Summary - 2023 Food Plot Seed Review and Ranking
2022 was my third year since buying my Ohio property. It did not disappoint. I don't know if I got really lucky with this property, or if all of Ohio produces results like this given the amount of effort I put into it.
My plots were excellent again this year. I had to shuffle some things around and tweaked things a bit, but the result was as good or better than last year. I really liked my Kill plot design this year, and my big plot turned out good - but not great. Every year I learn something new and 2022 was no exception. For example, don't plant 4 acres of corn when all of your neighbors are in beans. The coons and deer wiped them out before the season. I also learned I need 5x the screening that I used last year. Egyptian Wheat and other screening products produced a terrific, 12' barrier where I needed it. My perennials all did well, so did most of my annuals. The only fail was the corn.
Deer hunting was fantastic. I had several mature bucks ranging from 130-170 again this year. About half my shooters came back larger. Surrounding pressure was high, but most of my shooters survived. Only one mature deer (besides Scarface) was killed by my neighbor.
On a scale of 1 to 10, I would once again rate this season a 10. I can't wait to start getting my spring plots in and see what my 2023 buck crop looks like.
Plot Ranking
Plot rankings are based on a combination of growth, nutrition and attraction. This subjective scoring is based on trail camera photos, actual sightings, and plot utilization.
- Food Plot 2 - Ag soybeans + Brassica + Peas + Clover
- Food Plot 7 - Merit Winter Peas + Crimson Clover + Buck Forage
- Food Plot 1 - Ag Soybeans and Corn
- Food Plot 3 - Legacy Clover (year 2?)
- Food Plot 4 - Hancock Killer Clover
- Food Plot 5 - Merit Aberlasting Clover + Chicory (year 3)
- Food Plot 6 - Durana clover (year 3)
