Deer food plots are a great way to keep your herd healthy and provide added food and nutrition to their diets.From helping antler growth to maintaining healthy does, which in turn produces healthier fawns, it really is a good idea to use natural forage plots.
As most hunters know, deer eat browse which is tender shoots and twigs of shrubs and trees.
However, they actually prefer forbs, which are broad leafed herbs such as clover, and forbs are nutritionally better for them than browse.
Many forbs literally provide more protein than corn.
Deer need a good combination of all of their favorite foods, but providing plots makes it a lot easier for them to obtain the needed forbs in their diets.
Food plots can be used as a means for hunting over, if you strategically place your stands where you can get in and out without being winded or seen.
Planting food plots
can be done for large or small areas, depending upon your situation and there are many
choices of forage seed
that can also be based on your climate or personal desires.
Though we supplement our deer's diets year round by way of food plots, it is especially important in the wintertime.
Corn, apples, and even hay are some of the items we use in the winter when food is scarce.
These staples also make for
great bait piles
when the season is drawing to a close and you still have freezer space!
We keep our
game feeders filled with corn
year round as to train the deer to always feed there.
Many times, they listen for the feeder to go off, and they arrive for their easy meal within just a few minutes.
We set out
minerals starting early in the Spring,
as the winter is hard on them and they need to build back up their bodily reserves.
Deer food plots can be a win-win situation for everyone. These plots are good for their health, and you never know what size buck may appear there while hunting!
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