Food Plot Screens: Planting for Concealment

As I embarked out on another morning hunt, I rounded the corner of the timber finger splitting our property in half and exposed myself to my clover plot. Even in the dark I was able to make out those dreaded white tails bouncing away. Crouching down in the nearby grasses I hung my head in disappointment knowing what I had just done. Fifteen short minutes later I finally made it to my stand that guarded bedding cover. I settled in for a long three hour sit without seeing a single deer.

                Sound Familiar? A short and simple story but one that has been repeated time and time again for me and several others. Regardless the time of season or how sneaky I feel I am being, the results are usually the same. A skunked sit and spooked deer in the darkness. As I look back at that specific situation a bit deeper though, I see how it compounds to so much more that often goes unnoticed. As you bump more deer, daylight trail cam pictures dwindle, daylight deer sightings cease to exist, and your odds of shooting a mature whitetail all but go out the window.

                Now, I am not saying deer sightings and daylight movement on your property are directly caused by one’s entry and exit to their stands, but there is a definite correlation there. Deer have a natural ability to seek out the low human pressure areas and spend the majority of their time there. Here at TPO we firmly believe the number one factor that decreases your odds of shooting a mature whitetail is hunting pressure. That is why we have started planting food plot screens.

                Food plot screens come in a few different seed varieties. Egyptian wheat, hybrid sorghum, or a mix between the two are favored by our team due to their ease of planting and their requirement for minimal use of heavy equipment. Specifically we have seen best success with Northwoods Whitetail's “Food Plot Screen” (Hyperlink Below) blend which is actually a sorghum hybrid.

http://northwoodswhitetails.com/product/food-plot-screen

Read along as I take you through our simple process for getting these screens in the ground so you too can utilize the time you have left to get something started on your property yet this year.

1. Soil Exposure- Ensuring there are no weeds or grasses that will be competing with your food plot screen is about as important of a first step as you can get. From our experience we have seen great results with applying glyphosate (active ingredient in round ip) During the late May early June time frame to prepare the future screen area. After about two-three weeks’ time a good application should have everything fairly burned off and ready for planting your screens.

TIP: With cost typically being a barrier to entry with all habitat improvements.... Something our team learned the hard way after a few years was by going to your local feed and seed store or farm supply store one can usually cut the high costs purchasing Roundup to minimal levels. Our first purchase at a local feed and seed store cut our weed and grass chemical expense by a whopping 500%!!!

2. Soil Prep and Planting- A few weeks have gone by and now it’s time to turn up some dirt and plant! With a now long strip of bare soil to work with there are all kinds of methods that you can use to get the job done. If discs are available that’s best, but we have also planted with extreme success by simply running a harrow over the strip several times as seen in the picture below.

The variety of food plot screens that we favor as mentioned above are all designed to be broadcasted into worked soil. Northwoods Whitetail Seed suggests on their site a seeding rate of about 8-10lbs per acre with their blend.  So once the soil has been worked by your choice of implement or, quiet frankly whatever you can find to work up that bare dirt. It’s time to put the seed down either by hand or through use of a spreader. Once broadcasted down, we run it over a few more times with our harrow or disc to work it further into the soil and use the tires of our trucks, tractors, ATV, or UTVs to cultipack the soil for optimum seed to soil contact. Fairly simple really.

3.Fertilize- The easiest step of them all, but the most important by far! During planting we will throw down 19-19-19 fertilizer and some extra nitrogen, or urea. For the screens to grow tall enough they need a lot of nutrition, especially nitrogen or urea. When your screens get as tall as ours in the below picture (roughly knee high) it’s best to throw some more nitrogen or urea into them again to ensure your screens grow nice and tall. 

4. Utilize- Here’s the fun part! Screens can be utilized in many ways, a few of our favorites are providing a “safe” feeling  for your deer by giving them a secluded food plot if your plot borders an AG, CRP, or open field. As well as we mentioned in the earlier part of this blog, providing a barrier between you and known deer bedding or feeding locations during entry and exit from the stand. We have all been there, staring at the weather, wind and an aerial view of your property the night before the hunt not knowing what to do. By planting food plot screens you may not eliminate scent issues upon entry and exit but it surely opens up a lot of options to help you better utilize your property while planning your next hunt.

Finally, ITS NOT TOO LATE! We challenge you to get out and give food plot screens a try this year. It’s fairly cheap and easy to get them in the group as well as fun. With a July planting screens can often grow up to 7-8 ft. tall. Plenty to help conceal you on your next hunt this fall!

For more information on the seeds we use please visit www.northwoodswhitetails.com and look up their “food plot screen” blend. A quick excerpt from their site in regards to this blend is below.

“Seeding rate is 8 to 10 pounds per acre. This is a new hybrid made for our company, and we are excited to offer it to you. The first year of testing had screens 14 to 15 feet tall in Michigan. A few things to keep in mid with this screen. The soil temperature must be over 60 degrees. The night time lows must be over 60 degrees. This hybrid does not do well in wet soils. You are better off waiting a few weeks for the soil to dry out before planting. A late June planting will still reach 12 feet tall. A late July planting will reach 7 feet tall. Complete planting instructions are included with each order.”

Thanks again for taking a look at our content and go on back to Facebook and like our page for more whitetail habitat and strategy information through the summer and fall.