3 Top Plant Types for Whitetail Food Plots | Mossy Oak Gamekeeper (2024)

Many of the most attractive plantings for whitetails end up also being some of the most nutritious too. Timing and placement dictate when and how they will be used from north to south. While there are dozens of crops that can be attractive to whitetails, here are the top three plant types that will attract whitetails at different times throughout the season.

  1. Perennials such as red and white clovers, chicory and alfalfa are known for providing nutrition for much of the year, and they do. However, they are also excellent attraction for the first part of the hunting season. Just before the rut your herd will be putting on the feedbag and a plot of Clover Plus or NEW Non-Typical will be where they’re found. Make sure to manage your perennials – a mowed and fertilized perennial plot is much more attractive than one that has not been.
  2. Cereal grains like oats, wheat and triticale are high in carbohydrates and provide energy going into the rut. While cereal grains can be short-lived compared to other crops, they are VERY attractive during their first stages of growth. Blends like Trophy Oats and Outfitter’s Blend provide a “mid-season magnet” for your herd.
  3. Brassicas may be the best deer food God has ever created. These plants average 36% crude protein, over 80% total digestible nutrients and yield more than any other whitetail planting. Brassicas like radishes, rape, canola and turnips contain very high levels of starch, which cold temperatures turn to sugar! So besides being the absolute best in nutrition, blends like Deer Radish, Maximum and Winter Bulbs & Sugar Beets also end up being the best in late season attraction.
3 Top Plant Types for Whitetail Food Plots | Mossy Oak Gamekeeper (2024)

FAQs

3 Top Plant Types for Whitetail Food Plots | Mossy Oak Gamekeeper? ›

Clover, beans, peas, alfalfa, and lablab are a few examples of legumes that are incredible for your deer. Legumes are very versatile and you can find a type and variety that will work for most soils in every part of the country.

What is the best crop to plant for whitetail deer? ›

Clover, beans, peas, alfalfa, and lablab are a few examples of legumes that are incredible for your deer. Legumes are very versatile and you can find a type and variety that will work for most soils in every part of the country.

What plant attracts deer the most? ›

Brassicas may be the best deer food God has ever created. These plants average 36% crude protein, over 80% total digestible nutrients and yield more than any other whitetail planting. Brassicas like radishes, rape, canola and turnips contain very high levels of starch, which cold temperatures turn to sugar!

What is the best plant for a food plot? ›

These include forages such as soybeans, corn, grain sorghum, lab lab, and cowpeas. Cool-season forages, on the other hand, are planted in the fall or early spring and depending on the species, can grow throughout the year. This includes forages such as wheat, cereal rye, oats, clovers, chicory and brassicas.

What is the most attractive food plot for deer? ›

Whitetails are craving protein at this time and it just so happens; legumes provide a very digestible, palatable source. Both perennial legumes like clovers, alfalfa, and trefoils, and annual legumes like soybeans, iron & clay peas, lablab, etc, are protein-rich, digestible, and attractive during this time.

What plant has the most protein for deer? ›

Brassicas may be the best deer food God has ever created. These plants average 36% crude protein, over 80% total digestible nutrients and yield more than any other whitetail planting. Brassicas like radishes, rape, canola and turnips contain very high levels of starch, which cold temperatures turn to sugar!

What is the best year round food plot mix for deer? ›

Consider Perennial Crops

You plant this crop one time and, with management, it provides a green food plot on an almost year-round basis for five years or more. Crops that fit this category include Durana clover, Ladino clover, Alsike clover, red clover, and alfalfa.

What plant smell do deer hate the most? ›

Chives - They're great on baked potatoes (and countless other dishes) and one of the best deer deterrents you can plant thanks to their smell.

What is the fastest growing food plot for deer? ›

Even better, wheat and oats are about the fastest germinating plot plant available. Cover them with a thin layer of damp soil and you can expect to see sprouts within a week or so. They will even sprout after a few days of rain when top-sown on loose soil, although germination rates tend to be lower.

What attracts deer the fastest? ›

Trees and plants that produce a berry, fruit, nut or seed can be whitetail magnets. Hard mast trees such as beech, chestnuts, hickory, honey locusts and oaks, provide great food for deer. Soft mast trees such as apples, crabapples, pear, persimmon and plums also provide great nutrition.

What is the best perennial for deer food plots? ›

Some examples of perennial forages that are commonly planted for deer include various white clovers, red clover, alsike clover, alfalfa and chicory. Note the annual growth characteristic is not based on a calendar year, however.

What month should you plant food plots? ›

The timing of planting deer food plots depends on the climate and location of the hunting area. In general, there are two primary seasons for planting deer food plots: spring and fall. The spring planting season is typically from February to May, while the fall planting season is usually from July to September.

What plants yield the most food? ›

If you're looking for high-yield veggies, you can't go wrong with cucumbers, pole beans, radishes, squash, zucchini, peas, and tomatoes. These vegetables are easy to grow and have been known to produce a large amount of produce per plant, providing you with a bountiful harvest that lasts for weeks.

What is a whitetail deer's favorite crop? ›

In conclusion, the best food plot for deer depends on several factors, including location, climate, and deer population. However, clover, brassicas, soybeans, and cereal grains are generally considered to be the best food plots for attracting and sustaining deer populations.

What is deer's favorite food? ›

The top 20 deer foods are: acorns, alfalfa, apples, beechnuts, brassicas, cereal grains, clover, corn, cowpeas, fall leaves, fir needles, forbs, milo, northern white cedar, persimmons, pears, saplings and shrubs, soybeans, and treetops (felled or fallen).

What can I plant to grow big bucks? ›

By planting any of the three mentioned – clover, alfalfa, chicory – deer on your hunting property will have another food source option in addition to native sources. Spring food plots are a good way to get bucks on the pathway to growing bigger antlers for fall.

What food do whitetail deer like the most? ›

Throughout the range of white-tailed deer, greater than 85 % of their overall diet consists of browse, forbs, and mast. Browse and forbs are the most important forages supplying the nutritional needs of deer because they provide over 80% of the diet in all seasons except during autumn.

What can I plant in my yard to feed deer? ›

During winter, a deer would love to eat roots and corn bulbs. Oats are another recommended food source to feed them in your backyard. You can also buy manufactured deer food, as they contain a high quantity of oats, a principal ingredient for deer during winter.

What is fast growing food for deer? ›

It's tough to beat a cereal grain like oats or wheat. Both are highly attractive to whitetails, and both germinate quickly and grow in a variety of soils. Even better, they produce a large amount of forage for a relatively small price.

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