February here in the south means scouting for turkeys to hunt with your CVA Apex shotgun and “overseeding” your food plots for deer. If you have food plots out from last muzzleloader hunting season that are pretty well eaten up, it is a great way to reinforce the plots so that deer have something to feed on through the spring. All that is required to overseed food plots is going over the area with a broadcast spreader. You can even use a hand held spreader. The best part about overseeding your existing plots is that you don’t even have to get out the heavy machinery, just spread the seed by hand or off of your 4 wheeler. This is an easy way to effectively boost your food plots for this spring.

If you are lucky (or unlucky) enough to live where it continually freezes overnight and thaws the next day, you will be able to frost seed your plots this month. With the volatile weather that the month brings, the ground is continuously freezing and thawing, causing the soil to crack each day. This is a perfect opportunity to take care of some easy food plot maintenance. Frost seeding is done by spreading seed, typically cool season annuals and perennials, over the soil to promote existing food plots. It is done the same way as overseeding, as you use a broadcast spreader by hand or on the back of an ATV or 4 Wheeler. It is very simple and easy to do, no tilling, drilling or disking required. As the soil freezes and thaws, it works the seed into the soil, falling into the cracks that form.

For more information on frost seeding your plots, check out Quality Deer Managements Association’s website here: https://www.qdma.com/articles/how-to-frost-seed-food-plots QDMA is a great resource for learning how to maximize your deer herd. Using their tips and techniques will put the chips in your favor for this blackpowder season.