Traditional nutrition plots are often planted in fallow fields that require minimal land clearing prior to planting. These areas are easy to cultivate, but often are too large and open to provide sufficient cover for daylight feeding. Leaving brush piles or standing vegetation inside the food plot creates hiding spots for deer so they can feel secure when foraging. Saplings or shrubs growing in the proposed food plot area can be left standing in small clumps every sixty feet or so. The brush one removes from the site can be piled up in open areas to create cover. Often with this type of setup one observes savvy old bucks who walk from brush pile to brush pile only stopping to forage when concealed by some form of structure. When this happens you can bet that buck would have stayed in the woods until dark if you had not provided him a place to hide in your plot.

This is not to say deer are never seen in square fields, but for herd monitoring purposes it is best to build food plots that encourage as many deer as possible to utilize food plots during the day. Keep on hand a good pair of binoculars, and write down as many notes as possible when watching deer. I encourage hunters and managers alike to purchase a high performance camera and take it to the deer blind. By taking pictures of individual deer and studying them, one can get to know the deer in his herd. Monitor the development of individual deer from year to year to help establish what your herd needs and what it doesn’t. Observations and well kept records are powerful tools when it comes to assessing the condition and trends of a local deer population that wildlife managers can utilize more efficiently with the aid of properly designed food plots.

For more information on food plot installation or wildlife management in general, or to suggest topics for our next write-up contact a wildlife consultant via: landownerservices@texashuntfish.com.

This is John Schwarzlose for the Texas Hunting and Fishing Network wishing you safety and success in all your outdoor adventures.

John Schwarzlose
Biologist- Texas Wildlife Unlimited