I'm wrighting this because of a couple PM'S from people that know about my management plans on my farms and the big bucks I grow on them.
This isn't really antthing to do with archery in the direct form. But something I've did for years and years. And it beats just hunting whats already there. When you can improve numbers and ages of the deer and turkeys you hunt.
My graddad was a gobbler hunted and he always improved his gobbler farms and areas. Before anyone ever heard the word management. By increaseing food scorces ,watering holes,planting nesting grass's to incress nesting areas. I grew up with this train of thought. I've managed farms for other people (still do 2) right now as well as 2 or my own where I hunt and 2 smaller areas I hunt. But I've did this to many other farms and places the last 30 or so years.
LET ME START MY SAYING NO ACERAGE IS TO SMALL TO IMPROVE
I manage for deer and turkeys but do it a little differently than you see on TV where there management plan evoles around food plots. And there find but my planting just arn't confinded to food plots like for most people everyyear. I don't even plant food plots for myself anymore. MNainly because I live in farm country and I let the farmer next door do it for me. Plus add pressure to those crop fields and the bucks mainly vist it only at night.
I focus on natural food scorces and what I can plant whats already there or taken from close by.
Let me name a few, All are turkey foods but there not just as food but many are also cover for deer. Just as important to hold deer on for farm or area. COVER,FOOD,WATER is all you need to have deer. You need to add nesting areas for your turkeys. But the main thing you need to hunt mature deer is no pressure. I'll get to that at a different time.
. Alternet dog woods are not only good shoot (shaft) materal. It's great cover for deer but produces berrys that are a major winter food scorce for turkeys. They will hold turkeys all winter long. I fill a hard woods and popular woods I have with them.
I also plant flowering dog woods (same areas) just as good. But takes a little longer to produce seeds. But a fully mature tree produces 10,000s of seeds.
There's others like wild cherry trees. Down open fence rows are a perface place. They like a little sun. And turkeys will eat the berrys from late SEPT. to their gone.
Wild grapes the vines will climb anywhere again like's a little sun. My favoret is fences rows with trees and brush. They'll quickly cover the fence and spread to the trees easy. And turkey again feed on seeds all winter to there gone. I've glassed turkeys in the winter for hours feedig down wild grape fence lines I've planted.
Poke week like open areas not only a good deer browes untill they dei off in late OCT. again the turkeys love them early fall. Also bears just go crazy over the seeds when their ripe in AUG.,SEPT. and have seen every plant pulled over some places.
Winter berrys good late winter survile food for turkeys. Never saw or heard of deer useing it. Turkeys use it as a last resort.
Wild rose good deer browes as well as cover.
Honey suckle around here honey suckles a major food score and becomes the #1 come winter. And its one of the best cover we have. Come winter(sheding time) I find lots of sheds in the honey suckle patchs. Bucks bed and eat right in them and rarely leave them. Thats why so many sheds are found in them.
I also like planting sumac bushs around the honey suckle. Not the trees but the bushs. Deer use it as a late winter survile food. I seen them standing on the back feet snaping of every seed pod that was there. Plus bucks love to rub sumac for some reason.
All rasberrys.purple,red and black berrys. All are good browes and great cover for deer. Not only for deer but rabbits ,quail,pheasts.
I also plant some grass's fro cover as well as food for turkeys and birds. Check out whats in your area or what the type soil you have.
You'll be surprized at whats around for area it you look. LOTS OF PEOPLE LOOK BUT FAIL TO SEE WHATS AROUND THEM. Everything that grows has a seed for it to renew. 99% Of which turkey or deer feed on it.
These can be planted right beside the parent plants. Most are ripe from AUG.SEPT.OCT.
Just my takeing a pointly stick makeing a hole droping in a seed or 2. Just get it under the ground nature will do the rest.
I plant all around parent plants but I'll also save all these seeds (put in bown paper bags). I plant in the late summer fall but also plant them in the spring before green up. When I have lots more time.
Deer browes most of what I just told you as well as getting turkeys through the winter.
I like to plant honey suckle exspecially for deer. Down fence rows where it can run over the fence is killer. In rock breaks. No better way of killing does feeding down the fence row for your deer management plan. Me and friends have shot 100's throug the years doing just that.
I uselly do it like this in the early (SEPT.) fall I add small handfull of fertizer to the bottem of each fence post. I collet the seeds that fall and plant them at each fence post come spring.
The next fall I tie a ribbion in the middle between the posts. Again fertize the spot and plant again ther come spring. Couple years you won't see the fence and your deer have a food scorce.
Like all these things you plant once their there.
NO REPLANTING EVERYYEAR LIKE MOST FOOD PLOTS.
You can also fringe cut along any wood lineS or thicket rock breaks.
I love to do this around food plots and plant any berrys that will thicken up the edges. The thicker the edges around your food plots the safer your deer will fell. The more likely they use it in the day light.
It's a no brainer the more food and cover you have the more animals your land can hold. And not just deer and turkeys everything befits from the exture food. The more deer and turkeys you have the better chance you have to but a arrow in one.
I'll add more later.
