Feeders Vs. Food plots

 

While you don't hear much about this topic, I think it's one of the most underrated debates in wildlife property management.  Before we go in-depth, let's look at some of the main points surrounding each method.

 

Feeders

• Easy to set up
• Wide price and quality range
• Entry level units are inexpensive
• Draws game to a very specific location
• Adjustable timing
• Year round food source
• Corn cost has doubled in last 12 months
• Most rely on electricity
• Susceptible to damage from varmints
• Large percentage of feed doesn't make it to the intended animal
• Maintenance required
• Illegal in many states during hunting season

 

 

Food Plots

• Perennial food plots can last 3-5 years
• Large variety of plantings
• Provide significantly more food per dollar
• Some crops create cover and habitat for other animals
• Seed costs vary greatly
• Legal to hunt over
• Initial establishment is more difficult
• Soil preparation can be difficult
• Usually requires use of specialized equipment
• Many crops yield no food in Winter
• Maintenance not required, but can extend life of the plot 

 

 

Feeders are easy, right?

 

     After I bought my hunting property the very first thing I did was put up a feeder filled with corn.  The feeder cost me $150.00 and took just ten minutes to assemble and program. After loading $20.00 worth of corn it didn't take long before I had deer and turkey visiting on a regular basis.  It also didn't take long for an army of squirrels and 3 racoons to show up either.  I estimated the deer and turkey were getting only about half the corn. However, this was fine because with the simple addition of a feeder I had significantly increased the animal activity on my property. 

 

Squirells like feeders more than you think

     One month later I dropped in to check my trail cameras and realized my feeder was empty.  Quickly I did the math and realized it was going to cost me $240.00/year to keep my feeder working. I didn't care because this feeder had drawn in a huge bear just the week prior and I was hooked.  I refilled the feeder with another $20.00 worth of corn and things were great until I checked my trail cameras two weeks later.  This time the battery that drives the spinner was dead.  Worse yet, the squirrels who had been denied their daily portion of corn had literally eaten through the ¼” thick plastic feeder to get to the corn inside.  In addition, they had also eaten the aluminum spinner that distributes the corn.

 

If you decide to use a feeder don't skimp

     When I first shopped for a feeder, models ranged from $75.00 to $350.00.  The benefits of the $350.00 all-steel model with built-in solar charger were now painfully obvious.  Unfortunately, I had already purchased two other plastic feeders before I learned this lesson.  As they too met their demise at the hands (teeth) of the squirells, I replaced all my feeders with the aforementioned all-steel models.  They have proven to be worth the extra money and have operated without incident for 2 years. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Food plots

     At first, food plots seem complicated, intimidating, possibly even overwhelming.  There's the soil preparation which is futile without a soil test.  More than likely you'll need to add lime and then fertilize.  You'll have to time the planting based on your seed choice and then pray for rain.  Don't forget the tractor, plow, spreader and cultipacker.  IS it all worth it?  Yes.  Does it have to be this complicated? NO.

 

     In order to adequately cover all the details of wildlife food plots you'd almost have to write a book.   Fortunately for all of us food plot novices someone has.  Neil and Craig Dougherty from North Country Whitetails have published the most comprehensive work on this subject titled “Grow 'em Right” a guide to creating habitat and food plots.  Available at www.northcountrywhitetails.com I have read this book and use it as a bible with regard to designing, planting and maintaining food plots.  I highly recommend it.  Since Neil and Craig have already gone to the trouble of writing a whole book, I will limit my input to the lessons learned on my food plots.

 

You reap what you sow

     Planting a food plot can be as simple as clearing a 20' x 20' area with a rake and hand broadcasting seed. However, the real benefits occur when you take the time to test and prepare the soil correctly and then plant a quality seed blend.

 

Low Maintenance Food Plots

     Many seed companies market seed blends designed to be planted with hand tools only.  For what they are, these products work very well. For $20 - $30 you can establish a small food plot and yield about the equivalent in tonnage of what you could have bought in corn.  Most low maintenance seed blends are annuals meaning they are only good for one season.  However, you still get the benefit of a food plot you can hunt over.  Many states prohibit hunting anywhere near a corn feeder.

 

Quality Food Plots don't cost, they pay

 

     Establishing a quality food plot is not easy, but let's look at the long-term benefits compared to a corn feeder.  We'll compare establishing a 1-acre plot to purchasing a 350lb all-steel feeder. We'll also assume our food plot planter has no tools.  Below are the steps necessary to create a first-time food plot.

 

1.      Perform a soil test.  Retrieve small portions of soil from several different areas of the new food plot and combine into one large bucket.  Mix the contents well and send a cup-sized sample representing the whole food plot to the soil lab for testing. Inform the lab of the seed type to be planted.  This step takes about 15 minutes and costs $7.50

2.      Lime and fertilize based on the lab’s recommendations.  Depending on the soil there can be quite a bit of variance in expense.  More than likely you will need a couple tons of lime and 200 to 300 pounds of fertilizer.  If budget forces you to choose between lime and fertilizer, invest in the lime.  Also, if applicable buy bulk lime from a quarry at $4/ton vs. pelletized lime at $5.00 a bag.  This part of the process will cost $100 to $300 and take 4 - 8 hours to complete.  If your plot is accessible, pay a truck to deliver and spread the lime. 

3.      Kill the existing vegetation with round up (Optional). This takes about two hours and costs $25 - $100

4.      Till the ground.  You can accomplish this several different ways however, I suggest renting a multi-use machine like a Toro Dingo.  Most rental outfits offer this unit with a 48” roto-tiller that makes quick work of breaking up soil.  The Dingo I rented came with a 48” bucket, roto-tiller and trailer for $175.00 

5.      Broadcast seed and compact the soil. A hand-held seeder like the unit from Earthway costs about $30 and is ideal for medium sized food plots.  Good seed is expensive and I like the control a hand held unit provides.  After tilling you’ll want to broadcast the seed and then, depending on the seed, possibly work it into the soil.  Follow the seed company's directions.  Finally, you'll want to compact the soil to remove air pockets and provide good seed to soil contact.  You can either use a cultipacker or simply run laps around the food plot with the Dingo.  Quality seed for a 1-acre planting runs $30 - $50 and is worth every penny.  If you take a look at all the effort required to establish a food plot, the cost of the seed is relatively small.  Buy a quality seed blend designed for wildlife food plots.  I learned this the hard way and I can't emphasize this enough.  Products from the Whitetail Institute and Biologic are both good examples.

 

Food Plot cost

        Soil test                                7.50

        Lime & Fertilizer                 200.00

        Seed                                   40

        Equipment Rental               175

        Hand Seeder                       30

        Miscellaneous                      50

 

Total                                         502.50

 

Annual food produced                            20,000 lbs

Cost per pound year 1                              .025/lb

Cost per pound year 2                              0/lb

Cost per pound year 3                              0/lb  

Cost per pound year 4                              0/lb  

Cost per pound year 5                              0/lb

 

 

Corn Feeder Cost

        Feeder                             300

        12 Months of Corn             240

 

Total                                        540

 

Annual Food provided to deer

& turkey                                            1000 lbs

 

Cost per pound year 1                      .54/lb

Cost per pound year 2                      .2/lb

Cost per pound year 3                      .2/lb 

Cost per pound year 4                      .2/lb 

Cost per pound year 5                      .2/lb

 

 

 

Conclusion

     Before I get started let me say I have both feeders and food plots on my property and I think both have merit.  However, the fact remains - food plots drastically outperform feeders. Here's why:

• A quality 1-acre food plot will produce up to 10 tons of high protein crops annually at a fraction of the cost of corn.
• A perennial food plot can last 3-5 years and provide close to that same tonnage for little or no cost in years 2-5.
• No shrinkage from varmints. Deer and turkey love clover, squirells and raccoons don't.
•  Hunting over food plots is legal; hunting anywhere near feeders is illegal in most states.

 

     Finally, as I mentioned earlier I have both feeders and food plots on my property.  What really sold me on food plots happened when I planted an acre of Imperial Whitetail clover.  Time after time I watched both deer and turkey walk right past fresh corn on the ground to get to the Imperial Whitetail clover.