10 Whitetail Food Plot Myths 

You are welcome Cris! After designing over 800 food plot programs across the country you can imagine the feedback I've gotten...some of the experiences from my clients good and bad. Trying to help folks avoid making mistakes...

Thanks a lot Eric ..I truly hope that it helps you out! Hey btw, consider planting some type of none-food screening to help you out. Something like switchgrass, Egyptian wheat or a screening grass will screen you without bring deer to your screen to feed. Really appreciate the feedback!

Thanks a lot Doug! Really appreciate all your comments. Actually have 5 more vids already done and ready to publish...and then shooting 5-6 in the morning after I return from my PA client trip tonight. That's at least enough for 3 weeks worth of videos coming soon ☺️ Will try to publish at least every other day...

Well I greatly appreciate that Mike! I really am trying to help folks out with the stuff based on a huge level of experience over many different levels that individuals will never find themselves or come close to. I think the "dislikes" are actually from a lot of food plotters that need to hear this info the most...just kind of stubborn 🙂 BTW...the EW really is awesome stuff, right? Thank you very much Mike...great to hear how everything is working for you!

Thank you Randle!

You are very welcome Steve!

I appreciate that! It's tough because so many are taught the wrong way by well meaning folks that don't have enough experience to teach or truly understand the complexity of food plotting. I would guess that 95%+ of all food plotters are planting food plots that actually add no value to their efforts..or considerably hinder their efforts. I see it on nearly every client parcel I visit. Well over 800 parcels. I see first hand the damage and consistent mistakes and I do my best to understand the "whys" of either their success or failure. So many find some success...and then think they can apply that to every parcel everywhere, when really they lack the experience needed to determine why it not only works on their land or in their region, but why it doesn't work in another parcel or in another region. These practices and concepts are very well well intentioned for sure...they are also coming from an extremely high level of experience. I just hope as many folks listen as possible...just really trying to help as many as I can. No need for folks to experience the same mistakes I created for myself ☺️ Or those of my clients...

Were listening! You da man Jeff!

@@TheElementWild thanks a lot guys, hope it helps! Really appreciate it...

Thank you Barry! Really appreciate it...

You are very welcome and I really appreciate the feedback! 25 years planting food plots and the feedback for designing over 800 food plot programs in 26 states...I hope I've learned a couple of things along the way 🙂 I really enjoy this stuff and I'm trying to help food plotters to not make the same mistakes I see over and over again.

Thank you very much Steve that really means a lot to me!

Thank you very much Raymond!

Thank you Dan!

Ha, that's for sure Randle!

That really sounds good Bob and thanks a lot for the feedback about the magic bean, lol. So many folks get bit and I am not saying that there is not a place for planting beans...in fact there truly is! BUT, there are far, far fewer lands that should have beans planted on them than hunters think. #1 food plot crop failure by far... Can't wait to see it happen for you this Fall!

Whatever is the best chance of having a strong base if green food plot in November and them making it thru the season. Often layers of Winter rye, peas, oats, brassicas...planted sided by side not mixed. Sometimes just layered rye with sandy soil. Then if you have enough green to last to the end of the season - corn, and then beans if your greens and corn make it to the end of the season.

Thanks👍

I do believe that it can be...you just add that feeder to each and every plot. Makes a lot of sense...

For sure Jason! Works for oats, rye, wheat and clover to name a few others, too...

Clover will self prune itself out...so you can't really plant it too thick. It depends on property layout for plot layout...

I think it's the herbicides. I planted a field of forage soybeans right next to a farmer's ag field full of soybeans. They mowed mine to the ground but his sprayed beans were tall and lush. I've also noticed the same thing with corn plots. I know there's probably no scientific evidence, but my experiential evidence has shown that if close in proximity, deer seem to prefer unsprayed food over those loaded with herbicides/fungicides/insecticides. Just IMO.

Johnny Ballgame I agree your right.

It sounds like you sure do Randle!

From my experience, I’d do fall plots and make sure you have good fall cover for bucks. Does will come. Bucks are the hard part. A few years back I got a 160 acre farm in late summer that hadn’t been hunted in years but was mostly crp and a 30 acre hay field. Great bucks around that year. Only had corn in gravity feeders. Good sex ratio. Started the next spring planting 10 acres of forage beans and feeding protein over the spring and summer. Doe numbers shot up and over the summer, it was as if we had 3 bucks to every doe with one 3 year old that went from a 125” @2 to probably 180-190”. Put in 2 acres of fall plots and switched feeders to corn. By the end of September, was left with one mature buck in daylight once a week and a few more at midnight. Did it again last year thinking the prior year was a fluke, same thing except more does and fewer fall bucks. Found this channel in October 2019. This year my spring plans are chainsaw as much of the 30 acres of timber, put in 6 acres of switchgrass bedding, shrubs in diversity pockets and possibly plant buckwheat in June (have a Genesis 5 drill so don’t need the buckwheat for his no toll system, just for soil building/weed suppression). And this is coming from KS (not a fantasy land as Jeff likes to say, but the hunter numbers are lower than MI but the deer numbers are also drastically lower - I’ve never seen a field of 30-40 deer like you see in Jeff’s winter videos or outdoor tv shows in Iowa/MO/KY/OH - mature bucks wig out on new blinds and atv use just like WI too). I almost hired Jeff but too long a wait (March 2021 at earliest) and cost ($7k+, which after these next few weeks is going to seem like an even bigger price tag), plus I only got a response to a RU-vid comment, never from the inquiry email. Best of luck to you and stay safe. Social distancing = alone with a chainsaw during furlough for me. If you have any questions just ask

John...maybe? So many other factors to consider. The main goal would be to own the afternoon food plot movement for the entire hunting season...if possible.

@@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751 That was quick Thank You, Yes I would considered the food plot as owned all year. No one hunts on my parcel nor the adjoining parcels but I have no permission to hunt them. The parcels are rectangular with 400' width mostly aspen. No one really even goes back there as it's very thick and good part of the year wet. I watch your u-tube videos extensively and read your site, along with a lot on internet. Information on wetlands habitat solutions is largely lacking. I have doe that hold in area and in rut I have seen good buck. I will tell you hunting here is so different from hunting the mountains of PA where I am from. Thank You

Definitely planting them separately Randle...also you wouldn't want to plant brassica until mid to late August in your area. Now you could mix beans with your brassicas at that time. Looking for a leafy super blend...

Whitetail Habitat Solutions ok sounds good

The goal should always be a good here...quality herd...so there is only one way 😉 plenty of meat in a quality herd! A land that is full of does is really bad for the habitat, herd and hunt...lots of meat tho, but a very poor balance. I hope that makes sense?

@@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751 yes thank you

Hey Jeff hope all is well great timing with your latest video on food plots just got off the phone ordered kits for testing ph of soil also was told if I tell them exactly what the planting is going to be they will explain exactly what is needed for that seed whatever it may be pretty cool I think so when you get a second let me know your thoughts great video as always so much info

That's kind of what I took from this. The pyramid he mentioned and showed. I am blessed that there are 30 acres of corn or beans right next to my land each year. The herd HAMMERS that tract of land hard all summer long. By the end of summer they are in the middle of the field b/c they have browsed everything closest to the timber. I am doing a single plot of clover this year to see how that works out.

Depends I think on your deer density, and space for food. I have low density , but not enough space for beans or corn so wouldnt make sense for me to plant those crops

A landowners should always work to provide green first that last until the end of the season. Once that base is filled...then a landowner can add corn. If green and corn make it to the end if the season then a landowner can add beans...but not before you have enough green diversity (for example type in "best food plot blends" on RU-vid and check out my own methods) that lasts the season...then corn that lasts the season. On my plots I only have greens and have for the past 17 years in WI. I only had greens in the UP of MI for 10 years and for 3 years in lower MI. With that green I am able to attract the daylight focus of mature bucks for the entire neighborhood. My plots are only 2-3 acres out of 40-50 acres with moderate deer numbers...works incredibly well, but not if I wasted space on beans or corn. If I had enough room I would add corn next and maybe some beans...but beans would place too many does and fawns on the land for the summer and into the fall, so that probably wouldn't be a wise idea for me ..

@@stevedenoyer5956 for sure Steve...great points!!

Hi Sam! Hey do you have my food plot book? If so...check out Chapter 12. I've been planting that way and originated, experimented and establishied that concept back in the early 2000s. No fancy name...but it works 😉 and is what folks practice to this day...

@@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751 I do have the book, should have looked there first! I'll take better notes this time!😉

@@sambilhorn9282 ha no problem 🙂 Wasn't sure if you had the book...let me know what you think!

@@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751 Chapter 12, pages 128-130 "Growing Season Buckwheat, Hunting Season Annuals"... You nailed it. Hopefully that's what next year brings. For now I'm just trying to find the soil under 30 years of briers!

@@sambilhorn9282 ha o can imagine...spray it and it will show eventually 🙂 I am most likely going thru the buckwheat rotation strategy this year. That system works! Works with rye in the spring too...just always make sure never to let rye or wheat go to seed during the late Summer...chokes out the good stuff 😉

Hi Robert you are very welcome! That's s tough one...the perenials will shade out the cereal grains and you will never get a very %. Also, the clover/chicory/birdsfoot trefoil blend is not a great hunting season draw, let alone Winter. I would highly recommend my Ultimate No Till method. You only have to be there twice per year to plant and spray...that would be around 6/1 and then around 8/1. If you could spray 1 other time earlier in the Spring even better. For many years I drove 1 way 7 hours 4 times a year to plant and spray in WI. 56 hours of driving per year for 13 hours of work overall, and often in the same day...but so worth it! The only other option would be just simply discing and planting once per year, but even then a spraying 10 days prior is very important. Any way you can get some help? I can highly recommend Erich Long out if WI if you need someone local and of course I have turnkey partners Ross and Joel (brothers) who can help you out too.

Hi Karl, I think it can be a great compliment to green based food plots...that 2nd level of diversity if there is already enough green to make it thru the season. I hope that makes sense! Really depends on the location, herd, neighbors and size of plots...

Hey, at least more meat to eat with a mature buck ☺️ I just like hunting...love the challenge of an older buck! Amazing how with less does, the bucks show up! Good luck this season!

To cut down other hunters because you don't understand what they do or have any experience with what they do is completely inappropriate and a joy to the anti hunters. Congrats!

@@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751 I am a hunter and I myself might put a little bait in the woods like a pail of corn. But if your going to start tilling the land, that's called farming and you might as well just buy a steer and put it out there. Just admit you're a little nuts.

@@bighoss8793 You do not have a qlue do you ?

@@bdbdwd What is a qlue?