The Crowing Post:  2/12/07

Food Plots

Winter habitat includes grass cover for roosting at night, trees and shrubs to loaf in during the day, and food.  Ideally, these should be located next to each other, or at most one quarter mile apart.  A Kansas study found that food plots left for bobwhite quail increased the quail's energy intake and helped maintain a higher body weight and fat content.  The better body condition of quail within 600 yards of the food plot enables them to survive a blizzard six days longer than quail farther then 600 yards from the plots.  We can assume the same is true for pheasants. 

 Changes in farming practices and farm machinery over the last 40 years has greatly decreased the amount of waste grain in harvested fields.  Sure there is still some grain to be had by pheasants, but it lays on the ground subject to rotting, subject to disking, subject to snow or ice cover, and more available to rodents.  Standing plots of PF’s Nebraska Mix, corn, or sunflower, provide food above the snow and ice and thermal cover to pheasants and quail.  A two acre food plot in each 160 acres would increase the winter survival of hens, and help them produce more numerous and healthy eggs next spring.

 habitat today….pheasants forever!