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dispatches from around the hunting worldT
he term “food plots” is a regular
part of deer-hunter conversa-
tions nowadays, a development
that occurred over the course of the past
three decades and for many good rea-
sons. Food plots improve the habitat and
well-being of a host of wildlife species
extending beyond deer and other game.
Folks who plant and maintain them step
up their stake in conservation, and their
commitment benefits local economies
while frequently helping to increase land
values. Naturally many enjoy making
food plots part of their hunting strat-
egy and indeed they are great venues for
beginning hunters.
Although hard numbers are difficult
to come by, the magnitude of the food-
plot movement is reflected in the
National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and
Wildlife-Associated Recreation from the
.. Fish and Wildlife Service. The survey
reported that . billion was spent on
“plantings for the benefit of wildlife.” In
a
poll conducted by Publica-
tions, percent of respondents said they
cultivated food plots for wildlife. At the
time had million members, which
translates to about , food-plot-
ters overall. More recently, other media
sources have released data pegging
Food Plots: Proof Hunters
Care About America’s Wildlife
By John Zent, Editorial Directorfood-plot involvement at
percent of
those polled. If we extrapolate these
findings to today’s overall deer-hunter
population of .
million, somewhere
between and million hunters are
active in food-plot cultivation. One way
or the other, it is big business, a lot of us
are taking part, and it has changed our
country for the better.The Groundwork
The food plot revolution can be traced
back to Ray Scott (of fishing fame),
who in founded the Whitetail
Institute of North America with the intro-
duction of Imperial Whitetail Clover. Like
others, Ray and his son, Steve, had been
planting “green fields,” a practice dating
back to the s or even earlier. But a big
step forward came when the owner of the
local farm store threw a bag of clover seed
on Scott’s truck one year, which prompted
him to section off one field with a strip
of wheat next to the woods, then a strip
of oats, a strip of rye, a strip of clover,
another strip of wheat and so on. The
clover was close to the middle of the field.
Early in the season, the Scotts
watched deer enter the field and walk
through the various forages to feed on
the clover. After taking one good buck,Ray again observed deer bypassing the
other plantings for the clover. And with
that, the light came on!
Convinced he’d chanced onto some-
thing important, Ray had to learn more,
and so he tracked down agronomist Dr.
Wiley Johnson who had developed the
clover he planted. Ultimately the two
men hatched a plan to develop a clover
specifically for deer and food plots,
and the Whitetail Institute was off and
running.Growing Like Crazy
While there was ready demand for his
new venture, Ray Scott’s marketing savvy
ensured hunters everywhere would soon
learn about the virtues of food plots.
American Hunter and many other out-
doors magazines jumped to cover this
promising new development. Hunting
on cable and local channels also took
notice, and eventually that progressed to
shows focused on food plots and wildlife
nutrition.
In the spotlight, it didn’t take long for
competitors to jump on the bandwagon.
Though Imperial Whitetail Clover could
be successfully cultivated in most parts
of the country, many early food-plot
offerings were best suited to specific Photo Courtesy of Whitetail Institute