CREATING my FOOD PLOT in the WOODS | 18 Acre Deer Habitat Series (E.3)

[@swostillwateroutdoors]

Have you ever created a food plot in the woods??

[@ryanstever6906]

Yes several. By chainsaw and sweat and bulldozer. I recommend bulldozer lol, better finished product and much faster. As you mentioned get a side job and have it done right. There is nothing better than a secluded wooded plot that deer will hit at all hours of the day, it can be incredible!

[@swostillwateroutdoors]

Bulldozer is much better like you said hahah!!! Yes those hidey hole plots are amazing!!!

[@uproutdoors7070]

I've put in 2 that we're about .6 acres and one that is about .3 acres and a bunch of tiny ones. The first one with a dozer, then we got a forestry tree mulcher for the next two. I thought the mulcher would be the easiest. I was wrong! Spent the last month and a half of the summer cleaning wood chips out of the soil. Most of my hidey hole plots I did by hand or with the tractor. Planning on putting in 3 more next year totaling about 1.25 acres. Out land is very hilly and has alot of swamp. We will definitely be hiring a dozer! Great video, I feel your pain! The first year is always hard. I learned that the hard way, and think I have it figured out now. I'll probably regret saying that!

[@kapperoutdoors]

Yes sir! I've done it virtually every single way over the years. I started out just like you, with a chainsaw and an atv! great stuff, best wishes moving ahead I'll keep following you!

[@swostillwateroutdoors]

@@uproutdoors7070 those mulchers are a blessing and a curse! There is a reason people put wood chips in lanscaping, it shades out the weed growth! Have you noticed if the wood chips have turned into black dirt yet? Or is is pretty slow?

[@joshplog321]

Crazy. I just bought 18 acres in January and am working on some of these projects right now too

[@swostillwateroutdoors]

Sweetness!!!!! You are going to love having some land!!!!!

[@KountryCalvin]

thanks for sharing brother. My wife and I just bought 100 acres in central GA! The struggle is real. I just pushed over 5 acres of young pines and its costing so much money to get it all ready as I have no heavy equipment. Its all worth it in the end though! You put your fingerprints on your on land! Nice video. I enjoyed it!

[@swostillwateroutdoors]

Nice!!!!! 100 acres is a great slice of land to work with!!! Hope you can have some great hunts and memories made there!!!

[@useryggfdcc]

Just bought 21 acres of property in Northern Ontario , Canada and want to make a food plot. Good I found this video.

[@swostillwateroutdoors]

Nice!!!!! You must be way up in the boonies!! I used to live on the border of MN and Ontario, that Canadian wilderness is something special!!

[@useryggfdcc]

@@swostillwateroutdoors It is massive, even 200 miles north of the US border it is just bush.

[@swostillwateroutdoors]

@@useryggfdcc wow you def live way north!!!

[@anthonydooley224]

Great video. Lots of lessons learned. If you would have spread some hay over the seeds, it would have come a lot further, but nobody can control the rain.

[@swostillwateroutdoors]

Agreed!!! I actually did a little bit of that last year, but it takes a lot of hay to cover a 1 acre area!!!

[@anthonydooley3616]

@@swostillwateroutdoors try to get an old round bail that is ruined and molding.

[@swostillwateroutdoors]

@@anthonydooley3616 I like that idea!! I have a lot of areas that are hard clay and I can’t get seed to grow on it for squat. I am thinking of tilling those spots, adding black dirt, then covering with straw!

[@anthonydooley3616]

@@swostillwateroutdoors I wouldn't till. Give a tree service permission to dump wood chips on your land. Free Spread them out on your bad spots. Build new soil with decomposed compost. Then sew seed.

[@swostillwateroutdoors]

@@anthonydooley3616 That is not a bad idea!!!

[@davidhickenbottom6574]

Your wife is an angel 😇. Your place looks great.

[@swostillwateroutdoors]

Amen to that!!!!!! She is amazing!!!! Thanks dude, it is coming along nicely!!!!

[@alanwhite4839]

I can relate!

[@swostillwateroutdoors]

It is quite the journey to create a nice food plot from scratch!!!

[@ricks7432]

Did you have to do anything special to keep the softwood from suckering or resprouting ? I am thinking about doing the same but as part of a timber cut / harvest. I was wondering if the dozer had to drag a claw to rip out all the softwood roots ? Thanks for any info and great video.

[@swostillwateroutdoors]

I have not had any resprouting in my plot! Super nice because the dozer pretty much ripped up the entire root system and killed them. In my chainsaw plots it is a different story!

[@ricks7432]

@@swostillwateroutdoors Thanks for the reply. I have done some small areas with the chainsaw and put Tordon RTU on the stumps with good results. Would be a little pricey for larger areas.

[@swostillwateroutdoors]

@@ricks7432 Yes! That is a great way to do it, yeah are you thinking of leaving the stumps? Not all bad, makes it tricky with equipment but lots of diversity for food!

[@daveshsb]

Are you still no till? do you do weed control? I stayed with the chainsaw approach...slower but steady! enjoyed your video!

[@swostillwateroutdoors]

Yes and no! I have still not tilled my main plot since a few years back when I established the clover! Weeds are starting to get thicker, and my brocasting efforts have produced poor results. I am still riding on the closer I planted those years ago and doing decent, getting plenty of weeds by now though. My plant to probably get the food plot through this year, then sometime next year replant it and I may have to disc it up to get better germination. I tried doing a cover crop of buckwheat this year broadcasting and cultupacking no till and got abou 10-15% germination and stunted growth. I tilled up 3 other small plots and they look better than ever. I think that the hard clay soils are really not conducive to no till. So I am going to have to change it up!

[@houndsmanone4563]

did what you did in 2018. I didn't get a bull dozer and it took me 6 months to clear all vegetation above ground and I managed to lime it, fertilizer it and some green grass-like vegetation came up. The 6 month clearing process was during torrential down pours, and periods of drought. Fortunately, the winter months brought back some moisture in the soil. The deer, turkey, rabbits, and bears have frequented the plot during evening and day hours (mostly evening hours). I now must manually remove underground roots and stumps that have been cut level to the ground. Now that you've experienced the work involved, you know how physically demanding it is. It won't be for a couple more years before my plot flourishes the way I'd like it but it will eventually be there. In the meantime, I'm going to make it a temporary lodging area for some hogs. I've always wanted to raise a few hogs of my own so I'm going to give that a try. It will allow the hogs to forage and root up the soil. I'll let mother nature help me (smile). Enjoyed your full-video and wish you much success. 👍🏽🙂 In order to show support, I just became a NEW SUBSCRIBER!! 👍🏽🙂

[@swostillwateroutdoors]

Heck yes!! So cool to hear you follow through on the difficulties of creating a plot by hand!!! I am sure it will pay off big for you! Did you have much tree sprouts popping up?? Thanks so much!!!!!!!

[@houndsmanone4563]

@@swostillwateroutdoors I sure did have a lot of new trees sprout back up, b/c the entire root system was not removed, as mentioned, therefore that is now my goal (remove the entire root system so I can disc, plow, and cultivate the upper layer of soil. It's all a learning process for me. after watching everyone create food plots, that's when I said I'm going to make my own. Then the continuous work began. 😲 Have a fine Resurrection Day.

[@swostillwateroutdoors]

I didn’t get any resprouting in my dozed plot, but the root system is fairly shallow since I have heavy clay soil below! Nice!! I think that if you keep mowing them down they should eventually die off ??

[@houndsmanone4563]

@@swostillwateroutdoors Agree. Thanks for your video an hope your plot is turning out well for you. ✌🏽🙂

[@swostillwateroutdoors]

@@houndsmanone4563 It is starting to come together now! This summer I should end up with some pretty nice plots!!

[@jakekeyes8638]

Enjoy your videos. It's nice to see a guy succeed with hard work and dedication and not just a big bank account.

[@swostillwateroutdoors]

Amen to that! It is possible to do this on a shoestring budget, just means a lot of sweat equity!!

[@Centennialrox]

Soil test, fertilizer, lime, and plant turnips and radish. They will bust up the soil nice for you. My first year after planting them made my soil a delight to work with.

[@swostillwateroutdoors]

That is a great tip! Thanks so much!!!

[@williamc.fetterjr9036]

Good video bud.

[@swostillwateroutdoors]

Thanks so much!!!

[@Gibsonlife573]

You couldn't wrong in a tractor trailer which is 25 to 26 ton for about $200

[@swostillwateroutdoors]

Are you referring to lime?? Fortunately I will be able to get my hands on a bunch of lime for a great price!

[@bobcat9314]

WOW..what a dose of reality..fantastic video just what I need.. Definitely a new subscriber to your channel.. I cheated and watched this video first I've tried your chainsaw method..im to old maybe in my 20's but not now...hahaha..its funny..at first you think..its not so much..but I was foolish and have no experience and quickly learned Unfortunately when you cut down a tree the top comes with it..after 2hrs of cutting..and some trees down it was to late..hahaha..it took 3 of us with chainsaws and 6" vermeer wood chipper 3 days to clean up the mess I made..im glad I did it because I learned alot. But im to old to be learning the hard way. I know ya feel me on that.. So im going to watch your videos.. Map it out make a check list.. I've decided that this project is a labor of love and some what of a legacy left for my grandchildren to build and improve..

[@swostillwateroutdoors]

Preach it!!!! Hahahah!!! Labor of love is the right way to put it!! Never easy but so satisfying! Yeah...I def have a tendency to go the cheap route lol...not the east route...so I am actually proud of myself for caving in and getting the dozer back there 😂😂😂😂 took some convincing from my dad to go for it!

[@DOGFOODACTUAL8541]

Serious question without being critical. Do you think in hindsight that felling the trees first and hauling them off in a chosen area for future use with your quad, then just removing the stumps with the dozer might have been a better option? There'd be less rocks to deal with, the soil wouldn't have been disturbed as much, then go through the normal chemical kill, lime and plant. Less unintended consequences. Once again, in hindsight.. I have 20 acres in Michigan that in planning to do just that, but I'm not in a hurry. I'm curious to the pros and cons to 5hat approach. Anyway, thanks for the content. I subscribed. Also I like your application of lime that I will be using this spring.

[@swostillwateroutdoors]

That is a great question!!! The difficulty with stump removal is it is much quicker to take out a stump when the tree is still standing. When the dozer pops up some roots the tree starts to lean and often the weight of the tree leans so hard it topples over and pulls out roots. This saves money too when the dozer can come in and make quick work. Also, when the stumps are ripped out the soil structure is destroyed no matter what way you shake it the soil will need to be rebuilt. The best way to preserve the black dirt is to have an excavator with a grapple that can pick up the trees/stump and shake out the black dirt. The rocks unfortunately pop up no matter what since the root structures are so intertwined….no good way around that unless a person brings in a dozer with the rock/root rakes! Pretty legit!!

[@kevinleary5244]

Love this video. The truth and “sweat equity” is so needed. I got 34 acres this year and are going through the same process. Each year will be better! My only question is and you spoke to it briefly: do big woods deer just not relate food plots to feeding destination? I had spot plots as well for first year but there was some great green spots. Deer just didnt use it much. Hopefully next year that will change as the plots get better

[@swostillwateroutdoors]

I have mixed results at times!! The does use it everyday, bucks are hit and miss!! They are reclusive creatures…

[@MySliceOfHeavenoutdoors]

Very nice video, I enjoyed it

[@swostillwateroutdoors]

Thanks for watching!!!

[@mid-michiganoutdoors1505]

This is how most of us do it. Small property, not a lot of old pasture or tillable land. Carve out a spot with a chainsaw and get some food in! Thanks for the vid!

[@swostillwateroutdoors]

So true!! Just took a look at your channel, enjoying the habitat content! Subbed!

[@mid-michiganoutdoors1505]

@@swostillwateroutdoors Appreciate it thanks!

[@kapperoutdoors]

I love this video! This is the story of my life until I could afford bigger machines! unless you have a previous open field with woods around it, this is what you have to do! It is never easy, it is never fast, and there is a lot of back labor! But the rewards are wonderful :-) best of luck, new subscriber. Kapper out

[@swostillwateroutdoors]

Amen!! It is rewarding process, but yes a ton of work!!!! Thanks so much!!!!!

[@ThePeoplesPlugBMWI3]

I’m clearing a spot almost 3 acres it’s going to take me a month to finish burning. I did half a acre by hand had 2 mini excavators come out get stuck 2 days in a row for $3000. I plan on developing the property but putting it a food plot for the deer already there and so the brush doesn’t grow back

[@swostillwateroutdoors]

Wow that is a TON of work!!!!! But so worth it!!!!

[@ThePeoplesPlugBMWI3]

@@swostillwateroutdoors just made a video mainly about the mix I found

[@RKLIFE17]

I feel like an acre was quite large considering your parcel. Interested to see how things turn out. I’m nervous about the cover on and your land, and around your land.

[@swostillwateroutdoors]

Yeah if I didn’t have the house there 1 acre would be not too big of a deal, but the house pushes back my food plot halfway into my property! Ideally if a person has to build a house on the land you keep it closer to the road! Not a ton of cover to work with on my land, but what I do have I can turn into some great habitat! Got started on that this winter and it is coming along nicely!!!

[@bovamoutdoors400]

Amazing dude!! Lots of prep but mostly perseverance! Best of luck out there this year 🦌🦌🦌

[@swostillwateroutdoors]

Thanks so much!!! Same to you too!!!

[@glenncharbonneau2681]

Great video. Just cleared a 3/4 forest area to establish a food plot here in Vermont. My overall objective is to allow my 73 year old father-in-law to harvest a buck. His last buck was taken in 1972. I know, it's not that easy here in Vermont unless your a farmer with hundreds of acres of posted land. Anyway I loved your food plot clearing video and am wondering if you built the blind if so will you be making a video?

[@swostillwateroutdoors]

Sweetness!!!!!! That should be a deer magnet!!! Hope it works out according to plan!! Yup I do have the film all put together, and I am working on finishing up the designs for the tower to sell on my website!!

[@MasterBuckProducts]

Good to go!! Love your attitude towards the whole process, you’re right, it is a lot of work, but the rewards of seeing the deer are worth it. Hope you harvest the buck of your dreams off of it. 👍🏹🦌🇺🇸

[@swostillwateroutdoors]

Thanks so much!! Yes I really hope to do that as well!!! Just gotta be patient and I am sure it will happen! Thanks for watching!

[@natel7734]

Enjoyed this video. Mine is up to 1/2 an acre. Many hours and chiropractor visits.

[@swostillwateroutdoors]

Thanks for watching!! 😂😂😂 yeah that kind of work can be rough on the body, but it keeps a guy in good shape!

[@useryggfdcc]

Excellent video. Now time to get a 20+ acres plot in Ontario Canada 🇨🇦.

[@swostillwateroutdoors]

Nice!!! That is a ton of acreage!!! I used to live a 1/4 mile from Ontario in the town of International Falls!

[@natee2169]

Nice plot I just posted a vid on my page I did about a quarter acre... I feel you where your cut in down trees all the time I was doin the same thing! It was fun though!

[@swostillwateroutdoors]

Nice!! Send me a link! Yeah it is a crap ton of work but very rewarding!!!

[@natee2169]

@@swostillwateroutdoors kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z4nUiIyAd8SMqq8 Check it out!

[@swostillwateroutdoors]

That is actually a super cool film!!! Especially when you dropped the tree on your camera 😂😂😂😬😬

[@natee2169]

@@swostillwateroutdoors lol thanks 🤣🤣

[@paulatighe7073]

are you near stillwater reservoir ? we may be close.

[@swostillwateroutdoors]

I am up in Douglas County near Lake Superior so probably a ways away I think!

[@fattroutlounge]

buy a 50/50 tillable - timber and save yourself the headache.

[@fattroutlounge]

Short of that....forestry mulcher

[@swostillwateroutdoors]

That would by far be the easiest way to get a food plot started!!

[@swostillwateroutdoors]

Forestry mulchers are super cool!!!

[@thomasskapnit4479]

Where are you from from? Beautiful land.

[@swostillwateroutdoors]

Northern Wisconsin (Douglas County)! Thanks so much, it has been a lot of fun, just got to watch from my house this morning two young bucks feeding in my food plot!

[@Mason_Siverling]

How do you find like someone to hire and come out to clear an area

[@swostillwateroutdoors]

Fortunately my neighbor has a dozer! couple options, search for excavating businesses in your area, or buy a dozer and sell it after your finish!

[@Mason_Siverling]

Thanks for the help, and yeah it really helps that a neighbor has a dozer in your case I hope everything on your property is going amazing amd you harvest some great bucks off there

[@swostillwateroutdoors]

Yes I am super fortunate...my neighbor is a great guy too!! Thanks again!!!

[@stevoky]

let's see another update on this plot!

[@swostillwateroutdoors]

Still a work in progress! Will have to put something together!

[@stevene6181]

bag, root. thick northern accent. love the video brother.

[@swostillwateroutdoors]

😂😂😂😂😂😂 yessssssss!!!! Finally someone comments on my Wisconian accent!!! 😂😂😂😂😂

[@jeffjohnston5562]

This is just like every other one.

[@swostillwateroutdoors]

What do you mean by that? The process is pretty similar for just about anyone wanting to make a food plot from the woods :)

[@ukjw2]

How much was the dozer work?

[@swostillwateroutdoors]

I was able to work out a labor swap doing concrete work for the guy so not exactly sure what it would have costed! My guess is a couple grand though!

[@laithpetrus370]

Good job

[@swostillwateroutdoors]

Thanks so much!!!!

[@paulatighe7073]

are you near stillwater reservoir?

[@swostillwateroutdoors]

Northern WI, little ways from that!

[@stevegermain1222]

Good stuff

[@swostillwateroutdoors]

Thanks so much!!

[@Woodswalker27]

Establish a use pattern for hunting season. If your area doesn’t have Ag, you could establish a year round pattern of use. Does will flock and will push bucks back further. I would not recommend hunting on the plot

[@swostillwateroutdoors]

Great advice!! Spot on!!!!! Thanks for watching!

[@scottclark1168]

Great advice,but Why does it push the bucks back futher?

[@swostillwateroutdoors]

It is the social stress, bucks prefer to be isolated when they bed down, so if a buck is trying to bed and is constantly being hassled by does he will go seek out a more private location!

[@shawnjohnson6515]

With a new food plot next time try hydrated lime it works faster with the soil. I would use ag lime for the years after that so you don't burn the plants.

[@swostillwateroutdoors]

Great tip!!! I will actually be testing out some liquid lime here in the next week or so! Excited to see how it does!!

[@mitchvaughn5977]

Where are you from in Wisconsin

[@swostillwateroutdoors]

Douglas county!! About as far north as a guy can go in the state!

[@marshalllaw6541]

Hey brother just a few things that could’ve made your job a little easier. To remove the rocks you could rent what is called a rockhound for the front of the bobcat at a local equipment rental place. And as far as removing all the trees I’m not sure about where you’re from but where I’m from there’s a lot of people that burn wood that would come in and remove it for free and there’s a lot of people That mill their own fence posts and things like that that would come in and remove the majority of the larger stuff in 10 foot sections. You would still have to get rid of the small stuff but it’s a whole lot easier than doing it all

[@swostillwateroutdoors]

Great points! That would for sure have saved me some time!! I actually just had a guy over today that I might have help me clear some of my mature trees on the property! That would for sure be a good option for someone that wants to make the food plot by means of a chainsaw! Thanks for watching!

[@blindluckoutdoors4850]

Unless you are useing the wood for firewood I would just leave it around the edge of the food plot. Cut some strategic paths thru it and the deer will use them. I have done it many times in my area with sucess.

[@swostillwateroutdoors]

Thanks for watching!!! Yes, I plan to leave some sections, but I am going to use it for firewood, so I will try to clear most of it up!

[@joshuathompson890]

yes, i was pondering this myself. i have been clearing four plots and have piles at one edge as well. All my buds say leave it and let it decay. burn it in year or so.

[@Rockincountry]

great video just subscribe and hoping for more great videos

[@swostillwateroutdoors]

Thanks for watching!! I have more videos coming here soon!

[@jackc.3079]

What state are you in? Good video.

[@swostillwateroutdoors]

In northern Wisconsin! Thanks so much for watching!

[@jackc.3079]

@@swostillwateroutdoors I figured from the accent! I'm in Wisconsin too! I hunt in the UP though. Certainly a necessity to remove that debris around the plot if you want deer to feel comfortable with being in it with the wolves and all. We noticed clearing the edges increased use a lot.

[@swostillwateroutdoors]

Ahhhh yea! The good ol wisconian accent gives it away every time 😂 nice!! That is some big woods over that direction! Yes, def agree on that! The bucks seem reluctant to use the plot so far because of the barricades! Glad to know that helped with your plots!

[@jskoutdoors7640]

where are you located?

[@swostillwateroutdoors]

Northern Wisconsin! Douglas county

[@jskoutdoors7640]

@@swostillwateroutdoors cool looks like you have a great setup

[@swostillwateroutdoors]

Thanks!! Yeah it has been so much fun already and just getting started!!

[@BS.-.-]

Why does everyone clear land and push all the junk into the edges? Push into the middle, let dry for a year then burn it. Yes you will loose growing space for prob 2yrs but the labor involved is prety minimal.

[@swostillwateroutdoors]

That is a valid point, and would also be a great way to conserve the topsoil! Only issue I could see is just that it is a lot of trees to put into one pile….if a guy could have the trees being cut before pushing into the pile that would be the ultimate way to go!!!

[@jlmartin8023]

Might want to invest in a drill.

[@swostillwateroutdoors]

Yesss...I would really like to have one of those! Hopefully someone creates one sometime soon that is fairly inexpensive!

[@jlmartin8023]

Could also burn all that brush around your plot and maybe add a something to the soil just spread it out or you'll get a huge dead spot where stuff will not grow.

[@swostillwateroutdoors]

I have thought long and hard about doing that, I may do that at some point!

[@thomasharp3246]

Another benefit to doing it in the middle of the woods is that poachers don't know it's there. Can't stand someone shooting game on my land.

[@swostillwateroutdoors]

Totally agree!! Roadside access of a food plot is just too much temptation for some...tough to build a quality deer herd like that!!

[@justarcher]

You skipped the most important step, a soil test, whitetail institute has them. You have a atv...buy a groundhog max...

[@swostillwateroutdoors]

Forgot to mention that I had done a soil test in this area the year before making the plot, obviously the soil was different since it was dozed but should be pretty similar results! I am going to do more intense soil sampling on my land this year and see what results I get!

[@jonathanblanny7954]

To all my people with more money you can buy or rent a rock picking machine

[@swostillwateroutdoors]

That would be a sweet option!!!

[@chrisunruh6485]

You worked way too hard with the chainsaw. Can you not burn where you are? That makes it much different but I can burn. I cut almost two acres for a food plot and let the trees dry right where they fell. Came back three months later with a fire and done. The ashes helped with PH too.

[@swostillwateroutdoors]

That is a really neat idea!!! I am prob a little too nervous to start a forest fire 😬 that would be an awesome way to go!!

[@chrisunruh6485]

@@swostillwateroutdoors look up land and legacy. They have a KZbin channel and a podcast. If burning is legal, I’m not sure how many states don’t allow control burns, you will have several government funded programs and co-op possibilities to help put in fire lines and educate on preventing forest fires. Burning is the greatest value with the lowest cost. It has done AMAZING things on the land I hunt.

[@swostillwateroutdoors]

Land and legacy is awesome!!! Been following those guys a few years!!