When Food Plots Fail

I’m looking at what’s known – in the parlance of our times – as an “epic fail.”

The soybeans are long gone. The sorghum survived the driest weeks of May and early June, but while it struggled, crabgrass rose up to engulf the scene like a noxious tide.

This wreckage called a food plot got off to such a great start, too. Back in April, soil temperatures and moisture allowed for timely planting. Natural forages were abundant, providing a buffer to protect the new soybean seedlings from premature browsing. The blend of soybeans and sorghum appeared likely to sail ahead of any weed competition and shade it out.

What went wrong?

First, the rain stopped.

What had been moist soil back in April turned to dust when the faucet ran dry almost the same day I planted. This prevented rapid growth of sorghum and soybean seedlings in early weeks, which allowed weeds to take hold and catch up. Meanwhile, the drought accelerated the natural decline of abundant spring forages. That eroded any potential buffer between hungry deer and vulnerable soybeans. Stuck in slow-motion growth, the soybeans started to disappear and were unable to recover from browsing because of lack of moisture. This further opened the canopy to give weeds more sunlight. Though not being browsed by deer, the sorghum was also thin, curled, and slow-growing, further opening the window for weeds.

With adequate moisture, the stand of sorghum and soybeans likely would have been lush enough to shade out the competition. This is actually happening in the browse exclosures. Study the photo at the top of this blog post. In the shade beneath the soybeans and sorghum in this exclosure, there are a few tiny weeds. Outside the exclosure you can see the impressive stand of crabgrass about to drown the sorghum. There are a few other spots outside of exclosures – places in low spots with shade that retained more moisture – where the sorghum alone is thick and healthy enough to shade out the weeds on its own. Except for the drought in May and June, the blend likely would have shaded the weeds, keeping them under control.

At least in theory. There’s another factor that can’t be ignored here. Deer density is very high in the suburban landscape where QDMA’s National Office is located. Even with adequate rainfall, it’s likely the soybeans would never have produced a picture-perfect stand. As we’ve seen before at this site, when a high-quality food source is available, deer camp out until it’s gone. But what about the deer repellents I applied? As I said in previous posts, repellents need “backup” to work effectively. Backup comes in the form of alternative natural foods and optimal deer density. When density is too high and natural foods are scarce, deer eventually ignore repellents, just as you – facing starvation – would search for food in places you would normally consider repulsive. Despite the aroma of Milorganite and the ribbons drenched in PlotSaver potion, hungry deer eventually entered the plots to eat.

What Now?

So, what do I do with these failed food plots? We’ve now fallen into a pattern of afternoon thunderstorms that have revived the sorghum. In a few places, there are weed-free stands that I will leave, because these will eventually produce some nutrition later this summer when the seed heads appear. But elsewhere, weeds are thick. If I let them mature and go to seed, it will be a major setback in ongoing weed control in these plots. I will mow and then nuke these areas with glyphosate. If it appears that summer thunderstorms are going to continue, I may replant with sorghum. There’s still time for a second planting to mature and produce seeds. Otherwise, I’ll keep the weeds at bay and prepare for planting fall food plots.

Another Lesson Here

It was frustrating to watch QDMA’s summer plots fail, especially knowing that in mid-June QDMA would host a Level II Deer Steward course at the National Office. I didn’t mind so much that these QDMA members would see our plots – I know they understand factors like drought and the idea that food plots are never guaranteed. What I hated was knowing that Dr. Craig Harper from the University of Tennessee would see the plots. Craig, a contributor to Quality Food Plots and one of the most knowledgeable and experienced people I know when it comes to habitat management, would no doubt have a little fun at my expense. When he arrived at the office, he smiled, shook my hand, and said: “Those are some fine-looking food plots you’ve got out there.”

But when Craig led his class of Deer Stewards out into the plots later that weekend, he didn’t analyze the failed food plots. Instead, he noticed something else. What he saw was an old tree stump in one of the food plots. Growing around the stump where mowers and disk harrows couldn’t reach was a thick column of what most people would call “weeds.” Craig pointed out the pokeweed, grape vines and other forbs growing there – most of it quality deer forage. The irony was sharp. Despite machinery, modern fertilizers, advanced seed varieties, repellents, and modern agricultural knowledge, I hadn’t come close to producing the forage value per square foot of what had appeared by accident around that stump. Given the same resources of sunlight and soil, and despite dry conditions, nature had easily beaten my efforts.

Dr. Craig Harper examines high-quality forage and cover species that grew naturally around a stump in this failed food plot.

Craig used the example to emphasize the importance of habitat diversity: Food plots should supplement natural forages, not replace them. Standing by the overgrown stump, Craig told the group: “If you don’t have enough of this somewhere else, food plots won’t fix the problem.”

If early succession plant communities (food and cover) are locally scarce, food plots are not your first priority. If deer density is so high that it is difficult to grow desirable forage crops even when growing conditions are excellent, food plots are not your first priority. But if habitat is diverse, and deer are in balance with that habitat, your QDM success will continue even when food plots fail.

© Copyright 2011, Lindsay Thomas Jr. and QDM Works

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