January 15, 2015

Late Winter Tip for Food Plots

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The late winter can be a down time for many gamekeepers. Most deer seasons are close to being over and many guys are already thinking about what can be done to improve next season. In the world of food plots, knowing the size of your fields can be critical to growing successful crops. Using a handheld GPS is one of the easiest and most accurate ways to determine acreage or square footage of fields that you are planning to use. Knowing the exact size of these areas is extremely useful when it comes too figuring up proper amounts of lime, fertilizer, and seed. Over applying any of these is not only a waste of money, but also can negatively impact your crop performance.

Many times, seed is put down too heavy on food plots because no one knows the actual size of the area being planted. For example, popular plantings like Maximum that contain brassicas, need to be planted at the recommended rate. Too many seeds per square foot results in a poor stand when plants begin competing for moisture and nutrients. Take a day this winter to make a lap around your plots and get an accurate reading of the areas you plant, it will pay off.

This tip is courtesy of the GameKeepers Field Notes, a weekly wildlife and land management email newsletter produced by the Mossy Oak GameKeepers.

A GameKeeper by definition is someone who truly loves AND lives the land, the critters and nature…not just during hunting season but all the time. A GameKeeper wants to be outdoors every day and work the dirt while living their personal “obsession”.

Find out more about what makes a GameKeeper by visiting our website.

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