Alternate Crops to Substitute for Food Plot
Filed under: Ask Grant, Food Plots
I own 109 wooded acres in west central Pennsylvania. It is surrounded by mostly wooded tracts of land with little agriculture nearby. There are three streams that run through the property, lots of thick cover (mountain laurel and rhododendron) and I have established a sanctuary. I have some small food plots that I am still developing in the few open areas accessible with my tractor. I also make mineral/protein blocks available.
I am trying to better develop my food plot system but my biggest hurdle is the amount of suitable area to plant. My question is concerning the possibility of optional plantings outside of the typical food plots we all hear about. Other than fertilizing existing mast trees or planting new fruit/mast trees, is there any other type of vegetation that makes sense to try to establish? Prescribed burning is intimidating and probably not a good option for me.
I am trying to make my property as attractive as I can due to its small size, so please give any suggestions you can. My brother harvested a 140 class last year, but those guys are very rare in my area of Pennsylvania. This has motivated me even more to do the best management job possible.
Thank you very much,
Nestor
Nestor,
This is a common problem for those of us that don’t manage land in the ag belt. If rural land is not in crops or pasture, it is usually covered with trees. I’m not aware of any alternative crops that will provide an adequate quantity of quality food to make an impact on a deer herd in a timbered environment. Trees simply don’t provide enough fruit and mast for many, many years after establishment to justify the expense and upkeep to establish them. I enjoy planting and watching trees develop, but I don’t count on them as part of my nutrition management plant.
I have the same problem at The Proving Grounds – limited suitable acres for crop forage and grain production. I combat this problem by making the small portion of open land available as productive as possible, and limit the deer herd’s density to the number of deer that I can provide ample quality forage for.
Growing Deer together,
Grant
