Best deer food plot to plant in spring

Last updated 2026-07-26

What is a food plot, and why plant one in spring?

A food plot is a planted patch of forage, usually a half acre to a few acres, put in specifically to feed and hold deer on a property. It's not the same as a wildlife opening left to go wild or a farm field planted for harvest. The seed mix, timing, and location are chosen with deer nutrition and hunting access in mind. Spring plots are a different job than fall plots. Fall food plots (brassicas, cereal grains) are timed to be attractive and mature right as hunting season opens. Spring plots are about deer health, not October ambush hunts. Does are heading into the last third of pregnancy or already nursing fawns, and bucks are growing antlers, both of which demand a lot of protein and minerals. Research on white-tailed deer nutrition has long shown that lactating does need substantially more dietary protein than deer in other life stages, with requirements commonly cited in the range of 14 to 20% crude protein depending on stage of lactation, well above what dormant winter browse provides ^[1]. That's a big ask for a landscape that's mostly brown sticks and last year's leaf litter in March. Spring is also when you establish the perennial clover or chicory stands that will feed deer for the next 3 to 5 years, so it's arguably more important to long-term herd health than any single fall brassica plot.

What's the best food plot to plant in spring?

White/ladino clover	25-30% (young growth)	3-5 years	Early spring or late summer	Very high
Clover/chicory blend	25-30%+	3-5 years	Early spring or late summer	Very high
Spring oats	12-20%	Annual, one season	Early to mid spring	Moderate
Spring peas (with oats)	20-25%	Annual, one season	Early to mid spring	Moderate
Soybeans (forage type)	30-35% mature	Annual, one season	Late spring, after frost	High if acreage is large enough	Protein figures are general ranges reported across extension forage publications and vary by soil fertility, maturity, and moisture; treat them as ballpark, not lab-certified numbers for your field. If you're not sure which of these fits your soil, acreage, and goals, a food plot whitetail plan built around your specific dirt beats guessing off a bag label.

For most properties, a perennial white clover blend (ladino or a ladino/red clover mix) is the best all-around spring plot. It establishes fast, tolerates repeated grazing pressure better than almost anything else you can plant, and comes back year after year if you maintain it. Add chicory to the mix and you get a deep-rooted plant that holds up in drought and adds even more protein. If you want tonnage fast and don't mind replanting annually, spring oats or a spring pea/oat combination is the other strong option. Oats germinate quickly in cool soil, tolerate a light frost, and give deer a green, palatable food source within 3 to 4 weeks of planting. Here's how the common spring options stack up: | Plot type | Protein content | Stand life | Best planting window | Grazing tolerance |

Do deer like clover, and is it worth planting?

Yes. Clover is consistently one of the most preferred and most planted food plot forages in the whitetail world. It's high in protein, it regrows fast after grazing, and it's available for most of the growing season rather than a short fall window. University of Tennessee Extension's wildlife food plot guidance recommends ladino white clover as a base perennial specifically because it tolerates close, repeated grazing and keeps producing through summer when many annuals stall out ^[2]. White clover (including ladino types) tends to be the most planted because it's cheap, shade-tolerant compared to alfalfa, and handles heavy deer traffic without dying out. Red clover grows a bit taller and can handle drier soils slightly better, but it's shorter-lived, usually 2 to 3 years versus 3 to 5 for a good ladino stand. The catch with clover is that it needs decent soil pH, generally 6.0 to 6.5, to really perform. If your soil test comes back at 5.2, clover will struggle no matter how good the seed is, and lime takes months to fully react in the soil. That's why a soil test before you plant matters more than the seed choice itself.

When should you plant food plots for deer, generally?

Timing splits into two seasons: spring plantings for perennials and summer forages, and late summer/early fall plantings for annual brassicas and cereal grains that need to be ready by hunting season. There isn't one calendar date, it depends entirely on your soil temperature and your last frost date, which shift by hundreds of miles across whitetail range. As a rough national frame, most spring food plot seeding happens from mid-April through late May in the central and northern whitetail belt, and can start as early as March in the Deep South. The rule extension agronomists use isn't a date on a calendar, it's soil temperature: most spring plot seeds want soil at 50°F or warmer and climbing, with frost risk mostly behind you. Clemson Cooperative Extension's forage establishment guidance ties spring legume seeding to soil temperature and regional frost-free dates rather than fixed calendar days, since both vary by elevation and latitude across a single state ^[3]. Fall plots (brassicas, winter wheat, winter rye) run on the opposite clock, roughly 60 to 90 days before your average first hard frost, so those get planted in August or September depending on zone. If you're planning both a spring plot and a fall plot on the same property, you're really running two separate planting operations, not one.

When to plant clover for deer

Clover can go in the ground in either spring or late summer, and both windows work, but spring is the more forgiving one for beginners. Plant clover in early spring once the ground is workable and frost danger is mostly past, generally when soil temps are in the 50s and rising. A late-summer clover planting (typically August) also works well and lets the clover establish before winter dormancy, coming back strong the next spring. The tradeoff: a late-summer seeding is more exposed to drought stress right after germination, while a spring seeding has to compete with spring weeds. Either way, use a cultipacker or light disking to get good seed-to-soil contact. Clover seed is tiny, and if it's sitting on top of loose soil or buried under an inch of dirt, germination rates drop hard. Most spring clover mixes call for a shallow seeding depth of a quarter inch or less.

When to plant oats for deer

Oats can be planted in either spring or late summer/fall, and deer will eat them at almost any growth stage, which is why oats show up in both spring nurse-crop mixes and fall food plot blends. For a spring plot, get oats in the ground as soon as the soil can be worked, generally 2 to 4 weeks before your last expected frost, since oats tolerate cool soil and light frost better than most warm-season plants. Spring oats are typically planted 1 to 2 inches deep at roughly 2 to 3 bushels (about 64 to 96 lbs) per acre when drilled, or slightly heavier if broadcast, though exact rates vary by region and mix, so check your specific seed tag. A lot of plotters use oats as a nurse crop alongside spring clover. The oats come up fast and give deer something to eat, and give you visible green in the plot, while the slower-establishing clover gets its roots down underneath. The oats naturally fade out after a few months, leaving the clover as your long-term stand.

When to plant turnips for deer, and why not in spring

Turnips are a fall food plot plant, not a spring one, and planting them in spring is one of the more common mistakes new plotters make. Turnips and other brassicas need cooling, shortening days to trigger the sugar conversion in their leaves and bulbs that makes them attractive to deer late in the season. Planted in spring heat, they bolt to seed or get bitter, and deer often ignore them. The standard turnip planting window is roughly late July through early September, timed so the plant has 80 to 90 days to mature before your first hard frost, per most land-grant extension brassica guides. That puts peak turnip attractiveness right around October and November, which is exactly why they're a hunting-season plot, not a spring recovery plot. If you've got a spring itch to plant something brassica-family, radishes and turnips just aren't it. Save that bag of seed for August.

Do deer eat sorghum?

Yes, deer eat sorghum, both the grain heads and the foliage, and it's used in some food plot mixes as a summer forage and fall grain source. Whitetails will browse young sorghum plants and later feed on the grain heads once they mature, and it's also a solid cover and screening plant because it grows tall and thick. Sorghum isn't usually the centerpiece of a spring plot, though. It's a warm-season grain planted after soil warms into the 60s, typically late spring into early summer, which puts it more in the summer-plot category than the true early-spring category. It also needs decent fertility and full sun to perform, and on small plots it can get outcompeted by faster germinating annuals. Where sorghum earns its spot is in fall/winter food plots as a grain source alongside corn and beans, and as a screening strip planted alongside a hunting plot to break line of sight.

What is a deer's favorite food, and does that change in spring?

There's no single universal favorite. Deer preference shifts by season, region, and whatever's locally abundant, but research consistently ranks legumes (clover, soybeans, alfalfa) and mast crops like acorns near the top of preferred whitetail foods across most of their range. Extension deer nutrition publications note that whitetails select forages largely based on protein content and digestibility, with legumes and soft mast ranking among the highest-quality natural foods available through the growing season ^[1]. In spring specifically, deer are shifting from a winter diet of woody browse and stored fat reserves toward green forage as it becomes available, so early spring green-up (clover, forbs, new leaf growth) becomes disproportionately attractive simply because it's the first digestible protein source after winter. That's part of why a green clover plot in March or April can pull deer hard even though the plant itself isn't exotic or special. It's just first in line when little else is green yet. Acorns beat almost everything in fall when they're dropping, but they're irrelevant in spring since the crop is long gone by then.

Do deer like honey, or anything sweet, as bait or attractant?

There's no real evidence deer specifically seek out honey, and it's not a practical food plot or attractant strategy. Deer are drawn to sugar and salt generally (which is part of why molasses-based mineral licks and sweetened feed products exist), but plain honey isn't something wild deer encounter or key in on in nature, and it's not backed by any wildlife agency or extension guidance as a deer attractant. If you're trying to pull deer with something sweet, that's really the mineral/attractant category, not the food plot category, and it runs into a separate legal issue: many states classify supplemental feed, minerals, and attractants under baiting rules that are completely separate from food plot regulations. Food plots (seed planted and left to grow in place) are legal almost everywhere. Baiting (hauling in feed, minerals, or scent products) is banned or restricted in a lot of states, especially during firearms season. Michigan, for example, prohibits baiting and feeding of deer in the Lower Peninsula and in parts of the Upper Peninsula under its wildlife feeding order, with narrow exceptions for food plots and normal agricultural practices ^[4]. Check your state wildlife agency's baiting and feeding regulations before using any mineral, sweet attractant, or supplemental feed product, since rules vary by state and sometimes by county, often tied to CWD management zones.

Spring plot planning: soil test, seed rate, and equipment basics

Before anything gets planted, pull a soil test. Cooperative extension offices in most states will run a soil test for somewhere in the range of $8 to $20 depending on the lab and state, and it's the cheapest insurance you can buy for a food plot. Your test tells you pH and nutrient levels (P, K, and sometimes micronutrients), and your lab's lime and fertilizer recommendations are the actual authority here, not a general seed bag chart. Most clover and legume plots want soil pH around 6.0 to 6.5. If your test comes back below that, get lime down as early as possible, since it can take several months to fully adjust soil pH depending on soil type and lime source. Skipping lime on acidic soil is probably the single most common reason a spring clover plot fails to thrive even when everything else was done right. It's a slow fix, not a fast one, so timing matters. Equipment-wise, spring plots don't demand much: a disk or tiller to break ground, a cultipacker or roller (or even a chained drag or ATV tire) to firm the seed bed, and either a broadcast spreader or a no-till drill depending on your seed. Clover and other small seeds need shallow, firm seed-to-soil contact; oats and peas can be drilled deeper or lightly disked in. If you're weighing which seed mix actually fits your acreage, sun exposure, and soil results rather than just grabbing what's on the shelf, a $99 Custom Food Plot Plan from PlotSeason will build that out from your soil test and property specifics instead of a generic bag recommendation.

Spring vs. fall food plots: what's the real difference?

Main goal	Herd nutrition, antler/fawn support	Hunting-season attraction
Typical species	Clover, chicory, oats, peas, soybeans	Brassicas (turnips, radishes), winter wheat, winter rye
Planting window	March-May (zone dependent)	Late July-September
Stand life	Multi-year (clover) or annual	Mostly annual
Peak deer use	Green-up through summer	October-December	A property with both a strong spring clover field and a fall brassica plot is covering deer nutrition year-round, which is really the goal if you've got the acreage to run more than one plot. For more on how different plot types serve different jobs across the year, see deer food plots and deer food plot seed.

Spring plots are built for herd nutrition through the growing season. Fall plots are built to be attractive and mature right when hunting season opens. They use different plant families almost entirely, and mixing up the timing is the fastest way to waste a bag of seed. | Factor | Spring plot | Fall plot |

Frequently asked questions

Do deer eat sorghum?

Yes. Deer browse young sorghum foliage and eat the grain heads once mature. It's mostly used as a summer/fall forage and grain plant, plus a tall screening cover, rather than a core early-spring plot species.

Do deer eat clover?

Yes, and clover is one of the most preferred food plot forages for whitetails. It's high in protein (roughly 25-30% in young growth), regrows fast after grazing, and stays available most of the growing season, which is why it's the standard spring perennial choice.

When to plant deer food plots?

It depends on the plot type. Spring perennials (clover, chicory) and summer annuals (oats, peas, soybeans) go in once soil hits roughly 50°F and frost risk has passed, generally March-May by zone. Fall brassicas and cereal grains go in 60-90 days before your first hard frost, usually August-September.

Do deer like clover?

Yes, clover ranks among the top preferred whitetail forages in extension research, largely due to its high protein content and season-long availability. White or ladino clover is the most commonly planted type because it tolerates heavy grazing and shade better than alfalfa.

When to plant oats for deer?

Plant spring oats as soon as soil can be worked, roughly 2-4 weeks before your last expected frost, since oats tolerate cool soil and light frost well. Oats can also be planted in late summer for a fall plot; either window works, oats just aren't picky about temperature.

When to plant food plots for deer?

Spring plots go in roughly mid-March through May depending on your zone and soil temperature. Fall plots (brassicas, cereal grains) go in roughly late July through September, timed 60-90 days before your area's first hard frost.

When to plant turnips for deer?

Turnips are a fall plant, not a spring one. Plant them roughly late July through early September so they mature (80-90 days) right around your first frost, when cooling temperatures sweeten the leaves and bulbs and make them attractive to deer.

What is a food plot?

A food plot is a planted area, usually a half acre to several acres, seeded specifically to feed deer and hold them on a property. It differs from a farm crop field in that seed selection, timing, and placement are chosen around deer nutrition and hunting access rather than harvest yield.

What are deer's favorite foods?

There's no single universal favorite; it shifts by season and region. Research generally ranks legumes (clover, soybeans, alfalfa) and acorns as top preferred foods across whitetail range, with acorns dominating in fall and green forage like clover dominating right after winter.

Do deer like honey?

There's no real evidence deer specifically seek out honey, and it isn't a practical food plot or attractant strategy backed by wildlife agencies. Deer are drawn to sugar and salt generally, which is why mineral licks exist, but plain honey isn't something they naturally key in on.

What's the single best spring food plot if I can only plant one thing?

A ladino white clover or clover/chicory blend. It establishes in one spring, feeds deer for 3-5 years, handles heavy grazing pressure, and covers the exact window (spring through summer) when does need protein for lactation and bucks need it for antler growth.

Can I plant a fall brassica plot in spring instead?

Not successfully. Brassicas like turnips and radishes need cooling, shortening fall days to trigger the sugar conversion that makes them palatable. Planted in spring heat, they tend to bolt to seed or turn bitter, and deer generally won't touch them.

How much does a soil test cost before planting a spring plot?

Most state cooperative extension soil labs charge somewhere in the $8 to $20 range per sample, though it varies by state and lab. It's the cheapest step in the whole process and tells you the pH and lime needs that determine whether clover will actually thrive.

Is baiting or supplemental feeding legal alongside a food plot?

Food plots (seed grown in place) are legal in nearly every state. Baiting and supplemental feeding (hauling in loose feed, minerals, or attractants) is banned or restricted in many states, especially during firearms season or in CWD management zones. Check your state wildlife agency's current regulations before using any feed or mineral product.

Sources

1. Verme, L.J. and Ullrey, D.E., "Physiology and Nutrition" in White-Tailed Deer: Ecology and Management, cited via Mississippi State University Extension deer nutrition guidance: Lactating does have elevated protein requirements, commonly cited in the range of 14 to 20% crude protein depending on stage of lactation.
2. University of Tennessee Extension, "Establishing and Managing Wildlife Food Plots" (PB 1769): Ladino white clover is recommended as a base perennial food plot forage because it tolerates close, repeated grazing and keeps producing through summer.
3. Clemson Cooperative Extension, forage establishment guidance: Spring legume seeding dates are tied to soil temperature and regional frost-free dates rather than a single fixed calendar date.
4. Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Deer and Elk Feeding and Baiting Restrictions (Wildlife Conservation Order): Michigan prohibits baiting and feeding of deer in the Lower Peninsula and portions of the Upper Peninsula under its wildlife feeding order, with narrow exceptions.
5. Clemson Cooperative Extension, "Soil Testing" (LGP 1000): Cooperative extension soil labs typically charge a modest per-sample fee, and lime/fertilizer recommendations from the test results guide amendment decisions rather than generic seed-bag charts.