Food plots worth the effort

Spring is just beginning with warmer days still mixed with chill ones. Which makes now a good time to plan for next years hunting. That planning should be to improve your hunting success, and there are plenty of things you can do now or soon to do that improving. For example, a good friend of mine bought some land a number of years ago, and turned it into a deer, squirrel, rabbit, and wild turkey paradise with a financial outlay that he did alone, but could have shared with a number of friends to cut the cost of each down to a very reasonable sum. He bought about 100 acres of land that was nearly worthless for farming, being mostly timber, hills, old fields ladened with briers, grasses, weeds, and brush, and a little pond that was shallow and not good for fishing. Then he converted that 100 acres into a near game paradise that produces a dandy buck for him and his friends every fall, turkeys every spring, and small game almost anytime. If you can afford even a modest number of acres of waste land, or have friends willing to share labor and costs, you can do much the same One thing that can be done to much improve scrub woodlands is to plant trees that will attract wildlife, and the easiest way to do that is to plant proper seeds. Find yourself a white oak tree, and gather the acorns that rain from it each fall. Fill a bucket, pick up a shovel, and start walking, stopping every yard or two to dig the shovel in a couple of inches, bend it forward to create a small cavity, and drop in an acorn. White oaks are probably the No.1 wildlife food tree for forest animals, and once mature can be carefully harvested for premium lumber, too. At the edge of any clearing, you might also plant black walnuts, and such as shagbark hickory nuts, again good food for many wild creatures,' You can improve growing time a bit by purchasing seedlings from catalogs or buying some at Soil and Water Conservation District annual sales. For example, some have improved and faster growing black walnuts, shellbark hickories, even hazelnuts and cold resistant pecans. If you need advice, check with those same Soil and Water Conservation people, or nearby foresters. Food plots are always a good idea, and are used by many to attract wildlife and give them good food for strong and healthy growth. Google up "wildlife food plots", and you'll find plenty to choose from. The same friend who bought the 100 acres annually plants 8 to 10 rows of field corn in clearings here and there, and every spring those rows stand empty with every kernel eaten by deer, turkeys, rabbits, squirrels, and a host of birds, game and non-game. Corn is a high energy plant and much enjoyed by many wild creatures. There are other types of food plots that can be grown in any bits of open land, and again Googling or using other search engines will turn up a rather astonishing number of sources. Such as White Oat Plus are favored by some, a winter hardy type with high sugar content much enjoyed by deer, Various clover mixes attract deer too, and some need only minimal ground preparation to grow drought and cold tolerant provender. You can plant brassicas like collard greens, Chinese broccoli, and Napa cabbage, or other deer foods like grasses, legumes, vetches, soybeans, and peas. Deer experts from the Ohio Division of Wildlife, especially those who manage wildlife areas, should have advice on this topic. If you like dove hunting, you might consider food plots of brown top millet and sunflowers. Turkeys like alfalfa, sesame, and chufa which produces underground tubers that they can scratch up all winter, plus peas, millet, and wheat. You can add even more to that piece of waste land by adding or deepening a little pond or two, and planting it with water weeds that produce both greenery and seeds. These will attract ducks, and once cattails grow, also bullfrogs, muskrats, and other fur bearing animals. It adds up to lots of choices and plenty of time to improve your chances this fall. Why not try it? Hooks & Bullets: The Sportsmen's Alliance, an organization dedicated to fighting for the rights of hunters, fishermen, and trappers is holding a Spring Fling Gun Bash on Saturday, May 22 at the Coliseum in the Delaware County Fairgrounds. Twenty guns plus $5,000 in cash and gift cards will be given away at the bash. Tickets are $75 with kids under 17 free, and there will be live music, food and drinks, and games at the bash. Winners need not be present to win. Call Craig Henderson at 614-888-4868, ext. 216 for tickets or questions. Dick Martin is a retired biology teacher who has been writing outdoor columns for over 30 years. You can reach him at richmart@neo.rr.com