Last updated 2026-07-24
TL;DR
Deer Creek Seed Inc is a seed supplier, not a food plot service. This guide uses the name as a jumping-off point to cover what deer actually eat (clover, oats, turnips, sorghum), when to plant each by region, and how to plan a plot from soil test to seed drop.
What is a food plot, and why does the seed source matter?
A food plot is a planted area, usually somewhere between a quarter acre and a few acres, seeded with forage or grain to feed and hold deer on a piece of ground. It is not the same as baiting. A food plot is a standing crop that grows in place; baiting is dumping corn, minerals, or other feed on the ground, and a lot of states treat the two very differently under law. Michigan, for example, defines a food plot exemption separately from its baiting restrictions, and hunters need to know which category their state puts each practice in before they plant or pour anything [1]. Companies with names like Deer Creek Seed Inc sell the raw material, the seed itself, whether that is a clover blend, a brassica mix, or a cereal grain. The company name doesn't tell you much on its own. What matters is the species in the bag, the seeding rate on the tag, and whether that seed is suited to your soil and your climate zone. A bag of seed from any seed house, regional co-op, or big box store does the same job if the species and rate are right for your ground. Where a lot of hunters go wrong is skipping the soil test and just planting whatever's on sale. Your local extension office or a private ag lab (many run $10 to $20 per sample) will tell you your pH and nutrient levels, and that data is the actual authority on lime and fertilizer for your dirt, not any seed bag or plot service. Everything downstream, species choice, germination, tonnage, depends on getting that step right first. If you want a structured starting point instead of guessing at species and rates, a Custom Food Plot Plan for $99 gives you a species list and planting calendar built around your zone and your soil test results. It's guidance, not a guarantee of deer traffic, and your soil lab's recommendations always take priority over any generic plan.
When should you plant food plots for deer?
| Clover (perennial) | Spring (Mar-May) or late summer (Aug-Sep) | 60-90 days to first graze | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oats | Late summer (Aug-Sep) | 45-60 days | |
| Turnips/brassicas | Mid-summer to early fall (Jul-Sep) | 60-90 days to bulb | |
| Soybeans | Late spring (May-Jun) | 90-120 days to full pod | |
| Grain sorghum | Late spring (May-Jun) | 90-120 days | For a deeper breakdown by region, see food plot whitetail planning guidance. |
Planting timing depends entirely on what you're growing and your USDA hardiness zone, but the two big windows are spring (April through June for warm-season annuals and perennials) and late summer into early fall (mid-July through September for cool-season annuals like brassicas, cereal grains, and clover). Spring plantings work for warm-season food sources: soybeans, cowpeas, sorghum, and perennial clover establishment. These need soil temps above 55-60°F to germinate well, so timing follows your last frost date, not a calendar date. Southern zones (7-9) can plant as early as March or April; northern zones (3-5) usually wait until May. Late-summer plantings target the fall hunting season directly. Brassicas (turnips, radish), cereal grains (oats, wheat, rye), and clover overseeds go in from mid-July in the far north down through early October in the Deep South. The goal is roughly 45-60 days of growth before your first hard frost, since that's what most brassica and clover varieties need to bulb up or establish a root system before cold shuts growth down [2]. Here's a rough national planting window by species. Always confirm against your local extension's frost date data, because a zone 4 date and a zone 8 date can be two months apart. | Species | Planting window (general) | Days to maturity/usability |
When to plant oats for deer?
Oats go in the ground in late summer, generally mid-August through mid-September in most whitetail range, so they're at their most attractive, tender, leafy growth stage right as bow season opens [3]. Oats are a cool-season annual cereal grain, and they germinate fast, often within 5-7 days in warm, moist soil. The reason oats work so well as a fall plot is timing overlap. Deer key in on oats hardest in the first 4-8 weeks after planting, before the plant hardens off and shifts more of its energy into stem than leaf. Plant too early (say, July in a zone 5-6 climate) and the oats can mature and go to seed before deer season even opens, losing a lot of their palatability. A spring oat planting is possible too, mostly as a nurse crop for establishing clover, but it's not the play if your main goal is fall deer attraction. Stick to the late-summer window if oats are your target species. Oats also winterkill in a lot of northern climates once temps drop into the teens for extended stretches, so don't count on an oat plot to carry you through a late muzzleloader season in Wisconsin or Minnesota. Cereal rye is the better bet there because it survives hard freezes and regreens in spring.
When to plant turnips for deer?
Turnips go in from mid-July to early September, depending on your zone, because they need roughly 80-90 days of growth to bulb out properly and become a real fall and winter food source [2]. Plant too late and you get leafy tops but no bulb development, which cuts the plot's value once the ground freezes and deer start digging. Turnips are a brassica, and brassicas famously get better after a frost. Cold temperatures convert starches in the bulb and leaves to sugars, which is why deer often ignore a turnip plot in October and then hammer it in December. This is well documented in extension brassica trial work, and it's the single biggest reason hunters get frustrated with turnips early season and then find the plot stripped by late season. A northern hunter in zone 4 should plant turnips by late July to hit that 80-90 day window before a September or early October frost. A southern hunter in zone 7-8 has more room and can wait until late August or early September. Mix turnips with oats or a cereal grain if you want early-season leaf attraction plus the late-season bulb payoff. Straight turnip monocultures tend to sit untouched until the weather turns, which frustrates hunters who check trail cameras in October and see nothing happening.
Do deer eat clover, and do they actually like it?
Yes, deer eat clover readily, and it's one of the most consistently used food plot forages across the whitetail's range. Clover is a legume, high in protein (often 20-25% crude protein in vegetative growth stages), and it regrows after grazing, which is what makes it valuable across an entire season instead of a single feeding event [4]. Do deer like clover specifically, versus other forages? Preference studies and field observation both point to clover ranking high, especially in spring and early summer when deer need protein for antler growth and lactation. It's not universally deer's single favorite forage everywhere, that depends heavily on what else is available locally, but it is consistently one of the top food plot performers nationwide because of its regrowth habit and protein content. White clover (Ladino types) and red clover are the two most common food plot species. Ladino handles shade and mowing better; red clover tends to be more drought and heat tolerant but has a shorter productive stand life, often 2-3 years versus 3-5+ for a well-maintained Ladino stand. The tradeoff with clover is establishment time and maintenance. It's slower to get going than a brassica or cereal grain, needs a clean seedbed and good pH (extension guidance generally targets 6.0-6.5 for clover), and it needs mowing a few times a season to keep it from getting shaded out by weeds. If you want something that works quick with less babysitting, an annual cereal or brassica mix is the easier first-year plot. For more on comparing plot forage options, see deer food plot seed.
Do deer eat sorghum?
Yes, deer eat grain sorghum, both the standing grain heads and the young leafy growth, though it's more commonly planted as a summer forage and screening crop than a primary attractant crop compared to soybeans or corn. Sorghum is drought tolerant, which makes it a solid choice in dry regions or sandy soils where corn struggles [5]. Grain sorghum matures in roughly 90-120 days and gets planted in late spring once soil temps are consistently above 60°F. It works double duty in a lot of plot designs: deer browse the young plants, and the mature seed heads provide fall and winter food, plus the standing stalks give screening cover along plot edges, which a lot of hunters use to break sightlines to a stand or blind. One caution: sorghum (and some sorghum-sudangrass hybrids) can develop prussic acid (cyanide compounds) in young, stressed, or frost-damaged growth, which is a documented livestock and wildlife forage risk under certain conditions, particularly drought stress or a light frost that doesn't kill the plant outright [6]. This is a known agronomic issue with sorghum species generally, not something specific to any one seed brand, and it's worth knowing before you plant a large sorghum stand as a dedicated forage plot rather than a mixed screen/grain planting.
What are deer's favorite foods, and does that change by season?
There's no single universal favorite, deer preference shifts hard by season, region, and what's naturally available. In general, though, extension and wildlife agency forage studies consistently show deer favor high-protein legumes (clover, soybeans, cowpeas) in spring and summer, and high-carbohydrate foods (acorns, corn, brassica bulbs, cereal grains) in fall and winter when they need to build fat reserves [7]. Acorns are frequently cited as the single most preferred natural fall food across most of the whitetail's range when they're available in a given year, because of their high fat and carbohydrate content. That's actually one of the biggest challenges food plot hunters run into: a heavy acorn year can make a food plot look like a ghost town in October and November, because deer just don't need it as much when oaks are dropping hard. Among planted food plot species, soybeans are commonly ranked at or near the top for deer preference during the growing season, since they combine high protein with high palatability, hence why soybean plots often get grazed to nothing by August in areas with high deer density. Brassicas and cereal grains take over as the preferred food once frost hits and those soybean leaves are gone. So the honest answer is: favorite food depends on the month. Build a plot plan around a rotation, something green and growing in spring/summer (clover, soybeans), something that peaks in fall/winter (brassicas, cereal grains), rather than betting on one species to do it all.
Do deer like honey, or are 'honey plots' a real thing?
Deer don't eat honey in any meaningful dietary sense, that's not part of their natural forage. What people usually mean by "do deer like honey" is either confusion with commercial deer attractant products (some liquid or granular attractants use molasses, sugar, or apple-based scents, not honey specifically) or the term "honey hole," which is hunter slang for a high-traffic spot, unrelated to actual honey. If you've seen a product marketed with honey or molasses as a deer attractant, understand that's a supplemental scent/taste lure, not a food plot species, and it operates completely differently from planted forage. Also worth flagging: a lot of states classify liquid and granular attractants as bait under game law, even when the product isn't corn or a grain pile. Check your state wildlife agency's regulations before using any attractant product near a stand, since baiting rules vary widely and can carry real penalties. Wisconsin DNR, for instance, defines baiting broadly to include placing "scent or feed" for the purpose of attracting wildlife, and violations are enforceable regardless of the product type [8]. Bottom line: skip the honey question as a planting strategy. It's not a food plot input. Stick to actual forage species (clover, brassicas, cereal grains, legumes) if your goal is a legal, functional plot.
How do you actually plan a food plot from soil test to seed in the ground?
Start with a soil test, not a seed catalog. Pull samples 4-6 inches deep from several spots in the plot, mix them, and send that composite sample to your state land-grant extension lab or a private ag lab. Turnaround is usually 1-2 weeks and cost is typically $10-20 per sample. The report tells you pH, phosphorus, potassium, and often organic matter, and it will give you a lime and fertilizer recommendation specific to whatever crop you tell them you're planting. Your soil test is the authority here, not a seed bag's general instructions and not this article. If your test says you need 2 tons of lime per acre to get from pH 5.2 to pH 6.5, that's the number to follow. Clover and brassicas both want pH in the 6.0-6.5 range for best nutrient uptake; below pH 5.5, phosphorus becomes a lot less available to the plant even if it's in the soil. Next, match species to your soil drainage, sunlight, and your region's frost dates. A shaded plot under a hardwood canopy will struggle with clover but can still grow brassicas or cereal rye reasonably well. A low, wet spot might rot out soybeans but handle a flood-tolerant grain like sorghum. Then work backward from your hunting season to your planting date. If you want a brassica plot peaking the week of Thanksgiving in a zone 5 climate, count back 80-90 days and that's your planting deadline, generally late July to early August. Equipment matters less than people think for a first plot. A disk or tiller, a broadcast spreader, and a way to pack the seed in (a drag harrow, a roller, or even a truck tire) covers most small food plot needs under 2-3 acres. For a full breakdown of gear options by plot size, see equipment for food plots.
Perennial vs annual plots: which should you plant first?
| Establishment time | Fast, 45-90 days | Slow, full season |
|---|---|---|
| Replant frequency | Every year | Every 3-5 years |
| Upfront cost | Lower per planting | Higher first year |
| Maintenance | Minimal | Mowing, periodic fert |
| Best first-plot choice | Yes | Not for beginners |
If you're planting your first plot ever, start with an annual, either a cereal grain/brassica fall mix or a spring soybean/cowpea planting. Annuals are more forgiving of soil prep mistakes, establish faster, and give you a season to learn your ground before committing to a multi-year perennial stand. Perennial clover is the better long-term investment once you know your plot's drainage, sun exposure, and soil chemistry, since a well-maintained clover stand can produce for 3-5 years off one planting, cutting your annual seed and labor cost significantly after year one. The catch is clover takes a full season to really establish and needs mowing 2-4 times a year to stay competitive against weeds. A lot of experienced plotters run both: a perennial clover field as the season-long anchor plot, plus one or two annual brassica/cereal grain plots timed to peak right at bow opener and again after the first hard frost. That combination covers spring/summer protein needs and fall/winter carb needs without betting the whole property on one species. | | Annuals (oats, brassicas, beans) | Perennials (clover) |
What does a seed company like Deer Creek Seed Inc actually provide, and what should you check before buying from any seed source?
A seed company's job is straightforward: supply viable, correctly labeled seed at a fair price. What you should check before buying from Deer Creek Seed Inc or any other seed source is the same short checklist regardless of brand. First, check the seed tag or label for germination percentage and test date. Most states require seed labeling under a version of the Federal Seed Act or state seed law, and germination rates below roughly 80-85% for common food plot species should make you ask questions or negotiate on price [9]. Second, check the actual species and variety listed, more than the marketing name on the bag. "Deer clover blend" tells you nothing about whether it's Ladino, red clover, or a mix, and that matters for your specific soil and shade conditions. Third, check the seeding rate against your plot's actual acreage. A lot of hunters overbuy or underbuy because they eyeball plot size instead of measuring it. A quarter-acre plot is roughly 10,890 square feet, a number worth actually pacing off or measuring with a rangefinder and some math before you order seed. None of this is specific to one company. Any reputable seed supplier, regional co-op, farm store, or online seed house should give you this information without you having to dig for it. If a listing doesn't show germination rate, variety name, and seeding rate per acre, that's a red flag regardless of the brand on the bag.
How much does it cost to plant a food plot, roughly?
Cost varies a lot by plot size, species, and how much equipment you already own, but a rough range for a small (half-acre to 1-acre) plot runs somewhere between $50 and $200 in seed and lime/fertilizer alone, before counting fuel, equipment wear, or any custom planning service. Seed cost per acre ranges widely: clover blends often run $15-40/acre in seed cost, while a soybean planting can run $40-80/acre in seed alone depending on variety and current commodity pricing. Lime is often the biggest hidden cost. If your soil test comes back needing 2 tons per acre and your local price is $30-40/ton delivered and spread, that's $60-80 per acre before any seed goes in the ground, and it's money a lot of first-time plotters don't budget for. Equipment cost is the wildcard. A hunter borrowing a neighbor's disk and spreader might plant a plot for under $100 total. A hunter buying a used ATV disk, a spreader, and a sprayer from scratch could easily spend $1,500-3,000 in one-time equipment cost, which then amortizes over years of plots. If budgeting and species selection feels like the hard part, that's exactly the gap a Custom Food Plot Plan is built to fill for $99: a species list, seeding rates, and a planting calendar matched to your zone and soil test, so you're not guessing at rates or timing. It won't tell you what your specific dirt needs in terms of lime and fertilizer amounts, that's still your soil test's job, but it removes a lot of the species and timing guesswork.
Frequently asked questions
Do deer eat sorghum?
Yes. Deer browse young sorghum leaves and eat mature grain heads. It's drought tolerant and often planted for screening plus fall/winter grain, though sorghum can develop prussic acid under drought or light frost stress, a known risk with the species generally, not one brand's seed.
Do deer eat clover?
Yes, clover is one of the most consistently used food plot forages nationwide. It's high in protein (often 20-25% crude protein in vegetative stages) and regrows after grazing, giving season-long forage rather than a single-use planting.
When to plant food plots for deer?
Spring (April-June) for warm-season annuals like soybeans and sorghum; late summer (mid-July through September) for cool-season annuals like brassicas, oats, and clover. Exact timing depends on your USDA hardiness zone and local frost dates.
Do deer like clover?
Yes, clover ranks consistently high in deer preference studies and field use, especially spring through summer when deer need protein for antler growth and lactation. Preference does shift seasonally and by region depending on what else is locally available.
When to plant oats for deer?
Mid-August through mid-September in most whitetail range, so the oats hit their leafy, tender growth stage right as bow season opens. Oats germinate fast, often 5-7 days, but winterkill in hard northern freezes, so don't count on them past early winter.
When to plant turnips for deer?
Mid-July to early September, depending on zone, since turnips need 80-90 days to bulb properly. Deer often ignore turnip tops early season and hit the bulbs hard after a hard frost converts starches to sugars in the plant.
What is a food plot?
A food plot is a planted area of forage or grain, usually a quarter acre to a few acres, grown to feed and hold deer on a property. It's legally and functionally different from baiting (dumping loose feed), and states regulate the two differently.
What are deer's favorite foods?
There's no single favorite; it shifts by season. Deer favor high-protein legumes (clover, soybeans) in spring/summer and high-carb foods (acorns, brassica bulbs, cereal grains) in fall/winter. Acorns are often the top natural preference when available in a given year.
Do deer like honey?
Not really; honey isn't part of natural deer diet or typical food plot planning. The phrase usually confuses commercial attractant products (which may use molasses or sugar scents) with actual food plot forage, or refers to hunter slang like 'honey hole.'
When to plant food plots for deer in the North vs South?
Northern zones (3-5) generally plant fall plots by mid-July to early August and spring plots in May. Southern zones (7-9) have more flexibility, often planting fall plots into September and spring plots as early as March or April.
How much does a food plot cost to plant?
A small half-acre to 1-acre plot typically runs $50-200 in seed and lime/fertilizer, not counting equipment. Lime is often the biggest hidden cost, sometimes $60-80 per acre alone if your soil test calls for 2 tons per acre.
Should I plant clover or brassicas first if I'm new to food plots?
Start with an annual, like a brassica/cereal grain fall mix or a spring soybean planting. Annuals establish faster and forgive soil prep mistakes better than perennial clover, which needs a full season to establish and ongoing mowing to compete against weeds.
Is baiting deer with feed the same as planting a food plot?
No. A food plot is a standing planted crop; baiting is placing loose feed, minerals, or scent on the ground. States regulate these very differently, and rules vary widely, so check your state wildlife agency's specific definitions before placing any supplemental feed or attractant.
Sources
- Michigan DNR, Baiting and Feeding Regulations: States define food plots separately from baiting, with different legal treatment
- University of Tennessee Extension, Brassicas for Deer Food Plots: Brassicas need roughly 80-90 days to bulb and improve palatability after frost
- Mississippi State University Extension, Fall Food Plots for White-tailed Deer: Oats are planted late summer and are most attractive in early growth stages
- University of Georgia Extension, Clover for Wildlife Food Plots: Clover crude protein content and regrowth habit make it valuable across the season
- Auburn University Extension, Warm Season Food Plot Options: Grain sorghum drought tolerance and maturity timeline of 90-120 days
- Oklahoma State University Extension, Prussic Acid Poisoning: Sorghum species can develop prussic acid under drought stress or frost damage
- Mississippi State University Extension, Deer Nutrition and Food Habits: Seasonal shift in deer forage preference between protein and carbohydrate sources, including acorns
- Wisconsin DNR, Baiting and Feeding Regulations: Wisconsin defines baiting broadly to include scent or feed placed to attract wildlife
- USDA Agricultural Marketing Service, Federal Seed Act: Seed labeling requirements including germination percentage under federal seed law