Micro food plot assistance

[Newhunter1]

Hey everyone...I have access to a small piece of property that only has 6 acres of brushy timber that is so thick I have to get on my hands and knees in order to get through it. I am heading up to the property to cut trails about 4' wide to give me access to that location. Anyway at the bottom of the hill, next to a farmers field I have a circle that is about 45' in diameter. I'd like to put a food plot in there but here is my issue. I. Don't. Know. How....

I don't have an ATV, or tractor, or disks. What I do have is a chain saw, a rake, weed eater and I can rent a walk behind brush hog.

What do I use to kill the grass...what do I fertalize with, do I put lime down...when should I set and put the seed down...

Just remember that I have ZERO idea and do not have a green thumb.

Any help would be appreciated...and when explaining it to me...please consider me SLOOOOWWWWW!

 

[DroptineKrazy]

Go to the Whitetail Institute's website and you will find everything you need and then some. There is so much info there your eyes will bleed before your done Seriously though, I have used their seed and with their instructions I have a beautiful green patch of clover on the edge of my lawn that is still going strong after 3 years. It's not that hard so don't get intimidated by the process. Good luck.

 

[TNSTAAFL]

Go to the Whitetail Institute's website and you will find everything you need and then some. There is so much info there your eyes will bleed before your done Seriously though, I have used their seed and with their instructions I have a beautiful green patch of clover on the edge of my lawn that is still going strong after 3 years. It's not that hard so don't get intimidated by the process. Good luck.

I second this recommendation. You also might consider giving them a phone call. I was amazed at how much time they spent explaining stuff with me, especially since they knew up front I was a small scale customer only looking to build a tiny plot. They were super helpful and pleasant to interact with, and my suburban Imperial clover plot has been a great success.

 

[NMSbowhunter]

Following this too. I have been planting my back yard the past two years, mainly to give the deer a place to come that ironically doesn't get hunted. It is wooded and I just throw and grow. Generally, I just put out 100 pounds of winter wheat with some Ladino clover mixed in. Clover is good and comes back year after year. From my limited experience two things are pretty important. One is soil PH and the other is daily sunlight (shade tolerance). Not getting enough sun is a big problem for small plots.

 

[kbetts]

Unless you can keep the deer off of it initially, it may never even get established. Maybe just enhance the opening and make use of the cover.

Everyone wants to grow food, but cover may be more important.

 

[NMSbowhunter]

Hey everyone...I have access to a small piece of property that only has 6 acres of brushy timber that is so thick I have to get on my hands and knees in order to get through it. I am heading up to the property to cut trails about 4' wide to give me access to that location. Anyway at the bottom of the hill, next to a farmers field I have a circle that is about 45' in diameter. I'd like to put a food plot in there but here is my issue. I. Don't. Know. How....

I don't have an ATV, or tractor, or disks. What I do have is a chain saw, a rake, weed eater and I can rent a walk behind brush hog.

What do I use to kill the grass...what do I fertalize with, do I put lime down...when should I set and put the seed down...

Just remember that I have ZERO idea and do not have a green thumb.

Any help would be appreciated...and when explaining it to me...please consider me SLOOOOWWWWW!

Another way to look at it is if there is a farmer's field (that I assume you can't hunt) you may already have the "food plot" and a good approach might be to walk that field edge and see where the deer are coming off of the 6 acres you have to hunt onto that field in the evenings. Backtrack the natural trail the deer use and find a good tree you can set up in. From there figure out how to get in and out without blowing the deer out of that thick stuff. This might mean going in 2 hours before daylight while the deer are out in the farmer's field and catching them coming back to bedding. You might only have to clear a couple of shooting lanes.

 

[Exhumis]

I second this recommendation. You also might consider giving them a phone call. I was amazed at how much time they spent explaining stuff with me, especially since they knew up front I was a small scale customer only looking to build a tiny plot. They were super helpful and pleasant to interact with, and my suburban Imperial clover plot has been a great success.

I third this recommendation. They have a soil test kit that will narrow down what nutrients the soil needs and doesn’t need and can then recommend weed management product to put down first and then I’d imagine some kind of no plow after that.

 

[BTaylor]

For a spot that small, a mineral lick and and sinking a kiddie pool to make a water hole, might be just as or more productive that a green spot.

 

[SNIPERBBB]

What's growing there now? If its not too thick, broadcast seed heavy an early cover crop mix then scythe or weed eat down the existing growth. This protects seed from birds and fives free mulch. Repeat one or two times until its time to plant your fall food plants

 

[Newhunter1]

Here is the property...the field is farmed by one of the local farmers who waits till mid November to harvest anything...especially corn. By the creek bottoms, the other field is farmed by the same farmer. This year my field will be corn and the other field to the east of the bottoms should beans.

The picture is the entire property. It's not very hunting friendly...the other two pictures I've been thinking of food plots and cutting trails to the circle...as it was an old hog pen 50 years ago and would be easier to clear. The lines to the circle are paths that I'm going to cut so the deer have an easier path to go down...and I'll make a entrance and exit path for me. The edge of the field is about 10 yards from the edge of the circle. The deer stay in that thick brush till dusk and then come out and feed. Ive never seen them in the field in the morning.

The third pic is of the river bottoms. Deer use this as a travel corridor between the two fields when the corn is up...whent its down then they go nocturnal.

 

[DroptineKrazy]

For a spot that small, a mineral lick and and sinking a kiddie pool to make a water hole, might be just as or more productive that a green spot.

That mineral lick would get you put in handcuffs in my state

 

[Jtaylor]

Hey everyone...I have access to a small piece of property that only has 6 acres of brushy timber that is so thick I have to get on my hands and knees in order to get through it. I am heading up to the property to cut trails about 4' wide to give me access to that location. Anyway at the bottom of the hill, next to a farmers field I have a circle that is about 45' in diameter. I'd like to put a food plot in there but here is my issue. I. Don't. Know. How....

I don't have an ATV, or tractor, or disks. What I do have is a chain saw, a rake, weed eater and I can rent a walk behind brush hog.

What do I use to kill the grass...what do I fertalize with, do I put lime down...when should I set and put the seed down...

Just remember that I have ZERO idea and do not have a green thumb.

Any help would be appreciated...and when explaining it to me...please consider me SLOOOOWWWWW!

Roundup will let you start with a clean slate and you can plant shortly after your unwanted weeds are dead. Search for a local seed company that carries native grasses and forbs as they'll have the best recommendation for your area. No need to get all crazy since it's a 45' circle, you can rake that in no time with a concrete rake, plant, cover and cross your fingers. I've used grass seed from a hardware store before and had luck drawing deer in. The neighboring corn fields will probably trump your efforts but at least it might give you an opportunity for a good stand/shot location when one walks by.
Oh, the farmer might not be super excited about you planting clover next to his field if you go that route since it could spread and compete with moisture.

 

[Newhunter1]

Oh, the farmer might not be super excited about you planting clover next to his field if you go that route since it could spread and compete with moisture.

True, however the plot will be 15 yards off the field and will be surrounded by brush and tree line. I just want to make a place for the deer to gather before coming out of the timber...and then kill them as they enter the kill plot. Also, the farmer does not own the field he farms...the landowner lets him farm it or lease it.

 

[Allegheny Tom]

Hey everyone...I have access to a small piece of property that only has 6 acres of brushy timber that is so thick I have to get on my hands and knees in order to get through it. I am heading up to the property to cut trails about 4' wide to give me access to that location. Anyway at the bottom of the hill, next to a farmers field I have a circle that is about 45' in diameter. I'd like to put a food plot in there but here is my issue. I. Don't. Know. How....

I don't have an ATV, or tractor, or disks. What I do have is a chain saw, a rake, weed eater and I can rent a walk behind brush hog.

What do I use to kill the grass...what do I fertalize with, do I put lime down...when should I set and put the seed down...

Just remember that I have ZERO idea and do not have a green thumb.

Any help would be appreciated...and when explaining it to me...please consider me SLOOOOWWWWW!

What is your goal? A kill plot? If so, it's easy as pie to plant a plot of cereal rye around September. Rye will grow on a brick and requires almost no fertilizer.
Go to Habitat Talk forum and look up Throw and Mow Method (TnM). So easy and requires very little equipment, especially in a plot as small as 45' dia. Pump sprayer, hand sprayer, and weed wacker will make a fair plot.

 

[kbetts]

True, however the plot will be 15 yards off the field and will be surrounded by brush and tree line. I just want to make a place for the deer to gather before coming out of the timber...and then kill them as they enter the kill plot. Also, the farmer does not own the field he farms...the landowner lets him farm it or lease it.

Wrong way imo. The spot you already have is where they stage. Stop trying to shoot them over food. This isn't a TV show. Shoot them where they are comfortable.....in the cover.

 

[Fl Canopy Stalker]

Hey everyone...I have access to a small piece of property that only has 6 acres of brushy timber that is so thick I have to get on my hands and knees in order to get through it. I am heading up to the property to cut trails about 4' wide to give me access to that location. Anyway at the bottom of the hill, next to a farmers field I have a circle that is about 45' in diameter. I'd like to put a food plot in there but here is my issue. I. Don't. Know. How....

I don't have an ATV, or tractor, or disks. What I do have is a chain saw, a rake, weed eater and I can rent a walk behind brush hog.

What do I use to kill the grass...what do I fertalize with, do I put lime down...when should I set and put the seed down...

Just remember that I have ZERO idea and do not have a green thumb.

Any help would be appreciated...and when explaining it to me...please consider me SLOOOOWWWWW!

If there is an Agro field next to the parcel, I wouldn’t worry about food, I would clear a small section for a small watering hole and a few lanes like you’re doing for a travel corridor. From there clear some thick stuff and concentrate on making it a bedding area. Maybe you can sneak between farmers field and the bedding you lay out to catch them in route from one to the other.

 

[Loopwing]

Can you legally bait? Essentially a food plot is baiting with a lot of work. If it were me and it was legal I would put out a feeder or keep a constant flow of corn going. Hunting an oak tree, planting a food plot, or dumping corn is all baiting. Just depends on how you look at it.

 

[BTaylor]

That mineral lick would get you put in handcuffs in my state

If'n its against the law, then you shouldnt do it. We can use water, mineral or bait here. I guess he could always put a hot doe in a chain link dog kennel and shoot the bucks as they try to figure out how to get to her.

 

[Gator]

I wouldn't bother with the work to add a 45' circle plot. Deer would wipe that out overnight. I would simply open a couple shooting lanes and concentrate on entrance and exit strategy.

 

[Newhunter1]

Can you legally bait? Essentially a food plot is baiting with a lot of work. If it were me and it was legal I would put out a feeder or keep a constant flow of corn going. Hunting an oak tree, planting a food plot, or dumping corn is all baiting. Just depends on how you look at it.

Illinois looks at dumping corn as baiting. Food plots...not so much.

As far as making a food plot...after thinking about it...I think I'll just continue my plan to cut shooting lanes and a safe secure plot that the deer a staging area.