What food plots to plant for deer, by region and season

Last updated 2026-07-26

What is a food plot?

A food plot is a planted patch of forage, usually somewhere between a quarter acre and several acres, put in specifically to feed and hold deer (or other wildlife) on a property. It's not a garden and it's not a crop field grown for sale. The goal is nutrition and attraction, sometimes both at once, sometimes one or the other depending on the plot's job. Most hunters run two kinds of plots. Destination or hunting plots are small (a quarter acre to an acre) and tucked near bedding cover, meant to draw deer into range during shooting hours. Food or nutrition plots are bigger (one to five-plus acres) and sit farther from pressure, meant to feed deer through a stress period like late winter or antler growth. The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service supports wildlife habitat plantings, including food plots, through its conservation programs, and many states' wildlife agencies publish guidance on plot size, spacing, and placement as part of broader habitat management programs ^[1]. If you're new to this, it helps to think of a plot less like a lawn project and more like a small forage crop, because that's actually what it is agronomically. For a broader walkthrough of plot types and how they fit into a whole property, see food plot whitetail.

When to plant food plots for deer?

Timing comes down to your first and last frost dates, not the calendar month. Cool-season plots (clover, brassicas, cereal grains) go in during late summer to early fall, generally 4 to 8 weeks before your area's average first frost. Warm-season plots (soybeans, corn, sunn hemp) go in during spring, after your last frost, when soil temps are reliably above 50-55°F. In practice that means Southern hunters (zones 7-9) are often planting fall brassicas and cereal grains in late August through September, while Northern hunters (zones 3-5) need to get seed in the ground by early-to-mid August for the same brassica plots, since their first frost hits weeks earlier. Spring plots follow the same logic in reverse. A Wisconsin hunter might not plant beans until late May, while a Georgia hunter can go in April. Your state's land-grant extension service publishes frost date tables and regional planting calendars specific to your county, and that's a better source than a generic national chart. Purdue Extension, for example, publishes forage planting guidance with fertility and timing recommendations that food plotters commonly use to back into fall planting windows ^[2]. If you already have a soil test in hand, pairing the fertility recommendations with the right seeding window is most of the battle. See deer food plots for a broader planning approach.

When to plant turnips for deer?

Plant turnips 60 to 90 days before your area's first fall frost. That's the window most extension guides and seed companies converge on, because turnips need time to bulb up and the leaves need cold nights to sweeten (frost converts starches to sugars, which is why deer often ignore turnips in September and hammer them in December). In the Upper Midwest and Northeast, that usually means late July through mid-August planting. In the transition zone and mid-South, late August through early September works. In the Deep South, hunters can wait until mid-to-late September. Turnips (and the brassica family generally: forage rape, radish, kale) want a firm seedbed, shallow planting depth (a quarter inch or less, often just broadcast and cultipacked), and decent fertility. Purdue Extension's forage guidance notes brassica-family crops respond well to nitrogen and prefer a soil pH near 6.0 to 6.8, which is also the range most clover and alfalfa mixes want, making brassicas an easy rotation partner ^[2]. A soil test is the only real way to know if your plot needs lime. Guess-and-check with brassicas usually means a disappointing bulb crop.

When to plant oats for deer?

Oats go in as a fall annual, typically 6 to 8 weeks before first frost, which lines up closely with the brassica window but oats germinate and establish faster. Many hunters plant oats alone or blend them with brassicas and clover in the same pass, since oats provide quick, tender fall growth while the slower crops catch up. Oklahoma State University Extension's small grains forage guidance covers oats among the cool-season options that establish quickly for fall grazing and wildlife use ^[3]. Oats are a cool-season annual grass, not a true perennial, so they'll winterkill in most Northern zones once temperatures drop into the teens for extended periods. In milder climates (zone 7 and south), oats can persist longer into winter and even provide some late-season green-up. One practical note: oats are cheap relative to other plot seed, so they're a reasonable filler in a mix even if they're not your main draw. Don't expect oats alone to hold deer all winter the way a brassica or cereal rye plot can.

Do deer eat sorghum?

Yes. Deer will eat grain sorghum (milo), both the standing grain heads and the young leaves, though it's rarely a hunter's first choice. Sorghum is more commonly planted as a screening or bedding cover crop, or as part of a wildlife blend that also feeds birds, than as a primary deer forage. Sorghum's real strength is drought tolerance and height. It grows 4 to 8 feet tall, which makes it useful for hiding a plot, a stand approach, or a property boundary from road view. Deer will browse the leaves some in summer and hit the grain heads in fall once they mature, but it's not a preferred food the way soybeans or clover are, and most forage-quality comparisons rank grain sorghum below corn and soybeans in crude protein for whitetail nutrition purposes. If your goal is screening plus some incidental deer use, sorghum earns a spot in the mix. If your goal is maximizing tonnage of high-protein forage, put your acreage into beans or clover instead.

Do deer eat clover, and do deer like clover?

Yes, deer readily eat clover, and it's one of the most consistently preferred forages across whitetail range. White clover (Ladino and common types) and red clover both show up constantly in food plot research and hunter surveys as top picks, largely because clover is high in protein, tolerates mowing and grazing pressure, and comes back year after year without replanting. Forage research on legumes commonly grown as wildlife and livestock forage has documented crude protein values in white and red clover stands in roughly the 20-30% range depending on growth stage and soil fertility ^[4]. That protein level matters most in spring and summer, when does are lactating and bucks are growing antlers. Clover's downside is establishment. It's a small seed that needs a firm, weed-free seedbed and decent soil pH (most guides recommend 6.0 to 6.5) to persist. Skip the lime if your soil test calls for it and clover will thin out fast, choked by weeds and low fertility. Properly maintained, a good clover stand can produce for 3 to 5 years before needing a re-seed. For seed selection specifics, see deer food plot seed.

What are deer's favorite foods?

There's no single universal answer, because deer preference shifts by season, region, and what's available, but research consistently points to a short list: acorns, soybeans, clover, and agricultural crops like corn when in season. Deer are also famously selective browsers, sampling many plant species and quickly gravitating to whatever has the best combination of taste, digestibility, and protein at that moment. Acorns deserve special mention because in years with a strong mast crop, deer will often ignore food plots entirely in favor of white oak acorns, which are lower in tannins and more palatable than red oak acorns. USDA Forest Service Southern Research Station data on oak mast production notes that acorn crops swing hard from year to year by species and by site, which is one of the biggest wild cards in wildlife forage planning; a heavy acorn year can make even a great plot look empty on trail camera ^[5]. Among planted crops, soybeans are often cited as one of the highest-preference and highest-protein options where soil and rainfall support them, frequently tested above 30% crude protein in the leaf stage. Corn is a strong preference food too, especially as a fall/winter energy source, but it demands better soil, more fertilizer, and more acreage to produce a meaningful standing crop than most small plot hunters have available.

Do deer like honey (or honeysuckle)?

If the question is really about honeysuckle, the answer is yes. Deer heavily browse Japanese honeysuckle and other honeysuckle species where it's available, and in the Southeast it's considered one of the more important native and naturalized browse plants for whitetails. If the question is literally about honey (bee product), deer have no natural dietary use for it and there's no wildlife research suggesting it as a plot or attractant strategy, though some commercial deer attractant sprays use sweet scents including honey-based additives as a lure rather than a food source. Honeysuckle's downside is that it's an aggressive invasive in much of its range, and many state forestry and natural resource agencies actively discourage planting it because it outcompetes native understory plants. If you already have honeysuckle on your property, it's providing real browse value. It's not something most land managers should plant on purpose given the invasive listing in many states.

How do brassicas, clover, and grains actually compare?

White/red clover	Spring or late summer	Perennial (3-5 yrs)	~20-30% [4]	Spring/summer nutrition, season-long draw
Brassicas (turnip, radish)	60-90 days before frost	Annual	~15-25% (leaves)	Late fall/winter, best after frost sweetens them
Cereal grains (oats, wheat, rye)	6-8 weeks before frost	Annual	~15-20% (young growth)	Fast fall cover, early archery season draw
Soybeans	After last frost	Annual	~30%+ (leaf stage)	Summer nutrition, needs acreage and deer fencing while young
Grain sorghum	After last frost	Annual	Lower than beans/corn	Screening cover, secondary food source	A well-planned property usually runs at least two of these categories at once: a perennial clover field for spring/summer, plus fall annuals (brassica/grain blend) for hunting season. That's a more resilient strategy than betting everything on one crop, especially since weather, soil fertility, and local deer density all swing results year to year.

Different plot types fill different jobs on the calendar, and the biggest planning mistake is picking one crop type and expecting it to do everything. Here's how the main categories stack up on the things that matter for planning. | Forage type | Planting window | Life cycle | Typical crude protein | Best use |

How much land and money does a food plot actually need?

Small hunting plots run from a quarter acre to one acre and can be worked with hand tools, an ATV implement, or a small tractor. Larger nutrition plots (one to five acres) really want a tractor with a disc, cultipacker, and sprayer to do it right, though plenty of hunters make do with UTV-mounted equipment on a smaller scale. Seed costs vary widely by crop and brand, but rough per-acre ballpark figures commonly cited by seed companies and extension budgets run somewhere in the range of $30-$60 per acre for cereal grains like oats or wheat, $50-$100 per acre for brassica blends, and $80-$150+ per acre for clover or soybean plantings, before lime and fertilizer. Lime is often the biggest single cost surprise. Agricultural lime can run several hundred dollars per acre depending on how much your soil test says you need and local delivery/spreading fees. That's exactly why a soil test matters before spending on seed. Your soil test lab is the real authority on how much lime and fertilizer your specific dirt needs; a food plot plan can point you toward the right forage mix and rough seeding windows, but the lab report is site-specific and should drive your fertility decisions. If you want a starting framework that matches crop choice to your soil test and zone, PlotSeason's $99 Custom Food Plot Plan builds a one-time plan around your specific numbers rather than a generic bag-of-seed instruction sheet.

What food plot mix should you actually plant this year?

If you can only plant one thing, plant a clover blend, because it feeds deer for the longest stretch of the year for the least annual labor once it's established. If you can plant two things, add a fall brassica/cereal grain blend for a hunting-season draw and a late-winter stress-period food source. For Northern hunters (roughly zones 3-5), a solid combination is a perennial clover field plus a fall plot of brassicas mixed with winter rye or wheat, planted by mid-August. For transition zone hunters (zones 6-7), the same combination works but the planting window slides two to four weeks later. For Southern hunters (zones 8-9), cereal grains like oats and wheat, along with cool-season clover, can be planted well into October and still perform, since frost comes much later or not at all in some areas. Whatever you plant, check your state's baiting and feeding regulations before you start. Some states classify certain plot practices, mineral use, or supplemental feeding differently than standing food plots, and rules vary a lot by state and even by county in some cases (chronic wasting disease zones often carry extra restrictions). State wildlife agencies, working under frameworks like the federal State Wildlife Grants program, set their own baiting and feeding rules, so a plot that's legal in one state might not be in the next one over ^[6]. Your state wildlife agency's hunting regulations page is the authoritative source, not a seed bag or a forum post. For a deeper look at specific seed blends by goal, see food plot seed and deer food plot seed.

Frequently asked questions

Do deer eat sorghum?

Yes, deer browse sorghum leaves in summer and eat the grain heads once mature, but it ranks below corn and soybeans in typical forage-quality comparisons. Most hunters plant it for height and screening cover rather than as a primary food source, then let deer use it as a secondary food option.

Do deer eat clover, and do deer like clover?

Yes, clover is one of the most consistently preferred whitetail forages, with crude protein commonly tested in the 20-30% range depending on growth stage and soil fertility. It's high on most preference lists nationwide, especially white clover varieties.

When should you plant food plots for deer?

Base it on your area's frost dates, not the calendar month. Cool-season plots (clover, brassicas, cereal grains) go in 4-8 weeks before first frost; warm-season plots (soybeans, corn) go in after your last spring frost. Check your county extension office's frost date tables for exact local windows.

When should you plant turnips for deer?

Plant turnips 60-90 days before your area's average first fall frost. That gives the bulb time to develop and lets a hard frost sweeten the leaves, which is often when deer use jumps sharply. In the Upper Midwest that's roughly late July to mid-August; in the Deep South, mid-to-late September.

When should you plant oats for deer?

Plant oats 6-8 weeks before first frost, similar to brassicas but oats establish and green up faster. They're a good quick-growing fall annual, often blended with brassicas or clover, though they'll winterkill in most Northern climates once hard freezes set in.

What is a food plot, exactly?

A food plot is a planted area, typically a quarter acre to several acres, seeded with forage crops specifically to feed and attract deer or other wildlife. It differs from a farm crop field in purpose: the goal is wildlife nutrition and hunting opportunity, not a harvestable cash crop.

What are deer's favorite foods overall?

Preference shifts by season and region, but acorns (especially white oak), soybeans, and clover consistently rank at the top across research and hunter observation. In years with a heavy acorn crop, deer often favor mast over planted food plots entirely, which is a common frustration for plot managers.

Do deer like honey?

Deer have no natural dietary use for honey itself. If the question means honeysuckle, yes, deer heavily browse it where available and it's an important browse plant in parts of the Southeast, though it's also classified as invasive in many states and generally not recommended for intentional planting.

What's the difference between a hunting plot and a food plot?

A hunting or destination plot is small (a quarter acre to an acre), placed near bedding cover to draw deer into bow range during daylight. A nutrition or food plot is larger (one to five-plus acres), placed farther from pressure, and aimed at feeding deer through nutritional stress periods like late winter or lactation.

How big should a deer food plot be?

Hunting plots typically run a quarter acre to one acre; nutrition plots run one to five acres or more depending on available land and equipment. Size should match your goal (a tight bow-range plot versus a season-long feeding source) and your capacity to prepare and maintain the ground.

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

Yes, strongly recommended. A soil test tells you your actual pH and nutrient levels, which determines how much lime and fertilizer you need. Skipping it is one of the most common reasons plots fail or underperform, since most food plot species want a pH near 6.0-6.8 to take up nutrients properly.

Can I plant food plots without a tractor?

Yes, for small plots (a quarter acre to half acre), hand tools, a hand seeder, a rake, and a lawn roller can get seed in the ground, especially for no-till broadcast species like clover or brassicas into a prepared seedbed. Larger acreage really benefits from a disc, cultipacker, and sprayer, usually meaning at least a small tractor or heavy-duty UTV attachment.

Sources

1. USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP): Food plots are supported as a wildlife habitat practice within federal conservation program guidance
2. Purdue University Extension, forage and cover crop guidance (AY-353-W): Regional frost date data and brassica soil pH/fertility recommendations for food plot planning
3. Oklahoma State University Extension, small grains forage guidance (PSS-2586): Oats are a fast-establishing cool-season forage option commonly used in wildlife and forage plantings
4. Mississippi State University Extension, forage legume nutritive value publication (P2938): Clover crude protein commonly tests in the 20-30% range depending on growth stage and fertility
5. USDA Forest Service Southern Research Station, oak mast production research summary: Mast crop variability affects deer use of food plots in years of heavy acorn production
6. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, State Wildlife Grants program overview: State wildlife agencies set baiting and supplemental feeding rules that vary by state and should be checked before planting or supplementing