2015 Food Plot Results and Seed blend ratings
About our Annual Food Plot Review
History
We have been managing hunting lands since 1992 when we brought you the Bowsite Food Plot. In 2010 we bought a 310 acre farm on the southwest edge of New York's Adirondack Mountains. Our goal was to demonstrate that the average hunter with sub-par lands can improve nourishment, attract and hold whitetail deer, and transform even the worst properties into a local hot-spot. Unlike the celebrities that hunt the best farms, in the best states, we decided to show you how land management can transform even a "crappy" parcel of land. That was, and still is the mission of Bowsite's DeerBuilder.com website.
Seed Choices
For 2015 we used mostly commercial Seed varieties on all NEW plantings. We're also displaying the results from Year 4 of our Perrenial Plots. We followed all directions and soil test recommendations and brought this feature to you with fairness to the manufacturers, accuracy and honesty.
Food Plot Reviews for 2015
- 2015 Review Introduction & Guide
- Food Plot 1 - Real World Whitetail Soybean Blend (Fenced)
- Food Plot 2 - Real World Whitetail Soybean Blend (Unfenced)
- Food Plot 3 - Hancock Regal Graze Ladino Clover Seed
- Food Plot 4 - Daikon Radish Seed, Regal Graze Clover, Buck Forage Oats
- Food Plot 5 - Grandpa Ray's Fall Draw
- Food Plot 1B - Grandpa Ray's Grains and Greens
- Food Plot 1A - Pennington's Durana Clover (Y3)
- Food Plot 2A - Pennington's Durana Clover and Tecomate's Chicory (Y3)
- Food Plot 6 - Grandpa Ray's Frosty Delight
- Food Plot 7 - Evolved Shot Plot Brassicas
Plot Locations
We have been adding, expanding, and altering plot locations for four years. This year we cleared 3 acres which is now food plot 7 - our most remote plot to date.
Map of the DeerBuilder Property with Food Plot Locations
Planting Conditions in 2015
This area of New York is east of Lake Ontario and is part of the Lake Effect moisture band. It has never seen a drought. Average rainfall totals nearly 90" of rain and up to 240" of snow. For 2015 we came off a horrendous winter with 5' of snow on the ground for over 2 straight months and temps approaching -30 degrees farenheight. The area experienced severe herd loss.
We had exceptional growing conditions in the Spring, with good moisture followed by sunny drying periods. The late summer was extremely wet which made our fall plantings a challenge. Many of our fall plots suffered due to those wet, august conditions.
Soil Tests and Amendments
We are very careful to test our soil in each plot with some larger fields getting multiple soil tests per year. Our soil composition is a rich, sandy dark loam with good drainage in our higher locations and very poor drainage in other locations.
Equipment Used
We utilized all of our own equipment for these tests, nobody other than me installed these food plots. We do have some great equipment including a 55 hp diesel tractor, and attachments by Woods Equipment.
Trail Camera Survey
We had 30 cameras in use from June until January. We diligently maintained batteries and SD Card collections and finished out the season with 20,311 individual photos of big game. These were sorted and maintained for establishing accurate deer utilization trends in each plot.
Hunting Season
We spent 25 total man-days hunting this property. We identified 1 mature buck that has been on the property for three years now. Unfortunately, our #1 vanished the first week of rifle season in late October. There was no report of anyone killing him and since he would have been hard to keep quiet. There was an unconfirmed report of a big buck being hit by a truck - 2 miles away during the same week.
