What to do when you find a food plot on public land

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Elite
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What to do when you find a food plot on public land

Unread postby Elite » Tue Feb 09, 2021 3:20 am

I'm doing some map scouting and found what it looks to be like a small food plot clearly on public land. This isnt the first time I've found plots on public. I can't confirm this as the map could be old, and I haven't walked this piece.
What is the general approach when you find this? Hunt it or close by? Walk away?
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Bonecrusher101
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Re: What to do when you find a food plot on public land

Unread postby Bonecrusher101 » Tue Feb 09, 2021 4:08 am

It’s a non issue till you put boots on the ground.

You need to figure out if it’s an old overgrown field or a well maintained food plot. If it’s on public whoever planted it doesn’t own hunting rights on it and it’s still public.
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Re: What to do when you find a food plot on public land

Unread postby Jurist » Tue Feb 09, 2021 1:32 pm

Bonecrusher101 wrote:It’s a non issue till you put boots on the ground.

You need to figure out if it’s an old overgrown field or a well maintained food plot. If it’s on public whoever planted it doesn’t own hunting rights on it and it’s still public.



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Re: What to do when you find a food plot on public land

Unread postby Rancher43 » Tue Feb 09, 2021 1:43 pm

There’s numerous plots planted on some public lands I hunt. There actually called wildlife openings and are planted by the agency overseeing the property. Some people avoid them totally and others hunt on them year round. Early season deer utilize them like any other place then as pressure increases they stay off till after dark.
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Re: What to do when you find a food plot on public land

Unread postby headgear » Tue Feb 09, 2021 2:41 pm

Yep double check everything, check county GIS or plat book, walk the place, do your DD.
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Re: What to do when you find a food plot on public land

Unread postby Dewey » Tue Feb 09, 2021 3:10 pm

Rancher43 wrote:There’s numerous plots planted on some public lands I hunt. There actually called wildlife openings and are planted by the agency overseeing the property. Some people avoid them totally and others hunt on them year round. Early season deer utilize them like any other place then as pressure increases they stay off till after dark.

Yup. I used to hunt one in the WI northwoods on DNR land that looked just like the one in the aerial.
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Re: What to do when you find a food plot on public land

Unread postby bigbuckhunter88 » Tue Feb 09, 2021 4:18 pm

Scout it or even call whoever oversees that piece of public. Here the big public pieces all have fields or food plots in and around and a certain percentage is to be left standing each year. Deer use them but so do plenty of hunters.
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Re: What to do when you find a food plot on public land

Unread postby Elite » Wed Feb 10, 2021 2:56 am

Dewey wrote:
Rancher43 wrote:There’s numerous plots planted on some public lands I hunt. There actually called wildlife openings and are planted by the agency overseeing the property. Some people avoid them totally and others hunt on them year round. Early season deer utilize them like any other place then as pressure increases they stay off till after dark.

Yup. I used to hunt one in the WI northwoods on DNR land that looked just like the one in the aerial.


Interesting! This is indeed in the WI northwoods...
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Re: What to do when you find a food plot on public land

Unread postby Bio1 » Wed Feb 10, 2021 3:26 am

Typically full of hunters but I’ve killed plenty backing off a good ways on travel corridors and catching them headed that way. Get tight to bedding in between the two and you might be surprised.

Lee
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Re: What to do when you find a food plot on public land.

Unread postby greenhorndave » Wed Feb 10, 2021 3:33 am

Bio1 wrote:Typically full of hunters but I’ve killed plenty backing off a good ways on travel corridors and catching them headed that way. Get tight to bedding in between the two and you might be surprised.

Lee

I would agree with this. While it wasn’t a food plot, I caught a very relaxed big-woods buck in thick, isolated cover at about 3 PM in September while he was just strolling around about 100 yards from a clear cut. Unfortunately, I was in the middle of a tangle in that cover when he appeared and couldn’t see him until too late and then couldn’t draw on him. But the area way off the clearcut/food was loaded with his sign.
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Re: What to do when you find a food plot on public land

Unread postby Elite » Wed Feb 10, 2021 5:45 am

Bio1 wrote:Typically full of hunters but I’ve killed plenty backing off a good ways on travel corridors and catching them headed that way. Get tight to bedding in between the two and you might be surprised.

Lee


This is my plan if it is a plot. I'll have to verify in the spring.
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Re: What to do when you find a food plot on public land

Unread postby szwampdonkey » Wed Feb 10, 2021 6:33 am

Simple, report them and let the Warden do the rest.

One time i walked up on a No Trespassing Sign smack dab in the middle of public. Per onyx the boundary to the private was over 300 yards away. Thinking it odd i just went by it knowing it wasn’t private only to walk up on a permanent tree stand (illegal) in which a good dozen formerly live 12” diameter trees were cut down (also illegal) which opened up a 30 yard wide shooting lane to the dirt bags bait pile (also illegal). You bet he got reported. I even walked the warden out to the spot who confirmed onyx was right and i most definitely was on public. He called me back and talked with me a week later saying the guy showed up and indeed came from the private. He threw the book at him.

I’m no tattle tail but if there is one thing i can’t stand is people who think the rules out there don’t apply to them as if they and they alone have the right to claim pieces of public as all their own. Especially when i’m coming across these spots with a stand and sticks on my back so i can LEGALLY hunt the spot then completely remove my stand and pack it back out when i’m done.
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Re: What to do when you find a food plot on public land

Unread postby Elite » Fri Feb 19, 2021 3:49 am

I had a conversation with a guy that said food plots on public are legal in Wisconsin as long as you plant something native to the state. Is there truth to this?
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Re: What to do when you find a food plot on public land

Unread postby Dewey » Fri Feb 19, 2021 8:13 am

Elite wrote:I had a conversation with a guy that said food plots on public are legal in Wisconsin as long as you plant something native to the state. Is there truth to this?

First I ever heard of that. Generally modifying anything on public is illegal.
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Re: What to do when you find a food plot on public land

Unread postby Abishai » Fri Feb 19, 2021 10:15 am

In my experience, public plots get hammered by hunters. I figure most of the deer movement is nocturnal due to the pressure. However, you might be able to figure out hunter entrance routes and where the deer are bedded and use it to your advantage.
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