Bowsite.com

August 19, 2003	October 5, 2003

Hunting the Bowsite Food Plot, Fall 2003

Plot Condition - the condition of our plot was excellent. The Rape was lush and thick and the ryegrass was also sprouting in certain areas. However the clover portion of our plot choice this year (Imperial Whitetail, No-Plow) was non-existent. I should note that this has been a very wet summer and fall in this area of the Northeast.

These were the only two deer I saw in the plot. The fawn never browsed, and the doe bit 3 plants before leaving.

Deer Usage of the plot - The usage of the plot was non-existent. In a week of hunting I saw one doe take 4 nibbles off the tops of the Dwarf Essex Rape. Most of the activity was on the non-plot areas surrounding the plot.

Most of the activity we saw was around the plot - mostly traveling deer heading elsewhere.

 

Conclusion - This was the first time we tried Imperial Whitetail's No Plow and I would have to say that I was unimpressed. While the forage did come up strong (after tilling it - mind you) the deer really never utilized it. I've heard that the rape may become more palatable later in the year, but there was no nourishment for the deer during the critical growing season, and for a bowhunter, this plot did nothing as a "kill plot". Of course, had I simply checked our archives, I could have found very similar results from other bowhunters. Unfortunately, I had not looked into these until the seed was already in the ground.

We'd like to hear from you - Discuss our conclusions, 2003 choices, and our results