Food plots

Well you have to love em or hate em but the bottom line is food plots are everywhere so just how effective are they anyhow? Some people say that food plots give them time to size up an animal and to get a good kill shot on it, some claim that it brings deer into their area, and some others claim to grow big antlers with special mixes of browse to eat. Personally we live on the Eastern shore where Soybeans and corn rule the land just how much more food plot does a person need? I mean if you are shooting a open field then at 200 yds you had better be ready to harvest your deer. But just maybe you want the deer in a certain location for you to be able to shoot safely or to place the animal closer to a pick up point for your truck, then a food plot could work wonders for you. Personally I like food plots to keep deer in a certain area and to offer a variety of food for them to eat on. Corn. clover, turnip and rape are all excellent food sources for deer and provide a varied diet allowing deer to remain healthy. If a deer has been shot at over a bean field they may become very nocturnal and your chances of harvest go down because they hang on the edge of the woods and fields out of sight. If you have a food plot established in a out of the way location they may feel more comfortable in hanging out there while it gets dark and offer a gathering spot of sorts. for the hunter this means increased opportunity prior to nightfall. So food plots love em or hate em but  now they have convinced us that a basket of apples is just way out of date.