Last updated 2026-07-26
TL;DR
In Wisconsin, plant brassicas (turnips, radishes) and perennial clover or alfalfa from late July through mid-August, and plant cereal grains like oats, wheat, and rye from late August through mid-September. Timing depends on your first frost date, which ranges from mid-September in northern counties to mid-October in the south [1].
When should you plant food plots for deer in Wisconsin?
Wisconsin has two real planting windows, and which one you use depends on what you're planting. Spring plots (clover, alfalfa, chicory as new perennial seedings) go in from early May through early June, once soil temps warm up and the last frost risk passes. Fall plots, which is what most Wisconsin hunters focus on, go in from late July through mid-September depending on species. The reason fall dominates is simple: Wisconsin deer hunt season runs archery from mid-September through early January, with gun season in late November [1]. You want plots peaking in tonnage and palatability right as season opens, not weeks before or after. Wisconsin splits into three rough climate bands for planting purposes. Northern counties (Bayfield, Ashland, Vilas, Iron) see first frost as early as September 15-20. Central Wisconsin (Marathon, Wood, Portage) usually sees first frost late September to early October. Southern Wisconsin (Rock, Green, Dane, Walworth) often doesn't see a hard frost until mid-October [2]. Your local frost date should drive your calendar more than any generic national planting chart. Check the USDA Farm Service Agency county office or a local extension office for your specific average first frost date before locking in a plot date.
When to plant brassicas and turnips for deer in Wisconsin
Plant turnips, radishes, and other brassicas 80 to 100 days before your expected first hard frost. For most of Wisconsin, that means a window from mid-July in the north to mid-August in central and southern counties. Brassicas need that long runway because they're doing two things: building leaf tonnage early, then converting starches to sugars after a hard frost hits. That frost-sweetening is what makes turnips and radishes suddenly attractive in November when they were largely ignored in October. If you plant too late, you get small plants and skinny bulbs going into winter. Too early, and you risk bolting or disease pressure in hot August weather. Brassica seeding rates generally run 4-6 lbs/acre for turnips broadcast alone, less if blended with other species, per land-grant forage seeding guidance for the Upper Midwest [3]. Seed shallow, 1/4 to 1/2 inch, into a firm seedbed. Broadcasting onto a light disking or drilling both work, but brassica seed is small and doesn't want to be buried deep. A lot of Wisconsin hunters blend turnips with cereal grains (oats or winter wheat) in the same late-summer planting. That gives you fast-growing grain tonnage in October and the frost-sweetened brassica bulbs holding through December and into late winter if snow cover isn't too deep.
When to plant oats for deer in Wisconsin
Plant oats in Wisconsin from mid-August through mid-September, roughly 60 to 75 days before your average first killing frost. Oats germinate fast, often in 5-7 days with adequate moisture, and put on rapid growth in cool fall temperatures, which is exactly what makes them a top fall attractant. Oats will winterkill in Wisconsin. They aren't a true winter cereal like winter wheat or cereal rye, so they're built to be consumed or die back by hard winter, not to green up again in spring. That makes them a pure fall-season, high-tonnage option rather than a multi-season play. Seeding rate for oats alone runs 2-3 bushels per acre (roughly 64-96 lbs/acre) drilled, a bit heavier if broadcast, per land-grant forage program recommendations for the Upper Midwest [3]. Many Wisconsin plotters mix oats with winter rye or wheat specifically because the oats give quick fall growth and cover, while the winter grain persists and greens up again the following April, giving spring turkey and shed-hunting forage too. If you're stuck with a late-summer drought and can't get oats in until early September, they'll still likely produce usable fall growth in southern Wisconsin's longer frost-free window, but northern county plots planted that late risk getting frozen out before reaching real tonnage.
What is a food plot?
A food plot is a planted area, usually somewhere between a quarter acre and several acres, seeded with forage crops specifically to feed and attract deer or other wildlife. It's a small-scale version of what a farmer does with a hay field or grain crop, except the goal is deer nutrition and hunting access rather than harvest for sale. Food plots generally fall into two categories: annuals (planted once or twice a year, like brassicas, oats, or soybeans, that complete their life cycle in one season) and perennials (clover, alfalfa, chicory) that come back year after year for 3-5 years with proper mowing and fertility management. Most state wildlife agencies, including the Wisconsin DNR, treat food plots differently from baiting or supplemental feeding under state regulation, because the crop is rooted and growing rather than piled or dispensed. Wisconsin's baiting and feeding rules are county-specific and change based on chronic wasting disease and bovine TB status, so check current Wisconsin DNR guidance before assuming a planted plot is treated the same as a mineral station or corn pile in your county [4]. For a broader rundown of plot types and how they differ, see food plot whitetail and deer food plots.
Do deer eat sorghum?
Yes, deer eat sorghum, both the grain heads and the young leafy growth, though it's not typically a first-choice food plot species in Wisconsin. Grain sorghum (milo) is more common as a standing grain screen crop, used for cover and late-winter grain rather than as a primary fall attractant. Sorghum is planted later than most Wisconsin plot species, generally late May through early June, since it needs warm soil (60°F+) to germinate and a long frost-free window to mature grain heads by fall. That timing puts it firmly in the spring planting category, not the fall window most Wisconsin hunters use for their primary hunting plots. The practical use case in Wisconsin is standing cover and a late-season grain source once other plots are picked clean, plus visual screening for stand access. It's rarely a deer's preferred food when clover, soybeans, or corn are also available nearby, but in late winter when snow has buried other options, deer will readily work a standing sorghum patch.
Do deer eat clover, and do deer like clover?
Yes, deer eat clover heavily, and most whitetail managers rank it among the top perennial food plot choices anywhere in the Midwest, Wisconsin included. Clover is high in protein (often 25-30% crude protein in vegetative growth stages) and stays palatable through spring, summer, and fall, which is longer than almost any other single plot species [5]. Whitetail deer preference studies and decades of extension forage data both point to clover as a consistent high-preference forage, especially in spring and early summer when deer need protein for antler growth and lactation. Wisconsin's climate suits both white clover (Ladino types) and red clover well, since both tolerate the state's cold winters and moderate summer heat. Plant clover in Wisconsin either in early spring (late April through May, frost-seeded or drilled once soil is workable) or in later summer (early August) so it establishes before winter dormancy. Spring seeding is generally the safer bet in Wisconsin because it avoids the risk of a dry August killing young clover seedlings before they root deeply. One caution: clover plots take real management. Mowing 2-3 times a season keeps it vegetative and prevents weeds and grasses from taking over, and a plot older than 4-5 years usually needs to be reseeded or rotated. If you're weighing clover against other perennials or annuals for your specific ground, deer food plot seed breaks down the tradeoffs.
What are deer's favorite foods, and do deer like honey?
Deer preference shifts by season, but across most whitetail research and field observation, acorns, soybeans, clover, and standing corn rank as consistent top picks depending on time of year. In fall, acorns (especially white oak family acorns, which are lower in tannins than red oak acorns) often outcompete planted food plots entirely when there's a good mast crop, which is one reason plot success varies so much year to year in oak-heavy Wisconsin woodlots. Do deer like honey? Not really, at least not as a food source. Deer don't seek out honey the way bears do. The confusion usually comes from "honey hole" hunting slang or from deer occasionally nosing around a damaged hive for the wax or brood, not the honey itself. There's no research or extension guidance suggesting honey has any use as deer attractant or bait, and depending on your state, using any food substance to bait deer within legal hunting distance carries its own restrictions, so it's not something worth pursuing even out of curiosity. For a fall plot, the honest ranking in most of Wisconsin's forest and ag-edge habitat runs something like: standing corn or soybeans first if available, acorns second in mast years, brassicas and clover third, with cereal grains rounding it out as a fast-growing fall filler.
When to plant turnips for deer in Wisconsin
Plant turnips in Wisconsin between mid-July (far north) and mid-August (central and south), targeting 80-90 days before your local first hard frost. This lines up almost exactly with the broader brassica planting window covered above, since turnips are a brassica. Turnip bulbs and tops both get eaten, but timing which part deer prefer matters. Early in fall, deer favor the leafy tops. After the first hard frost converts starches to sugars in the bulb, deer shift to digging up and eating the bulbs themselves, sometimes leaving the tops behind entirely. That's why a turnip plot planted too late in Wisconsin (say, after Labor Day) often fails: there's no time to build bulb size before winter locks the ground. Seeding rate for turnips alone runs about 4-5 lbs/acre broadcast, per Midwest forage brassica guidance [3]. pH matters more for brassicas than people expect; soil testing guidance for food plot crops generally recommends a pH range of 6.0-6.8 for most brassicas and cereal grains, and turnips especially struggle in acidic soil below 5.5 [6]. Get a soil test before you plant, not after a thin stand tells you something was wrong.
How does soil pH and fertility change your Wisconsin plot calendar?
Soil test results can push your planting date around, because lime takes time to react in the soil, often 3-6 months to fully adjust pH depending on soil type and lime source [6]. If your test comes back at pH 5.2 and you need it near 6.5 for clover or brassicas, spreading lime the same week you plant won't fix much for that season's crop. The practical fix: pull your soil sample in early spring if you're planning a late-summer plot. That gives lime time to start working before your July or August planting date. If you only get a soil test back in July with a bad pH reading, plant anyway (using a starter fertilizer and accepting a lower-yield season), apply lime immediately, and expect next year's stand to perform much better. Your soil test lab is the real authority on lime and fertilizer rates for your specific field. A general Wisconsin planting guide can tell you when to plant; it can't tell you your field's actual phosphorus and potassium levels. Follow the lab's lime and fertilizer recommendations over generic online rules of thumb, since soil types vary enormously even within the same county. If you want a plan that turns your specific soil test and acreage into a straightforward species list and calendar, PlotSeason's $99 Custom Food Plot Plan does exactly that. It's general planning guidance built from your numbers, not a replacement for your soil lab's site-specific lime and fertilizer math.
Wisconsin food plot planting calendar by zone
| Region (Wisconsin) | Avg. first frost | Brassicas/turnips | Oats/cereal grains | Spring clover/perennials | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern (Bayfield, Vilas, Ashland) | ~Sept 15-20 | Mid-late July | Mid-Aug | Early May | |
| Central (Marathon, Wood, Portage) | ~Sept 25-Oct 5 | Late July-early Aug | Late Aug | Mid-late May | |
| Southern (Rock, Dane, Walworth) | ~Oct 10-20 | Early-mid Aug | Early-mid Sept | Late April-early May | These are averages built off long-term frost-date data compiled by NOAA climate normals and referenced through USDA regional guidance [2]. Any given year can run 2-3 weeks earlier or later than average, so treat this table as a planning starting point, then adjust based on the actual forecast in your specific year. If you're brand new to plot planning and want a broader look at species selection before locking in dates, deer food plot seed and food plot seed both cover how species choice and planting date interact. |
What if you miss the planting window in Wisconsin?
If you miss the ideal date by a couple weeks, you're not out of options, but your species choice should change. Missing the brassica window by 2-3 weeks in central or southern Wisconsin usually still produces a usable, if smaller, plot; brassicas are fairly forgiving compared to grain crops. Missing it by a month, especially in northern counties, often means you're better off switching to a fast cereal grain instead, since oats and winter rye establish and produce usable tonnage in less time than turnips need to bulb up. If you're past even the cereal grain window (say, it's early October and nothing's in the ground), your best move most years is to skip planting that field for fall and focus on getting a soil test done and lime applied for next season, or drill in a simple winter rye/wheat cover crop purely for spring green-up and soil health, accepting there won't be fall hunting value from it this year. Don't rush a planting just to have "something in the ground." A rushed August planting into unprepared, low-pH soil with no starter fertilizer often performs worse than simply waiting and doing it right the following year.
Frequently asked questions
When is the best time to plant food plots for deer in Wisconsin?
For fall hunting plots, plant brassicas and turnips from mid-July to mid-August and cereal grains like oats from mid-August to mid-September, depending on how far north or south you are. Perennial clover and alfalfa are usually best seeded in spring, late April through May, once soil is workable and frost risk has passed.
Do deer eat sorghum?
Yes. Deer eat both the leafy growth and grain heads of sorghum, though it's more commonly used in Wisconsin as a standing late-winter grain source and visual screen than as a primary fall food plot attractant. It's planted in late spring, not fall, since it needs warm soil to germinate.
Do deer eat clover, and do they actually like it?
Yes, clover is one of the most consistently preferred food plot forages for whitetail deer, offering roughly 25-30% crude protein in its vegetative growth stage. It stays palatable across spring, summer, and fall, longer than most other single plot species, which is why it's a staple perennial choice across Wisconsin.
When should I plant oats for a Wisconsin deer plot?
Plant oats from mid-August through mid-September, roughly 60-75 days before your local first hard frost. Oats germinate quickly, often within a week, and grow fast in cool fall weather. They winterkill in Wisconsin, so they're a fall-only attractant unless mixed with a true winter cereal like rye or wheat.
When should I plant turnips for deer in Wisconsin?
Plant turnips 80-90 days before your first expected hard frost, which lands roughly mid-July in northern Wisconsin and mid-August in central and southern counties. The frost itself is what sweetens the bulbs and triggers deer to start digging them up, so planting too late leaves bulbs undersized going into winter.
What exactly is a food plot?
A food plot is a planted patch of forage, from a quarter acre to several acres, seeded specifically to feed deer or other wildlife and to improve hunting access and observation. It can be an annual crop like oats or brassicas, or a perennial like clover that persists for multiple seasons.
What are a deer's favorite foods overall?
Preference shifts seasonally, but acorns (especially white oak acorns), soybeans, standing corn, and clover consistently rank as top whitetail foods across most research and field observation. In a heavy acorn year, deer will often ignore planted food plots entirely in favor of mast, which is a common frustration for Wisconsin plotters in oak country.
Do deer like honey?
No, not meaningfully. Deer aren't drawn to honey as a food source the way bears are. Any deer activity around a damaged hive is usually about wax or brood, not honey itself, and there's no extension or wildlife research supporting honey as a deer attractant.
Can I still plant a food plot in September in Wisconsin?
Yes, in most of Wisconsin, but stick to fast-establishing cereal grains like oats or winter rye rather than brassicas, since brassicas need 80-100 days before frost to bulb properly. Early September plantings of oats still generally have time to produce usable fall tonnage, especially in southern counties with later frost dates.
How do I know my first frost date to plan around?
Check NOAA climate normals or your county's USDA Farm Service Agency office for local average first frost data. Northern Wisconsin counties often see frost by September 15-20, central counties late September to early October, and southern counties sometimes not until mid-October, so your planting calendar should shift accordingly.
Does soil pH really affect when I should plant?
Indirectly, yes. Lime takes 3-6 months to fully adjust soil pH, so if your soil test shows low pH, you should apply lime well ahead of your planting date rather than the same week. If you're testing late, plant on schedule anyway with starter fertilizer and expect a stronger stand the following year after lime has worked in.
Are there rules in Wisconsin about baiting or feeding that affect food plots?
Wisconsin's baiting and feeding regulations vary by county and change based on chronic wasting disease and bovine TB status, under Wis. Stat. 29.885, but planted, rooted food plots are generally treated differently from bait piles or feeders. Check current Wisconsin DNR guidance for your specific county before assuming any exemption applies.
Sources
- NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals: Average first frost dates vary across Wisconsin's northern, central, and southern regions
- Wisconsin DNR, Deer Hunting Season Dates: Wisconsin archery and gun deer season date ranges
- University of Wisconsin-Madison Extension, Team Forage: Small Grain Forages: Seeding rates for oats, brassicas, and turnips in food plot and forage systems
- Oklahoma State University Extension, Forage Legumes: Crude Protein Content of Clover: Crude protein content of clover in vegetative growth stages
- University of Missouri Extension, Soil pH and Liming Guide (G9101): Recommended soil pH range for food plot crops and lime reaction time in soil
- Wisconsin Statutes, Section 29.885, Feeding of Wild Animals; Wildlife Baiting: Wisconsin baiting and feeding rules vary by county based on CWD and bovine TB status