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14 registered members (BC, BCLC, BACK40, rrice0725, PikeRoadHunter, kyles, gog1015, AHolcomb, Tree Dweller, russellb, AMB, CAL, BRP549, CCC),
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Re: Food plot shapes
[Re: fladeerhntr]
#2953107
11/11/19 07:43 PM
11/11/19 07:43 PM
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 25,762 Fayetteville TN Via Selma
jawbone
Freak of Nature
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Freak of Nature
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 25,762
Fayetteville TN Via Selma
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A biologist will tell you that irregular shaped plots are better. I don't know why, but they do. Of course, the biologists are not the ones disking an irregular shaped plot after an already long day on a tractor. I think making sure to leave some cover on the edges is probably more important than the shape for us since we are hunting on a place trying to re-establish wild quail.
Lord, please help us get our nation straightened out.
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Re: Food plot shapes
[Re: fladeerhntr]
#2953113
11/11/19 07:46 PM
11/11/19 07:46 PM
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Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 30,910 Clanton, AL
Out back
Grumpy Old Man
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Grumpy Old Man
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 30,910
Clanton, AL
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Let the terrain and cover dictate the shape. Try to keep the bulk of the open area on one side of the hill or terrace. If possible the south or east side. Then keep it near thick cover and even provide some cover within the field.
My opinions and comments are my own. They do not reflect the position or political opinions of Aldeer or any of the Aldeer administration.
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Re: Food plot shapes
[Re: fladeerhntr]
#2953129
11/11/19 07:54 PM
11/11/19 07:54 PM
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Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 21,755 Awbarn, AL
CNC
Dances With Weeds
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Dances With Weeds
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 21,755
Awbarn, AL
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There was a guy that spoke at a seminar in Auburn one time on making your land more "huntable".....This guy was a life long deer and habitat manager....I forget his name....He had a big Texas looking mustache.....What he suggested was to have most of your food plots to be long and narrow about like you're describing.....But instead of making it a completely straight line......He made them in sorta like a line a drunk would drive.....like a gently curved "S". You could see still a good straight line down it but it took away that feeling of the deer being so exposed to a long opening. He felt like the bucks used that type of "lane" better. These lanes were 300-500 yards if I recall
Last edited by CNC; 11/11/19 07:56 PM.
We dont rent pigs
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Re: Food plot shapes
[Re: CNC]
#2953173
11/11/19 08:42 PM
11/11/19 08:42 PM
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Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 3,594 Jackson County
CD
10 point
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10 point
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 3,594
Jackson County
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There was a guy that spoke at a seminar in Auburn one time on making your land more "huntable".....This guy was a life long deer and habitat manager....I forget his name....He had a big Texas looking mustache.....What he suggested was to have most of your food plots to be long and narrow about like you're describing.....But instead of making it a completely straight line......He made them in sorta like a line a drunk would drive.....like a gently curved "S". You could see still a good straight line down it but it took away that feeling of the deer being so exposed to a long opening. He felt like the bucks used that type of "lane" better. These lanes were 300-500 yards if I recall Was it Mark Thomas? He used to post on here as caribouhunter but I haven’t seen him post in ages. I took some continuing ed classes where he was the instructor. All were highly informative.
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Re: Food plot shapes
[Re: CD]
#2953179
11/11/19 08:46 PM
11/11/19 08:46 PM
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Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 21,755 Awbarn, AL
CNC
Dances With Weeds
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Dances With Weeds
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 21,755
Awbarn, AL
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There was a guy that spoke at a seminar in Auburn one time on making your land more "huntable".....This guy was a life long deer and habitat manager....I forget his name....He had a big Texas looking mustache.....What he suggested was to have most of your food plots to be long and narrow about like you're describing.....But instead of making it a completely straight line......He made them in sorta like a line a drunk would drive.....like a gently curved "S". You could see still a good straight line down it but it took away that feeling of the deer being so exposed to a long opening. He felt like the bucks used that type of "lane" better. These lanes were 300-500 yards if I recall Was it Mark Thomas? He used to post on here as caribouhunter but I haven’t seen him post in ages. I took some continuing ed classes where he was the instructor. All were highly informative. Yep....that was him.
We dont rent pigs
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Re: Food plot shapes
[Re: fladeerhntr]
#2953182
11/11/19 08:48 PM
11/11/19 08:48 PM
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Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 52,200 Gee's Bend/At The Hog Pen
James
Freak of Nature
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Freak of Nature
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 52,200
Gee's Bend/At The Hog Pen
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I love a long (at least 200) narrow plot! Reckon i like a long narrow plots, because i like hunting roads, if i find a bunch of sign on a road I'm gonna stick a chair somewheres and watch it 😁
How many people am i willing to sacrifice for freedom? Everyone. All of them...
Do not regret growing older, it's a privilege denied to many!
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Re: Food plot shapes
[Re: fladeerhntr]
#2953198
11/11/19 09:10 PM
11/11/19 09:10 PM
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Joined: May 2002
Posts: 8,030 Central Alabama
muzziehead
14 point
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14 point
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 8,030
Central Alabama
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My preference would be a horseshoe shaped plot for a killing plot if I had Trees available in the middle to climb or put a lock on. But as far as planting goes I prefer A rectangular 1-1 1/2 acre plot
"Don't cling to Mistake, just because you spent a lot of time making it."
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Re: Food plot shapes
[Re: CNC]
#2953423
11/12/19 07:12 AM
11/12/19 07:12 AM
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Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 8,753 bessemer, al
hunterturf
14 point
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14 point
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 8,753
bessemer, al
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There was a guy that spoke at a seminar in Auburn one time on making your land more "huntable".....This guy was a life long deer and habitat manager....I forget his name....He had a big Texas looking mustache.....What he suggested was to have most of your food plots to be long and narrow about like you're describing.....But instead of making it a completely straight line......He made them in sorta like a line a drunk would drive.....like a gently curved "S". You could see still a good straight line down it but it took away that feeling of the deer being so exposed to a long opening. He felt like the bucks used that type of "lane" better. These lanes were 300-500 yards if I recall Was it Mark Thomas? He used to post on here as caribouhunter but I haven’t seen him post in ages. I took some continuing ed classes where he was the instructor. All were highly informative. Yep....that was him. He lives in the bham area. Has deer and a set of caribou horns in his yard. I passed his yard for years working in his neighborhood. I finally stopped to talk to him one day when I saw him out in his driveway. 3 hours later I left. Does a ton of work spraying invasive species and even lined up some crews to plant pines on a buddies property. He’s a wealth of info
Give me bout 15 more minutes, I was dreamin about beavers.......... Si Robertson
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Re: Food plot shapes
[Re: hunterturf]
#2953471
11/12/19 08:33 AM
11/12/19 08:33 AM
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Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 21,755 Awbarn, AL
CNC
Dances With Weeds
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Dances With Weeds
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 21,755
Awbarn, AL
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He lives in the bham area. Has deer and a set of caribou horns in his yard. I passed his yard for years working in his neighborhood. I finally stopped to talk to him one day when I saw him out in his driveway. 3 hours later I left. Does a ton of work spraying invasive species and even lined up some crews to plant pines on a buddies property. He’s a wealth of info
Yeah, I really liked listening to him speak. A lot of his speech on making your property more huntable talked about how so many property owners managed for older bucks but couldn’t kill them because their property wasn’t set up to give them any kind of advantage. The deer had the strategic advantage in its favor. He talked about how a lot of folks who kill older bucks do so because of the set-up….It makes sense too. There’s really not as much to being a “big buck killer” as what folks play up a lot of times….It’s mostly about just the right property and the right set-up. That’s not to say that there’s not good hunters out there….like I was saying in another post….some situations are just better mouse traps.
Last edited by CNC; 11/12/19 08:33 AM.
We dont rent pigs
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Re: Food plot shapes
[Re: CNC]
#2953494
11/12/19 09:06 AM
11/12/19 09:06 AM
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Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 9,375 Jasper, AL
joshm28
14 point
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14 point
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 9,375
Jasper, AL
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He lives in the bham area. Has deer and a set of caribou horns in his yard. I passed his yard for years working in his neighborhood. I finally stopped to talk to him one day when I saw him out in his driveway. 3 hours later I left. Does a ton of work spraying invasive species and even lined up some crews to plant pines on a buddies property. He’s a wealth of info
Yeah, I really liked listening to him speak. A lot of his speech on making your property more huntable talked about how so many property owners managed for older bucks but couldn’t kill them because their property wasn’t set up to give them any kind of advantage. The deer had the strategic advantage in its favor. He talked about how a lot of folks who kill older bucks do so because of the set-up….It makes sense too. There’s really not as much to being a “big buck killer” as what folks play up a lot of times….It’s mostly about just the right property and the right set-up. That’s not to say that there’s not good hunters out there….like I was saying in another post….some situations are just better mouse traps. I’m in 100% agreement on leased land hunting. But when it comes to killing good bucks on public land then those hunters are a step above most everyone myself included. A buck can view a big rectangular food plot from any one vantage point around the perimeter. A “V” shaped plot, or turkey foot, or “L” can give us hunters an advantage. In some situations the bucks will be required to enter the field in order to look for hot does.
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Re: Food plot shapes
[Re: muzziehead]
#2953572
11/12/19 10:33 AM
11/12/19 10:33 AM
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Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 6,095 Anniston, AL
ikillbux
ishootatbux
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ishootatbux
Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 6,095
Anniston, AL
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My preference would be a horseshoe shaped plot for a killing plot if I had Trees available in the middle to climb or put a lock on. But as far as planting goes I prefer A rectangular 1-1 1/2 acre plot This. We had "The Horseshoe Plot" on our lease for years, was BY FAR the best plot I've ever hunted on. I visited a friend's club last year and they have a plot called "The Turkey Foot", it was really neat. They had a ladder stand at the head (think about where the turkey's ankle would be) and then three loooooooong strips angling off like the turkey's toes. Each strip was probably 200 yards long and 30-40 yards wide, and it was built dead smack in the middle of a huge block of thick planted pines. Only problem is I felt like a one-eyed cat watching three rat holes
We were on the edge of Eternia, when the power of Greyskull began to take hold.
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Re: Food plot shapes
[Re: fladeerhntr]
#2953578
11/12/19 10:36 AM
11/12/19 10:36 AM
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Joined: Feb 2015
Posts: 6,054 AL
BamaGuitarDude
12 point
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12 point
Joined: Feb 2015
Posts: 6,054
AL
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Last edited by BamaGuitarDude; 11/13/19 11:00 AM.
ALDeer physics: for every opinion, there's an equal & opposite opinion
A wise man can learn more from a foolish question than a fool can learn from a wise answer.
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Re: Food plot shapes
[Re: fladeerhntr]
#2953906
11/12/19 04:51 PM
11/12/19 04:51 PM
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Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 4,619 Alabama
Rmart30
10 point
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10 point
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 4,619
Alabama
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I like the turkey foot idea myself with the lanes.. In most places Ive hunted I think I see more mature bucks on smaller tighter fields rather than large open wide ones. Fields on skidder trails and intersections are some of my favorite spots.
Ethical behavior is doing the right thing when no one else is watching - even when doing the wrong thing is legal. Aldo Leopold .. (except when it comes to trailer tags)
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Re: Food plot shapes
[Re: fladeerhntr]
#2953925
11/12/19 05:13 PM
11/12/19 05:13 PM
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Joined: Aug 2018
Posts: 5,208 Georgia and Missouri
Semo
12 point
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12 point
Joined: Aug 2018
Posts: 5,208
Georgia and Missouri
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if all else is equal then more edge should be preferred biologically speaking. But other factors are more important in my opinion. More edge doesn't lead to easier hunting, growing, or planting.
Aspect, soil type and depth, and light (how much you want depending on your soil moisture/aspect) should be top of the list.
however, location on property is really important. I've got a 400 acre piece that has about 10 acres in foodplots. the problem is they are all on the south end of the property-by the gates. With a south wind it is next to impossible to sneak in. plus if a person wants to hunt other areas you've got to scare every thing off to get there. So, it really limits morning hunting to a few stands...or you just say the hell with it and drive through.
Last edited by Semo; 11/12/19 05:13 PM.
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Re: Food plot shapes
[Re: ikillbux]
#2953962
11/12/19 05:50 PM
11/12/19 05:50 PM
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Joined: Mar 2018
Posts: 106 Alabaster, Al.
Justin Brown
3 point
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3 point
Joined: Mar 2018
Posts: 106
Alabaster, Al.
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My preference would be a horseshoe shaped plot for a killing plot if I had Trees available in the middle to climb or put a lock on. But as far as planting goes I prefer A rectangular 1-1 1/2 acre plot This. We had "The Horseshoe Plot" on our lease for years, was BY FAR the best plot I've ever hunted on. I visited a friend's club last year and they have a plot called "The Turkey Foot", it was really neat. They had a ladder stand at the head (think about where the turkey's ankle would be) and then three loooooooong strips angling off like the turkey's toes. Each strip was probably 200 yards long and 30-40 yards wide, and it was built dead smack in the middle of a huge block of thick planted pines. Only problem is I felt like a one-eyed cat watching three rat holes Was the club you visited in Perry County? If it was I've hunted "Turkey Foot" too and it was a great place to spend a morning or afternoon.
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Re: Food plot shapes
[Re: Justin Brown]
#2953971
11/12/19 06:06 PM
11/12/19 06:06 PM
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Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 8,397
Atoler
14 point
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14 point
Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 8,397
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My preference would be a horseshoe shaped plot for a killing plot if I had Trees available in the middle to climb or put a lock on. But as far as planting goes I prefer A rectangular 1-1 1/2 acre plot This. We had "The Horseshoe Plot" on our lease for years, was BY FAR the best plot I've ever hunted on. I visited a friend's club last year and they have a plot called "The Turkey Foot", it was really neat. They had a ladder stand at the head (think about where the turkey's ankle would be) and then three loooooooong strips angling off like the turkey's toes. Each strip was probably 200 yards long and 30-40 yards wide, and it was built dead smack in the middle of a huge block of thick planted pines. Only problem is I felt like a one-eyed cat watching three rat holes Was the club you visited in Perry County? If it was I've hunted "Turkey Foot" too and it was a great place to spend a morning or afternoon. In suttle?
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Re: Food plot shapes
[Re: jawbone]
#2954005
11/12/19 07:02 PM
11/12/19 07:02 PM
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Joined: Feb 2015
Posts: 2,183 Central to South AL
Stickers
8 point
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8 point
Joined: Feb 2015
Posts: 2,183
Central to South AL
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A biologist will tell you that irregular shaped plots are better. I don't know why, but they do. Of course, the biologists are not the ones disking an irregular shaped plot after an already long day on a tractor. I think making sure to leave some cover on the edges is probably more important than the shape for us since we are hunting on a place trying to re-establish wild quail. ^^^^ This is how we do it... it is a pain to plow as you state, only a couple places with a regular rectangular/square shape. I do leave a couple widths of grass growing on the edges for small game and birds. Has seemed to help the few quail we have.
WDE
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Re: Food plot shapes
[Re: fladeerhntr]
#2954108
11/12/19 08:30 PM
11/12/19 08:30 PM
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Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 6,384 D'Iberville, MS
MS_Hunter
12 point
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12 point
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 6,384
D'Iberville, MS
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I always preferred a small narrow shooting lane planted in the middle of nowhere.
In your darkest hour when the demons come, call on me brother and we'll fight them together.
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Re: Food plot shapes
[Re: fladeerhntr]
#2955361
11/14/19 02:26 AM
11/14/19 02:26 AM
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Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 800 Pensacola, FL
JUSTIN37HUNT
6 point
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6 point
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 800
Pensacola, FL
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We have a few unique shaped plots at our place. I like the horseshoe plots and the turkey foot plots. A “v” shaped plot seems like it would be nice as well. I like the idea of the turkey foot plots bc it seems like it would keep the fields from being cleared every time a deer gets frisky and takes off running, but in reality, my experience is that they don’t help in that regard. I think the “v” shape may be more beneficial in that regard or just make your turkey foot more spread out. I do like how deer can be feeding close to one another but not be able to see each other. There always seems to be that doe in every area that like to run others off. Same with those young bucks. I’d plan it around wind and entry/exit routes keeping in mind the most likely bedding areas near the plot. http://s782.photobucket.com/user/ju...-A9BA-CE495A0F8094_zpswm6nwlmy.jpeg.html
Last edited by JUSTIN37HUNT; 11/14/19 02:38 AM.
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Re: Food plot shapes
[Re: fladeerhntr]
#2955600
11/14/19 09:38 AM
11/14/19 09:38 AM
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 1,964 Northport
Thisldu
8 point
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8 point
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 1,964
Northport
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Have had the best results with very long and narrow plots. My favorite is 460 yards by 30 yards. For some reason we see more mature bucks in that plot than the rest.
"The future's uncertain and the end is always near"
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