Habitats & Food Plots

In this episode: new whitetail research (00:44 -- 1:24), tell-tale signs to look for when there isn't enough food for the deer on your hunting property (1:46 -2:56), how to convert old logging decks into food plots(3:16-3:45),  what to do when feral hogs become a problem (4:39 -- 5:29), shed antler hunting tips (5:41 -- 8:28), and rare video of a piebald whitetail doe in Indiana (8:37-9:53)!

This winter's brutal weather has made things hard for food plot aficionados.

Every type of plant for food plots has a "best" season to plant it. In the case of brassicas, that season is now. From August through September is the time to get these plants in the ground. Brassicas include plants such as kale, turnips, rape, radishes and others.

Study after study has demonstrated that bears, coyotes, and even bobcats prey heavily on fawns. Coyotes seem to be getting the most attention by hunters and for good reason. Coyote populations are burgeoning in most areas. Where they were once critters of the cactus and tumbleweed they now are showing up in cornfields and acorn flats. They've moved into neighborhoods and would just as soon make a meal of your pet tabby as chase a jackrabbit through a patch of cactus.

Wildlife food plots provide tons of high quality nutrition to whitetails and are a cornerstone of most well managed deer properties. But, before you get all wrapped up in an expensive food plot program, you would be wise to do some work with your property's native vegetation.

Got a hundred acres and no deer? Haven't heard a grouse drum since you were a kid? Wish you could find a few bunnies to start the kids on or show them a love-sick woodcock circling a clearing? If your answer to any of the above is yes, think wildlife openings.

One of the more common food plot questions we're asked is, "How long will a food plot last"? The short answer is "It depends". It depends on a whole lot of factors, but most of all it depends upon how well you maintain it.

It seems like everyone is

With just a bit of work, you can create a sanctuary that will draw and hold older bucks on your property. And if you don't make one, or don't already have one on the land you hunt, they will find one elsewhere when the hunting pressure builds. They need it for security and survival.