Summer food plots for deer: what to plant and when

Last updated 2026-07-25

what is a food plot, and why plant one in summer

A food plot is a planted area on hunting land, usually a fraction of an acre to several acres, seeded with forage that deer eat. Most plots fall into two buckets: annuals, planted fresh each year, and perennials like clover or alfalfa that come back for two to five seasons if managed right. Summer plots are a specific job. Spring green-up is over, native browse is thinning in quality, and does are nursing fawns while bucks are pushing antler growth. Both need protein and volume, more than carbs. A good summer plot supplies 20 to 30 percent crude protein forage at a time when a lot of native vegetation has already dropped into the teens ^[1]. This is different from a fall food plot built around brassicas or cereal grains that deer hit hard right before and during hunting season. Summer plots rarely get hunted over directly in most states because they're planted and maturing well before archery season opens, but they do real work building herd health that shows up in antler size and fawn survival later. For a broader rundown of plot categories and how they fit a whole-property plan, see food plot whitetail.

when to plant food plots for deer in summer

Soybeans (forage type)	60-65°F	Late April-May	Late May-mid June
Cowpeas / iron-clay peas	65°F+	May-early June	Early-mid June
Grain sorghum	65°F+	May-June	Late May-mid June
Sunflowers	65°F+	April-May	Late May-June
Buckwheat	55-60°F	May-July (can double-crop)	June	These windows aren't gospel. Your county extension office has frost-free date maps built off decades of local NOAA station data, and that's a better source than a national chart for your exact ground [2]. If you're not sure which planting calendar zone your farm sits in, cross-reference the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, which is built on 30-year average annual extreme minimum temperatures.

Timing hinges on soil temperature, not the calendar. Most warm-season plot species germinate reliably once soil hits 65°F, and that date swings by six to eight weeks across the whitetail's range. In the Deep South (zone 8-9), that's late April into May. In the transition belt (zone 6-7, think Kentucky, Tennessee, southern Ohio), it's typically mid-May through early June. In the North (zone 3-5), don't push it before late May, and in the far north tier, early to mid-June is safer, because a late frost will wipe out a stand of beans or sorghum overnight. A rough national planting table for the most common summer species: | Species | Soil temp needed | Typical planting window (South) | Typical planting window (North) |

do deer eat sorghum

Yes. Deer readily browse grain sorghum, both the leaves and developing seed heads, and it's a common component in summer and early-fall blends because it tolerates heat and drought better than corn on marginal ground. Sorghum's real value isn't as a standalone attractant plot, it's as a nurse crop and structure plant. Mixed into a bean or cowpea plot, sorghum gives climbing legumes something to grab onto and adds bulk tonnage per acre. Deer will eat the leaf tissue through summer, then hit the mature grain heads in fall, stretching the plot's usefulness across two seasons. One caution: sorghum and sudangrass species can develop dangerously high prussic acid (cyanide) levels in young, stressed, or frost-damaged growth. This is a documented livestock and wildlife forage risk tracked by land-grant extension programs, and while whitetail poisoning cases are rare compared to cattle, drought-stressed regrowth is the highest-risk stage ^[3]. Don't let deer hammer young sorghum regrowth right after a drought-breaking rain if you're worried about it; established, unstressed plants are low risk.

do deer eat clover, and do deer like clover

Deer eat clover constantly through spring and summer, and most food plot managers rank it as one of the two or three most consistently used plantings on a property, alongside soybeans and brassicas seasonally. It's a perennial legume, so once established it can produce for three to five years with proper mowing and fertility upkeep, which makes it one of the better cost-per-year plantings available. Do deer like clover? By every practical measure yes: it's high in protein (often 25 to 30 percent crude protein in vegetative growth stages), palatable, and it regrows fast after grazing, which matters because deer will hit a young clover stand hard enough to slow its establishment if plot acreage is too small relative to deer density. White clover (Ladino types) handles shade and mowing better and suits smaller plots or ground with some tree cover. Red clover grows more upright, tolerates heat and drier soil somewhat better, and works well in bigger, sunnier plots. A lot of experienced plotters run a blend of both to hedge against site variability. Clover does have a summer weak spot: it can go semi-dormant in extreme heat and drought, and japanese beetles or clover weevils can hammer stands some years. It's not a plant-it-and-forget-it perennial, it needs mowing three or four times a season to keep it vegetative and to knock back weed competition. For species-specific seed selection guidance, deer food plot seed breaks down blend options by soil and shade conditions.

when to plant oats for deer

Oats are a cool-season cereal grain, not a summer planting. They're planted in late summer to early fall (typically August through September in the North, September through October farther south) so they're tender and growing through the fall hunting season and into early winter ^[4]. The reason this question comes up in a summer food plot search: a lot of plotters are planning their whole-year rotation in June and July, sourcing seed and mapping which plots get which species before fall planting windows arrive. If oats are part of your fall plan, June is exactly when you should be soil testing that plot so lime has time to work into the soil before September planting, since ag lime can take two to six months to fully adjust pH depending on soil type and application method ^[5]. Don't plant oats now expecting summer growth. They'll germinate in summer heat but the growth is generally poor quality and they won't tolerate the heat stress as well as true warm-season annuals.

when to plant turnips for deer

Turnips are another cool-season, fall-focused brassica, planted roughly 60 to 90 days before your area's first hard frost so the bulbs and leaves mature right as hunting season kicks in ^[4]. That generally lands in late July through August in northern zones and August into early September farther south. Same logic as oats applies here for the summer searcher: this is your planning window, not your planting window. Deer typically ignore turnip bulbs early in fall (the leaves get hit first) and shift hard to the bulbs after a few frosts convert starches to sugars, which is why turnip plots often look untouched in October and get hammered in December. If you're mapping a season-long rotation, summer is when you order brassica seed, test soil in the plots you'll plant in late summer, and get any lime or P&K applied per your soil test recommendations.

what are deer's favorite foods, and does that change in summer

There's no single universal favorite, deer are opportunistic browsers and preference shifts by season, region, and what's locally available. That said, research and decades of plot data point to consistent patterns: soybeans and other legumes rank at or near the top almost everywhere they're grown, alongside native browse like greenbrier, honeysuckle, and various forbs ^[1]. In summer specifically, deer key in on high-protein, high-moisture forage because they're managing lactation demands (does) and antler growth (bucks), both of which require significant protein and mineral intake. Soybeans, cowpeas, alfalfa, and clover consistently top summer preference studies and field observation because they combine high protein with palatability deer can access all season, more than after a frost sweetens starches the way brassicas do. Acorns, when available, will often out-compete any planted forage in early fall, and that's worth remembering when a food plot goes quiet in September. It's frequently not a plot failure. It's a mast crop pulling deer elsewhere temporarily.

do deer like honey (and does it matter for food plots)

Deer don't eat honey in any meaningful, direct way as a forage source, they're not equipped to raid a hive like a bear, and honey isn't a component of any legitimate wildlife food plot program. This question usually comes from confusion with commercial deer attractant sprays or mineral products that use molasses, sugar, or sweet scent additives to draw deer to a bait pile or mineral site rather than a planted plot. Those sugar-based attractants are a different category entirely from food plots and they're regulated very differently. A lot of states classify placing feed, minerals, salt, or sweetened attractants as baiting, and rules vary sharply. Some states ban baiting outright for deer hunting, some allow it with distance restrictions from a stand, and some only regulate it in certain disease-management zones. Check your state wildlife agency's current regulations before using any mineral or attractant product, because a planted food plot is legal to hunt over in essentially every state while a bait pile might not be.

how much soil prep does a summer plot actually need

Start with a soil test, not a guess. A basic soil test through your state land-grant extension lab typically costs somewhere in the $10 to $20 range per sample and tells you pH, phosphorus, potassium, and organic matter, which drives your lime and fertilizer decisions . Most native soil under old fields or logged timber runs acidic, often in the 5.0 to 5.8 pH range, and the majority of summer annuals (beans, peas, sorghum) want pH closer to 6.0 to 6.8 to access nutrients efficiently . If your test comes back low, get lime applied as early as possible, since it needs weeks to months to react with the soil, not days. Your soil test lab is the authority on exact lime and fertilizer rates for your specific field, follow those numbers over any generic rule of thumb, because rates depend heavily on your existing pH, buffer index, and crop choice. Beyond chemistry, summer plot prep is mostly about seedbed and weed control: kill existing sod or weeds two to three weeks ahead with glyphosate if you're not organic, work the seedbed shallow (most summer legumes and grains want a quarter to one-inch planting depth), and firm the seedbed with a cultipacker or roller if you have one. For equipment-side planning on tillage, drills, and sprayers for a plot this size, see [equipment-and-methods] resources on the site.

which summer species actually survive deer browse pressure

This is the part a lot of first-time plotters get wrong: young seedlings of almost any palatable species can get grazed to death before they establish, especially on smaller plots or high-density deer ground. Deer will eat a quarter-acre bean plot down to nubs in July if that's the only green thing around. A few practical fixes that actually work in the field: plant bigger (an acre or more spreads browse pressure thin enough for plants to outgrow it), blend a tough nurse crop like sorghum or sunflowers with beans or peas so the tender legumes get some cover, and consider Roundup Ready or forage-type soybean varieties bred with thicker stems and better tonnage recovery after grazing, since standard grain soybeans weren't bred for this and can get wiped out fast. Soil fertility matters here too. A plant growing in correctly limed, properly fertilized soil grows faster and can outrun browse pressure better than a stressed plant in poor dirt. This is one more reason the soil test isn't optional, it directly affects whether your plot survives its first six weeks.

a sample summer planting calendar by region

Region	Soil test / lime timing	Plant summer annuals	Mow/maintain clover	Plan fall brassicas/cereals
Deep South (zone 8-9)	March-April	Late April-May	Every 4-6 weeks	Order seed by July
Transition (zone 6-7)	April	Mid-May-early June	Every 4-6 weeks	Order seed by July
North (zone 3-5)	April-May	Late May-mid June	Every 5-7 weeks	Order seed by late July	This table is a starting framework, not a substitute for your local frost dates and your soil test results. Extension offices in every state publish more granular planting date guidance tied to actual weather station data for your county [2]. If building this calendar plot by plot across a whole property feels like more than you want to figure out alone, that's exactly the gap a $99 one-time Custom Food Plot Plan is built to fill: species picks, seeding rates, and a planting timeline mapped to your zone and your soil test results, without turning it into a subscription.

Frequently asked questions

Do deer eat sorghum in food plots?

Yes, deer browse grain sorghum leaves through summer and eat the mature seed heads in fall. It's usually planted as part of a mixed summer blend rather than alone, since it adds drought tolerance and structure for climbing legumes like cowpeas. Watch for prussic acid risk in young, drought-stressed regrowth, a known issue tracked by extension programs.

Do deer like clover, and is it worth planting?

Deer consistently use clover heavily through spring and summer, and it's one of the most reliable perennial plot species available. It runs 25 to 30 percent crude protein in vegetative growth and, once established, can produce for three to five years with regular mowing and fertility upkeep, making it one of the better long-term cost plays in a plot rotation.

When should I plant food plots for deer?

It depends on species: warm-season plots (beans, peas, sorghum) go in once soil hits 65°F, generally late April in the South through mid-June in the North. Cool-season fall plots (oats, brassicas, turnips) go in 60 to 90 days before your area's first frost, typically August through September. Match the species to the season, not the other way around.

When do you plant oats for deer food plots?

Oats are a fall planting, not summer. Plant them roughly August through September in northern zones and September into October farther south, so they're actively growing through hunting season and early winter. Planting oats in summer heat generally produces weak, low-quality growth.

When should turnips be planted for deer?

Plant turnips 60 to 90 days before your area's first hard frost, usually late July through August up north and August into early September farther south. Deer often ignore the bulbs early and shift hard to them after a few frosts convert starches to sugar, so don't judge a turnip plot's success in October.

What is a food plot exactly?

A food plot is a planted patch of forage, ranging from a fraction of an acre to several acres, seeded specifically to feed and hold deer on a property. Plots split into annuals (replanted each year, like soybeans or brassicas) and perennials (clover, alfalfa) that persist multiple seasons with maintenance like mowing and periodic fertilization.

What are deer's favorite foods overall?

There's no single favorite; it shifts by season and region. Soybeans and other legumes rank near the top almost everywhere, alongside native browse like greenbrier and honeysuckle. Acorns often outcompete any planted forage in early fall when available, which is why plots can go quiet during a heavy mast year.

Do deer like honey, and can I use it as an attractant?

No, deer don't eat honey in any meaningful way; they lack the means to raid a hive like a bear does. Confusion usually comes from sugar or molasses-based commercial attractants. Those products fall under baiting rules that vary sharply by state, so check your state wildlife agency's current regulations before using any sweetened attractant.

How big should a summer food plot be to survive deer browsing?

An acre or larger generally spreads browse pressure thin enough for tender species like beans or peas to outgrow grazing. Quarter-acre plots on high-density deer ground often get eaten to the ground before establishing. Blending in a tougher nurse crop like sorghum or sunflowers also helps young legumes survive early browse pressure.

What's the difference between summer food plots and fall food plots?

Summer plots use warm-season annuals like soybeans, cowpeas, and sorghum planted after soil hits 65°F, feeding does through lactation and bucks through antler growth. Fall plots use cool-season species like brassicas, oats, and cereal rye planted 60 to 90 days before first frost, timed to be attractive right through hunting season.

Do I need a soil test before planting a summer food plot?

Yes. A basic soil test typically costs $10 to $20 through a state land-grant extension lab and tells you pH, phosphorus, and potassium, which drives lime and fertilizer decisions. Most summer annuals want pH around 6.0 to 6.8, and many wooded-field soils test more acidic than that, so testing avoids wasted seed and fertilizer.

Can I hunt over a summer food plot in the fall?

Sometimes, if the species you planted still has forage left by season. Soybeans left standing can hold attraction into early fall, and sorghum grain matures into a fall food source too. But most summer annuals are planted and used up well before archery season opens, so they build herd health more than they serve as a direct fall hunting plot.

Sources

1. USDA Forest Service, Southern Research Station - deer forage nutritional quality: Native forage protein quality declines through summer while planted legumes provide 20-30% crude protein
2. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information - climate normals: County-level frost-free and planting date guidance is built on 30-year local weather station data
3. Oklahoma State University Extension - Prussic Acid Poisoning (PSS-2904): Sorghum and sudangrass can develop dangerous prussic acid levels in young or drought-stressed regrowth
4. University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension - Liming to Improve Soil Quality (G1504): Lime requires weeks to months to react and adjust soil pH depending on soil type and particle size
5. University of Missouri Extension - Soil Testing for Lawns, Gardens, and Wildlife Plantings (G9112): Basic soil test services through land-grant labs typically cost in the $10-$20 per sample range