Last updated 2026-07-25
TL;DR
grandpa ray's is a branded food plot seed blend sold mostly through TV and online ads, mixing clover, brassicas, oats or grains, and sometimes chicory. deer eat all of these to varying degrees. whether it beats a cheaper regional blend depends on your soil, region, and planting date, not the marketing. a $12 soil test tells you more than any seed label.
what is grandpa ray's food plot seed, exactly
Grandpa Ray's is a branded food plot seed product sold through direct-response TV and online marketing, positioned as a one-bag solution for attracting deer. Like most bagged blends in this category, it combines several plant species into a single mix, typically some combination of clover, brassica (turnip, radish, or rape), cereal grain (oats or wheat), and sometimes chicory or sorghum-type filler. The pitch is simple: one bag, one planting, deer show up. That pitch isn't unique to this brand. Whitetail Institute, Biologic, Mossy Oak BioLogic, and a dozen smaller regional companies sell the same basic concept: a multi-species blend meant to give you tonnage early (from the grain) and a perennial or cool-season draw later (from the clover or brassica). There's nothing wrong with a blended bag as a category. The real question isn't "is this brand magic," it's "does this specific mix match my region, my soil, and my planting window." A blend built for a 200-day growing season in Georgia doesn't perform the same in Minnesota, no matter whose name is on the bag. That's the part no seed label can tell you, because it depends on your dirt and your climate zone, not the brand. If you want a fully worked planting plan for your specific soil test and zone instead of a generic bag, that's the whole point of a Custom Food Plot Plan, a $99 one-time build using your soil results and location rather than a one-size mix.
do deer eat sorghum
Yes, deer eat sorghum, both the grain heads and the young leaves, but it's a secondary food source rather than a preferred one. Grain sorghum (milo) is more commonly planted for its standing cover and winter grain value than as a top attractant. Deer will browse sorghum seedlings in summer and eat the grain heads once they mature and dry down, especially in late fall and winter when the seed head hangs at deer height. Deer research and extension programs generally rank sorghum below soybeans, corn, and clover in preference-based feeding studies, but it holds up well as a standing winter forage because the stalk stays upright under snow load better than corn does in some regions. Whitetail Institute and several university plot trials use sorghum more as a nurse crop or wildlife cover species than a primary attractant. If your goal is late-season standing grain, sorghum is a reasonable choice in the South and lower Midwest. It's a weaker choice if you're trying to pull deer in during early bow season, when soft browse like soybeans or clover draws more consistently.
do deer eat clover, and do deer like clover
Yes, deer eat clover heavily, and it's one of the most consistently preferred food plot forages across the whitetail's range. Clover (white clover, red clover, and ladino varieties) offers 20 to 25% crude protein in vegetative growth stages, which matters most in spring and summer when does are lactating and bucks are growing antlers [1]. Perennial clover plots get browsed from spring green-up through fall, then again the following spring, which is why they're a staple in food plot systems rather than a one-season planting. University extension data consistently shows clover among the top-tested forages for digestibility and crude protein content in deer diet studies [1]. The catch with clover is establishment and maintenance. It needs a soil pH close to 6.0 to 6.5 to really produce, needs mowing two or three times a season to keep from getting shaded out by weeds, and needs a nitrogen-fixing head start (usually via inoculant on the seed) if you're planting into ground that hasn't hosted legumes before [2]. A cheap clover blend planted on a pH 5.0 field will underperform badly regardless of brand. This is where a soil test earns its keep. Your test results, not the seed bag, tell you what pH correction and starter fertilizer that specific field actually needs, and your lab's recommendation is the authority on lime and fertilizer rates, not any seed company's blanket instructions. For a broader look at how clover fits into a plot rotation, see food plot whitetail and deer food plot seed.
when to plant food plots for deer
Planting windows split into two seasons: spring/summer plots (usually warm-season annuals and clover establishment) and late-summer/fall plots (brassicas, cereal grains, and clover). The exact date depends entirely on your USDA hardiness zone and first-frost date, which varies by more than two months across whitetail range. As a rough framework: spring plantings (soybeans, clover, chicory) go in after your last frost date, generally April through June depending on latitude. Fall plantings (brassicas, cereal grains, winter peas) go in 60 to 90 days before your average first frost, so the plot matures right as hunting season opens. You can check your specific last and first frost dates through NOAA's climate normals or your state extension's planting calendar, since a blanket "plant in September" instruction is wrong for a big chunk of the country [3]. A Georgia hunter planting brassicas in early September is a month or more behind a hunter in Minnesota planting the same crop in early August, because Minnesota's first frost arrives that much earlier. For region-specific timing built around your zone rather than a generic calendar, that's exactly the kind of detail baked into a Custom Food Plot Plan.
when to plant oats for deer
Oats are a fall-planted cereal grain in most whitetail range, going in 60 to 75 days before your first hard frost so they have time to establish before cold really sets in. In the Midwest and Northeast, that generally means mid-August through early September. In the Southeast, oats can go in as late as October since frost arrives much later [4]. Oats germinate fast (5 to 10 days in warm soil) and put on quick, tender growth that deer hit hard in the first few weeks after emergence, which is why they're a common carrier crop mixed with clover or brassicas in fall blends. The tradeoff is winter-hardiness: oats generally don't survive a hard freeze the way winter wheat or cereal rye does, so in northern zones they act as a fall annual rather than something that carries a plot into late winter [4]. If you want grain that survives into deep winter in cold climates, winter rye or wheat is the better call over oats. Oats win if your goal is fast fall tonnage and you're not counting on the plot in February.
when to plant turnips for deer, and do deer eat brassicas well
Turnips and other brassicas (radish, rape, canola-type forage) are planted 90 to 100 days before your first frost, which in most of the whitetail's range lands somewhere between late July and mid-August [4]. That window matters more with brassicas than almost any other food plot crop, because the bulb needs the full growing season to size up before frost triggers the starch conversion that makes brassicas palatable. Here's the part that trips people up every year: deer often ignore brassica plots completely until after the first hard frost. Frost converts starches in the leaves and bulb into sugars, and that's when deer suddenly start hammering a plot they walked past for two months [4]. If you plant late and the frost hits before the plants matured, you get a thin, bitter plot deer won't touch. Planting on time is the single biggest factor in whether a brassica plot works at all. Mississippi State University Extension's food plot planting guide lays out these windows by crop family and confirms the frost-driven palatability shift in brassicas [4].
what is a food plot
A food plot is a planted area on hunting land, typically a half-acre to several acres, seeded with forage crops to supplement a deer herd's natural diet and concentrate deer activity in a location a hunter can watch or hunt. Food plots aren't a wildlife feeding program in the legal sense in most states; they're planted crops that happen to attract game, which is why they're generally legal where supplemental feeding with piled grain or minerals is restricted or banned. That distinction matters. States regulate baiting and feeding very differently. Michigan, for example, prohibits feeding and baiting deer in the Lower Peninsula in most circumstances under its wildlife feeding rules, while a planted food plot is not considered bait under that same rule [5]. Other states like Pennsylvania have their own separate feeding bans tied to chronic wasting disease management zones [6]. Always check your state wildlife agency's current baiting and feeding regulations before assuming a food plot changes your legal standing on supplemental feed, because the rules genuinely vary and change year to year. Functionally, food plots serve three overlapping goals: nutrition (especially spring/summer protein for antler growth and lactation), attraction (concentrating deer near a stand for the hunt), and habitat (screening cover, edge structure, and reduced pressure on native browse). Most serious plot programs run a mix of plot types across a property rather than one plot doing everything. See deer food plots and food plot seed for how a full rotation typically breaks down.
what are deer's favorite foods
Deer preference isn't fixed; it shifts by season, region, and what's locally available, but repeated forage studies and extension feeding trials put a consistent short list at the top: acorns, soybeans, clover, and native forbs generally rank highest where they're available [7]. Acorns in particular are a fall staple that outcompetes almost any planted food plot when they're dropping heavily, which is why plot activity can go quiet during a big mast year. Among planted crops, soybeans and clover consistently test at the top of preference and nutrition studies, both offering crude protein in the high teens to mid-20s percent range during active growth [1] [7]. Brassicas rank high but only after frost sweetens them. Corn and grain sorghum rank lower on protein but hold value as high-energy, high-carb food for winter fat reserves. None of this means plant only soybeans and clover and ignore everything else. A property with only high-preference forage in one season and nothing in another leaves a gap; the strongest plot programs stagger species so something is drawing deer across spring, summer, fall, and winter rather than betting on one crop type doing it all.
do deer like honey, and does it belong in a food plot
There's no real evidence deer seek out honey as a food source, and it's not a planted crop, so it doesn't fit into a food plot conversation the way clover or brassicas do. This question shows up because some mineral and attractant products marketed to hunters use "honey" or sweet-scented additives as a flavoring gimmick in licks and sprays, not because deer forage on honey in the wild. Deer are herbivores built around browse, forbs, mast, and grasses; they don't raid beehives or seek out sugar sources the way bears do. If you see a product claiming a honey-based scent draws deer, treat that as a marketing angle rather than a nutrition claim backed by any wildlife research. Save your money for lime, fertilizer, and seed that actually grows something in the ground.
how do bagged blends like grandpa ray's compare to building your own mix
| Time to plan | Low, pour and go | Higher, you pick species and ratios | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regional fit | Fixed, same bag nationwide | Full control, matched to your zone | |
| Cost per acre | Usually higher | Usually lower, varies by dealer | |
| Species ratio control | None | Full | |
| Good for beginners | Yes | Requires more homework | The honest take: a bagged blend isn't a bad option for a first-time plotter who wants to get something in the ground without researching seven crop families. But once you've got a season or two under your belt and a soil test in hand, building your own mix from clover, brassica, and grain seed bought separately almost always gets you a better plot for the same or less money, because you're matching species to your actual frost dates and soil pH instead of a national-average bag. For seed sourced by species rather than a fixed blend, see deer food plot seed and domain food plot seed. |
Bagged multi-species blends save time and take the guesswork out of ratio-mixing, but they cost more per acre than buying straight species seed and blending it yourself, and you have zero control over which varieties or ratios are in the bag. A straight bag of climate-appropriate clover seed, bought from a farm co-op or regional seed dealer, often runs meaningfully cheaper per planted acre than a name-brand blend bag covering the same acreage, though exact pricing varies a lot by region and year and is worth checking against your local co-op before assuming either way. Here's a general comparison of how bagged multi-species blends stack up against building your own mix from single-species seed: | Factor | Bagged multi-species blend | Build-your-own mix |
what your soil test should drive before you buy any seed, branded or not
A soil test (roughly $10 to $20 through most university extension labs) tells you pH, phosphorus, potassium, and often organic matter, and that data should decide your lime and fertilizer plan before you decide which seed bag to buy [2]. Clover and brassicas both want a pH in the 6.0 to 6.8 range to really produce; plant either one into pH 5.2 clay and you'll get a thin stand no matter how good the seed genetics are. Your extension soil report will give you a lime recommendation in tons per acre and a fertilizer recommendation in pounds of N-P-K per acre. That report, from your specific test on your specific field, is the authority here, not a general rule of thumb printed on a seed bag or in this article. Follow your lab's numbers. This is also where a lot of hunters waste money on premium seed. Spending $60 on a bag of top-shelf clover blend and skipping the $15 soil test and lime application is backwards. Lime takes months to fully react in the soil, so if your test says you need it, get it down as early in the season as you can, even ahead of the seed you plan to plant [2].
how a custom plan differs from a bagged blend
A bagged seed product is built for the entire country at once. A Custom Food Plot Plan is built around your soil test numbers, your USDA zone, your acreage, and your equipment, which is a different problem to solve than "what's in this bag." The Custom Food Plot Plan is a $99 one-time build: you provide your soil test results, location, and plot size, and get back species picks, planting windows, and rates suited to that specific field, not a generic national blend. It's guidance, not a guarantee of deer activity or harvest success, and your soil lab's fertilizer and lime recommendations still take priority over any general planting advice, including ours. If you're deciding between a bagged product like Grandpa Ray's and a planned-out species mix, the deciding factor should be whether you already know your soil pH, your frost dates, and which crop family fits your gap in the calendar. If you don't know those three things yet, that's the actual starting point, more than which bag has the best marketing.
Frequently asked questions
do deer eat sorghum
Yes. Deer browse young sorghum leaves in summer and eat the grain heads in fall and winter once they dry down. It ranks below soybeans, clover, and corn in most preference studies but works well as standing winter cover and grain in the South and lower Midwest [1].
do deer eat clover
Yes, heavily. Clover is one of the most consistently preferred food plot forages, offering 20 to 25% crude protein during active growth, which matters most for lactating does in spring and antler-growing bucks in summer [2].
when to plant deer food plots
It depends on your zone and crop. Spring plots (clover, soybeans) go in after your last frost date. Fall plots (brassicas, cereal grains) go in 60 to 100 days before your first frost, so timing shifts by more than two months between southern and northern states [4].
do deer like clover
Yes. Clover ranks among the top forages in university feeding-preference studies, and it's a perennial, meaning one planting can produce for three to five years with proper mowing and pH maintenance instead of needing replanting every season [2][3].
when to plant oats for deer
Plant oats 60 to 75 days before your area's first hard frost, roughly mid-August to early September in the Midwest and Northeast, later into October in the Deep South. Oats germinate fast but generally don't survive hard winter freezes like rye or wheat do [5].
when to plant food plots for deer
Spring annuals and clover go in after last frost, generally April through June depending on latitude. Fall plots (brassicas, cereal grains) go in 60 to 100 days before first frost. Check your state extension's local planting calendar rather than a national date [4].
when to plant turnips for deer
Plant turnips and other brassicas 90 to 100 days before your area's first frost, generally late July through mid-August across most of whitetail range. The full growing window matters because frost converts starches to sugars, which is when deer really start eating the plot [6].
what is a food plot
A planted area, usually a half-acre to a few acres, seeded with forage crops like clover, brassicas, or grain to supplement deer nutrition and concentrate activity for hunting. Food plots are generally treated differently under state law than piled bait or mineral feeding, but rules vary by state [7][8].
what are deer's favorite foods
Acorns, soybeans, clover, and native forbs consistently rank highest in feeding-preference research, though acorns during a heavy mast year can pull deer off any planted plot entirely. Preference shifts by season and region, so no single crop wins year-round [9].
do deer like honey
There's no wildlife research showing deer seek out honey as a food source. Deer are browsers built around forbs, mast, and forage crops, not sugar sources. Honey-scented attractant products are a marketing flavor gimmick, not a documented deer food preference.
is grandpa ray's food plot seed a good choice for a beginner plot
It can work as a starting point since it removes the guesswork of blending species yourself, but it's a national-average bag, not matched to your soil pH or frost dates. Get a soil test first; the lime and fertilizer correction matters more than which brand of seed goes in the ground.
do I need a soil test before planting a bagged blend
Yes. A soil test, usually $10 to $20 through a university extension lab, tells you pH and nutrient levels. Clover and brassicas both need pH near 6.0 to 6.8 to produce well; planting any seed, branded or not, into uncorrected acidic soil wastes money [3].
Sources
- University of Tennessee Extension, forage crude protein and deer nutrition: Clover offers roughly 20 to 25% crude protein during active vegetative growth
- University of Tennessee Extension / Mississippi State Extension, soil testing and pH for food plots: Clover and brassica food plots need soil pH near 6.0 to 6.8, and a soil test should guide lime and fertilizer rates
- NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, climate normals: First and last frost dates vary widely by region, driving planting date differences of more than two months across zones
- Mississippi State University Extension, fall food plot planting guide: Oats are planted 60 to 75 days before first frost and generally lack winter-hardiness compared to rye or wheat
- Michigan Department of Natural Resources, deer feeding and baiting regulations: Michigan restricts feeding and baiting deer in most of the Lower Peninsula, with planted food plots treated differently than piled bait
- Pennsylvania Game Commission, feeding of wildlife regulations: Pennsylvania restricts wildlife feeding in chronic wasting disease management areas
- USDA Forest Service / university deer diet and forage preference studies: Acorns, soybeans, clover, and native forbs consistently rank among the highest preference foods for white-tailed deer