Food plot shape

[Geetch]

I'm taking out ~10 acres of pines on my place and think I want to be able to shoot along the swamp to the north. 362 yards to the north west tip to the 142.4 number on the right of the area being taken out.

To the east is a two lane blacktop road. I'm leaving six rows of pines along the road as a screen.

So, would you just run a food plot along the length of the swamp? Interested to hear your ideas on shape.

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[Quackhead22]

I love a long narrow food plot. When I put in new plots my main consideration is ease of access with equipment.


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[Quackhead22]

I love a long narrow food plot. When I put in new plots my main consideration is ease of access with equipment.


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I would make it wide enough to leave a border or transitional area between the swamp and the plot


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[Carolina Counsel]

I would consider a modified hub and spoke design with just two spokes, one spoke (approximately 75 feet wide) running along the edge and another cutting NW through the cut-over toward the two lane, ending just south of the 1,125 marker. If you run the spoke straight (rather than hugging) along the edge of the swamp, that will leave several buff areas.

[banded_mallard]

I would consider a modified hub and spoke design with just two spokes, one spoke (approximately 75 feet wide) running along the edge and another cutting NW through the cut-over toward the two lane, ending just south of the 1,125 marker. If you run the spoke straight (rather than hugging) along the edge of the swamp, that will leave several buff areas.

This I like hub and spoke type food plots as well

[jevans]

I hate it when people bushhog strips in a field in a “spoke” formation where they all lead back to the stand. I don’t want deer looking down the bush hogged row looking straight in the direction of the stand

[duckz]

I hate it when people bushhog strips in a field in a “spoke” formation where they all lead back to the stand. I don’t want deer looking down the bush hogged row looking straight in the direction of the stand

I cant say I am an expert, but I have hunted a few spoke formations and I have noticed this too. But if you are making the spokes wide enough like Carolina Counsel said, you should be better off. Just don't make a ton of 10ft wide spokes.

[Baggy]

Put a stand at both ends and confuse em.

[Baggy]

Tucking the stand back in the woods a bit helps. I see box stands all over put up in the middle of a plot. Makes no sense.

[duckz]

Tucking the stand back in the woods a bit helps. I see box stands all over put up in the middle of a plot. Makes no sense.

Yea, why not put the stand in that edge where the 42.8 coordinate is. Perfect spot that you could thin out and get good cover and hunt that line.

[banded_mallard]

Tucking the stand back in the woods a bit helps. I see box stands all over put up in the middle of a plot. Makes no sense.

As long as the deer can not see your silhouette, I don’t see where it matters. They can look all they want and they are not going to see anything

[Carolina Counsel]

Tucking the stand back in the woods a bit helps. I see box stands all over put up in the middle of a plot. Makes no sense.

This. I have two set ups with Redneck blinds on hub and spoke formations. One is in an area where the pines are still a bit short (and thus you are a bit sky-lighted), so it's more exposed and hence gets more attention from the deer. The other is tucked in with good back-cover and the deer never bust us with good wind. I take my 4 year old who bangs around and is moving constantly and we never get busted.

[Baggy]

Well, they’re a lot less likely to see a silhouette with it tucked back.

[Geetch]

I have a climber at the 42.8 mark.

What about something like this?

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[duckz]

I’d go wider

[Baggy]

I like the thought.

[dbenn454]

Be mindful of the sun and predominant wind for your area. Seems to me a stand on the south side would be better sun-wise. Unless you want to be able to shoot into the swamp as well of course.

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[4THEGIRLS]

Be mindful of the sun and predominant wind for your area. Seems to me a stand on the south side would be better sun-wise. Unless you want to be able to shoot into the swamp as well of course.

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This is critical info in plot alignment and stand location.

[Gut_Pile]

Do you know how the deer prefer to travel through the area at the moment?

[Geetch]

Do you know how the deer prefer to travel through the area at the moment?

There is an old logging road/4wheeler trail (5-10 feet wide at most) between the planted pines and the swamp. They walk that road or on trails they have in the pines. Does use the plot in the east of that picture. Only shot one buck out of it. I've bush hogged, move stands around, etc. trying to get it right and am taking drastic measures now.

It is completely overgrown. Hasn't been burned in at least 15 years. The pines are ready to harvest so going to do that and start fresh putting in plots where I want them. I also love hunting a cutover.

Also taking five acres to the south of that picture and disc mulching the rest, then will burn. I learned the hard way that drum mulchers are less forgiving than disc mulchers.

I also need to keep a screen along the road, two guys just got busted for fire hunting. I'm told they had 103 deer posted on snapchat all shot at night (could be part of the problem with lack of bucks on my place too), so want to keep the pines and thick stuff along the road as a buffer.

Here is the full property.

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