To all of our outdoor enthusiast who love to hunt deer time is still available for you to put in a nice wildlife food plot.

Food plots don't take that much time but it takes knowing where to put them and what crop to plant that will give wildlife species a good supplemental diet. All of this can be achieved but you need to know two things.

What is the soil ph (lime requirements)? What are the levels of Nitrogen, Phosphorous and Potassium in relations to the soil and crop you are going to plant? This information can only be attained through a soil test. The information from the soil test will make your stand of forages a success rather than a failure.

Food plots need not be hard but very simple. All you want to do is provide a very nice cover crop for the existing wildlife. Food plots for deer should be 1/2 to 3 acres in size. They should be long and narrow as opposed to square and should be located in sunny areas close to the woods where they provide an escape cover. Location! Location! Location! Good locations for your food plot are close to the edges of logging roads, forest openings, utility right of ways or idle crop fields.

At this point in time a good winter annual forage crop and/or combination of a cool season legume will be right on target.

Winter annuals and cool season legumes are widely planted for deer because they furnish high quality forages during a time when there is little other green material available. These forages winter rye, wheat, oats and crimson/white clover make excellent green fields for deer.

A popular mixture is to plant 90 to 120 lbs per acre of small grains plus 20 to 30 lbs per acre of crimson clover. Germination of the selected plants only takes about 7 days but that can be influenced by temperature and soil moisture. You can expect to spend roughly about $150 to 200 per acre for you food plot.

Providing a food plot on your land doesn't take much but to be very knowledgeable about the soil and forages that you are planting.

Remember a soil test goes a long way in making your food plot a success. A soil test plus lime and fertilizer plus good quality seeds on your soil will = happy hunting for you and your fellow hunting party.

Be safe and have good hunting season. If you would like more information on quality food plots please don't hesitate to call the Lincoln Co. Extension Office at 706 359 3233 or stop by 288 NE Peachtree St. Lincolnton, Ga 30817.