Food Plot Friday: Spring Waste

It's one of the most under appreciated plantings when it comes to food plots. Most guys overlook it and to be honest so have we (father and I), that is until this year. This year the Spring time will not be overlooked to provide not only great browse for the deer but a good source of green manure come the fall plantings we always have each year.

If you think about it Spring is when deer are confronted with possibly some of the hardest times of the year (outside of a terrible winter) to locate food. So why do so many hunters over look it? Honestly, I think it's tunnel vision. We've all focused so much on getting deer to our property during the hunting season that we fail to attract deer year round!

For years we've just let the Spring go untouched. Our food plots would set dormant unless they had annuals in them like clover or any winter rye. This sadly is wasting a prime time to get deer associated with where our food plots are and begin to realize that food is present year round on our property. And if you can create a place the deer use more throughout the year, they're naturally going to feel more secure there and you may see deer running to your property when hunting season starts up in your area.

The Spring will no longer be over looked at our property. This Spring we'll be planting quite a variety of things like clover, buckwheat and possibly some cereal grains. The following pictures are of the largest food plot on our property, they were taken with me standing in the middle of it, snapping photos as I turned in a circle. This entire plot as I have stated before is too open in our opinion, and where I'm standing will be getting some kind of sight barrier planted. This will be to divide the food plot up a little bit more and provide deer with just a little more security cover. Not only will a bush, tree or something like Egyptian Wheat be planted right there; we will also be doing a massive spring planting of buckwheat in this plot, which has been clover for over 3 years now. I'll be videoing this process as we tackle this plot with nothing more than garden tillers, rakes and a little elbow grease.

As always click on photos if you wish to see larger image size.

Notice all the tracks in the fresh snow!

We will also be focusing on some edge thickening around this plot.

Scrape opened up late into the year by a young buck in our woods...
right on tiny finger of the food plot.

If you followed the tracks they'd lead you to another smaller (1/5 acre) food plot.

Now some of you may be wondering why are you getting rid of the clover this Spring in order to plant buckwheat? The clover has been in far too long and is really starting to not thrive like it should. Part of what Spring planting can do is help in your soil building efforts, in that tilled under it will add great green manure into the soil. Which obviously will help the soil be that much more productive come our fall plantings of soybeans, brassicas, cereal grains or whichever else planting we choose to plant.


 This food plot is located mere feet from the road (to the left in photo) and as you can see butts up to our clear cut bedding area. While this plot isn't one we will ever hunt due to how close it is to the bedding area we do want it to produce better than it did this past season's attempt at turnips. The problem is this soil is very clay ridden and it just simply was either too dry or too wet when the water did come and couldn't drain. We will be planting this spring some buckwheat through out it just to get some stuff working the soil...then will till it under in the fall and plant groundhog radishes which if we can get them to grow will accomplish our goal of breaking up the clay soil.


So if you want to encourage deer to use your property more don't over look the Spring planting, it is a cheap way to provide food and build your soil all in the same step. I'll be sure to record all of our process as we finally capitalize on Spring planting for the first time.


*I realize I stated we'll be using buckwheat primarily as our Spring planting, that doesn't mean it's the best or only one to use. We're choosing it because we've heard great things, it's cheap and will supposedly grow in almost any soil type. We will though be planting some clover in a couple spots and may even experience with some wheat or oats just to experiment.