Last updated 2026-07-26
TL;DR
There's no single best food plot for Arkansas, there's a best combination: cool-season clover, oats, and turnips planted September through early October for fall through spring nutrition, paired with a warm-season plot of soybeans, cowpeas, or grain sorghum planted May through June. Soil testing and lime timing matter more than seed choice.
What is a food plot, exactly?
A food plot is a planted patch of forage or grain on hunting or wildlife property, meant to feed deer and other game and, often, to concentrate deer activity where a hunter can watch or hunt it. It is not the same as baiting, which typically means piling loose grain or feed to attract animals directly to a spot for hunting. The University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service describes food plots as a tool for improving deer nutrition and hunting opportunity, distinct from supplemental feeding programs [1]. Plots range from quarter-acre kill plots tucked into timber to multi-acre destination fields planted in rotation. Arkansas does not prohibit food plots. Baiting rules are a separate matter. Check the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission's current hunting regulations before hunting over any feeder or bait pile, since enforcement and legal definitions can change year to year [2]. A properly planted, standing food plot is legal to hunt over in Arkansas, but a scattered pile of corn or minerals used to bait deer for harvest is treated differently under state regulations.
What is the best food plot for deer in Arkansas?
The honest answer is a two-plot system, not one crop. Arkansas's climate (USDA Plant Hardiness Zones 6b through 8a, with the Delta and south Arkansas running warmer than the Ozarks and Ozark Plateau) supports both a cool-season and a warm-season planting window, and deer need different nutrition in each. For fall and winter, a blend of clover, oats, and brassicas (like turnips) covers you from September through the following spring. Clover keeps producing into a second or third year, oats give fast fall growth and early palatability, and turnips add tonnage and a late-season sugar spike after a few hard frosts convert starches to sugar. For summer, when Arkansas's cool-season plots go dormant or get grazed out, soybeans, cowpeas, or grain sorghum fill the gap during antler growth and lactation, the two periods when doe and buck nutritional demand peaks. If you can only plant one plot, go cool-season clover/oats/brassica blend. It covers the longest stretch of the calendar (roughly September through May) and it is the most forgiving of a late or imperfect planting window. If you can plant two plots, add a warm-season soybean or cowpea field for summer.
Do deer eat clover, and is it worth planting in Arkansas?
Yes. Clover is one of the most consistently preferred food plot forages for whitetail deer across the country, and Arkansas is no exception. It's high in protein (often 20 to 30 percent crude protein in good stands) and stays palatable through most of the growing season when it's not drought-stressed [3]. White clover (Ladino types) and red clover both work in Arkansas. Ladino clover tends to persist two to four years with mowing and proper fertility, red clover is more drought and heat tolerant but usually needs replanting every two to three years. The catch in Arkansas is summer heat and drought stress, especially in the Delta and southern half of the state. Clover slows down hard in July and August without rain. Plant it in a spot with decent soil moisture retention, or plan on it going semi-dormant in peak summer and picking back up in September. Clover needs a soil pH near 6.0 to 6.5 to fix nitrogen well and take up phosphorus and potash. That's a soil test question, not a guess, since Arkansas soils vary hugely from Delta clay to Ozark rocky ground. The University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service maintains a soil testing program through its Agricultural Diagnostic Laboratory, and recommends testing before planting or reseeding since lime takes months to adjust pH and can't be rushed [4].
Do deer eat sorghum?
Yes, deer eat grain sorghum (milo), both the standing heads in fall and winter and the green forage earlier in the season. Sorghum is often planted as a summer/fall grain plot alternative to corn because it's more drought tolerant and generally cheaper per acre, which matters in Arkansas's hotter, drier southern counties. Sorghum isn't usually a deer's first choice compared to soybeans or standing corn, but it becomes a reliable late-season food source once the heads mature and other options get scarce, especially after a freeze softens the grain. It's also a solid choice as a nurse crop or screen, since tall sorghum stalks provide cover along a plot edge while deer browse the surrounding beans or clover. In practice, most Arkansas plotters use sorghum as a supporting player rather than the main plot. Pair it with soybeans or a clover field, don't build your whole plan around it.
What are deer's favorite foods?
In the wild, whitetail deer prefer soft mast (acorns, especially white oak acorns, plus persimmons and honeysuckle) and tender browse over almost anything else when it's available. Acorns are so preferred that deer will often ignore a food plot entirely during a heavy acorn drop in October and November. Among planted forages, soybeans and clover consistently rank at the top for preference and use in university deer studies, with corn, cowpeas, and brassicas following behind depending on season and maturity [3]. Brassicas like turnips are a special case: deer often ignore them in September and October, then hammer the tubers and greens hard in December and January once cold weather sweetens the starches into sugar. There's no universal ranked list that holds in every region and every year. Food availability, local deer density, and acorn crop size all shift what deer actually eat on a given property. A soybean field that gets hammered in August might sit untouched in October if the woods are full of acorns.
Do deer like honey (honey locust, honeysuckle, or actual honey)?
If the question is about honey the substance, no, deer don't seek out honey, it isn't a natural or practical deer food and it has nothing to do with food plots. Deer are herbivores built to digest plant fiber and their gut microbes aren't suited to processing concentrated sugar like honey. What people usually mean is honey locust or honeysuckle, both of which deer genuinely love. Honey locust pods (the sweet, sugary seed pods that drop in fall) are a preferred late-season browse in the eastern half of the country, including Arkansas's bottomland hardwood areas. Japanese honeysuckle is one of the most heavily browsed native plants in the state, and deer will hit new honeysuckle growth hard through spring and summer. Neither honey locust nor honeysuckle is something you'd plant as a food plot crop. They're better thought of as natural browse to manage or leave standing on the property, not a plot species.
When should you plant food plots for deer in Arkansas?
| North Arkansas / Ozarks (Zone 6b-7a) | Sept 1 to Oct 1 | May 15 to June 15 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Arkansas / Delta (Zone 7b-8a) | Sept 15 to Oct 15 | May 1 to June 1 | These are general windows, not guarantees. The real trigger for cool-season planting is soil temperature and rainfall, not the calendar. You want soil moisture in the forecast and daytime highs starting to ease off summer peaks, usually meaning you're waiting for the first real cold front to break the heat in early September. Plant too early and brassicas/clover can burn up in lingering summer heat and drought. Plant too late (after mid-October in the north) and cool-season seedlings don't get enough growth before a hard freeze. If you only get one shot at a plot this year, aim for the front half of your region's window rather than the back half. |
Timing splits into two windows: cool-season plots go in September, warm-season plots go in May or June. Arkansas spans two USDA hardiness zones (6b/7a in the Ozarks and River Valley, 7b/8a in the Delta and south Arkansas), so southern counties can plant a couple weeks earlier and later than the northern part of the state in each window. | Region | Cool-season planting window | Warm-season planting window |
When to plant oats for deer in Arkansas
Plant oats in Arkansas between early September and early October, matching the cool-season window above. Oats germinate fast (often within 5 to 7 days with decent soil moisture) and green up quickly, which makes them a good nurse crop mixed with slower-establishing clover. Oats are extremely palatable to deer right out of the ground, sometimes too palatable, a small plot of oats can get grazed to the dirt before it has a chance to mature if deer density is high relative to plot size. Planting a bigger acreage or mixing oats with clover and brassicas spreads out the pressure and gives the stand a better chance to establish. Oats will winterkill in a hard freeze in northern Arkansas some years, but they typically survive milder winters in the southern half of the state and can provide grazing into late winter. They're a fall/winter annual here, not a perennial, so plan on reseeding oats each September if you want them as part of the rotation.
When to plant turnips for deer in Arkansas
Plant turnips in Arkansas in the same September window as oats and clover, ideally by mid-September in the north and by early October in the south, to give the tubers enough time to bulk up before the first hard frost. Turnips need roughly 60 to 90 days from planting to full maturity depending on variety. The frost timing matters more with turnips than almost any other food plot crop. A freeze converts starches in the tuber and leaves into sugars, which is what triggers deer to switch from ignoring the plot to cleaning it out. In much of Arkansas that first hard frost lands sometime in November, so a mid-September planting date leaves enough runway. Deer often walk past a turnip plot for the first six to eight weeks after planting, then hit it hard in December and January once the sugar conversion kicks in and other food sources thin out. Don't judge a turnip plot's success in October, judge it in January.
Do deer like clover better than other food plot options?
For consistency across a growing season, clover is hard to beat, but 'better' depends on what time of year and what nutritional need you're targeting. Clover wins on protein content and season length. Soybeans and cowpeas can outproduce clover in tonnage during summer. Brassicas win in the dead of winter after a frost. A lot of experienced plot managers run clover as the backbone of a property specifically because it's a perennial (2 to 4 years per stand with upkeep) and it doesn't need replanting every season like oats, brassicas, soybeans, or sorghum do. That lowers labor and seed cost over time even if the upfront establishment (soil test, lime, starter fertilizer, mowing) takes some real effort in year one. The honest tradeoff: clover needs decent soil moisture and a maintained pH to perform. On thin, droughty, or heavily wooded Ozark ridges, a clover stand can struggle compared to a Delta bottomland field with better soil and moisture. Match the crop to the specific piece of ground, more than to a general preference ranking.
How do soil and fertility change the plot decision in Arkansas?
Soil test first, choose seed second. Arkansas has some of the most varied soil types in the country in a small footprint, from acidic, rocky Ozark hillsides to heavy clay and silt loam in the Delta, and pH plus phosphorus/potash levels drive which crops will actually perform. The University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service runs a soil testing program through its Agricultural Diagnostic Laboratory and recommends testing before planting a new plot, noting that lime applications can take several months to fully adjust soil pH, so timing lime ahead of planting season matters [4]. If your test comes back with a pH under 6.0, clover and soybeans especially will underperform no matter how good the seed is, since low pH locks up nutrients the plant needs. Your soil test report, and the extension agent or lab that generated it, is the real authority on how much lime and fertilizer your specific field needs. A general article like this one can tell you what crops fit Arkansas's climate; it can't tell you what your dirt needs, only a test can. If you want a starting framework for matching seed selection, planting windows, and rough fertility needs to your specific acreage before you get too deep into planning, a Custom Food Plot Plan for $99 gives you a one-time written plan built around your property and soil test results, rather than a generic regional recommendation. It's guidance, not a substitute for your soil lab's specific lime and fertilizer numbers.
What equipment do you actually need to plant a food plot in Arkansas?
At minimum: a way to kill or clear existing vegetation, a way to work the seedbed, a way to broadcast or drill seed, and a way to pack the seed in. For a small plot (under 2 acres), a lot of that can be done with a UTV, a pull-behind disc or cultipacker, and a hand or ATV broadcast spreader. For clover and brassica seed, which is small and needs shallow planting (roughly 1/4 inch or less), a cultipacker or roller after broadcasting matters more than most people expect. Seed sitting on top of loose soil with no seed-to-soil contact often fails to germinate even with good rain. Larger seed like soybeans, cowpeas, and sorghum wants deeper planting (3/4 to 1.5 inches), which usually means a drill or disc, more than a broadcast spreader. A lot of Arkansas plotters lease or share equipment with neighbors rather than buying a drill or disc outright for one or two small plots a year, which is a reasonable way to keep costs down if you're not planting more than a few acres.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best food plot for deer in Arkansas?
There's no single best crop, the best approach is a cool-season clover/oats/turnip blend planted in September for fall through spring, paired with a warm-season soybean or cowpea plot planted in May or June for summer. This two-season combination covers deer nutrition needs across the full calendar year better than any single species.
Do deer eat sorghum?
Yes, deer eat grain sorghum (milo), both as green forage early in the season and as mature grain heads in fall and winter, especially after a freeze softens the grain. It's usually a secondary choice compared to soybeans or corn but works well as a drought-tolerant, lower-cost late-season option in Arkansas.
Do deer eat clover?
Yes, clover is one of deer's most consistently preferred food plot forages, offering 20 to 30 percent crude protein in a healthy stand. It performs well across most of Arkansas but needs a soil pH near 6.0 to 6.5 and can slow down hard during peak summer heat and drought.
When to plant deer food plots in Arkansas?
Plant cool-season plots (clover, oats, brassicas) between September 1 and mid-October, earlier in north Arkansas and later in the Delta and south. Plant warm-season plots (soybeans, cowpeas, sorghum) between May 1 and June 15, again adjusting by region within the state's zones.
Do deer like clover more than other forage?
Clover ranks near the top for overall preference and season length, but soybeans can outproduce it in summer tonnage and brassicas win in deep winter after a frost. Clover's real advantage is that it's a perennial lasting 2 to 4 years, cutting replanting costs compared to annual crops.
When to plant oats for deer in Arkansas?
Plant oats between early September and early October, matching the cool-season window. Oats germinate in about 5 to 7 days with good moisture and are extremely palatable, so plant enough acreage or mix with clover and brassicas to keep deer from grazing the stand out before it matures.
When to plant food plots for deer generally, and does Arkansas differ from other states?
Arkansas follows a standard two-season pattern (fall cool-season plots in September, summer warm-season plots in May/June) common across the mid-South, but its span across USDA zones 6b to 8a means south Arkansas can plant roughly two weeks earlier or later than the Ozarks in each window.
When to plant turnips for deer in Arkansas?
Plant turnips in the same September window as oats and clover, ideally by mid-September in north Arkansas and early October in the south, so tubers have 60 to 90 days to mature before the first hard frost. Deer usually ignore turnips until after a freeze converts starches to sugar in the tubers.
What is a food plot, and is it legal in Arkansas?
A food plot is a planted area of forage or grain crop meant to feed deer and other wildlife and improve hunting opportunity. Food plots are legal to hunt over in Arkansas, but baiting rules (piling loose feed to attract deer) are separate and regulated; check the current Arkansas Game and Fish Commission regulations before hunting over any feeder.
What are deer's favorite foods, more than plot crops?
In the wild, whitetail deer strongly prefer acorns, especially white oak acorns, along with soft mast like persimmons and tender browse such as honeysuckle. Among planted crops, soybeans and clover consistently rank highest for preference, though a heavy acorn drop can make deer ignore a food plot entirely for weeks.
Do deer like honey?
No, deer don't seek out honey itself, it isn't part of their natural diet and their digestive system isn't built for concentrated sugar. People usually mean honey locust pods or honeysuckle, both of which deer genuinely love, but neither is a food plot crop, they're natural browse worth managing on a property.
How much does it cost to plant a food plot in Arkansas?
Costs vary widely by crop and acreage, but seed alone typically runs somewhere between $15 and $60 per acre for cool-season blends and more for soybean or brassica mixes, before adding lime, fertilizer, and equipment or labor costs. A soil test through your state's extension lab is usually the cheapest and most valuable step, often under $20 per sample.
Do I need to soil test before planting a food plot in Arkansas?
Yes. The University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service recommends soil testing before planting since lime can take months to adjust pH, and clover, soybeans, and brassicas all perform poorly below pH 6.0. Your soil test lab, not a general article, is the authority on exact lime and fertilizer rates for your field.
Sources
- University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service, wildlife food plot guidance: Food plots are a tool for improving deer nutrition and hunting opportunity
- Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, Deer Hunting Regulations: Baiting and feeding rules for deer hunting are separate from food plot use and should be checked in the current regulations
- Mississippi State University Extension, Publication 2111, "Establishing and Managing Wildlife Food Plots": Clover and soybeans rank among the most preferred food plot forages for deer, clover offers high crude protein content
- University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service, Agricultural Diagnostic Laboratory soil testing information: Soil testing before planting is recommended, and lime applications take time to adjust soil pH
- USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Plant Guide: White Clover (Trifolium repens): White clover establishment and management characteristics, including pH and moisture needs relevant to Arkansas plantings