Arkansas Food Plot Manual
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Arkansas Food Plot Manual
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       Arkansas Wildlife Arkansas Forest Resources Center
School of Forest Resources Copyright © 2003.
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White-tailed Deer Food plots for deer can be effective at attracting animals and have the potential for increasing numbers and/or size of animals within an area. Increasing deer populations with food plots requires substantial labor and financial investments and should only be preformed after proper habitat management and harvest schemes have been implemented; even then success is risky! For increasing habitat and/or population productivity, plantings of cool- and warm-season forages are required to supplement periods of low availability and nutritional quality of natural forages (late summer and winter through early spring). Principle food plantings for white-tailed deer.
If the intent of a food plot is to attract deer to a particular area to improve harvest, only early growing cool-season forages are required. Location of food plots for deer should be in areas that provide cover for escape and concealment and are best in areas of low human activity. Plot size varies with the forage planted, local deer numbers, and the crops attractiveness, but generally range from ½ -3 acres in size. Plots are best if irregular or long and narrow in shape, being no wider than 100 yards. For the sole purpose of attracting deer to increase harvest opportunities the number of plots should be kept to a minimum, understanding that deer will typically abandon food plots that are heavily hunted. If your intent however is to increase body size and/or numbers of deer, 1-3 acres should be planted in warm- and cool-season forages for every 100 acres of habitat. | |||||||||||||||||||||
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