| Much national attention has been focused on the | | | | bushes, and shrubs offer natural feeding plots for |
| health and future welfare of wildlife animals and birds | | | | birds and wildlife that browse and eat the foliage, |
| by wildlife management conservationists and hunters | | | | bark, shoots, new buds, leaves, twigs, fruit, grapes, |
| who want to preserve a valuable American resource: | | | | seed, acorns, flowers, and berries. |
| the population of wild animals and wild game. | | | | Hunting plantation wildlife food managers plant and |
| Increased planting of inedible crops like cotton and | | | | grow a combination of species to supply food plots |
| tobacco has reduced wildlife food supplies. Urban | | | | for wildlife all year rather than only during the hunting |
| expansion has rapidly reduced forests where wildlife | | | | season. Wildlife food plots are planted and grown in |
| food once grew, and very efficient grain harvesting | | | | strips of annual grains such as corn, soybeans, wheat, |
| has left only a little corn or wheat in fields for wildlife | | | | alfalfa, sunflowers, clover sorghum, buckwheat, millet, |
| food browsing. | | | | and annual rye. |
| Until recent years, the feeding of wild game animals | | | | Corn seed is planted in food plots to attract deer, |
| and wildlife game birds was done by either letting the | | | | turkey, squirrel, raccoon, pheasant, and quail. |
| animals feed on the native plants and flora or by | | | | Soybeans are game food for turkey, deer, pheasant, |
| supplementing the food supply by planting strips of | | | | and quail. Wheat will attract Canada geese, doves, |
| land with food plots of various annual grains each | | | | and turkey. Alfalfa attracts only deer; and sorghum |
| year. Some wildlife management academics | | | | plants offer limited shelter and food for deer, |
| suggested planting small fruit trees, berry plants, | | | | pheasant, quail, and duck. Sunflower seed are good |
| grape vines, and perennials to avoid the expensive | | | | food plots for deer, dove, goldfinch, and songbirds. |
| problem of replanting annuals every year. These | | | | Clover attracts only deer. Buckwheat grain is good |
| suggestions worked sometimes except for the fact | | | | game food for duck, turkey, waterfowl, pheasant, |
| that planting small oak trees often required 10 years | | | | quail, and deer. Millet is an attractive food plot grain |
| or more of growing to produce the first food supply | | | | for waterfowl and dove. Annual rye is an excellent |
| of acorns. Many small trees died the first year, | | | | food plot grain for deer, Canada geese, turkey, |
| because of the small root systems, and the stress of | | | | dove, and rabbit. These wildlife food plots are best |
| transplanting into a hostile neglected environment. | | | | established near pine forests, pond edges, or near |
| Planting large fruiting size trees for fast wildlife food | | | | river bottom land where hardwood shade trees such |
| sources has become very popular, because of the | | | | as oak and beech nut trees grow. |
| high rate of livability and first year fruit production, | | | | These annual grain food plots are considered short |
| such as with large mulberry trees, Japanese | | | | term food sources for game birds, because the grain |
| persimmon trees, and blueberry plants. Planting big | | | | does not return to grow next year, and the process |
| fruit trees of bearing size appears to be an | | | | can be expensive and challenging to wildlife |
| enthusiastic way to get wildlife food faster and less | | | | management farms and plantations. Some |
| expensively in the long run. | | | | management for food plot growers prefer to plant |
| The United States government passed a law, the | | | | seed of perennials, but often these efforts are |
| Pittman-Robertson Act in 1937, to protect wildlife | | | | complicated and only last a few years. Other |
| resources that collects an excise tax of 11% of the | | | | management for establishing food plots prefer to |
| cost to buy any firearms, guns, or ammunition. This | | | | plant small immature trees of fruit trees, grape vines, |
| 11% excise tax is sent to the Department of Natural | | | | shrubs and oak (acorn) trees of various sizes, but |
| Resources of each State to protect the wildlife | | | | often fruiting is delayed for years unless larger |
| habitat and food plots. Over two billion dollars of | | | | mature trees are planted. |
| funding to preserve wildlife habitat has financed | | | | Many managers of food plots plant tiny oak trees or |
| wildlife welfare since 1937. | | | | shrubs, but most oak trees require ten or more |
| Animals and birds can only live if their energy levels | | | | years to produce an acorn, even though more |
| are met to grow, to escape predators, to reproduce, | | | | expensive, larger nursery grown trees produce fruit |
| to survive long migrations, or to survive severe | | | | and acorns fast. Large crabapple, quince, mulberry, |
| winter temperatures. Wildlife animals and birds must | | | | persimmon trees or blueberry bushes and muscadine |
| have shelter to protect them from bad weather or | | | | grapevines will produce food for wild game animals |
| to hide them from predators. Dense foliage and | | | | and game birds after the first year, but small trees |
| vegetation are the most common shelter retreats, | | | | have small roots and tend to require many years for |
| but some animals burrow in holes in trees, logs, and in | | | | wildlife feeding purposes, and most small trees die |
| the ground or in log or rock piles. | | | | the first year. |
| Serious competition to wildlife for food and habitat | | | | Berry bushes such as blueberry, blackberry and |
| can only lead to overcrowding that weakens wildlife | | | | raspberry produce food early, and the thorny |
| resistance to disease and wild predators. Wildlife | | | | blackberry and raspberry bushes offer shelter and |
| cannot survive unless sufficient water, food, shelter, | | | | protection to game birds such as quail and pheasant. |
| and space is available. Migratory animals move from | | | | Chicasaw plum trees are a native plant to America |
| one place to another in search of food, better | | | | and offer food quickly for wildlife and birds in the |
| climate, or other environmental factors. Winter food | | | | Spring, along with mulberry tree berries that ripen |
| shortage is the most important limiting factor for | | | | during turkey season. Late fall production of wildlife |
| many wildlife species. Wildlife food plots of nut trees | | | | food is very desirable when most hunting seasons |
| and fruit trees are termed, "hard mast." The fruit | | | | begin. Nut trees such as hickory, walnut and pecan |
| trees include apple, persimmon, crabapple, pear, plum, | | | | attract squirrels and game birds. Chinquapin nuts |
| and quince; nut trees include pecan, hickory, | | | | attract animals and game birds. |
| chinquapin, walnut, oak, and beech. Wildlife browsing | | | | Wild game such as deer and bear can't resist the |
| for food is termed "soft mast," include fruit and | | | | aroma of ripening fruit in the fall, such as persimmon, |
| berry food from dogwood, viburnum, mulberry trees, | | | | apple, crabapple, pear and quince. Wildlife species |
| elderberry, blueberry plants, muscadine and | | | | have a sense of smell much more intense than |
| scuppernong grape vines, raspberry bushes, and | | | | humans, and some unethical hunters use picked apple |
| blackberry bushes. To establish deer food plots, | | | | or other fruit to spread the fruit scent on the ground |
| wildlife shrubs, trees, and vines are best planted along | | | | near a deer stand, but this is illegal, just like baiting a |
| fence lines on the dense edge of woods, bushy pond | | | | dove field with cracked corn. It is advisable to plant |
| edges, or near plots of thick grass. | | | | and grow trees for this purpose, because it will |
| Burning off pine forests helps to provide high-quality | | | | attract game and wildlife for legal hunting or viewing. |
| forage and cover protection for deer herd | | | | Try planting mature trees, vines and bushes for |
| management. Native plants will regrow to establish | | | | wildlife feeding that requires no expense of yearly |
| natural food plots for wildlife nourishment and health. | | | | replanting or long waiting to produce a wildlife food |
| Pine trees, hardwood trees such as beech and oak | | | | source. |
| trees provide excellent nest sites. Plants, vines, | | | | |