When to plant food plots in missouri

Last updated 2026-07-26

when should you plant food plots in Missouri

Missouri sits across two USDA hardiness zones, mostly 6a and 6b, with a sliver of 5b in the far north and 7a creeping into the bootheel. That range matters because your planting window shifts by two to three weeks from the Iowa border to the Arkansas line. As a general rule, spring and summer plots go in from mid-April through the end of May, and fall plots go in from mid-July through early October depending on species. The real driver isn't the calendar date, it's soil temperature and days-to-frost. Cool-season perennials like clover need soil temps around 50-55°F to germinate reliably, which usually lines up with mid-April in southern Missouri and early May up north. Fall annuals need to be planted early enough to put on growth before the first hard frost, which averages early-to-mid October in northern Missouri and late October to early November in the bootheel ^[1]. If you only remember one thing: brassicas (turnips, radish, rape) go in earliest among fall plantings, cereal grains (oats, wheat, rye) can go in latest, and everything fall-related should be in the ground 60 to 90 days before your area's first frost date.

when to plant food plots for deer, by season

Brassicas (turnips, radish)	July 15 - August 20	80-90 days
Oats	August 15 - September 20	60-75 days
Winter wheat	September 1 - October 15	45-60 days
Cereal rye	September 1 - October 20	30-45 days
Clover (fall dormant seeding)	August 15 - September 15	60 days	These windows come from general land-grant extension guidance on cool-season forage and brassica establishment timing [3], not a Missouri-specific planting calendar, so treat them as a strong starting point and adjust a week or two based on your local frost date.

Missouri hunters are really managing two separate planting calendars: a spring/summer one for perennials and warm-season annuals, and a fall one for annuals that feed deer through hunting season and into winter. Spring plots (clover, chicory, alfalfa, soybeans for forage) go in April 15 through May 31 in most of the state. Wait until soil temps are consistently above 50°F and the risk of a hard frost has passed. Southern Missouri counties can push into early April; far northern counties should wait until late April. Summer annuals like sorghum, sunn hemp, and cowpeas prefer warmer soil, generally planted May through mid-June once nighttime temps stay above 50°F. Fall plots are where most Missouri food plotters focus their energy, since this is what deer are eating when rifle and archery seasons open. Missouri's archery season typically opens in mid-September and firearms season runs through November into early January depending on the specific season (early youth, November portion, late antlerless, alternative methods) ^[2]. That means your fall plot needs to be attractive and established by mid-September at the earliest for archery, and definitely by early November for the firearms opener. Here's a simple table for the fall push: | Species | Missouri planting window | Days to frost needed |

when to plant oats for deer in Missouri

Plant oats in Missouri between mid-August and late September, giving them 60 to 75 days before your first hard frost to establish. Oats are one of the most forgiving fall plot options because they germinate fast, often in 5 to 10 days, and deer will hit young oat shoots almost immediately. Oats don't survive hard winters in most of Missouri the way wheat or rye do, so think of them as a fall-through-early-winter food source rather than something that carries deer into February. If you want plot attraction that lasts all winter, blend oats with wheat or a brassica so something is still green after the oats die back in a hard freeze. Seeding rate for oats alone typically runs 2 to 3 bushels per acre (roughly 64-96 lbs), drilled at a quarter to half inch depth, or broadcast and lightly disked in if you don't have a drill ^[3]. A soil test should guide your lime and fertilizer decisions here; oats aren't picky, but they respond well to nitrogen if your test shows you're low.

when to plant turnips for deer in Missouri

Plant turnips in Missouri between mid-July and mid-August, no later than about 90 days before your expected first frost. Turnips need that long lead time because deer usually ignore the leaves through summer and don't hammer the bulbs and foliage hard until after the first frost sweetens the plant's sugars. This is the single most common mistake with brassica plots: planting too late. If you plant turnips in September in Missouri, you'll get leaves but the bulbs won't size up before a freeze stops growth, and you'll miss the window where deer really switch onto them. Turnip seed is tiny (broadcast rate is typically 4 to 6 lbs per acre) and needs good seed-to-soil contact, so a light disking or cultipacking after broadcast helps a lot. pH matters too; brassicas like turnips generally do best in the 6.0 to 6.8 range, and your soil test lab is the right authority on exactly how much lime your specific field needs to get there ^[4].

do deer eat clover, and when should you plant it

Yes, deer eat clover heavily, and most wildlife biologists consider it one of the most reliable perennial food plot forages available. Clover is high in protein, often tested at 25 to 30 percent crude protein in vegetative growth stages, which is a big reason it's a staple in fawning and antler-growth season plots ^[5]. Plant clover in Missouri in spring (mid-April through May) or in a fall dormant seeding (mid-August through mid-September). Spring seeding gives clover a full growing season to establish a root system before winter. Fall dormant seeding, timed so seed goes in shortly before or right around first frost, lets seed sit and germinate the following spring with less competition from summer weeds. Clover is a perennial, so once established, a good stand can produce for three to five years with proper mowing and fertility maintenance, way outlasting a single-season annual plot. That said, it takes longer to get going than an annual, and it's less forgiving of poor drainage or heavy weed pressure in year one. For readers weighing clover against other perennial or annual options, our food plot whitetail guide breaks down how clover stacks up against chicory, alfalfa, and brassica blends for different goals.

do deer like clover more than other forages

Deer generally prefer clover early in the growing season and again in fall regrowth, but preference shifts throughout the year based on what else is available. In spring and early summer, clover is often a top choice because it's tender, high-protein, and easy to digest. By late summer, deer may shift toward soybeans, acorns, or agricultural crops if those are available nearby. Research on whitetail forage selection generally shows deer diet composition changes seasonally and by region, driven by what's most nutritious and accessible at the time, not a fixed ranked list of favorite foods ^[6]. So while clover is a strong, dependable choice almost everywhere in Missouri, don't expect it to outcompete a standing soybean field in August, or fresh acorns dropping in October.

do deer eat sorghum

Yes, deer eat sorghum, both the leaves and the grain heads, but it's more commonly planted as a cover crop, screening plant, or supplemental summer forage than as a primary attractant. Grain sorghum can also work as a standing winter food source in areas where corn isn't practical, since the seed heads persist above snow better than some other grains. In Missouri, sorghum is a warm-season crop, planted May through mid-June once soil temps are reliably above 60-65°F, similar to corn timing. It's drought tolerant, which makes it a decent choice for thin, sandy, or south-facing ground where clover might struggle in a dry Missouri summer. A word of caution: sorghum height and density make it great screening cover, but that same density can also block shooting lanes if you plant it inside a plot you intend to hunt over rather than around the edges.

do deer like honey, and does it belong in a food plot

Deer don't eat honey in any meaningful way as part of natural foraging, and it has no real place in food plot planning. Honey isn't a plant, it's not something you'd broadcast or drill, and there's no agricultural or wildlife extension guidance recommending it as deer attractant because deer simply aren't drawn to it the way they are to browse, forbs, or mast. What sometimes gets confused here is honeysuckle (a browse plant deer do eat readily) or honey locust (whose seed pods deer will eat when they drop). If you're trying to add natural browse around a plot edge, honeysuckle and honey locust are worth knowing about, but straight honey isn't a food plot input at all.

what is a food plot

A food plot is a planted area of land, typically on hunting property, seeded with forage crops specifically to attract and nourish deer or other wildlife. Plots range from small quarter-acre kill plots tucked into timber to multi-acre agricultural-style fields planted with clover, brassicas, cereal grains, or beans. Food plots serve two overlapping purposes: nutrition (helping deer through stress periods like antler growth, lactation, or winter) and hunting access (giving hunters a predictable spot to set up because deer are drawn to a food source). Most successful plots combine both goals, using perennial clover or chicory for season-long nutrition and fall annuals like brassicas or cereal grains timed to peak right as hunting season opens. Getting species selection, timing, and seeding rates right for your specific soil and region is genuinely the hard part, which is a big reason a lot of hunters start with a soil test and a written plan rather than guessing off a seed bag label. If you want species and rate recommendations built around your own soil test results and Missouri zone, PlotSeason's $99 one-time Custom Food Plot Plan walks through that instead of leaving you to reverse-engineer it from a bag.

what are deer's favorite foods overall

Deer are generalist browsers, and their preferences shift by season, region, and what's locally available, but a few categories consistently rank high across most of the whitetail range: acorns and other hard mast, agricultural crops like soybeans and corn, clover and other legumes, and native forbs and browse. Acorns in particular are a huge seasonal driver in Missouri, since white oak acorns are lower in tannins and more palatable than red oak acorns, and deer will often travel well out of their way to feed under a good white oak drop in October and November . Agricultural soybeans, where available, are a preferred summer food because of their high protein content during pod stage. No single food plot species beats a good acorn drop or a full-season soybean field for raw attraction, but plots earn their value by filling gaps, especially late winter and early spring when mast is gone and ag fields are picked clean or dormant.

how does Missouri's zone affect your planting calendar

Missouri spans USDA Plant Hardiness Zones 5b in the far northern counties up through 7a in the bootheel, with most of the state in 6a and 6b. That's roughly a 15 to 20 degree difference in average annual minimum temperature from top to bottom, and it translates into real differences in first and last frost dates. As a rough guide: northern Missouri counties (near the Iowa border) typically see first fall frost in late September to early October, central Missouri counties see it in early to mid-October, and the bootheel often doesn't see a hard frost until late October or early November ^[1]. Push every fall planting window in this article about a week earlier if you're near the Iowa line, and you can push a week or two later if you're in the bootheel. For spring plots, flip that logic: southern Missouri warms up first, so you can plant clover or brassica seed a bit earlier there, while northern counties should wait for soil to warm before seeding.

what soil prep and equipment do you need before planting

Before you plant anything, get a soil test. It's the cheapest, highest-leverage step in the entire process, and it tells you exactly how much lime and fertilizer your specific field needs rather than guessing off a bag label. The University of Missouri Extension soil testing lab runs tests for a modest fee and turns around results with specific lime and nutrient recommendations for your target crop . Most food plot failures in Missouri trace back to two things: wrong pH and bad seed-to-soil contact, not the wrong species choice. If your soil test comes back below pH 6.0 and you skip the lime, clover and brassicas will struggle no matter how good the seed is. On equipment, you don't need much to start. A rented or borrowed disk, a broadcast spreader, and a cultipacker (or a section of chain-link fence dragged behind an ATV) cover 90 percent of small plot needs. A no-till drill is a nice upgrade for cereal grains and clover once you're planting multiple plots a year, but it's not a starting requirement. Once your soil test is back, matching species and seeding rate to your actual dirt (more than your frost date) is where a written plan pays off. Readers comparing specific seed blends for their conditions might also check our guides on deer food plot seed and food plot seed selection.

what Missouri baiting and feeding rules should you know before planting

Food plots themselves are legal statewide and are not considered baiting under Missouri Department of Conservation rules, since they're a planted, growing crop rather than placed feed. However, Missouri does restrict baiting and supplemental feeding of deer in parts of the state, primarily tied to chronic wasting disease (CWD) management zones. The Missouri Department of Conservation prohibits feeding deer and elk year-round in specific CWD Management Zone counties, and restricts baiting for hunting in additional counties during parts of the year . Rules change periodically as CWD zones are added or adjusted, so check the current county list on MDC's site before you set up any supplemental feed station near a plot, and know that a growing food plot is treated differently from a corn pile or mineral lick under these rules.

Frequently asked questions

When should I plant food plots for deer in Missouri?

Spring plots (clover, chicory, forage beans) go in mid-April through May once soil hits 50-55°F. Fall plots go in mid-July through early October depending on species: brassicas earliest (mid-July to mid-August), cereal grains latest (into October). Northern Missouri counties should plant about a week earlier in fall and a week later in spring than southern counties.

When is the best time to plant clover in Missouri?

Plant clover in Missouri in spring (mid-April to May) for full-season establishment, or as a fall dormant seeding (mid-August to mid-September) so seed germinates the following spring with less weed competition. Spring seeding is generally more forgiving for first-time plotters since you can monitor early growth.

When should I plant oats for deer in Missouri?

Plant oats between mid-August and late September, roughly 60-75 days before your area's first hard frost. Oats germinate fast (5-10 days) and deer often hit young shoots immediately, but oats winterkill in most of Missouri, so pair them with wheat or brassicas if you want plot attraction into late winter.

When should I plant turnips for deer in Missouri?

Plant turnips between mid-July and mid-August, about 90 days before first frost. Deer typically ignore turnip leaves through summer and don't hit the bulbs hard until after a frost sweetens the plant, so planting too late (a common mistake) means bulbs never size up before growth stops.

Do deer eat sorghum?

Yes. Deer eat both sorghum leaves and grain heads, though it's more often planted as summer cover, screening, or a drought-tolerant supplemental forage than as a primary attractant crop. It's planted May through mid-June in Missouri once soil is reliably above 60-65°F.

Do deer eat clover, and do they actually prefer it?

Yes, deer eat clover heavily and it's a top choice in spring and fall regrowth because of its high protein content (often 25-30% crude protein). Preference shifts seasonally though; deer will favor acorns or standing soybeans over clover when those are available.

Do deer like clover better than brassicas or cereal grains?

It depends on season. Clover wins in spring and early fall for protein and palatability. Brassicas take over after the first frost sweetens their sugars. Cereal grains like oats and wheat provide fast, easy fall forage. Most serious Missouri plots use a mix of all three across the field rather than picking one.

What is a food plot exactly?

A food plot is a planted area, usually on hunting land, seeded with forage crops (clover, brassicas, cereal grains, beans) to feed deer and other wildlife and to create a predictable spot for hunters to set up. Plots range from small quarter-acre kill plots to multi-acre fields.

What are deer's favorite foods in Missouri?

Acorns (especially white oak), agricultural soybeans and corn, clover, and native forbs and browse rank among the top preferred foods. No planted food plot species reliably beats a strong white oak acorn drop for raw attraction in October and November.

Do deer like honey?

No, deer don't seek out honey as a natural food and it has no place in food plot planning. People sometimes confuse it with honeysuckle or honey locust seed pods, both of which deer do browse readily, but plain honey isn't a deer attractant or plot input.

How do I know my exact frost dates for planting food plots in Missouri?

First fall frost in Missouri ranges from late September in far northern counties to late October or early November in the bootheel. Check NOAA's regional climate data or your local University of Missouri Extension office for county-specific average frost dates rather than relying on a statewide average.

Is planting a food plot considered baiting under Missouri law?

No. A growing, planted food plot is not classified as baiting by the Missouri Department of Conservation. However, MDC does restrict supplemental feeding and hunting-related baiting in certain CWD Management Zone counties, so check current county rules before adding any feed station near your plot.

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

Yes, strongly recommended. A soil test tells you exact lime and fertilizer needs for your specific field rather than guessing. University of Missouri Extension runs affordable soil testing with crop-specific recommendations, and getting pH right (generally 6.0-6.8 for most plot species) prevents the most common cause of plot failure.

Sources

1. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Missouri climate data: First fall frost dates vary across Missouri from late September in the north to late October/early November in the bootheel
2. Missouri Department of Conservation, deer hunting seasons: Missouri archery and firearms deer season date structure
3. University of Missouri Extension, Establishing Forage Crops: Cool-season forage and cereal grain seeding rates and establishment windows
4. USDA Forest Service, White Oak Species Information: White oak acorns have lower tannin content and higher palatability to deer than red oak acorns
5. University of Missouri Extension, Soil Testing: University of Missouri Extension provides soil testing with lime and fertilizer recommendations
6. Missouri Department of Conservation, Baiting and Feeding Restrictions: Missouri restricts deer baiting and feeding in specific CWD Management Zone counties