Would you like to improve your chances of harvesting more deer and turkey during the hunting season? You might improve your hunting success by providing deer with high-quality winter food plots. In most cases, your turkeys will readily use these plots, too.

Plot size and shape

The ideal size of a winter food plot is from 1 to 3 acres. Try to plant at least one plot per 100 acres of forestland. Less acreage than this will make your range less attractive to deer, or it may cause early over-grazing.

In general, it is better to have a large number of well-distributed small plots than a small number of large ones. Also, smaller plots reduce the distance hunters are tempted to shoot, which can result in better shot placement and less wounding.

Compared to a round or square plot, an oblong or crescent-shaped plot produces more edge where the plot and the forest meet. The more edge produced, the better the plot.

Location

Locate your winter plots in sites that are already fully or partially open. This will decrease the initial establishment cost and minimize the amount of timber revenue you or the landowner will lose by putting the land in wildlife food plantings. Possible locations for food plots are old logging decks, little-used woods roads, beetle kill areas, idle crop fields, fire breaks or utility rights of way.

If possible, find sites that are level or nearly level. Very dry ridge tops and very wet bottoms should be avoided if other places are available.

Locate plots away from boundary lines, and try not to plant areas that are easily visible from public roads. If you have to plant near a road, you may want to plant a thick screen of evergreen trees or shrubs between the road and the plot.

What to plant

Deer preferences vary from one location to another and with the season. Their preferences are influenced by the availability and variety of natural and planted foods. As the abundance and quality of foods change, the deer change their feeding habits.

Deer select foods that provide certain nutrients needed at certain times of the year. Therefore, a variety of plantings is better than a single crop.

Small grains and clovers are usually planted as cool-season foods for deer. These plants stay green in the winter, and they are attractive to deer. There are many small grain and clover varieties to choose from. Some produce early, while others provide forage production later in the growing season. Mixes are often planted to spread the production over a longer period of time.

Small grain and clover combinations

 The amounts in these mixtures are for planting a 1-acre food plot:

Mix 1

• 2 bushels of wheat

• 1 bushel of oats

• 5 pounds of crimson clover

• 7 pounds of red clover

Mix 2

• 1 bushel of wheat

• 1 bushel of grain rye

• 1 bushel of oats

• 5 pounds of crimson clover

• 7 pounds of red clover

Clover mix 3

• 2 bushels grain rye

• 5 pounds ladino clover

Clover mix 4

• 15 pounds of red clover

• 10 pounds of crimson clover

Mixes 1 and 2 are adapted to a wide variety of soil types and conditions and will have to be replanted annually. Mix 3 will do best on soils that have good moisture-retaining capabilities but are not wet.

Once the lading clover in Mix 3 becomes established, it can persist for five years or longer. Mix 4 will produce on sites that become too dry for lading clovers. Clover Mix 4 probably will produce for 1 or 2 years and then have to be replanted.

Time to plant

Late August to mid-September is the best time to plant cool-season deer foods. Labor Day weekend is the traditional time for planting food plots on many hunting clubs in Alabama. However, there is still plenty of time.

Soil preparation

If possible, break and harrow your plots before planting. This allows rain to settle the soil before planting time. The seedbed should be well-prepared but firm. If lime and fertilizer are recommended by a soil test, they should be incorporated at this time.

It is very important to apply lime, if needed. Lime corrects the pH of soil that is too acid. If the soil is too acid, much of the fertilizer will be tied up in the soil and will not be available to the plants you are trying to grow. Also, some crops, such as clover, are very sensitive to acid soils and will not grow if the pH problem is not corrected.