Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Bowhunting Small food plots and habitat improvement

I have several acres along the river that I have been developing for wildlife. Mostly deer and turkeys. Although there are Cougars bears, and moose here on occasion.

With all the agriculture in the region, I worked with the pheasants forever guy to learn about the plants that do well in alkali soil and that big game and turkeys will lock on to.

On this small acreage I have a 3000 sq foot 15 foot deep pond in the middle. Next to the pond I have a Redneck blind 10 foot high. From there I have run the black fabric weed " mulch" out like spokes in a wheel. This is what I want to plant my food plants in. I have 900 feet of this fabric 8 feet wide.

Last spring I put in 125 williows around the perimiter of the area for wind and a security of sorts with the cover.

I have just begun to lay out the plants in the fabric. So far I have siberian pea shrub, service berry, elderberry, and black hawthorn. What are suggestions for shrubs or trees that will produce a food that deer will be drawn to?

I do not want to plant foods that need to be replaced each year. The Pheasants forever fella suggested berries because the neighboring lands are filled with wheat, beans and alfalfa.

I also have two Moultree spin feeders in this location with tridicale or corn as I get it.

So with this layout, what are the plants that you think might be a good attraction to the big game?

Not shrubs, but it's hard to beat apples and especially pears. Look for verities that hold their fruit into hunting season. I've watched deer around here come to the same trees day after day waiting for the late hangers to drop.

My experience is a small food plot(s) is not all that enticing to game when you are surrounded by fields of agricultural crops. Hard to compete with those farmers' offerings especially if they are irrigating.

Corn feeders will always attract some game which eventually becomes patterned but skittish.

I think the fruit trees are a great habitat improvement idea albeit a long term improvement and it's tough to keep the deer off them when they are young saplings.

I agree. I also have problems with bears tearing down my young trees.

I'd second the berry bushes. Here in NOVA, we have a black berry strain that stays green most of the winter. In the areas I hunt, the deer will come to these as the only green in the winter months.

They tend to grow in the power line cuts and the back woods road edges.

We have good luck with the crab apples trees pulling turkey and deer in North Idaho, they tend to hold the fruit into late season, the neighbors don't raid them, and the wildlife seems to figure out that they are there.

I would think a mix of clover, alphala, and oats/barley grain would help hold the deer, your neighbors are cutting the crops, you are growing it out. The grain will re-seed itself, the others are annuals.

Maybe not that applicable to your situation, but you might have a look at this publication:

Intermountain Habitat Guidelines for Mule Deer

Other shrubs that might be good:

Chokecherry
Antelope Bitterbrush
Netleaf Hackberry
Gambel's oak-- does that grow in Washington?

Sainfoin Click for info is a perennial forb that deer love-- often more than alfalfa. It can be picky about where it grows, but does persist if planted in the right spot (doesn't like high water tables or long periods of saturation). Just guessing, but I bet it would do well in Washington.

Thanks guys, I already had apple trees to pick up this weekend, my thoughts exactly!

I have 90 more young berry plants 30 of each, elderberry, pea shrub and Black Hawthorne. The deer love the pea shrubs. I put in fifty in April. The grew to about 4 feet tall in Sept. They are all back to 12" tall now with the deer browsing them down. Guess I'm never gonna have to prune them!

I will have 200 berry producing plants by next year at this time. Plus the apples and the perimeter of willows to provide some security, windbreak, and cover. I can get choke cherry as well from another guy. I think I will put in a few dozen of those.

The deer and turkeys have all the agricultural food products they can eat. But I'm gonna have their sweet tooth ( beak) covered now with all these berries. There are a ;lot of russian olive along the riverine bush. I can watch the turkeys eat those little "olives" constantly. The trees are annoying but it's a decent food source.

I'll see if I can get some pictures of the progress.

I think you are going in the right direction..As Lost says, it is hard to compete with larger ag fields..We see the most use after the crops are in and the weather gets bad..We think year after year it holds more deer in the area..When we started, ours were too small and when they do move it they can eat alot...We primarily plant winter oats and winter peas...I always try to keep some large white ladino clover patches going also...

Don't know if oak trees will grow there but for long term potential white oak acorns are a deer delicacy!

Mike

Oaks are awesome but the ones I would plant wood be productive in 10 years!

Not sure if it'll grow there, but in So. IN deer love persimmons. Another fruit tree I've read good things about for deer are Kiefer pears. They seem to be very resistant to many of the maladies facing fruit trees.

If you are looking for fast growing berry bushes that deer love try Mongolian cherry, Nanking cherry and High Bush Cranberry. These should be available through your local conservation district office.

Ruffcutt,

Too funny! My grandfather is Mongolian I need to plant those just for my herritage!

You won't be alive in 10 years? Amazing how time passes quickly... I'm still planting oaks for deer, even though I may not get much use out of them.

Well I may be alive, If my job in Africa stays lucky and those big things don't stomp, chew gore, or envenomate me.

More important is would I still be in this location when I retire? I wanna retire someplace I can bow hunt pigs everyday all year round.

Ah. Got you there. Makes a bit of sense, but why not plant now, and that way if plans change.... its still there and you aren't kicking yourself.
And if they do change, IMHO its value added to property value. At least to an outdoorsman it would be.

Good job you are doing too RE habitat.

Jeff

Yeah, How many times do we wish in life to have done something when we were younger. I should have planted oaks when I was 6 years old!

You're correct, this is an amazing situation right now. Even a non hunter or anti hunter would love the game viewing here. It's filled with all kinds of birds at the pond, and with the berries it will be amazing. I have stocked this pond constantly with fish, the herons and egrets are FAT!

My son and I put about 50 bull frogs in there, now the tadpoles are so thick that he bass are getting huge! We put some 2-8 lb channel cats in there, last spring my son caught one 12lbs. I think they are doing well also!





As you can see the potential is good, I want to get to the next level here. Providing security with thick brush rows, food they cannot get on adjoining farms, and comfort around the redneck blind.

Okay, I counted up the berry bushes I have in the mat, or "Mulch fabric"

90 Siberian Pea shrub

110 Service Berry

90 Elderberry

40 Black Hawthorn

I have about 25 choke cherry on hand but not put in yet.

When these are all 2 years old and 6 foot tall there should be a powerful amount of food here. Walking to and from the redneck blind, I envision something from hitchcocks " the birds"

Not that I'm after ya... but don't forget, we don't all end up being able to live our retirement dreams, and have to settle for what we have at the time.... I'd toss a hadnful of oaks out whiel you are dooing all that other work... just saying...

I bought two 10 footers in giant planter tubs today 25 bucks each. I have listened to the folks on this thread, it's why I asked. The potted stuff is all reduced price this time of year. I'm going back to get a few apple trees tomorrow.

I'll bet these are three years old or so. Maybe in five years they will produce?

Cool. We are about to give up on poplars for quick shade, wasted 3-4 years on them when I could have had oaks growing already.... but I want to go to the pasture and try to dig up some larger oaks and transplant...

Good luck, wished all did as much as you do. I haven't even done that much but I try.

Only have 100 acres but its a lot to take care of.

Well, I really like being able to walk back 400 yards from my house and hunt.

I built a number of blinds in my life. However after hunting with the guy from Redneck blinds, and getting that one here and installed, well this is another whole level of enjoyment.

I could spend the whole day in that thing with total comfort and warmth. I have two office chairs on wheels inside there. A heater and with a laptop,... plenty to do. I have spent lots of time just watching the game, birds, animals, etc. It's wonderful to sit back there and just have the quiet time.

Starting next weekend my son and are are building 4 wood duck houses and 4 barn owl houses. We put the posts in during the summer to get them anchored into the ground tightly. It will be great to see those little wood ducks this spring!

We printed the plans from the audubon society web page.