There are as many different kinds of food plot mixes on the market as there are days in a year, but a lot of people do not realize that the best food plots for white-tailed deer actually grow naturally! In my opinion, natural foods are the best food plots.

I guess by definition what I am writing about today can not really be considered food plots, but more like techniques to provide additional foods for deer. But I believe habitat management is the first step in deer management!

Disking- This is a simple technique that can be implemented (get it) during both the spring and fall. There is nothing magical about how disking works. The only thing necessary is that you use a disk to disturb the surface of the soil so that forb seeds can become “exposed” and germinate.

To promote warm season forbs for deer, disk the selected area before spring green-up. To promote cool season food plots simply disk the area where you would like your native food plot to be during late summer. In addition, to promote more edge and diversity you can alternate disked and undisked strips (strip disking).

Fire and Prescribed Burning – Just mentioning the word “fire” scares a lot of people, but if you do it right, prescribed burning can be very safe and be the most beneficial habitat management technique you ever use. Burning creates natural “food plots” for whitetail by returning the nutrients tied up in dead and dying organic matter to the ground and stimulating forb seeds found near the soil’s surface.

To promote forbs using fire, the single best time to burn would be in early fall as the very first cool fronts roll in. This allows much of the grass and other fine fuels to be removed from the land’s surface and really allows forbs to take off. In addition, you can used disked strips around the area around where you intended to burn as fire breaks. It’s a double whammy!  

Deferred Grazing- This one is really stretching this whole food plot thing, but excluding or removing cattle from a particular area really can provide substantially more browse and forbs for white-tailed deer. Keep this mind and try rotating livestock on your property. You just might will be surprised at where you find the deer… in the areas where deferred grazing took place!

No, we are not talking about a poorly placed shot here, but rather literally feeding to every buck’s primary need — food. Summer is a serious stress period for white-tailed deer. With that said, quality food is hard to find in many parts of the country right now, unless your area has been blessed with summer and late summer rainfall.

So, what do deer eat and how can you capitalize on hungry deer? Yes, yes, you know the answer is providing food, but you have two choices at this point. Do you wish to bait or actually provide supplemental feed the deer in your area? There is a difference and I’ve talked about baiting versus supplementing before. For those that are ate up with keeping deer in prime condition, most provide supplemental food year round through either food plots or free-choice protein.

Both of these options are fine, most deer managers even use them in combination, and they are ideal ways to promote the highest deer body conditions and support maximum antler growth, but what about some of the lease hunters or individuals that can not afford to provide supplementation throughout the year?

From a pure baiting strategy, spin-cast feeders are obviously the way to go — and now is the best time to set up shop. Deer at southern latitudes are highly stressed during late summer and early fall so setting up a timed feeder will bring in deer. Baiting will help you get your buck through either of the two following ways.

Option number one is that a dominant buck in the area will dominate your feeder and run off all would-be competitors, leaving all the bait (corn) for himself. Option two is when does in the area find your feeder and start frequenting the bait. This works because when the rut starts bucks go to where their are does — and if the does are accustomed to swinging by the feeder, the bucks will follow. 

It’s not a guarantee, because hunters will still need to be set up correctly, well-hidden, and scent free to ensure that deer don’t bust them before getting into the area. Oh, and the best time to have your spin-cast feeders go off is about 30 minutes before sunrise and about 1 hour before sunset.        

I know that feeders can not be legally used in all all areas, but food plots can. This is why food plots are more important in northern states than southern states and why we see so many food plot commercials on our beloved hunting channels. Food plots will bring in the big boy or bring in the girls and then the big boy will follow.

Of course, one benefit spin-cast feeders have over food plots is that deer can only eat when the bait is dispensed (but that does not necessarily mean they will come). On the flip side, successfully growing food plots allow white-tailed deer to eat anytime and that’s bad for the hunter, but good for the deer! To help get your trophy, think feeder or food plot based on your location, the soil types found in your area, the amount of time that you have, and your state’s baiting regulations. The time to act is now!    

Warm season annuals such as milo, millets, other sorghum varieties, and legumes, such as beans, peas, and lablab, may be planted and southern latitudes after about mid-April for warm season food plots for white-tailed deer. Of course, don’t forget the biggest limitation on food plots — rain! Go for drought resistant plants every chance you get.

Dry Land Alfalfa

With that in mind, varieties of dry land alfalfa, a warm season perennial legume that comes back from the roots each year, or another grazing-type variety of alfalfa can be planted in food plots. An important thing to keep in mind, legumes have 20-30% protein content and fix nitrogen into the soil! That’s a double whammy considering the price of fertilizer.

As always recommended, planting a variety of these forages will increase the success of your food plot program. I would suggest a combination planting of 2/3 legumes and 1/3 grain sorghum is recommended for most warm season food plots where suitable soils exist.

Engelmann Daisy

But let’s not stop there. Food plots can also be planted with native perennial forb species. Illinois bundleflower, Maximillian sunflower, bush sunflower, and Engelmann daisy are relished by white-tailed deer. In addition, these deep rooted native plants are adapted to relatively low rainfall and a variety of soil types.

Combination plantings of these native perennial forbs is also recommended, but may take some additional preparation. Engelmann daisy is a cool season plant that should be planted in the late summer or early fall, even with your cool season plots. It can also be interseeded into an existing stand using a no-till drill, if available.

To plant Illinois bundleflower, Maximillian sunflower, and bushsunflower, begin your seedbed preparation the summer and fall prior to the scheduled spring planting. The seeds of these native plants are available from commercial seed companies, but there is a negative — they are more expensive than annuals. On the plus side, they re-establish each year, so choose wisely!

Illinois bundleflower

Every hunter and deer manager wants to know, “What is the best thing to plant for white-tailed deer food plots?” There really is no easy answer. First, there are several counter-questions that must first be addressed before an answer can be tossed out.

• Spring or fall food plot?
• What type of soil do you have?
• How much rainfall do you get?
• What type of equipment do you have?
• How much do you want to spend on seed?

As you can see, many variables exists that determine which plant species can be used for food plot material on parcel of land in a given area. Although there is no common answer to the above questions, there are some “common” plants may work in your area. In particular, today we are discussing common plant species that can be planted in the spring, although some of the species may not be used until later in the summer.

Sorghum

Grain sorghum, milo, or sometimes even referred to as maize, can make a great and simple spring/summer food plot for deer. Sorghum is a solid choice for food plots where high whitetail densities prevent most other grain crops from making it through the summer. The plant itself is not consumed at all during the summer, but the seed heads are well-used during the late-summer and fall.

The fact that a sorghum plant is not consumed by deer all but guarantees an annual crop. Sorghum is a more resilient plant than corn and will compete well with weeds — and still produce heads! It does not require a lot of water, so it grows well even during fairly dry summers. And since sorghum is basically a large grass, it is easy to plant. Simply prepare the ground by disking, broadcast the seeds, and roll or drag to ensure good seed-soil contact.

However, there is a downside to grain sorghum. Once deer become familiar with milo, deer in areas with moderate to high densities will eat the heads to the stem just as the seeds reach the “dough stage.” This is the point when the seeds take shape but have yet to dry out. It would be of more benefit to deer if the seeds were consumed later in the fall, but if they use eat them, then you still provided supplemental forage.

Another drawback of grain sorghum is the seed is less desirable by deer than corn as a source of winter carbohydrates. Thus, in areas with lower deer densities, don’t expect the deer to come running. If you have a larger chunk of property or a large number of deer, consider planting some percentage of your food plots in grain sorghum. If you are only going to plant a small area up to a few acres, evaluate alternative plant species for maximum benefit.

Corn

In areas that have deeper soils and receive enough rainfall to support it, it’s hard to beat corn. But one drawback right off the bat — it is not cheap — because it needs a lot of fertilizer. Corn is attractive to white-tailed deer, especially so during the winter when high-energy carbohydrates are critical.

However, when corn is the only agricultural food available, or in areas with large numbers of deer, animals will begin to eat the green stalks and leaves during the summer! This stunts plant growth, deer make this a habit, and in some cases by late summer there may not be a stalk capable of producing an ear.

Corn consumed during the summer is not a good deer food. At this time of year, corn is high in sugary carbohydrates and low in protein. In short, if you have moderate to low deer numbers and the proper soil and rainfall, corn is a strong winter attractor, provides much-need carbs during the hardest time of the year, and can improve your late season hunting.

Soybeans

Soybeans make great spring and summer food plots! Soybeans are also fairly easy to establish and are as drought tolerant as grain sorghum. The plant is very good at extracting minerals from the soil that are in turn used by deer. There is little you can plant that draws bucks during the summer like soybeans.

Although the beans themself provide plenty of protein, the leafy portions of the plant are also coveted by deer. During the summer, deer will only eat the leaves. However, if you have a high number of deer in your area the plants may be totally consumed before summer rolls around. Soybean plants are vulnerable when young and if a deer bites off the plant during the two-leaf stage, it will not grow back.

With that said, older soybean plants are resilient and can take a good amount of feeding pressure and still produce seed pods. Of course, once seed pods dry down, white-tailed deer will herd to soybean food plots during the fall and winter.

Reasons of establish food plots usually involve supplementation of white-tailed deer during times when forage quantity and/or nutritive value is low. Cost-efficient and biologically effective supplementation can only be accomplished by understanding the seasonal nutritive requirements of white-tailed deer. A wildlife food plot could also be used as an attractant to enhance opportunities for survey, harvest, photography, or simple observation.

Forage Adaptation — By considering the following five topics, one can determine if certain forages are adapted to the area of interest and are able to produce enough actual food to be considered economically feasible. This important initial determination will save you time, money, and frustration.

1. Soil Type — Site selection is critical to successful food plot establishment and production. Determine beforehand if there is an acceptable food plot site capable of supporting good plant growth. Consider carefully the soil type at the site and whether or not the site is subject to drought, flood, or erosion. In addition, make sure to obtain a soil test.

2. Moisture Availability — There is a distinct moisture gradient that transects from the east coast to the west coast. Check long-term precipitation records and periods of drought to increase the success of potential food plot establishment. The importance of timely planting and good seedbed preparation are the best insurance against “crop” failure due to lack of moisture.

3. Temperature Extremes — Many forage plants are sensitive to cold weather. Plants that persist for years at southern climates may not survive the first freeze event in northern areas. On the other hand, some plants are intolerant of the extreme heat that can be experienced in the south. Ensure that forage plants chosen will persist in the region of interest.

4. Forage Palatability — It won’t really matter if you plant a well-adapted forage that produces great quantities of food if deer will not consume it. White-tailed deer are very selective with regards to what they eat. Make sure that the forage is preferred, rather than tolerated or ignored, by deer in your area.

5. Forage Availability — White-tailed deer generally need supplemental nutrition during the late summer and late winter when native forages may be lacking in both quantity or nutritive value. Consider the growth cycle of forage plants chosen for your food plot carefully. Spring-planted, warm season forages generally provide the best supplemental nutrition from June through September. Fall-planted, cool season forage usually provide much-needed food resources from November through April. If the food plot does not offer nutrition when it is needed, during stress periods for wildlife, there really is no point to establishment and maintenance of those species.