Planting Tips for Deer Food Plots

Food plots for deer also provided nutrients to the game, not only deer but if you also hunt rabbit or other game it provides nutrition for them as well. And we all know how important good nutrition is to a healthy human body. Deer are no different. Nutrition is important in maintaining a healthy deer heard as well. And a food plot will help give needed nutrition throughout the year even in the spring and summer months when the guns and bows are locked away.

But there is more to it than just turning up some dirt and throwing one or more of the many seed varieties available, then waiting for it to grow. Sadly things just don’t work that way, and many hunters haven’t thought about planting a any type of plant since they quit smoking doobies , more likely, since that bean seed we all planted in science class many moons ago. And if not done properly, you are likely to find the same patch of turned dirt or a large patch of weeds when you return expecting to find a field of lovely green clover or other plant you decided to grow in your food plot. So some planning and some gardening basics are required.

Going with the idea that we’re going for both, and you will do some bowhunting for deer over the food plot, you need to build the plot with hunting in mind. The experts say that a food plot that will be hunted should be wide on both ends, and become thinner as you reach the center, or best described as an hour glass shape. The idea being you can put your stand near the middle and get a shot at the deer as they funnel through the thin area.

Now it’s time to decide on what to plant. Clover is the plant most used in food plots, and you can find the seeds at almost any seed company sold specifically for planting food plots for deer. Clover is easy grown and provides nutrition for the deer year round and also benefits other wild game. Some hunters prefer corn or wheat. There are other choices such as sugar beets, turnips, and other such brassica. Many such blends contain carrots and deer love carrots. The trick here is that deer don’t seem to bother the brassicas until temps start dipping below freezing on a regular basis. So they won’t do the deer herd much good as far as nutrition throughout the warmer months, and won’t be of much use in attracting deer in areas that don’t regularly get freezing temps.

With all that done, it’s time to get cracking on the soil. It’s best to kill the weeds and grass in the area you’ve chosen for your deer food plot. You can find products that will get the job done at the seed store or your favorite gardening site. I use Whitetail Institute Slay Food Plot Herbicide.

After the weeds are dead you’ll want to till the soil. Many hunters have at least one ATV, and you can find a slew of plot machines, seed broadcasters, and other attachments that are of great help if you plan on making several food plots for deer. However, that is a rather large investment for someone who only plans to make one or two plots. I do a good bit of gardening at home, so I already had a rear tine tiller on hand. And as I only make three plots, all of which had easy access I chose to forgo the ATV and just haul the tiller to the plots. You really won’t need to till more than about 3 or 4 inches for clover, so roots should not be an issue. I used a hand spreader and hand spreader for spreading seed. Again, for multiple or large food plots, the ATV may be a better alternative.

After the soil is tilled, I test the soil. The soil can’t be too acidic and lime may have to be used to bring down the acidic level of the soil in order to successfully plant a healthy food plot for deer. You can either take a soil sample to the local agricultural extension agency to have them test it, or you can purchase a test kit from your local garden supply store. This will tell you how much lime to buy, if any as too much lime can be problematic as well.

I also recommend you invest in a copy of Blum’s Almanac. In the almanac you’ll find a chart for each month that gives you the best days to plant that month. This is where many may think I’m a nut, these days are chosen in accordance to the phase of the moon and position of the planets. I used to think my old man was nuts when he’d try to tell me to use that when planting the garden till I finally tried going by it and it made a world of difference. There are other almanacs out there, but I find Blum’s Almanac easier to read. There’s also a lot of other cool info in it.

Most food plots for deer are planted in the spring and early summer. But if you want to start one in late summer there are seed blends available that only take a few weeks to sprout and have ready for deer season.

Before planting, investigate your seed choices to make sure they can be grown in your area of the country. Some plants may require things that your area of the country does not provide. Some plants don’t do well in colder climates, and some don’t do well in warmer climate that have long stretches of dry weather.

Enjoy the outdoors