Louisiana Land Conservation Assistance Network

Well it’s almost time to plant those spring food plots again for those big bucks. Before you know it, it will be time to go deer hunting. There are many things you can do to get your property ready for planting those food plots.If you are someone who is serious about deer hunting big bucks, I wanted to outline some of the things you need to think about when preparing and planting your food plots. There is so much information out there sometimes it can all be confusing. I found two really good articles that I will provide a link to, that may be very helpful to you in planting your food plots. Check out these very informative articles here and here.These are a few of the highlights covered in these very informative food plot articles.

1. Deciding where to plant

A. When deciding where to plant you want to choose places away from property lines and public roads. This will decrease the chances of poaching.

B. You want to pick a site that will retain some moisture.

C. Pick a location and a size and shape for the plot

2. Preparing to plant

A. Soil testing determines how much lime and fertilizer is needed to grow a certain crop to its best potential. Soil testing should be done every two years.

3. Soil Preparation

A. Remove the existing vegetation

B. Apply lime and fertilizer

C. Plow, disc, or till the fertilizer into the soil before spreading the seed gets best results.

4. Decide what to plant

A. What’s the purpose of the plantings?

B. You want the deer to be attracted to the plot

C. You want the deer to be able to easily digest it

D. You want the plot to provide plenty of protein and energy to the deer E. Pick seeds best for your food plot sites, soil, climate.

5. Cover the seed properly

6. Food plot maintenance

A. Weed control

B. apply additional lime and fertilizer

Preparing your food plots properly should increase your success deer hunting those big bucks. Hopefully these articles will help you when preparing and planting your food plots.