Bruzer ther is one important point I wanted to mention earlier but had to leave for a social engagement with the wife.
Food plots cheaper than corn!!?? I don't think so.
Its quite obvious you are way out of touch with the agriculture industry or you would know that seed oats have gone through the roof in the past few years, wheat I know has increased substantially in price too but I'm not 100% sure how much because we plant little of it here due to it's mouisture intolerance or lack there of.
It takes about 80-100 lbs of oat seed per acre to make a decent grazing pasture for cattle or deer. Seed is HIGH or it was in Texas this year. So you take $25 (for 50lbs) a bag (give or take) of quality seed oat, add fertilizer which reached $600-700 a ton, takes a minimum here of 250# per acre or you are wasting time and $$$. Deisel to plow it, diesel to plant it, plus the hours on your tractor, plus your time.
Oh by the way little 1-3 acre food plots don't work here, we have so many deer that they would have it paved to a parking lot in no time (seen it, been there, done that). Better plan on at least a 5 acre food plot, 10 or more is better and less of a waste of time. I don't feel like busting out the calculator at this late hour to justify my points, I can do it tomorrow if you'd like.
Now you take the average Joe who lives in town, does not have access to a tractor, plow,the time to do it, etc, etc.
Corn here runs about 8.00 a 50# bag. The ave. feeder holds 300#. If his/her feeder spits out, oh say 5# of corn per day that about 150# per month or 1800# of corn per year if he feeds YEAR ROUND 365 DAYS A YEAR. So he has spent about $300 to feed an entire year, vs $100 per acre or so for something that will last about 4-5 months. So food plots are cheaper where??!!
The problem with food plots here is propably 90% of the fellows who hunt live in town, don't have access to a tractor, plow, etc. so they have to live with corn or hope the farmer/rancher who's land they hunt on will plant oats/wheat for their cattle in order for them to have a food plot.
You don't hand till anything in most of Texas unless you have a jackhammer for the rock. Do that for a couple acres then report back to me.
Most average guys here would give their left you-know-what to have food plots all over the places they hunt, but here for most it is not $$$ feasible. They have to rely on the rancher they lease from to provide it if he needs or wants to provide it for his livestock.
I'm too tired to make any more points now, but I hope you are starting to get a clue.
Bill
