Im on a new lease this year that has had plots planted for the last few years. Where I have my feeders set up vary from pine thicket to hardwood tract to open field. Last year I spent a small fortune on my food plot at my old lease and it netted me exactly nothing. My plot came out great but none of it was really foraged other than being rooted up by hogs. New lease is in Arkansas and according the game warden the deer in my area seem to be migratory and primarily younger. I am curious as to what yall's opinion are on the benefit vs the cost. I spent about $500 on lime, seed, and fertilizer last year.

All of our deer roam. I'm just going to put out corn feeders this year. I spent a small fortune on a foodplot last year and saw little use by the deer, mainly the hogs rooting up the peas.

How large of food plots would you be planting? One option would be to minimize your planting cost. Over the past 30+ years of planting food plots, I've had plenty of years where the size of my plots were getting bigger and the size of my bank account was getting smaller. Rather than scaling back the acreage I planted, I tried planting with minimal cost. I skipped the fertilizer and more expensive seed options, and just planted straight wheat. Having done this quite a few times, I learned that for the purpose of drawing in and holding more wildlife (not crop production for profit), this method works just fine. The deciding factor is always going to be rainfall. A plot planted properly (fertilizer and lime if needed) that doesn't get enough moisture, will not yield good results. A minimal cost plot such as wheat (with no fertilizer) with decent rainfall will grow adequately to draw in and hold deer, turkey, etc. All it can take is a single doe pausing in your wheat to eat at the right time, and that buck you have been waiting for could be right behind her. Your feeder can only draw in deer when you have it set to go off......a food plot can draw them in 24 hours a day.

No use planting a food plot here. It never rains.

I've never read anything that said deer "roam" or migrate like animals often do in more seasonal climates. They may bed in different spots within the same general area as different food sources become available, but feeders seem to be quite effective in keeping them in the same area. Food plots will have the same effect, which is why some hunters create them in both the Spring and Fall. It's the depletion of natural browse that comes with colder weather that makes food plots and feeders most effective.

I will add that bucks will often roam somewhat during the rut in search of doe, but even then they seldom travel more a two or three miles at most.

Of course all of this is applicable for deer in our part of the country.

You may be hunting in an area with such low deer numbers that they appear to roam the area.

Food plots work wonders for us on our place. If you think you may be on the lease for more than a season, it never hurts to plant a little and see what happens. You don't have to lime, fertilize and plant with Biologic to have a decent food plot. The lime and fertilizer will definitely help you achieve a bigger, healthier stand, which is what the deer prefer, but there are plenty of food plots planted each year that are oats thrown out and dragged with a piece of fence.

FWIW, I have strongly considered not filling my corn feeders this year at all. I get plenty of deer coming to the food plots and they rarely even go jump in the feeder pen. I plan to throw a little hand corn, but I may just save my money for more planting.

Good point. Given enough rain to support them, food plots provide a lot more nutrition per dollar than feeders.

But I definitely understand that not everyone has access to the equipment needed to create food plots.

Lots of good advice on this thread. Success can vary from place to place, all other factors being equal. Also depends on what your goals are and, of course, rain.

From what I'm seeing lately, the trend is toward not breaking the ground, but instead, spray, throw and roll. If you have some grassy pasture and the land owner doesn't mind you killing the grass, this can be accomplished by spraying round up and broadcasting your seed at the same time then driving back over the broadcasted seed or pulling something heavy over it to push it down to the soil. Two passes and you're done.

You may want to up the recommended seeding rate since the seeds are not covered in dirt and more will be found by birds. As far as a simple seed mix goes, it's hard to beat wheat, rye and/or oats.

With all of that, there's still the factor of natural browse versus whatever you plant. Unless you can plant something they can't resist, they're more likely to visit only at night, if at all, while they still have natural browse available (pre-frost).

If the plot grows (i.e. rain actually falls on it), it will get used, eventually. Just might not be during shooting hours or during the season though this too may change over a few seasons once they figure out that the stuff you're planting is good. Exclusion cages and game cams will help determine whether and when deer are there.

On the other hand, for quick, short term results, it's been my experience that hand tossed corn is hard to beat. I've tried both methods, and given my limited hunting time and budget, have had better/quicker hunting results with tossed corn.

As long as I draw a breath, I'll plant food plots. Then pray for rain.

Plots are definitely an advantage but it's such a hassle when you have cattle on your property too! Got a lot of fence to repair from cattle busting into my plots, don't even want to think about.

If you're not sure of the return on your investment, go cheap on the food plot. Turn the ground over, throw some oats, cover them up, and pray for some rain. I got tired of gambling hundreds of dollars a year on spring and fall plots. Sometimes they'd thrive, other times it was a complete bust. I dropped the spring plots all together and went with protein feeders for antler development. Now we just put in oats in the fall. The deer really start hammering the oats late in the season, and the pigs don't root up the oats like they would other plants.

Food plots are an important part in alot of the regions of Texas, especially west of 35. In our part even the natural browse is spars. Its just a combination of poor ground and dry climate. I have planted food plots for several years and even in the dry times it helps hold the deer and promote health. I just plant oats, and for the hogs/deer in a small section away from the other plots some turnips.

Hey Briar, thanks for everything. Plots are going to be good this year. ALWAYS plant, it will rain at some point during the season. I'll take a food plot over a feeder anyday. If money is an issue, and it always is, just throw some Ryegrass seed around your feeder areas, in low spots, in shady areas. If it rains at all, it will come up. One bag at $30 or so goes a long way. I've seen deer and hogs walk past corn to eat the Rye.

Most of the deer I harvest on my land north of Longview are off of my food plots. I plant fall "kill" plots - small 1-2 acre areas that I can bow hunt off of.

The main thing about food plots in East Texas is check your pH. You will almost undoubtably have to add lime. That is not a big deal to do, but don't skip it.

Also, I like to plant wheat, oats, and some clover. The clover gets hit hard in the winter time.

Another thing - it usually is best to hunt these plots in the afternoon. It is just very hard to get to the plot in the mornings without bumping deer off of them. Remember, I bow hunt, so I have to get right up on them. Afternoon hunts seem to work better for me.

Food plots are not really alot of work or expense if you compare them to filling corn feeders, which I do hunt off of those in other places that I hunt (Baylor County).

Yeah I invested way too much last year in my plot. I think the plot I planted would've been a real game changer had I been on a better lease with more deer. Hell I only saw one small Buck and a couple doe the whole season. I got the soil tested at the county co-op. Based on their recommendations I fertilized and limed like I would for my hay production in my pasture. It got really expensive after adding in the diesel to run my tractor discing and harrowing. I was proud of it but in hindsight it was an overkill on an unproven lease. No rain in the forecast for Arkansas but I think once it cools off a little that will change. Ill likely spread some winter wheat and rye as soon as I smell rain. Great info in the responses. That's why I love THF. Thanks everyone.

I believe the right food plots will attract and hold deer on your place. One my place in central Oklahoma where there is little ag, the only times of the year the natural groceries are in short supply are Dec- Feb and Jul-Aug. I cover the Jul-Aug by planting Soybeans in March. The deer absolutely hammer the plots in July/Aug. Then, I plant Wheat/Oats/Turnips in Sept to cover Dec-Feb time frame. I put plot watcher cameras that take pics every 5 minutes during the day and get random pics of deer on the plots throughout the day. Last year in January, I counted 16 deer with most being bucks on my plot right before sun down.

If you go to Collin county feed store in McKinney, you can buy wheat and soybean feed seed for about $11/50lb bag (or you could last year). You can buy 40 or 50lb bags of Oats at Tractor supply for about $20 too.

Last year, about 5 to 10 acres of total plots cost me about $1k including paying a local to disc it, fertilizer and seed. I used my atv to cover the seed.

Of course, if you are in a place that doesn't receive ample amounts of rain yearly, I would just go with "food plots in a can".

It would have cost me well over $5k to throw what I grew on my plots last year.