Pllanting corn in food plots

All thinngs being equal--sunlight, moisture, etc.--does it matter if you plant the rows going north and south or east and west? I can understand in a crop situation, you"d want the rows as long as possible for efficiency in planting and harvesting. Most food plots aren"t that big.

Larry in Michigan

I dont think it matters. What does matter is some corn requires a certain number of rows for pollination. So I plant at least 5 rows of the same corn, or a block if planting in a garden.

Kind of an interesting scenario, I keep a clover plot adjacent to 7 acres of corn, well this year it's oats, but for years prior, just corn.

My thinking on growing corn in a plot would be that the smaller area of corn would be long gone before rifle season and mostly gone by archery season, around here, birds and squirrels can have a big impact on yield, last year every row I checked in that field, 1/2 or more was gone from the cob, used to be just the outside rows, you really need to get to optimum moisture level and get it in, which is not always the case due to weather, larger less isolated fields probably do better, but the birds like grackles when in flocks can really do some damage here, not to forget the squirrels, they run off with full cobs.

During archery season, I see regular traffic to the clover patch which is about 70' x 200', but rifle season, when that corn is still up, like last year, no deer in the field, right after it's cut and for awhile after, they're constantly in the corn, and not feeding in the clover which has gone dormant anyway, but from what I have seen, anything that is palatable, young fresh and green, you will see them feeding on, that's why I think corn would be short lived unless it's a large area like a field. I've hunted this spot for a lot of years and nothing beats traffic in freshly combine harvested corn, though you'll easily fill a tag from places like this, and the rest of the herd gets some good food, the older larger bucks rarely appear, you have to hunt the thicket and woods carefully or catch one chasing a doe in rut, I usually go for the sure thing, more interested in taking for food than anything.

Obviously you area is going to be different, but something to consider if the critters are as abundant as they are here, may have the same effect on corn, might be better to plant something that will last longer.

I plant 7 food plots every year here in SD
Alternate corn, oats, alfalfa, sogham, sunflowers.
I've fond that planting the corn east/west which is perpendicular to the prevailing winds(north) the snow will pretty much fill in the rows the entire field.Planting North/South seems to let some of the snow blow out on the downwinfd end.
Game biologists recommend that plots be twice as long as they are wide, perhaps three to one. But very long narrow plots are no good. Too easily hunted by man and predator.
There simply is no better food plot thaan corn.
But be sure to plant it big enough, because it will get eaten. I've seen 10 acre plots completely stripped by deer and pheasants as early as 1 December.

Gordo

The reason they say to plant east-west is for more sunlight to be able to hit the plants for hopefully be able to make a couple of bushels more grain. Gives more exposure that way.

my neighbor plants food plots every year but the deer come to my farm and eat on my crops all summer and then go to his plots in the winter cause they know they will be ther.only problem for him is ther ar not to many deer left by winter cause most of us farmers see them in our fields shoot em.

I have corn and WGF, grain sorghum, mixed. Mostly sorghum; just put the corn rows in for insurance in case the sorghum doesn't make seed heads. My plots are mostly to get my released quail through the winter. 'course if a deer wanders in during the gun season--well, they eat pretty good too. Here in Michigan, if you don't hunt rabbits after December, your hunting season is over.

I have woody borders on the west side and north end of one plot and within about 70-80 feet on the other, only west and east. Blue jays can do a good job of picking corn from the cob.

Larry in Michigan

Urea nitrogen and plant either way. Side dress only.(between rows.)