Kill Plot 101: How to Make a Small Hunting Plot More Attractive

Let’s say you already have a small, secluded hunting plot.

Your access is dialed in. The wind works. The plot is planted in a perennial blend, such as Premium Clover+, that can withstand repeated browsing. Hunting season is getting closer.

What can you do now to make it one of the most attractive plots on the property?

Feed the Existing Plot

The first step is encouraging a flush of fresh, tender growth before hunting season.

Apply 40 to 80 pounds of No-Till Nurture per acre. No-Till Nurture provides slow-release nutrients that feed the soil and support continued growth throughout the season.

It can also help break down thatch and clover clippings after mowing.

Fresh clover growth is highly attractive to whitetails, especially when surrounding vegetation begins to mature and lose quality.

It is still a good idea to take a soil test. Even if you are applying now, a soil test will help guide future fertility and amendment decisions.

You can also foliar-feed the plot with the Vitalize Foliar Stack, using Revive RX and BioCharge. This approach feeds and stimulates the existing plants, while No-Till Nurture is designed to feed the soil.

For a small kill plot, using both approaches can help produce a strong flush of fresh growth heading into the season.

Add More Diversity

The second step is overseeding the perennial plot with Carbon Load or Grain Bin.

Adding annual species to an established Premium Clover+ plot gives deer more reasons to visit throughout the fall.

The added grains, brassicas, legumes, and broadleaf species can capture available nitrogen while producing highly attractive forage alongside the existing clover.

Carbon Load is a strong option when you still have enough of the growing season left for the full blend to establish.

Grain Bin is ideal for later overseeding, filling thin areas, or adding highly browse-tolerant cereal grains to an existing perennial plot.

Timing the overseeding just before a forecasted rain can be critical to success. Rain helps move the seed through the existing clover canopy, improves seed-to-soil contact, and provides the moisture needed for quick, even germination.

You do not need to tear up a productive clover plot to improve it. Overseeding allows you to maintain the perennial base while adding seasonal diversity and attraction.

Create a Soft Edge

A good soft edge around the plot can also make a major difference.

This is usually an off-season project, but cutting undesirable trees flush to the ground or carefully hinge-cutting selected trees can help create thicker cover around the perimeter.

A soft edge can provide:

• Better screening and security
• More natural browse
• A gradual transition between the timber and food plot
• Defined entry points that help influence deer movement

The goal is to make deer feel comfortable entering the plot before dark while also helping guide them past your stand location.

Do Not Forget the Hunting Side

Food alone does not make a successful kill plot.

You still need:

• Low-impact access
• A safe entrance and exit
• The correct wind
• Limited hunting pressure
• Enough patience to wait for the right conditions

Feed the existing Premium Clover+ plot, add annual diversity with Carbon Load or Grain Bin, improve the soft edge, protect your access, and hunt the wind.

Do that, and you will increase your chances of harvesting some great venison over that secluded hunting plot this season.