According to new data released by Southwick Associates, roughly three out of 10 surveyed hunters are involved in managing or attracting wildlife on land where they hunt, and of those who do, more than 80 percent of their efforts are spent on creating food plots.
Additionally, the HunterSurvey.com survey conducted by Southwick Associates found that food plots were the leading practice.
Related: Making a Perfect Food Plot
According to the release, the top five management practices are:
- Food plots (81 percent)
- Mineral sites (49 percent)
- Timber management (45 percent)
- Plant management (42 percent)
- Feeders (39 percent)
- Other practices measured included creating man-made water sources (17 percent), controlled burns (15 percent), maintaining water level or flow (11 percent) and other (6 percent).
The survey also examined how hunters interact around their feeding sites. Of those who do use legal feeders to enhance opportunities:
- 86 percent of hunters monitor those sites with trail cameras
- 67 percent do so year-round
- 33 percent run feeders year-round
- 83 percent hunt over them or near them
Related: Building a Better Bowhunting Plot
According to Rob Southwick, president of Southwick Associates, “This survey shows that food plots and other means of attracting and holding game in an area or on a particular property are important management tools among a third of today’s hunters."
Southwick Associates is a market research, statistics, and economics firm, specializing in the hunting, shooting, sportfishing, and outdoor recreation markets.
Featured photo: Nick Trehearne
