farming? But in IL you cannot just mow off the corn or beans to expose the seed either. Some states you can. In IL it has to be a normal harvest process if you want to knock down the crop.
So is hunting on a trail leading to an apple orchard or corn field baiting too. How about an Oak flat? Baiting to me would be piling food to bring deer in at a specific spot( where you poured it). Food plots depending on size doesn't necessarily bring a deer right where you want it. They could enter anywhere at any time.
Thats probably a big part of it. I do know guys that plant fields for more than just deer though. Like a lot of things in deer hunting, its all about antlers. Hunters will take bits and pieces of management practices and use them to their benefit. Perhaps, the original idea of "food plots" was not just to kill big bucks. Maybe it really was to improve the habitat of their property? I think its similar to QDM. Guys love to say they practice QDM because QDMA made it trendy. Fact is, most so called QDM guys only practice a small fraction of what the QDMA's philosophies are about. Call it whatever helps you sleep at night.
Food Plot = time a field before or after the season to make your hunting property as good as it can be to attract as much wild life as possible and to... I repeat have time afield.
