Too Much Food?
Filed under: Ask Grant, Food Plots, Habitat Management
Sorry for all the questions! Every time I watch one of your videos I think of more. I know last year you planted corn. If you have planted corn this year, why haven’t you hunted over it? Could you make a video telling us more about why you hunt a particular area? Oftentimes you mention where you hunt regarding to food plots, but I’m referring to why you choose particular trees in the woods. It’s something I struggle with and often see people on television and wonder how a particular buck can walk within 15 yards of that ONE tree the hunter chose. I have a lot of food this year (too much I think) and I already had a lot of thick bedding cover (20 acres of food and 25 acres of thick cover). I’m seeing tons of deer but can only do so by hunting over the big plots. I want to try to create some sort of transitional cover where deer can stage so I can hunt there and not spook deer over plots. I have 30 acres to play with. Any recommendations? Pines would grow well here, in the South, but would take some time to grow. NWSGs would grow pretty quick but might act more as a sanctuary/bedding area. I haven’t seen you hunt over NWSGs, do you use them only as cover? Eric
Eric,
Most of the corn I planted this year was consumed by wireworm before it germinated. I wish I had some corn to help feed the deer and as a hunting location!
I do try to discuss why I select where I’m hunting. However, I’ll try to focus on that a bit more. Picking the correct tree is about as much art as it is science. For me, how the wind behaves (swirls, eddies, etc.,) at that tree and my ability to approach that tree without disturbing deer are key factors in my selection process.
The only problem with too much food is the volunteer crops the next year (they are never as good as planted crops at the appropriate spacing, etc.). Not every property has existing bottlenecks. However, they can be fairly easily created by placing multiple bales of hay, using a Gallagher fence, cutting a few trees, or other features that deer don’t wish to cross.
I like hunting NWSG stands! If I know where the deer are bedding and the preferred food source, I can find the travel corridor. I can use the tools listed above to narrow that travel corridor to create some great stand locations that are approachable without disturbing the deer.
I agree with you, I’d much rather hunt the transition zones rather than the food sources, especially in the mornings. Remember that spooking a deer doesn’t just impact that hunt, but hunts for the next several weeks in that area.
Growing Deer together,
Grant
