Wondering why your well-developed and plentiful food plot isn’t getting the deer traffic you might expect? It could very likely be because your deer population doesn’t feel safe there and has patterned you entering and exiting your hunting spot. If there are wide open surroundings, other buildings, roads, etc. your wildlife will be timid, and not as eager to graze on your crops. To increase their level of safety and help guide more whitetail or other wildlife into your sights, consider planting a plot screen late spring or early summer.
What is a Food Plot Screen?
A food plot screen is a strategically planted barrier designed to provide concealment, security, and improved habitat conditions for wildlife, particularly deer. These screens can be used to create natural funnels, block visibility from roads or neighboring properties, and enhance hunting opportunities by keeping deer relaxed and undisturbed. By carefully selecting plant species and placement, hunters can create an environment that encourages deer to move predictably and feel safe while feeding in the food plots.
The even bigger factor may not be helping shield the deer, but shielding the hunter moving in and out of his hunting blind or tree stand.
Types of Food Plot Screens
Food plot screens come in different types, each with unique characteristics and benefits. Annuals are fast-growing and provide quicker coverage to areas in need, while perennials are often larger, and come with a larger price tag, but do offer long-term benefits to your plot.
Annual Screening
Annual screening crops are fast-growing options that provide immediate cover within a single season. Egyptian wheat grows up to ten feet tall and offers excellent short-term screening. New varieties like border sorghum have a thicker stalk and can reach heights of 14-16 ft tall. You don’t want to use grain sorghum in the screening as you typically don’t want to attract deer to the screening you are using to get in and out of your hunting spot. Hybrid screen blends, which combine fast-growing grasses and broadleaves, are designed for dense coverage. Sorghum sudan is a fast-growing hybrid that also grows very tall and has an aggressive root system.
Perennial Screening
Perennial screening plants offer long-term solutions that provide cover year after year. Switchgrass is a hardy native grass that can grow four to six feet tall, making it ideal for permanent screening. Newer varieties like RC Big Rock emerge faster and grow 7-8 ft by the 3rd year and are great options for screening as well as bedding areas. Giganteus Miscanthus is a sterile hybrid grass that is in the bamboo family that reaches up to 15-20 feet and requires minimal maintenance. Miscanthus is not invasive but does expand its root system each year. Shrubs and trees, such as cedar and pine, provide year-round concealment and wind protection and are a great thermal cover to help keep deer warmer through the winter months.
Best Seed for Food Plot Screening
Selecting the right seed depends on site conditions, desired coverage height, and long-term management goals.
Egyptian Wheat
Egyptian wheat is a popular choice for annual screening, capable of reaching eight to ten feet in a single season.
Border Sorghum
A screening blend is our favorite plot screen seed because it offers both tall varieties and low growing varieties, making it stand tall and with good intermediate growth to help standability and a thicker screen. Plot Shield is a blend of sorghums, sorghum sudan grasses, and millet from Ridgeline Seed which creates an optimal screen around your plot.
Switchgrass
Switchgrass is a reliable, long-term option for creating a permanent screen, ideal for blocking roads or neighboring properties. This is also a great option to break up bigger food plots. When designed properly, your plot can have bedding pockets incorporated to allow doe family groups to bed where you prefer, allowing more buck to bed in the woods portion of your property. Switchgrass also makes a great bedding establishment if you need more cover in specific areas of your property.
Miscanthus
Giganteus Miscanthus is a non-invasive, low-maintenance grass that can create a towering screen up to twenty feet tall. This is a perennial screening that after establishment will take very little maintenance and can last a lot of years.
How Does a Plot Screen Benefit Hunters?
Food plot screens offer several advantages for hunters, making them an essential component of a well-planned hunting strategy.
Concealment for Hunters
Screens enhance concealment by allowing hunters to approach and exit stands undetected, minimizing pressure on deer and reducing the chances of spooking game.
Control of Deer Movement
By strategically placing plot screens, hunters can control deer movement, increasing the likelihood of encounters within shooting range.
Creating Sense of Security
When deer feel secure, they are more likely to feed in food plots during daylight hours rather than waiting until dark. Increasing a hunter’s odds of a successful harvest during their time in the stand.
Best Time to Plant a Food Plot Screen
The best time to plant a food plot screen depends on the type of screen being used.
Annual screens, such as Egyptian wheat, sorghum, and hybrid blends, should be planted in late spring to early summer once soil temperatures reach at least 60°F. These fast-growing plants require warm conditions to establish quickly.
Perennial screens, including switchgrass, Miscanthus, trees, should be planted in early spring. Trees and shrubs can be planted in the fall. Switchgrass can be frost-seeded if the seedbed was prepped and weed free the previous fall.
Planning ahead is crucial. Ensuring that soil conditions, moisture levels, and weather patterns align with optimal growth periods will increase the effectiveness of the food plot screen.
Start planning now, so your plot will be ready for hunting season.
Try Plot Shield this Season
Thunder Ridge Outdoors offers Ridgeline Seed’s Plot Shield seed blend as an optimal annual solution for creating the perfect food plot screen. Plot Shield offers a mix of annuals, tall enough and thick enough to create the sense of security needed for the plot screen to work. Reach out to a Thunder Ridge dealer today to order Plot Shield, Switchgrass, or other food plot products.