June 17, 2014

3 Top Plant Types for Whitetail Food Plots

FieldNotes6.17.14_ll 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.

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.
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.
Brassicas may be the best deer food God has ever created. These plants average 36-percent crude protein, over 80-percent 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.

This tip is courtesy of the GameKeepers Field Notes, a weekly wildlife and land management email newsletter produced by the Mossy Oak GameKeepers.

A GameKeeper by definition is someone who truly loves AND lives the land, the critters and nature…not just during hunting season but all the time. A GameKeeper wants to be outdoors every day and work the dirt while living their personal “obsession”.

Find out more about what makes a GameKeeper by visiting our website.

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