Comparing Food Plots and Supplemental Feeding

At Windy Ridge Outfitting, we have one of the most extensive food plot programs of any Midwest whitetail outfitter. We feel that the time, money, and hours of work are well worth the investment into our deer herd. It truly helps set us apart from anyone else in the industry.

While others may feel supplemental feeding helps the overall health of the deer on their properties, it has been proven that a deer will only consume 20-25% of their diet from even the best supplemental feeding program. Deer that live on properties with the proper foodplots will consume 75-80% of their diet from food plots.

Most deer biologist will agree that in order for deer to truly realize their potential, they will need a diet consisting of at least 16% protein. While most supplemental feeds offer 20% protein, remember the deer are only consuming the feed as 20-25% of their overall diet. By supplemental feeding, you will see little or no increase in the carrying capacity of the land.

Considering nearly all the food plot varieties we plant contain 25%-38% protein and the deer will consume 75-80% of their diet from our food plots, it is very clear to us what the benefits of food plots are versus a supplemental feeding program. By planting food plots, the carrying capacity of the land increases significantly.

Not only will deer herds benefit more from food plots than supplemental feeding, the risk of disease being spread is much lower. When deer are eating from a pile, they are in much closer in proximity to each other and will transmit disease and parasites much easier. When they are capable of browsing through a food plot, disease and parasite transmission is much lower.

Most states do not allow “baiting” during the hunting season, meaning any supplemental feeding will need to be stopped prior to and during the hunting season. This allows for a maximum 8-9 months of feeding and nothing holding the deer on their properties during the hunting season. This is the most vital time to ensure your deer are staying on your property, and all feeding must be halted. By planting different varieties of food plots that provide optimum food throughout the year, you are able to provide 12 full months of nutritional food and keep the deer on your property during the hunting season.

The choice has been obvious to us at Windy Ridge Outfitting for the past 8 years. We will continue to implement and improve our food plot program, all the while increasing the holding capacity of our ground.

Burning Season is Here!

Our burn procedures in action!

Here at Windy Ridge Outfitting we are constantly working to improve our habitat in order to provide better quality hunting for our clients. We have a “master plan” that includes many different aspects to the overall land management plan. Through this blog, we will share our tactics and reasons we feel what we do is very important. We will share both our success stories, as well as some of our failures. Hopefully this will give our readers some insight into what we go through in managing over 15,000 acres in Iowa and Missouri.

This week, I will be talking about the use of Prescribed Fire to manage grass land habitat. Now is the time to focus on cool season grasses. In 30 days or so I will also touch on Warm Season Grass.

Cool season grasses in the Midwest often consist primarily of introduced or non-native species. On the farmland in our area there are hundreds of thousands of acres of Brome Grass, Timothy Grass, and Fescue. In my opinion, these three species do not have a lot of value to the overall health of our whitetails, but none the less get grazed upon during certain periods of the year. By using fire to manage these grasses, it improves the stand by getting rid of the thatch created by the years of dead grass buildup. After a fire, these stands will be much “greener” and it is evident that the wildlife chooses the burned areas over the non-burned areas.

It is not my intention to write about all the benefits of burning, but doing a quick web search it is easy to see the benefits are great. We burn hundreds of acres every year and it is truly enjoyable to see the reward when all wildlife, not just the deer, are utilizing the areas.

When burning, one must use extreme caution to weather conditions as well as the “fuel source” provided by the area to be burned. Here is a list of what we look for when deciding to burn on any certain day.

Wind Direction – Ideally the wind will be sustained at 5-10 mph, in a direction suitable to the area to be burned. Be very careful of varying wind direction, as your fire will continue to burn in multiple directions. Too much wind is an obvious problem in that you will not be able to keep up with the fire. Too little wind will allow the fire to create its own wind and you will be unable to predict how the fire will burn.

Temperature -  We prefer to burn with a temperature between 50-70 degrees. The grass combusts accordingly, and we have found this range to be optimum. 

Relative Humidity -The humidity is extremely important. With too much humidity, the fire will not burn hot enough to give the desired results. When the humidity is too low it can be an absolute disaster as the fire will quickly get away from even the most prepared and seasoned personnel. We try to burn when the humidity level is between 20-50%.

Terrain - The terrain is vital as well, as fire will burn up hill much faster than downhill. Also, terrain will limit access to necessary equipment around the fire. The shape of the field will determine the length of firebreaks needed as well as the amount of “back-burning” needed.

Fuel Type - The amount and type of grass will also determine when best to burn. There are very few perfect days to conduct a burn. The type of “fuel” (grass) to be burned will allow you to accept different variations to all the other factors listed above.  Experience will help make these decisions. 

Not all fields are in need of a prescribed fire, or even can have fire as a way to maintain the grass stand. If the area to be burned is in CRP, you must gain permission to burn from the local FSA office and most contracts require a burn plan to be on file. 

Burning is not for the novice, so if you have little or no experience, please find an expert in your area. Many local habitat organizations can help with either the actual burn or finding the right people to do so. Here in southeast Iowa and Northeast Missouri, many of the volunteer Fire Departments will assist for a fee. There are also several professional land management companies who have adequate training to perform the work.