How to plant a clover food plot for deer

Last updated 2026-07-25

what is a food plot and why plant clover specifically

A food plot is a planted patch of forage on hunting land, usually somewhere between a quarter acre and several acres, meant to feed deer and other wildlife and, in a lot of cases, give hunters a place to intercept animals during season. It's not the same as agricultural farming for yield. The goal is attraction and nutrition, not bushels per acre. Clover gets picked more than almost anything else because it's a perennial. Plant it right and you get 3 to 5 years of forage off one seeding, versus replanting annuals like brassicas or cereal grains every single year. Ladino and red clover varieties used in food plots typically run 25-30% crude protein during active growth, which is why does in lactation and bucks growing antlers hit it so hard in late spring and summer ^[1]. Clover also fixes its own nitrogen through rhizobia bacteria in root nodules, so once it's established you're not spreading nitrogen fertilizer on it every year like you would with corn or brassicas. That's a real cost savings over the life of the plot. The tradeoff is clover needs a properly limed, well-drained site and it hates competing with weeds while it's getting started, so the establishment year takes more attention than people expect.

do deer like clover, and is it really a favorite food

Yes. Clover is consistently one of the most preferred forages in whitetail diet studies, and in food plot programs it's often the anchor species because deer return to it through spring, summer, and fall. University research on white-tailed deer foraging behavior has repeatedly shown legumes like clover rank among the top preferred plant groups when available, largely because of the protein content and digestibility ^[1]. Asking about a single "favorite food" for deer is a bit of a trick question, though. Deer diet shifts hard by season and region. In spring and summer, they lean on forbs, clover, and other legumes for protein. In fall, acorns and other hard mast often override everything else when a good acorn crop is on the ground, because deer prioritize fat and carbohydrate reserves heading into winter ^[2]. Soybeans, standing corn, and brassicas each have windows where deer prefer them over clover too. So the honest answer: clover is a top-tier, reliable favorite for spring through fall, but it's not automatically going to beat a hot acorn drop or a picked-over soybean field in October. That's why a lot of plot plans pair clover with a fall annual like brassicas or cereal grains, so there's always something drawing deer regardless of what mast is doing that year.

when to plant clover for deer (by region and season)

Upper Midwest / Northeast	Late April - May	Not recommended (frost risk)
Mid-South / Transition zone	March - April	August - September
Deep South	February - March	September - October	For a full breakdown by zone and species, see the food plot whitetail planting calendar.

Clover can go in during two windows: early spring or late summer, and which one you pick depends mostly on your latitude and your weed pressure. In northern states, spring planting (roughly late March through May, once soil hits about 50 degrees F) is common because it gives clover a full growing season before winter. Late-summer plantings in the North risk a hard freeze killing young seedlings before they root deeply. In the South and transition zone, late summer to early fall (August into September) works well because summer heat is brutal on tiny clover seedlings, and fall rains plus cooler temps let roots establish before winter dormancy. Frost seeding, broadcasting seed onto frozen or thawing ground in late winter so freeze-thaw cycles work it into the soil, is also a legitimate low-cost method used across parts of the Midwest and Northeast. Here's a general planting window reference, though your local extension office and your specific frost dates should be the final word: | Region | Spring window | Late summer/fall window |

what soil prep does clover actually need

Clover is unforgiving about soil pH. It wants 6.0 to 6.5 for good nodulation and nitrogen fixation, and University of Missouri Extension guidance points out that yields and stand persistence drop hard below pH 6.0 because the rhizobia bacteria that fix nitrogen struggle in acidic soil ^[3]. If your soil test comes back at 5.2 or 5.5, which is common on a lot of wooded hunting ground, you are not skipping lime. You're wasting seed if you do. Lime takes time to react, often 3 to 6 months to fully adjust pH depending on soil type and how finely ground the lime is, so ideally you're testing and liming the fall or winter before a spring planting ^[3]. If you're starting from scratch this season and can't wait, get lime down anyway. Partial correction beats none, and it keeps working into future seasons. Beyond pH, clover wants a firm, fine seedbed. Deep tillage that leaves the ground fluffy is actually a problem, because clover seed is tiny (roughly 300,000 to 375,000 seeds per pound for ladino) and needs firm soil contact, not deep burial. A good rule most seed tags follow: cover clover no deeper than 1/4 inch. Too deep and it never emerges. Your soil test lab is the real authority on exact lime and fertilizer rates for your dirt. A soil test costs $10 to $20 through most state extension labs and takes the guesswork out of how many tons of lime per acre you actually need, which can range from under 1 ton to over 3 tons per acre depending on your starting pH and buffer index ^[3].

how do you actually plant clover, step by step

1. Pull a soil test 2 to 3 months ahead if you can, so lime has time to work. Fall soil sample submission for a spring planting is the standard approach recommended by ag extension programs ^[3]. 2. Kill existing vegetation. Spray glyphosate 2 to 3 weeks before planting if you've got sod or heavy weeds, or till it under. A stale seedbed (sprayed, left a couple weeks, then lightly disturbed again to catch a second flush of weeds) gives clover a much better shot at establishing without getting choked out. 3. Lime and fertilize per your soil test results. Clover generally wants decent phosphorus and potassium but little to no nitrogen, since it makes its own once nodulated. 4. Firm the seedbed. Cultipack or drag before seeding if the ground is loose. 5. Seed at 8 to 12 lbs per acre for most ladino/white clover blends, broadcast by hand, ATV spreader, or seed drill. If drilling, set depth at 1/4 inch, no deeper. 6. Cultipack again after seeding (a second pass) to press seed into firm contact with soil. This step gets skipped constantly and it's a big reason plots fail. Clover seed sitting on top of loose soil dries out and dies before it ever roots. 7. Consider inoculant. Many clover seed blends come pre-inoculated with the correct rhizobia strain, but if you're buying raw seed, adding the proper inoculant before planting measurably improves nitrogen fixation and seedling vigor, per Oklahoma State University Extension forage guidance ^[4]. Check the bag; if it's not pre-treated, buy inoculant separately, it's cheap. 8. Water only if you can and it's dry. Most plots aren't irrigated and rely on rain, so timing planting ahead of a forecasted rain window matters more than any other single decision you'll make that day.

when to plant oats for deer, and how they pair with clover

Oats are typically planted as a fall annual, usually August through September in the North and September through October in the South, timed so they green up fast in cool weather and get grazed hard before winter dormancy or a killing freeze. Oats germinate quickly, often in 7 to 10 days under good moisture, which makes them a popular nurse crop planted alongside new clover seedings. The nurse crop trick works like this: you drill oats (or another cereal grain) at a light rate with your clover seed. The oats come up fast, giving deer something to eat and hunt over immediately, while the slower clover establishes underneath, protected somewhat from erosion and weed competition. By the time cold weather kills the oats back, the clover has had a full season to root in. Some plot programs also do spring oats in the upper Midwest and Northeast, planted March through April as a quick, cheap green-up, though fall is by far the more common and more effective window since deer browse pressure on new spring growth tends to be lighter than fall food scarcity drives it to be.

when to plant turnips for deer

Turnips go in mid to late summer, generally late July through August in most of the whitetail range, timed so the plants have 80 to 90 days to bulb up before a hard frost sweetens the tubers and foliage. Frost actually improves turnip palatability, converting starches to sugars, which is why deer often ignore turnip plots in September and hammer them in December and January. Turnips are a brassica, not a legume, so they don't fix nitrogen like clover does and generally want a moderate nitrogen application at planting per soil test recommendations. They're a poor pairing in the same exact spot as clover in year one, since brassicas want more open ground and different fertility, but a lot of hunters run a clover field next to a brassica field so they've got a spring/summer draw and a late fall/winter draw on the same property. If you're building a whole-property plan, matching plot species to season is really the core decision. That's exactly the kind of layout question the deer food plot seed guide and a Custom Food Plot Plan get into: it costs $99 one time and walks through species and timing for your specific acreage and region. It's general planning guidance though, not a substitute for your soil test lab's site-specific lime and fertilizer recommendations.

when to plant food plots for deer overall (a season by season view)

There's no single answer because "food plot" covers a dozen different species with different clocks. Broadly: Spring plantings (March through May depending on latitude): clover, chicory, some warm-season annuals like soybeans and corn once soil hits 55-60 degrees F. Summer plantings (June through July): soybeans and corn if not already in, plus buckwheat as a fast, cheap summer cover crop. Late summer/fall plantings (late July through October): brassicas (turnips, radishes, rape), cereal grains (oats, wheat, rye), and clover in southern zones. Frost seeding (late winter, February in much of the transition zone): clover broadcast onto frozen ground, letting freeze-thaw cycles work seed into soil without any equipment. Your local frost dates and soil temperature matter more than the calendar month. A university extension office can give you actual average last-frost and first-frost dates for your county, which is the real starting point for backing into any planting window. For a laid-out month-by-month calendar broken down by zone, the deer food plots planting calendar covers this in more depth.

do deer eat sorghum, and does it belong in a clover plot rotation

Yes, deer eat grain sorghum, particularly the seed heads once they mature and dry down in fall, and sorghum is sometimes planted as a summer annual similar to corn, valued for drought tolerance in areas where corn struggles with dry conditions. It's a warm-season grass planted after soil warms past roughly 60-65 degrees F, typically May through June. Sorghum isn't a clover substitute, though. It doesn't fix nitrogen, it's an annual you replant every year, and it wants a decent nitrogen and potassium program per soil test to produce well. Where sorghum fits is as a fall/winter standing grain crop, similar to how corn is used, providing cover and a carbohydrate source once other food sources thin out. If you're choosing between putting your limited plot acres into clover versus sorghum, most food plot programs would put clover first for spring/summer protein and reserve grain crops like sorghum or corn for a supplemental fall/winter energy source on larger acreage.

do deer like honey (and other odd attractant questions)

There's no research support for deer specifically seeking out honey, and it's not a forage plant or food plot input at all, it's an animal product. What people are usually really asking about is sweet liquid or scent-based attractants marketed for deer, things like molasses-based minerals or commercial "sweet" attractant sprays. A couple things matter here. First, deer do have a documented preference for sugars and will readily eat sweet forages like clover and certain brassica varieties once frost converts starches to sugars, which is well established in extension literature. Second, using bait, feed, or attractant products to draw deer to a hunting location is regulated differently state by state, and some states classify certain mineral or scent products as "baiting" under their game laws while others don't. Before you put out any mineral lick, scent drip, or supplemental feed near a stand, check your state wildlife agency's current baiting and feeding regulations, since violating them can cost you your license and carries real fines in most states. This varies enough state to state that there's no single national answer, so this is one you look up locally every season, since rules do change.

how do you maintain a clover plot after the first year

Mowing is the main upkeep tool. Mow clover plots to about 4-6 inches whenever growth gets tall and stemmy or starts to flower heavily, usually 2 to 4 times per growing season depending on rainfall and length of season. Mowing knocks back weed competition and pushes clover to put out new, tender, more palatable growth, which deer prefer over old rank stems. Spray for weeds as needed. Because ladino and red clover are broadleaf legumes, grass-selective herbicides (like clethodim-based products) can be sprayed over the top to kill grass weeds without hurting the clover, a fairly unique advantage clover has over most other plot species where herbicide options are more limited. Re-fertilize based on a fresh soil test every year or two, focused on phosphorus and potassium, generally skipping nitrogen since established clover fixes its own. Most clover stands start to thin out after 3 to 5 years as older plants die off and weed pressure increases; at that point, overseeding a bit more clover into the existing stand or fully reseeding is the standard renovation approach.

Frequently asked questions

Do deer eat sorghum?

Yes, deer eat grain sorghum, especially the mature seed heads in fall. It's planted as a warm-season summer annual, similar timing to corn, and works as a drought-tolerant grain option, but it doesn't replace clover for spring/summer protein since it fixes no nitrogen and needs replanting every year.

Do deer eat clover?

Yes, clover is one of the most preferred whitetail forages available, running roughly 25-30% crude protein during active growth. Deer return to established clover stands from spring through fall, though acorns and other mast can outcompete it once they drop in autumn.

When should I plant deer food plots?

It depends on species. Clover and other perennials go in spring (March-May) or late summer (Aug-Sept). Brassicas like turnips go in late July-August. Cereal grains like oats go in Aug-Oct. Your local frost dates from your state's extension office are the real deciding factor, not a fixed calendar date.

Do deer like clover?

Yes. Clover ranks consistently among the top-preferred forage groups in whitetail diet research because of its high protein content and digestibility. It's one of the most commonly planted food plot species for exactly this reason, especially for spring through fall attraction.

When should I plant oats for deer?

Plant oats as a fall annual, typically August through September in northern regions and September through October in the South. They germinate in about 7-10 days and are often drilled alongside new clover seedings as a fast-growing nurse crop.

When is the best time to plant food plots for deer overall?

There's no single date. Spring plantings (clover, chicory, soybeans) run March-May depending on soil temperature. Fall plantings (brassicas, cereal grains) run late July through October. Check your county's average frost dates through your local university extension office to fine-tune timing.

When should turnips be planted for deer?

Plant turnips late July through August across most of the whitetail range, giving them 80-90 days to bulb before a hard frost. Frost converts starches to sugars in the plant, which is why deer often prefer turnip plots more in December and January than in early fall.

What is a food plot?

A food plot is a planted area of forage, typically a quarter acre to several acres, established on hunting land to provide supplemental nutrition for deer and other wildlife and to create a location where hunters can pattern and intercept animals during season.

What are deer's favorite foods?

It shifts by season. Clover and other legumes dominate spring and summer diets due to protein content. In fall, acorns and other hard mast often take priority when available. Soybeans, corn, and brassicas each have their own peak windows depending on region and frost timing.

Do deer like honey?

There's no research showing deer specifically seek out honey, and it isn't a food plot forage. People usually mean sweet mineral or attractant products. Deer do have a documented preference for sugary forage, like frost-sweetened brassicas, but check your state's baiting regulations before using any mineral or attractant product near a stand.

What soil pH does clover need for a food plot?

Clover wants soil pH between 6.0 and 6.5. Below pH 6.0, the rhizobia bacteria that let clover fix its own nitrogen struggle to function, which stunts growth and shortens stand life. A soil test, run through your state extension lab, tells you exactly how much lime your specific field needs.

How much clover seed do I need per acre?

Most ladino or white clover blends are seeded at 8 to 12 lbs per acre, whether broadcast or drilled. Seed is planted no deeper than 1/4 inch since clover seed is tiny, roughly 300,000+ seeds per pound, and won't emerge from deeper coverage.

Can I plant clover and oats together?

Yes, this is a common technique. Oats germinate fast and give deer something to eat within days while acting as a nurse crop that shelters young clover seedlings from weed competition and erosion. The oats die back with cold weather, leaving an established clover stand behind.

How long does a clover food plot last?

A well-maintained clover stand typically produces for 3 to 5 years before thinning out from age and weed pressure. Mowing 2-4 times a season and re-fertilizing based on a fresh soil test every year or two extends stand life; after that, overseeding or full reseeding renews the plot.

Sources

1. Mississippi State University Extension, Publication 2277, White-tailed Deer Nutrition: Clover and legume forages provide roughly 25-30% crude protein and rank among top-preferred deer forages
2. USDA Forest Service, Fire Effects Information System, White-tailed Deer species review (Odocoileus virginianus): Deer diet shifts seasonally, with hard mast like acorns prioritized in fall when available
3. University of Missouri Extension, Publication G9101, Soil Testing: Clover requires soil pH 6.0-6.5 for effective nitrogen fixation and lime can take months to raise pH
4. Oklahoma State University Extension, PSS-2585, Inoculation of Legumes: Clover seed should be inoculated with proper rhizobia strain if not pre-treated, and planted about 1/4 inch deep
5. University of Georgia Extension, Circular 1029, Forage Legume Establishment: Frost-sweetened brassica forage and clover both show elevated sugar content that increases deer preference in cold weather