Jesse from WI asks,
I have an upcoming timber harvest that includes some clear cuts in the timber that I’ll use as food plots. The each opening will be about one acre. I’ll have occasional access to a dozer and tractor mower. The area has some ag fields but no other food plots. Should I use the entire opening for food and try to pinch them down near a stand site or keep them 20 yards wide like you recommend for kill plots?
Bill responds,
Topic: Best Food Plot Shape
The ideal shape of a smaller kill-style food plot is roughly 40 to 45 yards wide and at least 100 yards long. But, it is more important to have lots of food on your property than to have the perfect shaped food plot.
Jesse,
I would use the entire area of each plot to maximize food on the property. Ideally, those openings would be about 40 to 45 yards wide and about 100 yards long. While shooting all the way across a 45 yard wide plot might seem a tough prospect, you will be surprised at the number of bucks that will walk right down the middle.
Also, it is better to have at least that much width so that you can get sunlight to the ground so the plot will grow well. Not only do you need that sunlight, but you also need to get as far from the root systems of the perimeter trees as you can because these will suck precious moisture out of the ground during dry times.
If the clear cuts are round or more or less square, they will still work, but it will just be harder to hunt them effectively. Food is always king, so having plenty of food is more important than the exact shape of each plot. You can always plant one end to clover and the rest to brassicas, for example, to bring them closer to your stand or blind if the plot is too big to shoot across.
Good luck. (5/26/22)
