The usual right of fall is finally here! Planting fall food plots for deer is often kicked off Labor Day weekend throughout the south. Along with the beginning of football season, dove season, and the first cooler fronts, planting food plots starts us looking towards cool weather and opening of other hunting seasons. So how, and when, is the “best” for all food plot planting?
TIMING - The main problem occurring when planting in early September is that the driest time of the year is yet to come. Barring tropical depressions and hurricanes, late September and October are the driest months of the year. Even if there is soil moisture in early September, or a front rains in new plantings, it is possible that the seeds sprout and then never see any rain again for weeks. This often leads to high seedling mortality and “spotty” green fields come winter. Although bow hunters like to have a green field to hunt over in October, planting is usually more successful when delayed until mid-October and the more reliable fronts of late October and November can be relied on to keep the green field green! Bow hunters can often be more successful searching out mast crops like persimmon and early acorn crops than green fields anyway.
SPECIES -While most plantings that stay “green” through cooler weather can attract deer in hunting season, there are some plantings that, typically, are more successful than others. If hunters/managers are looking to provide more of a “full-season” food plot that provides forage for deer, turkeys, as well as, other wildlife for many months out of the year, mixes are in order.
Grains—Wheat, oats, barley, and rye are the most common grains planted for deer, and for good reason. Winter grains are highly attractive for deer and turkeys looking for greenery in winter and the seeds are excellent bird food in spring. Plantings of straight grain can provide a very successful “shooting” plot at a reasonable cost and they will attract deer. Plantings provide little outside of hunting season, however. One note—Ryegrass is NOT a grain and is not a particularly good deer food. Studies show it is very poorly selected and not very nutritious for deer. It is also very aggressive and will dominate food plots often choking out other plants. Therefore, ryegrass is not recommended for food plots. Look close at bags of deer food plot mixes; ryegrass is often in the mix so that the field looks and stays green.
Legumes – The most common legumes in food plot mixes are clovers. While clovers make excellent deer food plots, they make poor deer shooting fields during cold weather because they typically stop growing in the dead of winter. Mixed with grains, however, clovers provide something for deer and other wildlife for many months out of the year. Some clovers are long season, some are early and some late. Common clovers in mixes are crimson, which starts growing in early spring, providing early greens for deer and turkeys. Arrowleaf clover is often in mixes and usually starts growing right after the growth of crimson starts slowing down (May), then continues growing to mid-summer. Soil types often dictate which clovers are best for your area, but other species like Berseem, Duran, Red, White and other Ladinos, among others, are all excellent seasonal clovers that provide high protein for wildlife. Another legume commonly planted is Austrian winter peas, a winter legume that is highly selected “ice-cream” plant. Many other legumes are planted in summer for high quality deer forage.
As always, soil testing is important to find out how much lime and fertilizer you need. It is nearly impossible to add too much lime in the deep southeast soils (except Blackbelt) and remember that highly fertilized plants are actively growing and actively growing plants are what attract deer to your plot!
Good hunting!
