Create Food Plots in the Timber - How to Make a Five Hour Food Plot | Dream Farm w/ Bill Winke

[@richstafford1245]

I totally agree. Large destination plots are not nearly as effective as kill plots, especially on small property’s imo. A quarter acre stand of winter rye adjacent to a bedding area on the right wind with good access is golden.

[@bill-winke]

Amen. That is a great spot for bowhunting.

[@billunknown9335]

This comment is really applicable to me. I own 10 acres and the nearest ag is about 2 miles as the crow flies. I've been wracking my brain trying to figure out what to plant and fear that I'm putting too much thought into it. I've cleared out 3/4 of an acre that is near a bedding area. I keep hearing about Winter Rye - sounds like I should pull the trigger on that.

[@donaldbowling8620]

Great video. Exactly what I have done. No heavy equipment. Just a quad and a lot of sweat and hard work. I love watching the deer in the plots almost as much as I do killing one either in it or on the way from/to it. 👊🏻

[@bill-winke]

Donald, good work. Anyone can make these even if they are hunting on permission. That is why I love the Poor Man's Plots so much. They are for everyone. I even know a guy that made one on public land (I am sure he wasn't supposed to do that!). Have a great day.

[@Jay-hu1pc]

Best hunting channel around. Really like these property and habitat improvement videos.

[@bill-winke]

Thanks Jay. We will keep them coming. I can't wait to actually get back out on my farm and start doing this year's work. Have a great day.

[@nathanhoffman9579]

Making small food plots by hand is a tough job but very rewarding, I have made quite a few of these over the years taking small openings and using a chainsaw and muscle to carve out 1/8 to 1/2 acre food plots. It is part of the fun for me. I love habitat work.

[@bill-winke]

Definitely. I think I have made about 10 or 12 in my life and they have all been productive for hunting. Way worth the effort in terms of payback in the fall. Thanks for the comment.

[@jaybarrett8951]

I live in southwest Virginia and i own a land management company. We do tons of these for people! These have become my go to recommendation for new land owners wanting some good spots to hunt. I can clear and Harley rake about 1-2 acres a day for people… my day rate is $2000 a day so it really is a great bang for your buck as far as getting plots put in

[@bill-winke]

That is great bang for the buck. The Harley rake and a forestry blade/mulcher should get a ton done. How do you handle green stumps? Have a great day.

[@rfb7117]

Interesting you mention this, as my friend and I have decided to do this in a month or so and things dry out. He has a bobcat and a forestry mulcher. I totally agree with your approach and I feel it will help our ability to get into the edge of the woods to hunt more effectively. Bob

[@bill-winke]

A great idea and I am sure it will really improve your ground. Good luck and be safe.

[@steveholtz3401]

Hi Bill, loved your work since your magazine articles a FEW years back. I enjoy your passion for hunting and thanks for sharing your experience and knowledge.

[@bill-winke]

Thanks Steve, I appreciate it. It seems like a lifetime ago when the magazines were flourishing. It was a cool way to make a living for a while and then all the deadlines just wore me out. It was good to get into video then. Still write a bit, but not much. Mostly just Petersen's Bowhunting, but will do a few articles for Whitetails News (Whitetail Institute's magazine). Have a great day.

[@JayN4GO]

Thanks for bringing us along

[@bill-winke]

Thanks for the support Jay. I appreciate it. Have a great day.

[@williamaltman3860]

Love the simplicity of the midwest. A half acre plot here in Maine can take 1-2 weeks with multiple pieces of equipment including a large excavator dealing with car size rocks, often poor drainage and 24-36" stumps.

[@bill-winke]

Man, count me out. Plus, in many areas you have vast timbered areas that would be super hard to hunt. I like these "easy" Midwest deer by comparison. Good luck and have a great day.

[@williamaltman3860]

@@bill-winke we definitely work for it here. Maines 90% densely forested primarily spruce and fir making for tough hunting and low quality browse. I’ve been working on that the last couple years on a few properties cutting probably hundreds of thousands of trees down leaving primarily just oaks for mast or completely clear cutting areas to allow better quality regeneration. It’s a major task it’ll be interesting to see how it plays out. Managing roughly 1200 acres currently.

[@bill-winke]

@@williamaltman3860 That will be really interesting. Please keep me/us updated on how that goes. I have hunted some big bush areas in Alberta and the pea vine was the only really good browse there. Is that something that you have in Maine also?

[@ajkelley20]

I'm super excited to put in a couple food plots this year. I have a small plot about 200 yards from my field. The deer often stop in the small food plot and show up in the field after dark

[@bill-winke]

That's the formula that has proven the most productive for me over the years. You can get a closer shot and you can sneak out at last light without alerting deer. Those two factors alone will be a huge benefit. You will see more deer in the big fields, but it will be really hard to bowhunt those spots. Good words.

[@JoshT814]

Thank you for these videos and for sharing your knowledge with us.

[@bill-winke]

Thanks Josh. I appreciate the comment and the support. Have a great day.

[@trevorlamble3645]

Built a 1/2 acre food plot on my 17 acres. I have deer on it all day n night. Shot my 7.5yr old target buck at 1:30pm on Nov 19th. That day I counted 15 deer all in daylight on the plot.

[@bill-winke]

That is an awesome success story Trevor. Congrats and thanks for the support. Have a great day.

[@chriscornwell8768]

Thanks Bill, very helpful ideas. Here in the Carolina's landowners don't want pines cut down so small plots are the ticket!

[@bill-winke]

I appreciate the comment Chris. Thanks and good luck with the plots. Have a great day.

[@mitchellgenz1373]

Great information Bill, large and small plots are both effective when placed in a good spot.

[@bill-winke]

Mitchell, I have spun my wheels in those big ones with a bow in my hand. I finally came to the conclusion that I should never again bowhunt from a gun stand. That has caused me many, many days of frustration. I see a lot less deer in the small openings, but they are usually within range eventually. Good luck and thanks for the valuable comments and support.

[@markbatzel]

Staging area's are the best. They tend to be "pre-cleared" of old growth trees. As AG farming evolves, so does the size of everything. Our grandparents planted with a 2 or 4 row planter and they could get into places a lot easier. Now that 40-60ft wide high speed no-till can't make the turn. The 12 row corn header or 45ft bean header can't get in there so the spots become abandoned.

[@bill-winke]

You are right. They become the perfect Staging Area Plots. Have a great day.

[@artbrennhofer8283]

Hi Bill, that is the first thing I did on my 40 acres. The problem I ran into is that the land is almost all lowland so it is very thick and wet for part of the summer. I was able to carve out 3 small hunting plots just in from the road. We were able to get approximately 3/4 of an acre total between the 3 and I want to make the smallest one a little bigger. I also have a spot on the NE corner, maybe another 1/4 acre, I need to get permission from the neighbor to access. The problem is I am not sure what to plant in them. Some people say they should all be planted the same, all brassicas or all greens. I had purple top turnups and forage radishes last year and the deer have been hitting them hard since last fall. I have heard you shouldn't plant the brassicas more than 2 years in a row. Thanks again for sharing your knowledge on these subjects.

[@bill-winke]

Art, a rotation of clover and brassicas is a good idea. Here is what I have done in the past. First year I plant clover (probably alsike in those wet areas) and then after that starts to thin out and weed up (usually year three) I then till that under in July and plant brassicas. Then frost seed clover back into the plot late winter and go another couple years with clover until that plays out. Of course, you need to use proper fertilizer to get the most from those seedings, but that system has worked well for me in those small plots over the years. Good luck.

[@wesfox1712]

Bill what do you like planting in these small plots that will hopefully hold up to high deer pressure and not get eaten down by December?? Looking forward to the next episode on making these small plots.

[@bill-winke]

Wes, I think the only hope for something in a plot that small that would still be present in December is brassicas (turnips, radishes, etc.). Even those are very questionable - the deer would likely have them all gone by then. I think if you really want something for late season, the plot has to be at least an acre in size or it will be gone by late November. I rotate my small plots between clover and brassicas (two to three years in clover followed by one year in brassicas and then repeat). That has worked well, but clover is not super attractive after it frosts down in about mid-to-late November here in Iowa. That is why if you are serious about late season you need brassicas in a larger plot. But, even better, set up an even slightly larger plot and plant it to grains (soybeans or corn) for late season hunting. You could go smaller and use an electric fence to keep them out until late November, but that requires some extra work. The grains will really draw the late season deer - even better than brassicas, in most climates. Good luck.

[@lisaannaallen6283]

i've got a single shank subsoiler for the tree roots around those small plots. a 45 hp tractor pulls it ok depending on soil type. or you could use a root plow .

[@bill-winke]

That is a really good idea. I have heard of people doing that. Did you have to sharpen the shank? I have some pretty big trees on my edge with giant root systems. It should also be noted that cutting oak tree roots (especially big white oaks) could easily kill the tree. I have seen that happen. Have a great day.

[@garrett1188]

This episode was great BUT I always look forward to a Winke Poor Man Plot episode!

[@bill-winke]

Next week my friend.

[@troymuche8997]

Its called a harley rake that works the dirt

[@bill-winke]

Thanks Troy. I appreciate the input and the support. Have a great day.

[@stevedenoyer5956]

Yeah we got a bunch of that snow in Michigan too, will slow the spring habitat work. Or push it out further I should say.

[@bill-winke]

We got the rains and now it all gone. Boom, one day all gone. Nothing like a warm rain to get rid of snow (and cause minor flooding). Have a great day and good luck with the projects.

[@jerimahjohnson8698]

I own my John Deere 333g hi flo with all the attachments. I do the same in the timber and do it without a dozer. Some I rent the dozer and operator. Was in Iowa yesterday and went into Missouri...I'm on a whitetail tour

[@bill-winke]

I need to get a setup like that, but not for a long time. Too much land to pay for! I am going to see if I can get CAT to sponsor the series so I can use that stuff for free! Well, you picked a couple of good states for the tour. I was consulting in Missouri and Illinois the past few days and that was a lot of fun. Have a great day.

[@johnlindsay8630]

😊thanks bill

[@bill-winke]

My pleasure John. Thanks for watching and for the comment.

[@RushOutdoors]

Perfect advice about length Bill long narrow plots control line of movement. Which layout correctly can help keep the deer on your land and help not let them venture on to the neighboring lands. Even on small parcels. Great video again!

[@bill-winke]

Thanks Karl. I appreciate the support and the comments. You are a strong part of this community. Have a great day.

[@scottschaeffer8920]

My only suggestion is to use good judgment. Those lightly wooded oldfields maybe degraded prairie remnants,and/or nice shrubby thickets with native mast and browse? Otherwise, conversion of invasives or cedar glades doesn’t bother me.

[@bill-winke]

Scott, most of those openings in the Midwest are old pasture openings, the ends of fields and farmers no longer can get to or old home sites. What you find are generally a bad combination of invasives. In my area in southern Iowa those openings were dominated by multi-floral rose, hedge (Osage orange), cedars and locust. On my northern Iowa farm, believe it or not, the most aggressive tree in the pastures I will be converting this spring is wild apple! Trust me, I will working around those! Hundreds of them, in fact. It is crazy. The farmer who rented that pasture said he came in one time with a dozer to grub them out and there are still hundreds - some stunted by cattle browsing. Not a bad situation there. It will be really interesting to see what that looks like in five years. Have a great day.

[@Mo75149-j]

Great video bill, hey why do you prefer the 5' tower stands vs the 10' for bowhunting?

[@bill-winke]

I like the five footer for bowhunting. A better angle to the vitals. I also put most of my blinds on trailers now, so that forces a person to use a lower stand or risk tipping. Have a great day.

[@nickfritsch435]

Hey Bill, awesome content as always! One question, what time of the year do you prefer to tackle a project like this? I’m needing to put in a few of these “poor man plots” as well.

[@bill-winke]

Thanks Nick. Spring is ideal for the Poor Man's Plots then you can burn them off after killing the weeds without fear of catching the woods on fire. You can try clover then and if that doesn't take (dry spring) you will know by mid-July and you can switch it over to brassicas (turnips and radishes, etc.) and still have something that fall. The best time for the food plots that you make with equipment is any time you can get your hands on the tools. I will try to make a few this summer and they will likely go to brassicas right away because I am sure I won't be able to get to them until early summer. Good luck.

[@alexpinnow6509]

Really enjoyed this episode Bill, I've begun looking at a skid loader rental to get a larger 1ac plot in. Just regarding location, do you prefer centralized plots or get them in where possible and access is best?

[@bill-winke]

Alex, I think on these small plots, since they aren't really destination plots, you can just focus on making them where the access and opportunity (terrain, natural openings, etc.) are best. I would not plant larger plots (typically what people call destination plots) near the property line if at all possible, however. Good luck.

[@alexpinnow6509]

​@@bill-winke appreciate your reply and time as always!

[@johnstewart830]

Hey Bill, is frost seeding clover recommend on a plot that is not established yet? I have been working a 1/2 acre plot all summer and fall last year to get rid of weeds in order to be able to plant this spring in clover. Am I better off just waiting and plant the clover once the ground is warm enough than frost seeding?

[@bill-winke]

John, yes. Frost seeding is fine at any time as long as the seed will be able to get to the dirt so you have seed to soil contact. That is always the key to any seeding - get the seed to the dirt (or in the dirt). Frost seeding works for clover because the seed is so small. It doesn't take much to get it incorporated a short distance into the dirt. Freezing and thawing can do that and springs rains will also do that. But again, it has to have bare dirt. This won't work if the seed ends up sitting on residue instead of dirt. Good luck.

[@travissmith-wz5nc]

I think cutting the bigger stuff down and moving the main trunk then rent forestry mulcher. Wheat, rye, buckwheat, clovers will grow the first few years. Nothing fancy y the remaining material breaks. down.

[@bill-winke]

Agree. Good point. I think then you kill the stump, wait a few years as you plant around it and then come back after the stump starts to breakdown and dig it out using a Stump Bucket attachment on a skid steer. That has worked for me. Easier than getting dozer in there. Have a great day.

[@robertfmccarthy2360]

What about small lots , Apple tree ? Oak, need a least 20yrs to be productive for acorns. I would still do oak area, for the future (beyond my presence)

[@bill-winke]

If I am planting trees, I like the oaks for cover because there is a lack of oak regeneration in most parts of the Midwest, so I like doing my part to change that. Plus, I like oak trees for their future acorn production. Granted, it likely won't be in my lifetime, but it still needs to be done. I think if you are looking for trees for "food plots" I would focus on soft mast (apples, pears, plums, etc.) and chestnut.

[@robertfmccarthy2360]

@@bill-winke as always I appreciate your response. And forward to seeing the new farm grow. Yeah, different oaks. Many clubs I was in over 30yrs didn’t see the value, those tree would be producing today.

[@blackcreekplantation]

Check into renting a dozer by the month. It may be the cheaper option. It was for us.

[@bill-winke]

I am sure that would be cheaper than hiring the operator to run the machine. I am comfortable on nearly every kind of equipment from growing up on a farm, but not everyone would want to run the dozer. It might take them four times longer to make a plot with a dozer themselves than just hiring someone. If their time is worth something, it might still be cheaper, in the end, to just hire the operator. Good point.

[@robwymore8978]

How about a segment on maintaining an existing food plot from year to year?

[@bill-winke]

Got it Rob. I will add that to the list. Mostly you are focusing on the soil at that point - what does it need? More than likely another dose of fertilizer for clover plots and possibly herbicide to remove weeds (or mowing when the weeds are primarily broadleaf weeds). Otherwise, there is no worry with annuals that you have to plant each year (like brassicas) because you naturally start from scratch. I have not had much luck interseeding clover plots that are dying out. I would rather just till them under in late July and plant to brassicas and then frost seed that area back to clover late the following winter. That is the rotation that I use on small plots.

[@robwymore8978]

I am just about to acquire a piece of land that has an acre and a half food plot in a similar area described in this short video you produced. It’s been established however, I am wondering about from year to year the type of work that needs to be done to maintain it. Does it need to be plowed up every year? Can I just over seed and it’ll continue to replenish itself with fertilizer etc.

[@lisaannaallen6283]

You do not have to sharpen the shank.I have not had a problem killing white oak most are 12" to14".If you have big ones just stay out side the drip line of the tree. The roots that zap your water are uselley 1.5"uselley smaller and only 12" deep. A root plow is just a shank, a sub soiler has a flat piece of steel at the bottom that fractures the soil to help water adsorption. I sub soil the whole plot about 3' apart. sub soiler needs to run 18 to 24" deep for sub soiling ,only 16" to get your roots.

[@bill-winke]

That is super useful information. I really appreciate that. I will be investing in a single shank subsoiler very soon! I guess I was thinking you had to run much deeper to get all the roots, but that makes sense that you need to really focus on the shallow ones. Thanks for the input.

[@lisaannaallen6283]

@@bill-winke what kind of soil do you have? i'm gusseing windblown loess in those hills . my soil is heavy missouri clay,your soil should work easier than mine.

[@bill-winke]

@@lisaannaallen6283 On the farm we sold is pretty much like yours in MO. In northern Iowa it is loamy silt, I think. The best stuff anyway. I should probably know that but it is a good soil that drains pretty well, so it has a low clay component.

[@nelsonchandler1015]

wish we had some of that snow here in georgia . we are 70 degrees and pouring rain every day !! thank you for a great video

[@bill-winke]

Be careful what you wish for. I am not a snowmobiler or a skier, so you can have all the snow we get up here - as far as I am concerned. It is good for late season hunting and maybe fun to look at for a few days, but then it sure does get old. Have a great day.

[@seregill13]

I make poor man food plots myself but if you are using a skid steer it definitely isn't very poor man, that's rich man to me.

[@bill-winke]

Frank, I never said otherwise. You didn't listen to what I said in the video. I came back the next week with the Poor Man's Plot examples. Just look at the next video in the series and you will see plenty of Poor Man's Plots.

[@seregill13]

@Bill Winke I watched the other video, it was great. Love all of your videos.

[@patmaples5096]

beautiful Chemtrails in your Iowa sky. sad

[@donald6427]

2000 dollars isn’t going to get you far with a forestry mulcher either, they’re hourly rates are higher and can’t take trees down as big

[@bill-winke]

I have had some luck just cutting down the biggest stuff as close to the ground as possible and either pushing it off into the woods or selling the log. Kill the stump with something like Garlon and then plant the plots around it for a couple years until it starts to rot at which time you can rip it out of the ground using a stump bucket on the skid loader. Much easier and cheaper than trying to get a bull dozer in there for only a few trees. Good input.

[@showmetheheartland]

Never use a mulcher for openings. Utilize a dozer or excavator with a claw. Mulchers leave all the root systems intact to immediately sprout back. I recently created three one acre openings in one day on my farm with an excavator and skid steer. That's about sixteen hundred dollars in my area. Every bit of that was subsidized by the state wildlife agency by the way.