Food plots are great for wildlife and can keep deer on your property as crops are harvested on neighboring fields. I’m planting a one-half-acre plot, and the seed cost just $18 from my local feed store. Unlike brassicas and soybeans, cereal grains like oats, wheat, and rye continue to grow when they are browsed. When a deer nips the top of many plants, the vegetation dies or fails to develop further.
Winter Wheat, Oats, or Winter Rye?
These three cereal grains are gaining popularity as food plot sources due to their simplicity of planting and the option of two seasons. Winter wheat and rye are frost-resistant and therefore will emerge as spring arrives. Hard frosts will kill feed store oats, yet oats have the most significant appeal for deer in early fall, which is the reason I planted them. I plan to overseed rye in mid-October so that I have a spring food source and fawning cover as the spring crop emerges.
Ease of Planting- Before and After
This is a picture of my lower field that I disked with a tractor. Our hunting club has invested many thousands of dollars in machinery and the necessary equipment for food plots. We learned that they require constant attention, or a field of greens can transform into a field of weeds. We sold our drill, so I’m experimenting with a disk, creating a means of grain to contact the soil. I planted 50 pounds of seed with a hand spreader and then lightly disked the ground again. We finally have some rain in the forecast, and I am looking forward to seeing how this plot works. I’ll keep you posted on progress.