The power a private land owner has is unmatched. The ability to alter habitat to direct and hold daylight movement of a local deer herd is something most hunters never experience. If you are lucky enough to have this opportunity. Make sure to follow the correct steps to obtain the highest reward.
It is no secret these days, deer are creatures of edge. Whether it’s a fence row or a ridge top, deer like to travel the edge of natural/man made features. Realizing this and optimizing the edge on your property can lead to more success next fall and for years to come. I have stated many times in the past that small acreage farms feel bigger with the addition of diversity and edge. These alterations could consist of timber harvests, old field conversions or something as simple as food plot design.
First off I always recommend creating habitat features that flow with the lay of the land. This will ensure the deer will use them as we intended. For this article I want to focus on food plot design and how much of an impact it can have on your property if done correctly.
So let’s look at a 1 acre food plot. I have attached an image that illustrates 2 basic food plot shapes. One being a square and another a rectangle. A 1 acre food plot that is a perfect square is 208.7ft. X 208.7ft. An example of a rectangle that is also 1 acre in size is 60ft. X 726ft. So what is my point to this? The interesting difference comes when we add up the perimeter of each design, also known as the total edge of your food plot. The square has a perimeter of 834.8ft where as the rectangle has a perimeter of 1,572ft. So by making a simple change to your food plot shape you could almost double the total edge your plot provides.
So let’s talk about this in a real setting. As we talked previously deer are creatures of edge. There movement can be directed much more efficiently with a long linear food source compared to a big square food source. Now I wouldn’t recommend on my client properties for them to create a 500 yard long, perfectly straight food plot. A mature buck is not going to like that kind of setting. However, I would recommend a linear food source that flows with the lay of the land. This usually results in a gradually winding plot. I also consider how the plot lays out in relation to borders.
So the optimal food plot shape in my opinion is something that is linear, roughly 20 yards wide that lays out with the lay of the land. Now this is a very general idea that changes with each property. It also can change with the kind of food source you’re creating. Whether its a destination food plot or a trail/kill plot.
Recap: Always remember deer are creatures of edge. Keep in mind that the more edge and diversity you can add to a small property the more efficient it will become. Small changes like food plot design can have a big impact on your success.