What is the best year round food plot for deer?

Asked by: Jackie Thomas

High quality year-round food plots require planning to offer deer a dependable, highly nutritious food source on a 12-month basis.
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What is the easiest food plot to grow for deer?

Red clover is the Easiest Food Plot for Deer. Spread the seed and spray the grasses to act as a mulch for the clover, or spray in the fall and frost seed in late winter right on top of the snow. The freeze thaw patterns of spring creates cracks the seed falls into to germinate.

How do you keep deer around all year?

For variety and winter cover, you can mix in a few pines or cedars.

1. Provide minerals. Maybe you’re fortunate enough to have a natural mineral site on your property. …
2. Add water. …
3. Create or enhance staging areas. …
4. Add shrubs and vines. …
5. Build big buck bedding cover. …
6. Create a thermal refuge. …
7. Plant oaks. …
8. Give them fruit.

What is the best thing to plant to attract deer?

Plants that typically attract deer include red clover, chicory, and orchard grass. Certain high-protein crops, such as peas, soybeans, turnips, alfalfa, sorghum, kale, or corn, are also attractants that the animals enjoy feeding on. Deer like the nutritious nuts that come from chestnuts and acorns as well.

What is the best summertime food plot for deer?

The major choices to consider include lablab, forage soybeans, alfalfa, and chicory. By planting several of these you’ll have forages available to deer even during the driest July and August conditions.

What’s the best food plot for whitetail?

Here are five of the best options for last-minute plots.

1. Brassicas. This is arguably one of the most popular food plot choices for whitetails. …
2. Oats. Oats are a great choice for cereal grain lovers. …
3. Wheat. Wheat is good. …
4. Austrian Winter Peas. Maintenance and Spraying. …
5. Winter Rye.

What type of clover Do deer like best?

Pure Clover



If you are going to go with just one type of clover for your plot, white clover is the right choice. Gillium pointed out that White Dutch and Ladino are some of the best white clover for deer and both do very well as pure stands.

How do you attract big bucks?

The Best Ways to Lure a Buck

1. Use an Attractant. A deer’s sense of smell is about 60 times better than a human’s. …
2. Use a Grunt Call. Use a grunt call to lure in bucks within earshot. …
3. Be Invisible. Now that you’ve lured your bucks, it’s important not to scare them off. …
4. Contact R & K Hunting Company.

How many acres does a mature buck need?

The important point to remember is this: When you’re chasing a mature buck, you need to understand that his home range is going to be about 640 acres (a square mile) during all times outside the rut. During the rut, he could be roaming as much as 5,000 acres. His core area is going to be his safety zone.

When Should I spray my antlers?

So every two months or so one-and-a-half months if you want you can respray it grow it gets slowly absorbed through the leaves into the stem into the root system of the plant. Making.

What can I plant for deer in August?

Perennials, such as red and white clovers, alfalfa, birds foot trefoil and chicory, are very attractive and very nutritious from the end of August on into October and even much later if warm temperatures pop up again. In the South, they are also very attractive but the time frame is only a bit later.

What can you plant for deer in July?

Greens of oats, rye, brassicas, peas, clover and even late planted soybeans, should account for 50% to 100% of all of your food plot plantings. Those greens should all be planted during the periods of late July and August to capture their full potential.

Will deer eat clover in the summer?

Other choices include: Alyce clover — This is a warm-season annual legume that provides forage in summer and early fall, filling the void in the aforementioned 10-month food plot. Especially important to deer, this plant holds up well to heavy grazing.

What food plot is best for antler growth?

Clovers and beans are easily the top two food plots that are going to promote healthy antler growth, but brassicas are another great option that can essentially be planted year round.

Is alfalfa good for deer?

Alfalfa for deer “food” plots



In truth, alfalfa has been used as a forage for deer, especially during the summer months. It is a highly digestible fiber and contains a tremendous amount of fiber, making them palatable for deer.

Do deer like red or white clover?

Our research found that red clover consistently rated very high compared to other deer forages – including cereal grains, annual and perennial clovers, brassicas, alfalfa, and others – with regard to many of the important features we looked at.

Can you plant white clover and red clover together?

Planting and Growth



Red clover is has a short life-cycle, approximately two to three years, while white clover is a persistent grower that can reseed itself, even under grazing conditions. When planting clover, it’s best to plant a mixture of red and white clover together.

What is the best time to plant clover?

The best time to plant clover is in Spring or late Summer/early Fall. It is also a great choice for frost seeding.

Does clover need to be mowed?

Easy-to-grow clovers do not require mowing, but they help keep the lawn green and create a nourishing playground for bees, butterflies and other pollinating insects.

Can you put down too much clover seed?

The excessive seeds will remain dormant and can potentially cover any bare spots present in the lawn. But beware if you are growing clover in the company of grass. Putting down too many clover seeds will cause your clover to outcompete grass because of its ability to remain in the soil for a long time.

Will clover choke out dandelions?

As a dense ground cover plant, clovers — though they are also broad-leaved — are exceptional at crowding out other broadleaf plants such as dandelions, violets, and other plants that commonly populate lawns.

Will red clover reseed itself?

Red clover will reseed itself. Red clover is considered a biennial or short-lived perennial that can be considered a perennial plant due to its ability to reseed itself under the proper circumstances. As a result, there can be a constantly thriving population of these plants despite their relatively short lifespan.

How late can you plant red clover?

You can plant the clover in full sun or partial shade, although full sun provides the best yields. Sow the tiny seeds in a well-prepared bed from January to April or August to November. Plant seeds at ¼ inch (6 mm.) deep or even scatter them on the surface of the soil and lightly dust them with earth.

How many years will red clover last?

two to three years

Adapted Varieties



Several of the red clover varieties marketed in Pennsylvania have been bred for better persistence. With proper management, you can expect these varieties to persist for two to three years after the establishment year.

What is the difference between red clover and crimson clover?

Crimson clover has taller flower stems, grows more quickly and has larger seeds than the more commonly used red clover. Crimson clover’s primary advantages are rapid growth during cool weather, shade tolerance and a positive reseeding potential.

Will crimson clover grow in winter?

Frost tolerant



In the US, crimson clover is hardy to Zone 6. Established plantings made in early fall can tolerate temperatures to 0F (-18 C) or slightly colder.

Will clover take over grass?

Clover can take over areas of your lawn where grass is thinning or has turned brown. The fix: Regularly aerating your lawn loosens your soil and gives grass roots room to breathe and nutrients to thrive. With grass growing strong, there won’t be bare spots for clover to infiltrate.