DIY: Plant My Own Hidey-Hole Food Plot To Get that Elusive Buck

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What is a Hidey-Hole?

A hidey-hole is simply a small food plot (think 1 acre maximum, but usually much smaller) that a deer feels safe to stop in for a quick bite to eat as it transitions to a larger food source .

Many times the deer will hit the small, protected hidey-hole just before dark before transitioning to a larger, more open food source under the cover of darkness.

Over the years, we have planted our hidey-holes with clover and chicory. Last year, we had great luck with daikon radish and this year we’ve planted purple-topped turnips. We typically try to plant something “alluring”…in the case of radishes and turnips, the deer eat both the leafy top and the taproot.

How to Plant a Hidey-Hole

We do our best to keep it simple when planting. We do our best to prepare the seedbed using our implements but don’t get too wrapped up in trying to plant a field like you see folks hunting in the Midwest and on television.

Though we do have access to a small tractor, a hidey-hole can be planted (and we have) with as little as a rake and a blower.

Materials Needed

• Tools/Implements
  • Weed Eater (OK)
  • Bush Hog (Better)
  • Rake (OK)
  • Backpack Blower (Better)
• Walk-Behind Broadcast Spreader (For Lime and Potash)
  • Scott TurfBuilder Broadcast Spreader (OK)
  • GroundWork Pro Series Walk-Behind Spreader (Better)
• Hand-Crank Spreader (For Seed)
  • Scott Hand Spreader (OK)
  • Pro-Series Bag Seeder (Better)
• Soil Nutrients
  • Pelletized Lime
  • Potash
• Seed
  • Purple Top Turnip
  • Daikon Radish
  • No-Till Food Plot Blend

Step 1: Get the Soil Tested

We send soil samples to Water Agricultural Laboratories describing the seed we plan to plant in each plot. Be sure to specify you want max yield. Depending on the level of analysis required, WatersAg will send you a detailed report of how you need to the supplement the soil.

To obtain the soil samples, I just take a piece of 3/4″ PVC and drive it into the soil at various locations on the plot, mix together the samples across the field and send it off to be tested.

Step 2: Clear Out the Old Growth

This is a “use what you got” kind of step. If you just have a mower or weedeater, clear the old grow out of the target area.

In the past, we used glyphosate in a backpack sprayer, but we have largely abandoned this method due to the caustic nature of the chemical.

Keep in mind, you aren’t trying to plant a picturesque meadow of turnips. You just want to seed enough good stuff to bring in the deer as they transition to a potentially larger food source.

Once the growth is cut and killed, blow or rake it out of the plot.

Step 3: Adjust the Soil pH and Nutrients

The results of the soil test will give you specific instructions on what nutrients to add into the soil. Given the slightly acidic soils of the Pineywoods of East Texas, we are annually adding Potash and lime.

Both can be had at your local farm supply. Pulverized lime is cheaper, but given the small size of our plots, we use pelletized lime.

As for Potash, if we’ve done a lot of burning, we will use the ashes from the firepit (not the same as Potash, but will do the trick), otherwise, Potash can also be found at many farm suppliers.

Step 4: Till Up the Soil

If the soil is worked over fairly well, this isn’t entirely necessary. It will also depend on what you are planting.

You can hand till the soil to loosen it, but we’ve taken to using the tines of a box blade angled slightly down on our 1984 Kubota for the job. It’s not the most efficient means, but seems to work with the old tractor.

Step 5: Broadcast Your Seed

Every seed has a labeled spreader rate. Setup your hand-powered spreader to broadcast the seed (otherwise, do your best to throw it out). Again, we are not planting a picturesque meadow..do the best you can.

Step 6: Cover It Up

Another “use what you got” step: we’ve handraked as well as just kicked soil over the seed with our boots. Lately, we’ve been dragging an old set of tires on the back of the tracker which moves the soil just enough to make good contact between the seed and the soil bed.

Step 7: Pray for Rain

This really should be a step at the beginning. Timely rain is critical so aim to plant your seed with rain in the forecast. That being said, plenty of years, we have had a good plot sprout after way too many days in the Texas heat.

For a fall plot, we usually target mid-to-late September to get seed in the ground.

Reward for the Work

The feeling of watching your food plot thrive is pretty awesome. There is nothing like seeing the crop you planted take hold. Its only rivaled by killing a nice deer in the plot you planted.