'These late summer rains have come at exactly the right time as we’re preparing to plant our fall food plots. Most fall food plot varieties should be planted about 45 to 60 days before the first average frost. We never know what day it’s gonna frost on any given year. So, the best we can do is look up the average first frost of the fall date and use that as a guide of when to plant. Here at The Proving Grounds, the average date of the first frost here in the fall is October 15th. Backing up about 60 days puts us to start looking at planting about August 15th – from August 15th on, whenever there’s adequate soil moisture. Having adequate soil moisture is just as important as the date. Without adequate moisture, the seeds may not germinate, or the seedlings may not survive. We really like to broadcast right before a rain or even during a rain. That helps the seed get great seed-to-soil contact and there’s a lot of moisture for that seed to germinate. We always plant at a little heavier rate because there’s gonna be some squirrels and turkeys that come in here and eat some seed. So, we go at a little heavier rate to compensate. That way we get a great stand in this food plot. Hidey hole food plots are some of my favorite stand or blind locations. You don’t have to have big equipment. Hand tools, chainsaws, hand saws, rakes, hand sprayers and a broadcast seeder can be all you need to establish a hidey hole food plot. Our favorite places to put hidey hole food plots are just 100 or 200 yards away from a larger feeding area or bedding area. These make great staging or transition zones. When it’s time to plant the fall varieties in these small hidey hole food plots, we terminate the weeds with glyphosate and then broadcast the seed with an over the shoulder spreader. Through the years we’ve had a lot of success tagging mature bucks at these locations.: Another great strategy for this plot is to hunt it during the pre-rut or rut. Bucks are almost always cruising downwind of that bedding area and often will scent check that little hidey hole food plot. So, one great thing about these little hidey hole food plots is you can spray and plant in the same day. The herbicide – it’s not ground active; you spray; knock down the weeds; and we can come in and just broadcast. Great for Saturday work or Sunday afternoons – getting into your hunting spot and making these little hidey hole food plots.'
Tags: video , Deer Hunting , food plots , white-tailed deer , how to plant food plots , Hunting (Interest) , easy food plots , small hunting plots
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