How to Create Food Plots for Whitetails
If you are a serious hunter and you own your own property where you hunt, whitetail deer can be attracted to your land using food plots. By establishing a food plot on your hunting land you will be improving the quality and quantity of food for the deer. The ideal food plot will provide a variety of food that the deer like at different times of the year. Follow these steps to establish a food plot that gets good results.
Instructions
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Find out the legalities of deer food plots in your jurisdiction. It is legal in most places because it benefits wildlife, but different jurisdictions will have different regulations so make sure it is legal where you are located before putting in the food plot. Also, food plots may be legal but there may be rules about what to plant and the use of fertilizers and chemicals, so make sure you do your homework before you get started.
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Assessing the herds carrying capacity is very important, if there is an overabundance of deer in the area chances are the food supply is already sufficient and a food plot will not do you much good. The conservation department can help with these type of issues.
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Assess the nutritional deficiencies of the area to determine what type of food should be added. Food plots should be designed to address the nutritional deficiencies of the area. The focus should be for the entire year not just deer season. In general stress periods are usually winter and late summer.
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Select the spots for your food plots. Large clearings that are near woods are best. Whitetails are very alert to other creatures and like to have cover nearby. This will give the deer some cover if they need it. Try to find spots that are at least a quarter of an acre.
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Test the soil to determine if it contains the nutrients needed for the crop you intend to plant. If the soil is not right you may be able to spread fertilizer that has the missing nutrients. If that is not possible select another spot.
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Plant you crop and fertilize it, try to water it if possible. You coud set out barrels to collect rain water, which you could then apply to the food plot when needed if there is no other water source.
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