I just have one feeder and 2 foodplots on 45 ac of hardwoods. The one feeder is in my yard and I don’t want to compete with it with another feeder because I like seeing the deer everyday. I use whitetail institute clover. I know people say it’s no different than other white clover but I disagree. It’s full of 4 leaf clovers and my kids have found a 5 leaf clovers occasionally. It’s really a forage clover and the deer love it all year in Alabama. It just struggles to regenerate in the heart of winter. Last year I mixed Plot Spike’s forage feast with it when I planted the clover in the fall. The clover is really taking off this spring. I’m hoping I won’t have to plant the clover again this year and keep it for a few years as long as I can manage the weeds. I set my cameras on video and I’ll have 10 deer in the plots munching down. Makes me feel good to see a long stems of clover hanging from their mouth. Got to get your ph and fertilizer right.
One thing that WHS stated that I never thought of was to plant all your foodplots with the same stuff in them. Deer prefer different plants at certain times of the year. If plot #1 has oats and plot #2 has wheat, they will go to the plot that’s ripe at that time. And you don’t want that. You want a consistent pattern. Does bedded right off the food plot and coming to it on schedule every day. The same group of does. You don’t want them traveling further to a sweeter plot changing their patterns and mixing with other doe groups. Mixing doe groups cause stress and may change their patterns. And if you are set up on a plot knowing where the doe group beds, you can set up undetected. If a different group comes in, it may come in from another direction and once they bust you, they will be scent checking your stand before they come in.
It’s pretty cool to plan and set up like this but it’s just guide lines and a goal. We all know things change and we have no control over it. And different deer handle pressure differently. It’s just something you can do to put the odds in your favor.
I’ve been enjoying working plans and seeing the outcomes. Somethings work and other things surprise me.