I haven’t read further than the first couple pages on the Habitat forum yet. The area I want to plant in isn’t exactly level. It has ruts from the tractors when they logged it off. You can’t see them in the picture. So I’m not sure if I have to level that out. I don’t need it to look pretty, but when it rains water tends to hold in those area and I doubt anything would grow. I’m going to pull and dig up the small saplings, some of those are growing out of low cut stumps. I’m also concerned with the seed to soil contact with all of the thatch already on the ground So not sure if I should rake that before I throw. Mowing is gonna be a “B” with the stumps, low spots and the high clumps of grass. If this works out this year there is a half acre area at the back of the property I will try next year.
As much as we'd like to have plots, there are some spots that aren't very suitable. I'm not saying that is your situation but it's something to keep in mind when we plan. Another thing we sometimes do is to try to force a certain forage into a location. Soil composition, sunlight, pH, zone, and deer densities have to be considered. Deer density is something that a lot of plotters overlook.
Nature hates a vacuum and if too many deer numbers destroy the volume of your crop, then mother nature is going to grow something else, possibly something undesirable.
A lot of my plots are on wet slopes. Years ago, I had clover on 100% of those fields. By March the high deer numbers would have the clover eaten down to the mud which led to soil erosion. Sometimes food plots are not the best choice for the health of our land.
I'd say that the number 1 goal of plotters and farmers is to protect and nurture your top soil. Erosion really sucks.
Now, if you determine that your spots are worth plotting then don't try to rush it. Spend the summer preparing the site. Ammend soil, address weed issues, deal with shade and adjust thatch volume.
Imo, clover is king. If I was going to have only 1 forage it would be clover.
There are some clovers that do okay in damp areas. I like Balansa Fixation is a heavily seeding annual that will sustain itself for several years because it's hard seeded and it handles damp spots.