Food Plot Management Approaches!

[BoilerUP]

My family has just over 100 acres in Washington Co. We have a 5 acre plot of oats/rape/clover in an open river bottom, and it draws deer like a magnet at night from our farm and surrounding properties. Two adjacent properties have smaller winter wheat plots. We have a number of good producing oak stands in the woods, along with some hickory trees.

We don't shoot bucks unless they are at least 8 points with a spread outside the ears. Exception: kid's first buck. One adjacent farm has the same rule, another has shifted that way after killing numerous forkhorns over the last decade.

We do shoot a fair number of does (5-8 per season) as we were WAY overpopulated with them.

This year there were more bucks seen than the last 3 years combined, with one nice 10-pointer taken. They were moving/chasing much more.

Hope this helps...

[sniper15545]

I have 270 acres of which I have a 3 acres food plot in the center. T he food plot consists of white clover, rape , brassica's and I plant purple top turnips in the fall. I also feed any where from 125 to 400 bales of alfalfa hay depending on the winter weather. As far as my turkeys I Buy 22 bushel's of uncertified wheat from a local farmer for $6.50 a bushel. I keep a resident herd of about 80 does and we only shoot 8 point or bigger bucks, We are killing some nice bucks. My point is if you work hard at it you can keep a herd of resident does on your 70 acres, And if you have does the bucks will come during the rut.