Cool Season
Cool season food plots attract animals for harvest during the hunting season and should provide important nutrition after the rut, if there is no snow cover.
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Grain: Cereal grains are attractive and provide good nutrition during autumn and early winter, but may not provide adequate nutrition for post-rut recovery during late winter and early spring.
Oats
Avena sativa- A cool-season, annual small grain that is less cold tolerant than wheat and rye but provides preferred early fall forage.
- Shade tolerance:
not shade tolerant - pH requirement:
5.8-6.5 - Planting dates:
Zone 1: 8/15-10/15
Zone 2: 8/15-10/15
Zone 3: 8/15-10/15
Zone 4: 3/1-5/31, 9/1-10/31 - Planting rate:
90 lbs/acre (drill)
120 lbs/acre (broadcast) - Varieties:
Arkansas 604 and 833
Buck Forage
Buck magnet
Chapman
Rye
Secale cereale- A cool-season, annual small grain (similar to wheat) with good cold tolerance. Rye grows very fast and loses its protein levels early. Do not confuse rye with ryegrass!
- Shade tolerance:
not shade tolerant - pH requirement:
5.8-6.5 - Planting dates:
Zone 1: 8/15-10/15
Zone 2: 8/15-10/15
Zone 3: 8/15-10/15
Zone 4: 8/15-10/15 - Planting rate:
90 lbs/acre (drill)
120 lbs/acre (broadcast) - Varieties:
Elbon
Wrens Albruzzi
Wondergraze
Vitagraze
Triticale
Triticosecale spp.- A cool-season, annual small grain that is a hybrid cross of rye and wheat.
- Shade tolerance:
not shade tolerant - pH requirement:
5.8-6.5 - Planting dates:
Zone 1: 8/15-10/15
Zone 2: 8/15-10/15
Zone 3: 8/15-10/15
Zone 4: 3/1-5/31, 8/1-10/31 - Planting rate:
90 lbs/acre (drill)
120 lbs/acre (broadcast) - Varieties:
Tamcale 5019
Beagle 82
Trical 102 & 336
Wheat
Triticum aestivum- A cool-season, annual small grain, that deer browse heavily all winter. Remember to select forage varieties.
- Shade tolerance:
moderate - pH requirement:
5.8-6.5 - Planting dates:
Zone 1: 8/15-10/15
Zone 2: 8/15-10/15
Zone 3: 8/15-10/15
Zone 4: 5/1-6/30, 8/1-9/1, 9/1-10/31 - Planting rate:
90 lbs/acre (drill)
120 lbs/acre (broadcast) - Varieties:
Commercial forage varieties
Longhorn
Lockett
GA Gore
Legume: Legumes (clovers, peas, and vetch) provide excellent nutrition during winter for post-rut recovery and into the spring for antler development. Don’t forget to inoculate legumes (see appropriate strain listed with each forage legume). Many legume seeds now come pre-inoculated.
Alfalfa
medicago sativa- This perennial legume is widely used by deer, especially in the spring through fall. It is the most expensive and labor intensive supplemental food planting.
- Shade tolerance:
not shade tolerant - pH requirement:
6.5-7.5 - Planting dates:
Zone 1: 9/1-10/15
Zone 2: 9/1-10/15
Zone 3: 9/1-10/15
Zone 4: 3/1-5/31, 8/1-9/1 - Planting rate:
15 lbs/acre (drill)
20 lbs/acre (broadcast) - Varieties:
Alfagraze
Amerigraze 401 & 702
Ameristand
Bulldog 505 - Inoculant:
A
Arrowleaf Clover
Trifolium vesiculosum- A cool-season, reseeding, annual legume. During spring, plants grow to 40 to 50 inches under optimal conditions. Seeds mature from late June through early August. Arrowleaf clover is less palatable than some of the other clovers but still provides good forage for deer.
- Shade tolerance:
moderate - pH requirement:
5.8-6.8 - Planting dates:
Zone 1: 9/1-10/15
Zone 2: 9/1-10/15
Zone 3: 9/1-10/15, 3/1-3/31 - Planting rate:
10 lbs/acre (drill)
15 lbs/acre (broadcast) - Varieties:
Meechee
Yuchi
Amclo
Apache - Inoculant:
O
Austrian Winter Peas
Pisum sativum- A cool-season, annual legume. Produces from fall to spring, providing quality foliage for deer. However, Austrian winter peas are very attractive to deer and can be quickly consumed, so blending winter peas with cereal grains is a good idea to insure forage growth throughout the fall, winter, and early spring.
- Shade tolerance:
not shade tolerant - pH requirement:
5.6-7.0 - Planting dates:
Zone 1: 9/1-11/1
Zone 2: 8/15-10/14
Zone 3: 8/15-10/14
Zone 4: 3/1-5/31, 8/1-9/1 - Planting rate:
30 lbs/acre (drill)
40 lbs/acre (broadcast) - Varieties:
Granger
Fenn
Melrose - Inoculant:
C
Ball Clover
Trifolium nigrescens- A cool-season, annual legume that is more tolerant of acidic, poorly drained soil. Peak yield occurs during April, but growth can continue until early June.
- Shade tolerance:
not shade tolerant - pH requirement:
5.5-6.4 - Planting dates:
Zone 1: 9/1-10/15
Zone 2: 8/15-10/15 - Planting rate:
2 lbs/acre (drill)
4 lbs/acre (broadcast) - Inoculant:
B
Crimson Clover
Trifolium incarnatum- A cool-season, annual legume that can grow as high as 2 feet. Because it grows quicker and seeds out earlier than most clovers, you may use it in combination with other clovers. Crimson clover provides late-winter/early spring forage for deer.
- Shade tolerance:
not shade tolerant - pH requirement:
5.5-6.5 - Planting dates:
Zone 1: 9/1-10/15
Zone 2: 8/15-10/15 - Planting rate:
20 lbs/acre (drill)
30 lbs/acre (broadcast) - Varieties:
Auburn
Autauga
Dixie
Tibbee - Inoculant:
R
Ladino White Clover
Trifolium repens- A perennial legume that is highly productive and low-maintenance. A great clover for providing quality deer forage most of the year. Forage production is lowest during late summer.
- Shade tolerance:
moderate - pH requirement:
5.5-7.0 - Planting dates:
Zone 1: 9/1-10/15
Zone 2: 9/1-10/15
Zone 3: 9/1-10/15
Zone 4: 3/1-5/31, 8/1-9/1 - Planting rate:
4 lbs/acre (drill)
5 lbs/acre (broadcast) - Varieties:
Osceola
Regal
Louisiana S-1
Patriot - Inoculant:
B
Red Clover
Trifolium hirtum- A perennial legume that provides preferred forage for deer. Produces especially well March through July. Depending on location and conditions, red clover can be a perennial forage, but may last only two years in unfavorable soil conditions.
- Shade tolerance:
moderate - pH requirement:
5.8-7.0 - Planting dates:
Zone 1: 9/1-10/15
Zone 2: 9/1-10/15
Zone 3: 8/1-10/15
Zone 4: 4/1-5/31, 8/1-9/31 - Planting rate:
8 lbs/acre (drill)
12 lbs/acre (broadcast) - Varieties:
Kenland
Redland Max
Redland Graze
Redland III - Inoculant:
B
Subterranean Clover
Trifolium subterranum- Subterranean Clover is NOT a strong fall or winter producer, but is likely the most shade tolerant clover. A good choice for shady areas that receive very little direct sunlight. Most production occurs from March through May.
- Shade tolerance:
tolerant - pH requirement:
5.8-7.0 - Planting dates:
Zone 1: 8/15-10/15
Zone 2: 8/15-10/15
Zone 3: 8/15-10/15 - Planting rate:
15 lbs/acre (drill)
20 lbs/acre (broadcast) - Varieties:
Mt. Barker
Woogenellup
Daliak
Clare - Inoculant:
WR
Brassica: Brassicas, such as rape and turnips, provide excellent nutrition during winter for post-rut recovery and into the spring for antler development. They generally grow best at cooler temperatures. Often, brassicas must receive several hard frosts before they become attractive to deer, which makes brassicas good forage for late winter.
Rape
Brassica napus- Forage rape can provide forage during the colder months when other cool-season forages are slow growing or dormant. The dwarf rape varieties are best for deer forage. Typically, a few hard freezes are necessary for the plants to become palatable to deer, which makes them attractive during the winter months.
- Shade tolerance:
not shade tolerant - pH requirement:
6.0-7.0 - Planting dates:
Zone 1: 9/1-10/15
Zone 2: 9/1-10/15
Zone 3: 9/1-10/15
Zone 4: 5/1-7/1, 8/1-9/1 - Planting rate:
5 lbs/acre (drill)
8 lbs/acre (broadcast) - Varieties:
Dwarf Essex
T-Raptor
Turnips
Brassica rapa- Turnips are best known for the large root they produce, but the leaf growth may also be consumed by deer. It may take a few years for deer to discover the roots, but in subsequent years deer may seek out turnip bulbs. Turnips will not grow well in poorly drained soil.
- Shade tolerance:
not shade tolerant - pH requirement:
6.0-7.0 - Planting dates:
Zone 1: 9/1-10/15
Zone 2: 9/1-10/15
Zone 3: 9/1-10/15
Zone 4: 5/1-7/1, 8/1-9/1 - Planting rate:
5 lbs/acre (drill)
8 lbs/acre (broadcast) - Varieties:
Appin
Pasja
Purpletop
Cool season mixes: Mixes provide a variety of forages with different germination and growth characteristics. Such variety stabilizes forage production and maintains nutritional quality for a longer period than any single forage. Below are list of cool-season mixes. Although there is certainly an infinite list of combinations, these mixes have a history of producing good deer forage throughout the hunting season (Hunting Plot Mix) and even into the summer months (Annual Clover Mix). All the rates listed are for broadcast and should be reduced if you are drilling the seed.
Hunting Plot Mix
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This is a very cost-effective mix for the hunting season and provides deer forage in early spring to help those bucks recover from the rut.
Oats – broadcast 50 lbs/acre
Wheat – broadcast 50 lbs/acre
Crimson Clover – broadcast 15 lbs/acre
Annual Clover Mix
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This is a favorite mix of the MSU Deer Lab because deer forage is available during the hunting season and throughout the spring and summer. To get the most out of this mix, herbicides will need to be applied in spring.
Oats – broadcast 40 lbs/acre
Wheat – broadcast 40 lbs/acre
Crimson Clover – broadcast 15 lbs/acre
Red Clover – broadcast 10 lbs/acre (if red clover is not available, you can substitute arrowleaf clover at a broadcast rate of 5 lbs/acre).
Brassica Mix
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For an attractive food plot in the late-season, consider the brassica mix. In the South, brassicas become most attractive during the late season because a few heavy frosts are needed to make them palatable to deer.
Oats – broadcast 40 lbs/acre
Wheat – broadcast 40 lbs/acre
Forage Rape – broadcast 4 lbs/acre
Winter Pea Mix
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Austrian winter peas should always be mixed with a companion crop like cereal grains because when peas mature, they are typically consumed within a week or two. Adding oats, wheat, etc. will provide more forage for deer throughout the fall and winter.
Oats – broadcast 40 lbs/acre
Wheat – broadcast 40 lbs/acre
Austrian Winter Peas – broadcast 20 lbs/acre
Crimson Clover – broadcast 10 lbs/acre
Planting Zone Map |
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