The Ultimate Food Plot
You can make any piece of deer hunting ground better in two ways with the right food plots. Even small efforts made in improving the quality of food available in your hunting area will be rewarded. First, better nutrition, even on a small scale, will promote a healthier herd. In areas that lack adequate food, such an effort can make a big difference. But, even in the richest farm country where deer are never hungry for long, a well-chosen and well-sited food plot can attract and hold deer in one area making them easier to hunt.
Food plots are pivotal to most deer management plans and they are becoming a more valuable part of hunting strategy, as well. But, simply scratching the earth and throwing out a little seed isn’t going to produce fat deer, more fawns or bigger racks. Nor will just any planting automatically pull deer to your stands like moths to a flame. |
|  | | A no-till drill is the perfect tool for planting plots. It works great with soybeans, corn, clover, alfalfa, wheat, etc. You can plant nearly any grain or grass seed with a no-till drill. |
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| Balance is the Key
Ideally, you will be able to plant a variety of foods that deer prefer at different times of the year so that there is always something attractive on their plate. In a perfect world, each spring will provide a leftover bounty of high-carbohydrate grain and an early green-up of winter wheat or rye. As spring advances the deer will quickly shift to your high protein clover plots. During the heat of summer they will be hammering your soybeans and alfalfa. In early fall sorghum seed heads will be the tastiest thing around, as deer shift out of the beans and into the grains. Then, in late fall and winter they’ll flock to the high carbohydrate content of your corn plots to fuel their furnaces.
Unfortunately, this smorgasbord approach requires a lot from the deer manager. Obviously, there is the need for good tillable land, and lots of it. Without adequate acreage the deer will wipe out each seasonal planting before it even has chance to produce benefits. And just because you have the open ground available to plant the perfect food for every season, that doesn’t mean you have the budget or the manpower to pull it off. High quality food plots aren’t cheap and there is plenty of hard work involved. While this is definitely a labor of love and a good way to get away from your day job (unless you’re a farmer) it still takes time.
Suffice it to say that most of us will never be able to do everything we would like to do to improve nutrition, so we need to set some realistic goals and scale our plans accordingly. For most deer hunters, planning and planting one or two small food plots - about five-acres total - every year is a realistic starting point. |
|  | | It is hard to beat corn as a fall and winter attractant in areas that receive enough rainfall to support the large plant. However, corn is not a cheap crop to plant because of its high need for nitrogen – an expensive fertilizer. |
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| Choosing the Best Planting
What will you grow on your five-acres? First, let’s look at the advantages and disadvantages of a number of different options before deciding on the overall best one. |
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Corn
Corn is a likely consideration. Corn is attractive to deer, there is no doubt about it, especially so during the winter when high-energy carbohydrates are needed most. Also, you can generally get corn seed that was leftover from the previous year for free from conservation clubs and even from the seed companies directly. Free is good!
But, when corn is the only agricultural food available, or when deer numbers get high, the herd will begin to eat the green stalks and leaves of corn during the summer time. This stunts or otherwise negates the plant. Once this cycle starts it will soon become habit and the deer will gain a taste for the plants. If the problem gets bad enough, and believe me I’ve seen this happen, there will not be a single stalk by late summer that is capable of producing an ear.
You may be thinking that corn would then be a good summertime food. Well, if you eat Twinkies and Ho-Hos at lunchtime then I guess you are right. But, if you believe people (and deer) should actually benefit from what they eat, summertime corn is not a good food source. It is deer candy, junk food that’s high in sweets and low in protein. Yet, despite the negatives, corn is a strong winter attractor and can improve your late season hunting. It has to be considered if your hunting area has a moderate to low deer density and is already rich in other agricultural food sources. For that reason, we’ll keep it on the list of possible choices. |
|  | | It is hard to beat corn as a fall and winter attractant in areas that receive enough rainfall to support the large plant. However, corn is not a cheap crop to plant because of its high need for nitrogen – an expensive fertilizer. |
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| Sorghum/Milo
Grain sorghum (often called milo) has been promoted for upland bird habitat, but it is also an effective food source for deer. On the property I’ve managed we’ve planted a lot of milo over the years. It has two positive points and two negative points. On the upside, the grain heads are well utilized throughout the fall, but the plant itself is not touched during the summer, regardless of deer density. This all but guarantees a crop come fall. Also, sorghum is a more resilient plant than corn and will compete well with weeds and still produce heads. It grows well even during fairly dry summers. Like corn, you can generally find a free source for milo, helping to reduce the cost of the planting.
However, on the downside, once deer get used to eating milo they will eat the heads to the stem just as soon as the seeds reach the “dough stage”. This is the point when the seeds take shape but haven’t dried down – typically in September. Again, this is a learned response by deer in moderate to high-densities. The first year or two of a sorghum planting program in this setting will produce the desired result – late fall and winter food – but after that you may only be producing early fall food for consumption at a time when deer could (and should) still be eating legumes and other protein-rich foods.
As another negative, sorghum is less desirable than corn as a winter carbohydrate source. Therefore, it can’t be counted on to bring deer running when the mercury drops the way corn can. In areas with lower deer densities where both can be grown effectively, corn is better. Sorghum has a place in a larger management program but for our five-acres it doesn’t make the cut. |
|  | | This dandy buck was shot at the edge of a sorghum field. Sorghum is a good choice for food plots where high deer densities prevent most grain crops from making it through the summer. |
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| Winter Weather/Winter Rye/Triticale
Winter wheat, rye or triticale are used heavily in many southern food plot programs where heavy deer densities and dry summer conditions make other fall and winter food sources less dependable. You’ve no doubt heard the expression green field when referring to southern deer hunting strategies. Green fields are typically some combination of winter grains with a little clover thrown in. Because winter grains are planted in the fall they take advantage of a time when most areas of the country receive consistent seasonal rainfall, making this crop a good choice in otherwise dry areas. With sufficient moisture winter grains grow fast and can be utilized by deer within a few weeks of planting. They also stay green well into the winter and are very resistant to frost. In the spring they are the first plant to green up, so they are an important early food for deer looking to repair after a hard winter.
However, as an all-purpose deer food source, winter grains fall short. They quickly become tough and unpalatable as spring wears on. Songbirds love the seed heads (and turkeys will hit them too) but deer don’t seem too interested past mid-spring. Because winter grains are effective in certain conditions when nothing else is, they stay on the list of possible options. |
|  | | Ryegrass and winter wheat are common food plot plantings in most southern “green fields”. They do well in cool conditions and will grow aggressively in the early fall. |
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Alfalfa
Alfalfa is an excellent source of protein. In fact, there is nothing readily available that produces more crude protein than high quality alfalfa. Deer will hammer it all summer and for as long as the plant remains nutritious into the fall. They will also start on it as early as possible in the spring. Also, a properly maintained alfalfa plot will last up to seven years and is fairly drought tolerant. Finally, there is a ready and well-established market for quality alfalfa hay. Since you need to cut the crop and remove the residue anyway to keep the field weed-free why not make some money?
Alfalfa also has downsides. First, alfalfa is primarily a summer food source. It turns brown quickly after the first hard frost and will be utilized less by deer thereafter. Also, it doesn’t green-up as quickly in the spring as winter grains or even clover, so it isn’t of much benefit during periods of high stress. Second, alfalfa can be tough to establish and maintain. The soil needs to be well drained or the crop will quickly flood out. Leaf hoppers love the leaves as much as the deer do, so you will have to monitor the plot regularly and treat it for bugs as needed.
Also, alfalfa is expensive to establish. You need to plan on liming, fertilizing and paying top dollar for high protein varieties. You’re probably looking at well over $100 per acre even if you do the work, more if you don’t. While this may not seem so bad when you amortize the cost over the life of the field, don’t forget annual fertilizer expenses that add about $30 per acre.
If you are selling the hay the math is a lot friendlier. In fact, alfalfa as a crop can be very profitable. But, unless you really want to get into this stuff, you are better off having the crop put up on halves by a local farmer. Under the right conditions, alfalfa is a great option so we’ll keep it on the list. |
|  | | Many deer hunters are now planting turnips to complement their other food plots. Turnips are a great choice because the deer won’t hit them hard until after it gets cold. The only exception being areas with very high deer numbers where the deer will anything green in late summer and early fall. |
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| Clover
Clover is considered by many to be the most universal deer food and the reputation is not without merit. Clover is easy to establish in most regions of the country and most soil types. It is easy to maintain with two cuttings per summer and will fight through residue much better than alfalfa so you don’t necessarily have to bale it.
But clover has a downside. First it doesn’t last as many years as alfalfa. Three years is pretty typical for a clover plot before it is overtaken by grass. Second, clover isn’t as viable as alfalfa from a commercial standpoint because it yields less and isn’t as marketable. Also, clover flattens and loses its attractiveness for deer (not to mention its food value) after the weather turns cold. In fact, the first killing frost puts clover into a dormant stage when much of the nutritional value is gone. So clover is not a great late fall and winter planting in areas that typically experience hard frosts by the end of October. However, because it is simple for hobby farmers to establish and maintain clover remains a strong consideration. |
|  | | Clover is the universal food plot. Every deer hunting property should have at least one clover plot. Clover is fairly easy to grow and maintain and deer love its high protein levels. Shown is white ladino clover from Imperial Whitetail Clover (Whitetail Institute of North America). |
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| Soybeans
There is little you can plant that draws bucks during the summer like soybeans. Beans provide plenty of protein, but the plants must also taste good because they often outdraw nearby clover that is even higher in protein.
Soybeans are also good at extracting minerals from the soil that are then utilized by deer. Also, during the summer the deer only eat the leaves. Soybeans are resilient plants that can take a lot of this kind of grazing pressure and still put out pods. And, when the beans in the pods dry down, deer will feed on them heavily during the fall and winter. Soybeans are also fairly easy to establish and are reasonably drought tolerant.
As a perfect food plot planting, beans have two downsides. First, they won’t yield as many tons of food per acre as alfalfa or even clover. Second, the plants are vulnerable when young. The growing point is above ground and if deer or turkeys snip off the plant at the two-leaf stage it won’t grow back. Ideally, beans should be planted early enough to get past the deer while the does are fawning. Also, with the advent of Round-Up Ready beans you can plant into residue and let the growing weeds hide your beans until the young plants are well past this critical stage. Then you can simply spray the field and wipe out the competition. Beans should be strongly considered for our five-acres. |
|  | | This buck came from a mid-winter food plot of soybean. When it gets brutally cold, food plots such as this one, become very attractive to deer. |
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Brassicas
There are many different cultivars of brassicas. Heck, the broccoli you eat with your soup is one of them. When it comes to deer food there are only about two or three that really stand out. First, are Purple Top turnips, commonly called forage turnips in many circles. Deer love turnips and will eat the leaves and the tubers. Typically, turnips are recommended for areas with high deer densities where they will eat all the fall foods during the summer. However, they tend to let turnips (and other brassicas) survive until the first hard freeze when a molecular change occurs within the plant to make the leaves more palatable.
The second type of brassica to consider is dwarf Essex rape. This is a plant with big leaves like broccoli and deer will also feed heavily on them after the first hard freeze and into the winter. Finally, a third choice is Tyfon or forage brassica. Cattle growers commonly use this plant because of its high yield and high protein content. And if you get hungry while hunting you make a salad out of it. Bring the Italian dressing in your fanny pack.
There are also many commercial blends of brassicas offered by food plot companies and some of their selections are very highly evolved. I wouldn’t tell you that the standard product you get from the local co-op or from the online seed merchant is just as good as the specialized varieties offered by the food plot companies, but they will definitely work. Deer will come to them and deer will eat them. These planting provide very good nutrition during the fall and winter.
The advantage of brassicas is the fact that deer generally will leave them alone until the onset of colder weather at which time the plot will become very attractive. Brassicas, in general, are also cheaper to plant than typical food plot grain options such as corn and soybeans. |
|  | Brassica blends, such as the Biologic shown here, produce large green, meaty leaves that deer love in the fall. Production can be as high as 10,000 to 12,000 pounds of forage per acre. Brassicas also have high protein levels. |
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| Making the Final Choice
Here is my perfect planting scenario. If you have a low or moderate deer density and enough rainfall each year to support corn, split the field in half and plant clover on one half and corn on the other. Deer get great summer food from the clover and you provide a strong fall and winter attractor with the corn. Two and a half acres of corn isn’t a lot so be prepared to see it disappear fast starting in November unless your deer numbers are really low. For your information: a football field is about 1.5 acres, so that should give you some idea of the size of the ground we are talking about.
Total cost for five acres: about $325 the first year and about $225 each year after until the clover thins out. At that point, you can simply rotate the two crops and start over. This assumes you pinch pennies and can borrow the equipment or get someone to put it in for nothing.
If you expect high deer utilization (from a high deer density or a lack of other food sources) and/or your area has insufficient rainfall to support corn, I recommend soybeans for 60% of the plot (three acres) and clover on the remaining 40%. This will assure a good deal of summer food as well as a fall and winter attractor. Also consider drilling winter wheat into the thinnest parts of the bean field once the beans have filled in and started to dry down. As long as you don’t work the ground, the beans will still be available but the addition of the winter grain planting will improve the overall efficiency of the plot.
Total cost for five acres: about $400 for the first year and about $325 for each year after. This assumes that about half the bean plot will be planted to winter grain each fall and that you can get the work done for free.
Planting food plots is a lot of fun and taking on the role of a steward is satisfying, but improving your hunting area is not cheap nor should the decision of what to plant be taken lightly. |
|  | | Oats makes a good cover crop for new clover seedlings. The deer love the grain heads in late summer and early fall. |
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| Don't Waste Your Time and Money
Before you make your final planting decisions, consult with an area agronomist to make sure your selection will grow well in the climate and soils where you hunt. These professionals can also offer some advice on the varieties of clover to plant based on these same considerations. Be sure to inquire about the best time to plant, as this can be critical. Most major universities have agricultural extension offices that provide this basic information for free. |
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