How To Clear A Food Plot

There are many ways to clear a food plot the wrong way with a bulldozer and very few ways to clear a food plot the right way. Here is how you can make sure that you are on the right track with your own food plot creations this year...
*No matter how you clear a food plot, all 12 of our NEW WHS Seed Blends are available for purchase right now! Check out our new seed blend website!
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*Do you want to learn how to build and transform your food plot program for this Fall? Check out my advanced whitetail strategy classes:
www.whitetailhabitatsolutions...
*Jeff and Friends Talk Deer Podcast: www.whitetailhabitatsolutions...

[@peterj727]

Great info there Jeff! I just got done yesterday clearing and cleaning/ leveling up several plots. We had access to a mini excavator and those things are awesome for plot work! We were able to leave almost all of the topsoil on the plots and minimize the size of debris piles. Also cutting out any wood that can be used for firewood really cuts down on them as well.

[@janitorialguy4436]

Mowed food plots yesterday, work,n up a plan. Thanks Jeff

[@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751]

Awesome!!

[@alexpinnow6509]

Good information Jeff. That feathered edge really helps screen the plot in the woods as well!

[@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751]

Thanks Alex, it sure does!

[@jjhoran1273]

Great video as always Jeff!! On my way up north to do improvements as we speak!

[@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751]

Have fun JJ!

[@alanwhite4839]

Just planted a new hillside plot in Alabama with brown top millet just to prevent erosion. I’ll probably over seed later with peas for summer cover and soil buildup.

[@marvesh498]

Hey Jeff, great video!! Do you have a specific shape for a plot?

[@williamcoombs5861]

Great info. Trying to clear an acre of around 60 stumps. Some small, but around 20 are about 4 feet round. Never thought of spreading them out but how many can go together. How many is too many to be stacked together. No other way but to spread them around the property (about 15 acres of dense paster pines). Thanks again love the videos. Bill

[@IsaacSwift-uc7jq]

Thanks Jeff!

[@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751]

Sure thing Isaac!

[@jeffpepin5930]

Hey Jeff! You mentioned not using switchgrass in northern settings because of the potential of wolves, so what’s the recommendation for a feathered edge in a northern setting?

[@naomicreech9870]

I think it’s interesting, the “Plot Area” we started last year… weedy field, is coming up 60% grass. We’re spraying this weekend. Excited to watch it all come together again.

[@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751]

It's crazy how those weeds immediately begin to come back after a couple months or less of no weed control! Happy for you Naomi...enjoy it!

[@naomicreech9870]

@@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751 it’s an art to be well descriptive. My plot has almost all grass growing up through it hardly any weeds, but then looking at my field edge recently we have oak trees surrounding the greater edge of my food plot and we had a poor brassica turn out this last year and I completely understand why. Acorns equal poor soil 🤙

[@terryerb8665]

Question Jeff, do you have a mock scrape at the apple tree? I have a similar setup (minus Redneck blind (insert envy here)) and hung my mock scrape from the lone tree I left towards the back of the plot. Thank you, Terry

[@angelopedretti83]

One Summer I took out about 300 trees probably four to six inches around with a maddock and a four-wheeler. I didn't have the money to rent a piece of equipment I was a young guy. Uffda!

[@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751]

Man that will make you and old guy real quick 😊

[@kernsy6715]

Should I plant my switchgrass butted up to the hardwoods edge or have something In between the hardwoods and switchgrass. I’m New to planting food plots and want to use switchgrass to block the view from the woods.

[@fisherman_of_navarone]

Jeff, what shrubs were you planting on the edge of the food plot?

[@bullgravy6906]

My family has 120acres of almost purely oak trees, it’s going to to take years to really make it truly good hunting land. I see deer every time I go out there but I’m pretty sure it’s the same group of 4-5 does.

[@brianlenneman5032]

So important!!!

[@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751]

And fun 😊

[@Schooloutdoors]

With your No till process, do you fertilize your buckwheat and also your fall plantings?

[@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751]

I use plot start and plot boost on the buckwheat...then fertilize the Fall plots...also use Plot Start and Plot Boost then, too.

[@beachralph]

I have heavy timber area I can’t machine in there what do recommend how to make a food plots

[@garyvoit5132]

very limited budget here and have many stumps to deal with, they are piled up to block the neighbors, was thinking i could cover them with dirt and let the weeds take over on them. STUMPED on what to do with the stumps...any info or opinions??

[@user-ue2ns4eq1z]

If you are unable to get your hands on equipment to push the limbs and debris out of the way, what is your recommendation for getting rid of it? Burn piles?

[@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751]

Burn piles are excellent!

[@ozarkmusic94]

If you had a 45 acre parcel covered by small hardwood trees and a super thick underbrush, how much underbrush would you clear?

[@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751]

If the deer can easily move thru it, I would clear none. If prohibitive, about 50% in very small pockets and trails

[@wilsonlysford5268]

I put up a few mock scrapes and I’m having an issue with my cameras on those scrapes. The camera keeps getting triggered by my hanging stick. How do yall avoid this!? Is my stick to light?

[@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751]

Hi Wilson it sometimes depends on the quality of the camera. Also it is v rye important to use a vine that is at least 5 to 6' long, and 3/4 to 1" in diameter. It also helps to place the camera at least 15' from the scrape.

[@wilsonlysford5268]

@@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751 sounds good! Looks like I’ll need to move the camera back further!

[@beaulyons5554]

Fire/Loging Question- my property was part of a huge 19,000 plus acre fire. It looks like ground zero, but trying to make the best out of it. With the logging on every neighbors property for miles, state land, etc there’s huge piles of timber waste everywhere. What the fire didn’t get the beetles are now getting. So what was left is standing dead trees and falling over almost like hinge cuts. I’ve been cleaning my place up for 2 years by hand. With this environment with huge piles of timber waste and dead trees down everywhere chase of bigger wiser bucks? My place is clean minus my hinge cut pine bedding areas which are blowing up with brush growth. So I guess my question is would bigger mature bucks leave a area that was once thick for miles with ag farms here and there, to leveled over night?

[@brandonkallio1215]

Yes!! We see it all the time in Alberta, we clearcut to log soft wood lumber to slow down the pine beetle and any mature bucks you have pictures of are gone. Had a buck diassapear and once the land grew back with decent sized sappling he came back 5 years later, alot older and past his prime. In hind sight I should have tried to track him down but it seemed impossible with the amount of area he could have gone to. But they will come back once there is new growth. Keep doing work and plan for new growth to pull the deer back. If you get it going before everyone else they will be drawn to your spot. Just my observation from real life experience in my area.

[@beaulyons5554]

@@brandonkallio1215 I love Alberta, usta go to off-road events a lot in Canada with our race team before borders where closed. Now they’re open I can’t wait to go back and see everyone and go for “a rip” haha thank you for your response. It’s crazy to be able to see for miles in any direction. Good thing is the home and shop made it and we all lived to tell the story. It burnt up here before in I believe my elders said 1964-1963 something like that, just not this bad. But Mother Nature does as she sees fit I suppose. Thank you again. Last year I had 33 different bucks at this ranch (40 acres) but only 4-5 shooters so I shouldn’t complain. The habitat is just hard to look at.

[@mo-46]

Brush piles also attract predators looking for game to eat on a regular basis

[@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751]

Good thing they protect them 👍

[@mo-46]

@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751 I just don't prefer them due they do attract predators to the exact same area you're pulling your local deer herd. I do like to trap my predators and try to keep most away from my herd.

[@davidyontz09]

Anyone no for sure if red barked dogwood is the same thing as red osier dogwood

[@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751]

Yes, it is 😊

[@drewharman1690]

Are you still sponsored by exodus?

[@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751]

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[@drewharman1690]

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[@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751]

@@drewharman1690 It's been an awesome journey! We have simply been blown away!

[@alexpinnow6509]

​@@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751 hope to catch up with you this spring prior to cameras going out. Messaged you on instagram