Tag: winter food plots

Whitetail Deer Food Plots Without Planting

Food Plots Without Planting

Have you ever noticed that the first plants to return in a plowed, scraped, or otherwise disturbed area are weeds? Although this may not seem like much, these natural food plots could be of big benefit to your deer management program. When exposed to air, light, and water, seeds that were lying dormant in the soil begin to germinate following soil disturbance. These young, succulent plants are high in nutrient value and attract a variety of wildlife species looking for valuable forage, particularly white-tailed deer.

Disturbed sites can also serve as excellent food plot locations to supplement white-tailed deer diets during the stressful late winter or late summer periods. Areas can be lightly disked during late winter for the production of spring annuals, and then be heavily disked in early fall for winter food plots. This process can be repeated over and over and you can even sprinkle in some seeds during the spring disking to enhance  the plot. Remember, you are trying to create supplemental food for deer. You are not trying to grow a lawn. It does not have to look like a perfect stand of manicured plants. Continue reading “Whitetail Deer Food Plots Without Planting”

Cool Season Deer Food Plots Considerations

Food plots have become widely used deer management practices, but not all plots are created equal. Cool-season (fall and winter) food plots for white-tailed deer are not as susceptible to drought or weed competition when compared to warm-season (spring) food plots. This fact holds true for cool season food plots found throughout the whitetail’s range in most cases.

One exception may be legumes, which may require delayed planting if rainfall is deficient in the early fall months of September and October. Cool-season plant species can be planted on either upland or bottomland sites because of cooler temperatures and increased water availability during fall and winter periods.

Cool Season Food Plots for Deer Hunting

Cool Season Food Plots for Deer

Cool season forages commonly consist of oats, rye, ryegrass, wheat, arrowleaf clover, sweetclover, subterranean clover, Austrian winter peas, and brassicas. Various seed companies provide a plethora of cool-season seed mixes that incorporate a number of plants into a single food plot mix.

Food plot mixes are the preferred way to go. I always recommend that deer managers use food plot mixes, especially in new food plots or where low input from the land manager is expected. Without a lot of time and or soil amendments, it’s difficult to say what will grow well. Using a seed mix ensures that the land manager will have success with at least a couple of species in the mix.

Planting Cool Season Food Plots

Although at least 2-3 plant species are suggested in fall and winter food plots, I recommend that spring plots contain a minimum of 3-4 plant species. A variety of plant species will ensure that not all of your eggs are in one basket. If you research the recommended whitetail forage plants for your area, then choose several of those, the potential success of your food plot goes up dramatically.

This is especially true if you go with a low cost, cool season food plot and do not plan on investing in a soil test or fertilizer for your plantings. However, a soil test and appropriate fertilizer and liming as recommended by that soil test is highly recommended for optimal results.

Cool Season Food Plots: Mix it Up

Although commercial food plot seed mixes are readily available, you can also mix up your own concoction after doing some research and heading down to your local feed store or seed dealer. Seed mixes, regardless of whether they are purchased commercially or home-made, these are often good choices because with the variety of seeds in the mix at least some of them will be very conducive to the soil type where your food plot is found.

Fall and Winter Food Plots

Though seed and forage research on your part can help your the success of your cool season food plots, always get a soil test and perform the necessary measures to ensure you are planting under optimal conditions. Otherwise, you likely will be wasting valuable time and money. Deer management is not just about food plots, but they can be an important component in providing the animals found on your property with supplemental forage when they need it most.