Hey Hunters! Deer Do Not Need Food Plots!

Let’s get back to managing Native Ecosystems and future generations of hunters will thank us!

[@ArbitraryLifestyle]

It's maddening, but the bottom line is 'owners want more and bigger deer on their property'. It's (deer hunting) way too large an industry to disrupt, but if we could somehow lessen the importance of killing "the biggest deer in the history of deer", we'd be onto something. My dad always says that pretty soon deer will only eat corn.

[@baneofbanes]

Get people hungry enough and they’d be satisfied with a fat doe.

[@seanwoodburn2616]

Absolutely

[@CB-ke5xx]

In the age of social media and clout chasing and narcisism, people can't help but getting caught up in the trap of hunting solely to impress their buddies. I love venison. I try to kill a decent doe each year. I don't care about posting a big buck on IG. It's not cool to me to have 100 likes on a post. You know what's cool? Making venison wellington for a Christmas dinner for your family. Making rabbit and cabbage gyoza for a wild game supper. Making walleye fish tacos with habanero mango salsa for a summer cookout. Those memories and experiences are so much more fun than trying to show off on social media. And it makes the rare occurance of you arrowing a 140 class buck, or landing a 28in wally, or dropping a double on a quail covey just that much sweeter and more special when it does happen.

[@2daysoffproductions887]

If we manage the habitat properly and it goes back to native ecosystems the deer will be much more likely to reach their full potential. Will also help turkeys, quail and every other species of animal in the area. We actually hurt the deer when we manage the way we have been for the last several decades. They lack food at the most important times. All that is starting to change. Native habitat management is booming right now due to these guys

[@morganfreeman8492]

Yup. Always told myself that the best deer plot would be native plant. It only makes the most sense right??

[@35Colorado]

Thank you brother, we do need to help nature heal itself and that starts with planting native vegetation both for the ecosystem , wildlife and the soil health. Us hunters should stop plants crops that only focus on deer and allow the lands to be restored so that all wildlife can thrive.

[@johnbush3610]

Companies like Scott’s and ADM have done the same thing with lawn grass. Convincing people to add nitrogen and such when all you need is clover mixed in your grass. Not as "pretty" but safer and less toxic.

[@CosmicCrittercom]

You are speaking the absolute truth. How did the deer thrive and grow huge racks in the Native Indian and Victorian times without food plots? On native habitat.

[@ThatSB]

Not entirely true. Deer grow large antlers when they are mid aged. Healthy bucks young and old not so much. But you can encourage antler growth with specific nutrients. So we likely have larger antlers now. There was not a massive population of deer like you would think either, since they had predators

[@MrHunterseeker]

food plot is code for bait station.

[@saltator8565]

Yup. They are too lazy to go out and actually track the deer.

[@TheQueerboys-zt4rh]

@@saltator8565ok buddy

[@danielrumbo343]

@@saltator8565regulations makes things that way. Can be say the same if you hunting with rifle and not with a bow and arrow 🏹. Where i live is so much bs that is designed for you to buy everything the market offers.

[@Rancorboi]

You're doing a great job!

[@charleshowell7855]

Corn pile isn’t natural either. Always wondered why states wma’s don’t plant native oaks, persimmon, crab apple, etc…

[@asfd74]

Wow, I had no idea hunters did this. What the heck? Thank you for explaining how this practice got started.

[@611Cowboy]

Best deer habitat video ever. Keep it up

[@MrGoatman07]

Very interesting article. I've watched a lot of the other videos on food plots for deer. But I am more interested in staying native to my area. Hoping to learn more from you on this program. Thanks from Virginia

[@geoffkeller5337]

It also comes down to the "jock" mentality. The "jocks" only want a trophy deer to mount so they can have bragging rights. IF people only hunted to provide actual food on the table and not a wall trophy then the whole system would change for the better. Yes, I know this comment will receive a lot of hate and that's fine. It's just facts...

[@audreyosborne1417]

Here from Tik Tok - great message keep up the good work!

[@theAntwon24]

I've seen whitetails in the middle of cities. I don't think deer need to be managed for. To me it seems that any sort of green space will hold deer but it won't always hold much else.

[@BrokenArrowOutdoors81]

Here from tictok. I need to be your shadow for a couple weeks and learn some more.

[@jackrowe5571]

You can shadow him here! He posts often! All of his posts are good

[@eliwisor9758]

This man speaks facts

[@Realheavybeef]

I don’t hunt but this convinced me.

[@theuntamedambition]

100% accurate throughout

[@manyhatsentertainment8685]

Also if you do it right your foodplot is going to feed almost every animal in that section of woods and you plant diversity so that it meets the needs of the maximum amount of animals.

[@ltlwlwl5057]

Thank you for sharing this info. 😊

[@michaelzorro2738]

Thank you for sharing and bringing the truth to the general public.... Listen up you guys...

[@outdoorinfluencer]

Here from Tic Toc

[@snakey973]

FACTS!! thankyou so much for this video

[@thetobyntr9540]

This is essentially how things were done in the Americas before the Europeans made it over, they planted gardens that were for some food and material crops as well as feeding and attracting wildlife of all sizes. Some were in places that didn't get used for anything, and at least some still maintained their biodiversity into today after nearly a century or two of being untended.

[@johnjacob442]

Could you talk about how to kill fescue grass and other grasses so I could get the natives back in? I’m in West Virginia

[@tidecoys]

Clethodim

[@seandepaula2049]

The more food you have the more deer can utilize your area…also need cover and sanctuary areas but late season food is the main driver

[@steveornot]

Good stuff man!

[@AcornFox]

ha! quail. i remember those

[@ezwages]

good job sir

[@Bucko451]

I have wondered about this for years and just have not found enough information available until recently and what is good for one area may not work in a area 100 yards away! I hunt with a group that try's as best we can to manage the land we hunt on and the wildlife there. Feeding corn to deer is like giving kids grease or lard and expecting them to survive on it. Not the greatest idea but there are times that it is helpful. There have been many years that the native foods were at a minimum to support the local wildlife and what we brought in, especially after hunting season was enough to keep starvation at a minimum. They don't tell you that because of our effect on the land, starvation is a huge reality for many species. We have put minerals out, planted small patchs, by hand, over wide areas, and bring in corn, different cattle feeds and pellets, and salt and mineral blocks to help them through the first few months of the year. When we hunt, we hunt for food, not sport unless we get too many big bucks for the area to support and then we decide to "cull" whatever needs to be done to maintain a good balance. We always check for the ration of bucks to does, if we have any showing signs of genetic problems or any that have been injured. We get many deer coming into our area that have been shot with guns but many times more that have been shot with arrows and hurt but not killed. This upsets us all enough that these sightings are reported to the local wildlife authorities. There is no excuse for not killing a dear with a rifle. Using a rifle is a assassination as there is little chance of error. A bow is not such a sure thing but my people are very proficient with bows or we would not let them hunt with them. The greatest fear we have is a wounded deer or turkey running off to suffer and die. If this happens, we get everyone together and search until the animal is found. In my state, you can legally take up to 5 deer over the entire hunting season. A true hunter takes what they need, never more and never waste anything. Big old deer with huge horns in general taste nasty and are tough so I have not shot a trophy in 25 years. Probably not going to happen again in my lifetime!

[@CosmicCrittercom]

Sounds like you guys are doing a wonderful job of being aware, ethical as hunters and trying to take care of the wildlife. Well done. And you’re right. Those old animals are SO gamey! And if you leave them alone they input great genes of intelligent animals back into the bloodlines. :)

[@johnos4892]

Well said, totally correct.

[@ralphgreenjr.2466]

You are exactly right! They help themselves to the corn, soybeans, pears, and apples that I grow on the farm. They drink from the streams, ponds, and springs too. 🙂 Just southern Ohio humor.

[@w4ame]

I’d love to hear you on the Fist Full of Dirt Podcast with Cuz Strickland. You have a good message and it doesn’t require tractors, implements, fertilizer, lime and that yearly seed bill.

[@Hayley-sl9lm]

Preach!! 👏👏👏

[@dilbyjones]

Good video

[@collindorrill6593]

Do you have any book or podcast recommendations on this topic?

[@masseywillingham8429]

How do you feel about bushhogging? If it grows up to high, you cant get a shot. Awesome channel. Here from TikTok

[@Ghillie-bp6tl]

Preach on it!

[@Isaacmantx]

Planting supplemental food on a minority of the available acres is just that. A supplement. The bottom hole in the bucket will always be the greater habitat at large. Improve the habitat “while” providing the early supplemental food. Food plotting without proper habitat management is just a larger, more expensive feeder. The quail is the canary in the coal mine, manage for them and everything else will improve. Only problem is, they require large continuous tracts to maintain viable populations. No matter how perfect I make my parents 40 acres for quail, I will never be able to restore the area’s numbers.

[@weevil_bob]

If you're not careful in the act of "improving" the site you're decreasing the resilience to drought and disease.

[@Gobucksjb]

💯

[@tyrandolph5465]

As a hunter I agree with everything he's saying. First off: it's much more rewarding and just downright beautiful to hunt a natural habitat that looks like it did hundreds of years ago, hunting TRUE free range deer than it does to put up food plots or feeders (which, in most cases we have already unknowingly destroyed the deers native habitat and food supply, meaning they solely depend on our feed to survive.) This leads to more deer not surviving the winter, or starving to death in prime foraging season (spring time, when nobody is hunting and most aren't feeding either) on my ranch I have 80 acres set aside where I do not allow excessive undergrowth, any non native plants or species to be introduced, and I also manage our naturally occurring fruit and nut trees and the native grape vines and dewberries to ensure that they continue to thrive so the deer have food sources year round. This is a much more healthy way of managing hunting land

[@CosmicCrittercom]

Nice

[@russellallen9648]

100 percent correct all you modern hunters...

[@Eastky23wildlife]

My wildlife biologist said they don’t need food plots all they need is cover and food. Food being the cover.

[@TheQueerboys-zt4rh]

I live in a very dence area that has no openings for little plants and I just found a space that I can open up should I open it up and see if native plants grow there?

[@MerkleAkrunphleuphle]

How does this not have more views

[@wild5015]

Got any recommendations for good places to find native seed mixes that are attractive to deer/turkey?

[@geckoguy4141]

I know your comment is a month old but I really love Roundstone Native Seed. They're from Kentucky and have the most diverse native seed mixes I have seen from any online nursery and for pretty cheap to boot. They have special mixes for deer and turkey on their website.

[@lmorris7415]

@@geckoguy4141 No worries. Still plenty of time to get seeds down. I'll take a look at their website 👍

[@connorhaley3190]

I would guess it depends on where you are talking about

[@wild5015]

@@connorhaley3190 New Jersey, I've ordered from a few different places now. But I think Ernst Conservation Seed has some good wildlife mixes that are designed for the east coast.

[@snakey973]

I hope this message spreads

[@frankieoutside1523]

I'm in. I'm going to look for some examples of a fairly mature native food plot. Do y'all think I'll find many?

[@texasalalmoful]

Deer are like weeds, you can grow them anywhere you got soil.

[@rschelp1]

So .. I live on three acres of fescue grass … how do I convert it to native plants. It sounds good but .. I don't know the process for accomplishing this, let alone where I would even get native plants or seed or whatever (i.e. I live in Missouri). Any thoughts or suggestions?

[@llamawizard]

So if you have property that has a bunch of food plots what should be planted? Has been planted with rye, maybe wheat, turnips, clover, etc blends for years.

[@davidbass7593]

100% true deer will eat food plots but it's not something they have to have I have 40 acre tree farm all oak produces large acorns every year those and normal woody brows is mostly what they eat I've tried different grains but they won't hardly touch any of it till the everything else is gone and thats late winter

[@joshuamccasland8180]

I live within the GWNF, 99.99 percent of the bucks I kill on the NF are near or in logging cuts. The only habitat 3 feet and below is where they cut.

[@Grizzlife]

I can definitely see your passion for native plants and trees. But to let your food plots grow up to produce more native food thinking its better is not realistic if your hunting deer. Most of that food is not palatable in late winter and becomes a dead zone for deer. Here in West Tn this year the food is slim for wildlife. We had no acorns this year and it has hurt my 200 acre farm. Woody browse, saw briars and my food plots is it. I would like to see big Ag fields around here turn back into savanna’s . Monoculture has taken over. All this praise for farmers when most get rich off GMO soybeans and corn. Corn that feeds cattle which is the beef most of you eat. It’s mixed with all kinds of farm animal food. No one talks about that. People wonder why there sick and die so young. Soybeans are the worst and heavily sprayed and are a Monsanto gold mine as well. I could rant in this all day. Most farmers are killing you and making you sick with their huge Ag fields of death. So let’s talk about turning corn and soybean fields into native plant Paradise and then maybe food plots can switch over to.

[@CosmicCrittercom]

So true. This is also a huge part of the problem. Look into regenerative agriculture. Thankfully it is growing and does that very thing you are talking about.

[@alanwhite4839]

I have 40 acres, which was controlled burned in February. How do I kill the newly emerging privet and convert this into native plants?

[@lumpy1603]

More food plots the better

[@tommyhunter1817]

Then thin the crap out of your timber and get more sunlight on the ground. Then watch what happens.

[@yasmine4754]

Has no idea that this is done. Just so wrong. Greetings from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

[@midwesternoutdoorsandnatur8272]

I call it antler obsession. It’s making hunting unobtainable for the common folk. Literally becoming a rich man’s game here in the midwest.That’s the truth. I disagree that we don’t need food plots. We can use them in sync with native areas and it complements the ecosystem-benefitting all wildlife (when done correctly).AG monocultures and hunting access/recruitment are the biggest problem we have.

[@toddlorenz8411]

Preach on brother your followers are listening!!

[@johndhead1]

I believe Dr. Grant Woods is the best for a more balanced system of foodplots. His new summer and fall release foodplot blends attract a diversity of wildlife.

[@manyhatsentertainment8685]

They don't need it but it's good for them. The reason you plant food plots is so that you have available food source while the ag fields and most native species are harvested or die out

[@ThatSB]

Deer hunters dont plant food plots to manage wildlife. They do it to draw in the bucks 😂

[@cececox6399]

We ALL know who's doing... XYX.... Yeeaa sorry I don't have a clue 🤷‍♀️ please could someone enlighten me 🤣

[@CosmicCrittercom]

Some hunters put non native food out to feed deer and draw them to their land. The guy in this video is saying to use native plant life instead.

[@williammackey7243]

Man. I just bought some land and you are talking my language. I need your help.

[@Chris-gr7ll]

Why do we feed everything corn? Corn isn't good, things only like it because it's sweet, and it's not good for the health of those who eat it. I don't want corn fed beef, much less wild venison that's been eating corn.

[@OklahomaState]

There’s no wildlife because every Tom Dick and Larry has a dog in their back yard running everythang off. 90 million dogs, no telling how many cats. It’s America’s golden calf. Wake up America!

[@augustlongpre64]

I usually love your videos but I’m noticing that you frequently describe indigenous stewardship methods without any acknowledgment or reference to them. It’s just really striking that you advocate for native everything but don’t mention native peoples.

[@spile7]

Get outta here with the noble savage bs.

[@augustlongpre64]

@@spile7 describing indigenous stewardship methods (for which there is AMPLE historical documentation) is not “noble savage bs”

[@augustlongpre64]

@@spile7 bro has never read a book before 😂

[@showmetheheartland]

To be fair, most hunters clear the land for those food plots from generally unproductive closed canopy forest. I don't usually see hunters transitioning areas that are already productivity grasslands into food plots, because they know those areas are already doing what they want. Supporting game.

[@JJ-FOXTROT]

The funny thing is it’s common sense, these wanna be hunter’s crack me up wasting so much money on bs , it’s like fishing I’ll out fish 99 0/0 of people with a zebco 33 vrs your $$$$ don’t matter