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Planting a good food plot requires more than just breaking up some ground, spreading some winter wheat seed by hand, and hoping for rain. Fortunately, scientists have already determined what foods deer love and need at different times of the year, and even have formulated seed blends to meet those wants and needs. Try these three seed types if you want to draw more deer to your food plot.
This mix is a perennial that will grow year after year. Whitetail Institute
The timeline for planting food plots for deer and other wildlife falls into two main windows—cool-season and warm-season. Plant cool-season forages like wheat, rye, oat, clover, and brassicas in the fall or early spring, and the sprouts should grow throughout the year. Deer love brassicas, which are easy to establish, grow quickly and are suited for growing in a wide variety of climates and soil types. Moreover, most cool-season forages are perennials, so they’ll come back again the following year after planting.
You can plant this blend almost any time of the year and it will regrow for up to five years. Whitetail Institute
You’ll want to plant warm-season blends in the spring and grow it throughout the summer and into fall. These mixes include forages like soybeans, corn, sorghum, cowpeas, and other agricultural type crops. Interestingly, some clovers, which some people consider cool-season forages, are very versatile and you can plant them in either the fall or spring. Not only does high-protein clover attract deer, it’s nourishing and helps bucks grow larger antlers.
A 2.25-pound bag of this mix is enough to plant a 1/4-acre food plot. BioLogic
Deer love to forage on the top and underground portions of sugar beets, making them another great addition to a food plot. Sugar beets are a biennial vegetable, and a single plant can produce mature roots that weight between two and four pounds. Deer love the white-colored roots because they are between 13 and 22 percent sucrose, about 10 percent protein, and are easy to digest. Rather than planting a whole patch of sugar beets, consider planting some in a clover or brassica plot for a little extra attraction.
