A deer food plot is an area of land planted with specific agricultural crops. These plots serve two primary functions: offering attraction to concentrate deer in a specific location and enhancing the nutritional plane of the local herd. Establishing the right forage throughout the year can significantly influence antler development, body mass, and overall herd health.
Developing a Year-Round Planting Strategy
Successful food plotting requires a foundational understanding of the soil. A soil test provides data on the soil’s acidity (pH) and nutrient levels, particularly nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K). Most forage thrives best when the soil pH is maintained between 6.0 and 7.5, ensuring that nutrients are fully available for plant uptake. If the soil is too acidic, lime application is necessary to correct the balance.
The overall planting strategy must balance the deer’s nutritional requirements throughout the year, not just during the hunting season. Spring and summer plantings should focus on high-protein forage to support antler growth in bucks and lactation in does. Conversely, fall and winter plots need to emphasize high-carbohydrate sources to provide the energy necessary for surviving the colder months and recovering from the rut. A year-round approach requires planning across all seasons to prevent nutritional gaps, which can cause undue stress on the deer population.
Warm Season Food Plot Options (Spring and Summer)
Spring and summer are periods of peak nutritional demand, requiring forage with a crude protein content often exceeding 16%. Warm-season annual legumes are the preferred choice, planted in late spring after the final frost. Soybeans are a highly recommended option, providing high-quality forage with protein levels frequently in the 20 to 35 percent range. However, soybeans are highly preferred and can be severely over-browsed in smaller plots, sometimes requiring electric fencing for successful establishment.
Cowpeas, such as iron clay peas, and lablab are other popular legumes that offer exceptional protein content and are often more tolerant of heavy grazing pressure than traditional soybeans. These crops establish quickly and provide a substantial volume of palatable forage throughout the summer. Some specialized blends also incorporate alyceclover or American jointvetch, which offer high digestibility and crude protein levels around 25 percent. Planting these crops ensures the herd receives the necessary protein for maximizing body growth and reproductive success during the active growing season.
Cool Season Food Plot Options (Fall and Winter)
Cool-season food plots are planted in late summer or early fall to provide attractive, high-energy forage during the hunting season and through winter. Cereal grains like wheat, oats, and rye are foundational choices, offering immediate green-up and continuous browse. Oats are an excellent early-season draw, while cereal rye and triticale are known for their exceptional cold tolerance, producing green forage even under snow cover.
Brassicas, a family that includes turnips, radishes, and forage rape, are perhaps the most popular choice for fall attraction. The leaves offer high protein in the early season, but their true draw comes after a hard frost occurs. This frost causes the plants to convert their stored starches into sugars, which significantly increases the palatability and carbohydrate content of the leaves and the subterranean bulbs. Turnips and radishes produce large underground bulbs that deer will eventually dig up and consume for concentrated carbohydrates when other forage sources have been depleted. Planting small grains and brassicas together in a mixture offers a layered benefit, providing both immediate attraction from the grains and long-term energy from the brassicas.
The Role of Perennial Plantings
Perennial plantings are designed to last for multiple growing seasons, reducing the need for annual soil preparation and planting. Common perennial options include various types of clover, such as Ladino or white clover, and chicory. Perennial clovers are legumes that fix nitrogen from the atmosphere into the soil, improving fertility for subsequent plantings.
These long-term plots serve as a stable food source that requires less intensive management over their typical three-to-six-year lifespan. Perennials are beneficial during the transitional periods of early spring and late fall when annual plots are not yet established or have died back. Chicory is often blended with clover because its deep taproot accesses moisture far below the surface, providing forage stability and drought tolerance during dry summer periods.