What to plant to attract deer: species, timing, and picks

Last updated 2026-07-24

what is a food plot, exactly

A food plot is a patch of ground, usually somewhere between a quarter acre and a few acres, planted specifically to feed and attract deer (and often turkey, rabbits, and other wildlife along the way). It's not a garden and it's not a crop field meant for harvest. The whole point is nutrition and attraction on land you own or lease, timed to line up with hunting season or with the deer herd's nutritional needs through the year. Most food plots fall into two rough categories. Annual plots get planted fresh each year (think brassicas, oats, cereal grains) and often pull double duty as high-attraction hunting plots in fall. Perennial plots like clover or alfalfa get established once and then managed for three to five years, giving deer a stable food source spring through fall without replanting every season. Land-grant extension programs treat food plots as a wildlife habitat tool, not agriculture in the traditional sense. Purdue University's Forestry and Natural Resources Extension program describes wildlife food plots as small, targeted plantings meant to supplement natural forage and fill seasonal nutrition gaps for deer and other game, most commonly in late summer through fall ^[1]. That framing matters. A food plot succeeds or fails based on whether it fills a nutritional gap, not on yield per acre. If you're new to this and want a fuller rundown on how plots fit into an overall property plan, food plot whitetail covers the basics of layout and purpose in more depth.

what are deer's favorite foods

Deer are opportunistic browsers, and what they prefer shifts by season, region, and what's available. But across most of the whitetail's range, a short list keeps showing up as consistently attractive: clover, soybeans, brassicas (turnips, radishes, rape), acorns, and in the early fall, standing corn or soybean fields still in the pod stage. Clover is probably the single most planted food plot species in North America, and for good reason. It's high in protein (often 20-25% crude protein when actively growing), it regrows after grazing, and deer will hit it from spring green-up through the first hard frosts ^[2]. Brassicas flip the script seasonally: deer often ignore turnips and radishes in September, then hammer them hard once a few frosts convert the plant's starches to sugars in October and November. Acorns aren't something you plant in a food plot, but they matter more than anything else in a hard mast year. A widely cited study by Wentworth, Kirkpatrick, and Vaughan in the Journal of Wildlife Management (1990) found that acorn availability strongly influences white-tailed deer body condition and reproduction, since deer shift diet heavily toward mast in years when acorns are abundant because of the higher fat and energy content compared to most planted forages ^[3]. That's worth knowing before you get frustrated that your plot looks untouched in a big mast year. It's not the plot's fault. Soybeans and corn, planted as large-acreage ag fields more than small food plots, remain some of the highest-drawing whitetail foods where they're available, but they take more equipment and acreage than most weekend plotters have. For most hunters working a few acres, clover, brassicas, and cereal grains give the best return for the effort.

do deer like clover, and is it worth planting

Yes, deer like clover, and it's one of the safest bets in food plot planning. White clover (Ladino types especially) and red clover both get heavy use through spring, summer, and fall, and they're forgiving of mowing, drought stretches, and a missed fertilizer year. Clover's real strength is duration. A well-maintained clover stand can produce quality forage for three to five years before you need to till it back in, according to University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension guidance on establishing forage legumes for wildlife ^[4]. That's a big advantage over annuals that need replanting every single season. The tradeoff is that clover needs decent soil drainage and a pH close to neutral (6.0 to 7.0) to really thrive, so a soil test before planting isn't optional if you want it to last. One caution: clover alone in high deer density areas can get grazed down to nothing before it ever establishes, especially in a small plot surrounded by heavy pressure. Some hunters solve this with a nurse crop of oats planted alongside clover, which protects the young clover seedlings and gives deer something to eat while the clover roots in. If you're deciding between clover and other perennial or annual options for your specific ground, deer food plot seed breaks down species by region and soil type.

do deer eat sorghum

Yes, deer will eat sorghum, but it's not a first-choice food plot species and it's more often used as a screening or cover crop than a primary attractant. Grain sorghum produces seed heads deer will feed on in fall and winter, similar to how they use corn, but deer generally prefer corn and soybeans over sorghum when given a choice. Where sorghum earns its place is as a tall screening plant along plot edges or travel corridors, or as part of a summer cover crop blend to build soil organic matter before a fall planting. It grows fast, tolerates drought better than corn, and gives standing cover into winter in northern climates where corn might get knocked down by weather. Some hunters use sorghum or a sorghum-sudangrass hybrid specifically to hide a bedding area or break sightlines to a stand, with the added benefit that deer will nibble the seed heads later in the season. If your goal is pure attraction, sorghum is a supporting player, not a headliner. Clover, brassicas, and cereal grains will outperform it for drawing deer to a stand site.

when should you plant food plots for deer

Timing depends entirely on what you're planting and what season you're targeting, but the general rule is this: perennials go in spring or late summer, and fall annuals go in 60 to 90 days before your area's first killing frost. Spring plantings (April through June in most of the whitetail's range) work for clover, alfalfa, and chicory, giving the plants a full growing season to establish roots before winter. Late summer plantings (roughly mid-July through early September, depending on latitude) are the window for fall annuals like brassicas, oats, and winter wheat, timed so they mature right as hunting season opens. The biggest mistake new plotters make is planting fall annuals too early or too late. Plant brassicas in July in the Deep South and they'll bolt and go to seed in summer heat before deer ever get a chance at them. Plant them in September in the Upper Midwest and a hard frost can stunt them before they bulb out. Most extension guidance points to 80 to 90 days before your average first frost as the target window for turnip and brassica plantings. Because timing swings so much by latitude, a Zone 3 planting calendar in Minnesota looks nothing like a Zone 7 calendar in Georgia. Check your USDA Plant Hardiness Zone and local extension office frost date data before locking in a planting date, since a two-week miss either direction can mean the difference between a plot deer hit hard and one that never got established.

when should you plant oats for deer

Plant oats for deer 6 to 10 weeks before your first expected fall frost, which for most of the whitetail's range falls between late August and mid-September. Oats germinate fast (often within a week in warm, moist soil) and deer will start browsing young oat shoots almost immediately, well before the plant fully matures. Oats work well as a standalone fall attractant or as a nurse crop mixed with clover, since the oats grow quickly and give deer something to eat while slower-germinating clover gets established underneath. In the Upper Midwest and Northeast, that planting window often runs from mid-July to late August. In the transition zone and mid-South, you can push it into September and still get good growth before frost. One quirk with oats: a light frost actually sweetens them, converting starches to sugar much like it does with brassicas, so deer use often spikes right after the first frost of the season rather than before it. If you're timing a plot specifically around early bow season, oats planted a bit later so they're still tender and green when frost hits in October or November can outperform an earlier planting that's already gone dormant or brown by opening day.

when should you plant turnips for deer

Turnips need roughly 80 to 90 days from planting to reach a usable bulb size and full leaf growth, so most guidance points to planting them 3 months before your area's average first fall frost date. That usually lands somewhere between mid-July (northern states) and late August (southern states). Turnips are a two-stage food source. Deer often browse the leafy tops through late summer and early fall, largely ignoring the bulbs, then switch to digging up and eating the bulbs themselves after a few hard frosts convert the starches to sugar. That's why a turnip plot can look like it's getting zero attention in October and then get hammered flat by December. Patience matters here. If you're hunting early bow season and want plot activity right away, pair turnips with something deer will eat immediately, like oats or a clover base, rather than relying on turnips alone for early-season action. For late season, especially in areas with real winter and snow cover, a pure brassica plot planted on schedule can be one of the best late-season draws you plant all year, since it's often the last green forage standing after a hard frost kills off natural browse.

do deer like honey, and does it actually attract them

There's no real evidence that deer are drawn to raw honey as a food source, and it's not something wildlife agencies or extension programs recommend or study as an attractant. Deer are herbivores built to browse woody plants, forbs, grasses, and mast crops; honey isn't part of their natural diet and doesn't show up in deer diet studies or extension forage guidance. What sometimes gets confused here is the use of sweet liquid or granular mineral and attractant products marketed with honey, molasses, or sugar-based scents. Some hunters do report deer investigating sweet smells out of curiosity, but that's different from honey being a nutritional draw the way clover or acorns are. It's also worth flagging that mineral, feed, and scent-based attractants are regulated or banned outright as baiting in a lot of states, so before you put out anything sweet-smelling near a stand, check your state wildlife agency's baiting and feeding regulations. Michigan, for example, defines and restricts baiting for deer hunting under its Wildlife Conservation Order, and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources publishes the current baiting and feeding rules, including the limited exceptions for scent products versus feed, on its regulations pages each year ^[5]. Rules vary widely state to state, so don't assume what's legal in one state is legal in the next.

which plants actually hold deer through the season, more than attract them once

Attraction and holding power aren't the same thing, and it's worth separating them. A brand new plot of anything green will pull deer in for a look the first week or two just out of novelty. Holding deer through an entire season takes a food source that stays palatable, keeps producing, and matches what deer need nutritionally at that time of year. Clover holds deer through spring and summer because it keeps regrowing after grazing and stays high in protein through the growing season ^[2]. Brassicas hold deer late (November into winter in a lot of areas) because the sugar conversion after frost makes them more palatable exactly when other forage is dying back. Cereal grains like oats and winter wheat bridge the gap in early fall and, in mild-winter regions, can stay green and grazed well into December or January. The plots that get hunted hardest and hold deer longest tend to combine at least two of these types: a perennial base like clover for spring/summer, plus a fall annual planted nearby for the hunting season itself. A single-species plot can work, but a property with both perennial and annual plots gives deer a reason to use your ground in more months of the year, which is generally the goal if you're trying to build a herd's home range around your property rather than just intercept deer passing through. For a broader look at species options beyond the core few covered here, food plot seed and deer food plots both go deeper on blends and regional picks.

how do you match plant choice to your soil, more than the calendar

Species selection matters less than soil prep in a lot of failed food plots, and that's the uncomfortable truth most seed bag labels don't tell you. Clover struggles badly below pH 6.0. Brassicas want a pH closer to 6.0-7.5 and decent phosphorus and potassium levels, per land-grant extension fertility guidance ^[6]. If your soil test comes back at pH 5.2 and you dump clover seed on it without lime, you're going to get a thin, disappointing stand no matter how good the seed was. A basic soil test, run through your state's land-grant university extension lab, typically costs somewhere in the $10 to $20 range per sample and comes back with your current pH, phosphorus, potassium, and often organic matter percentage. That test is the actual foundation of the whole plot, more than the species you pick. Your soil test lab, not a seed catalog or a food plot website, is the real authority on how much lime and fertilizer your specific ground needs, since recommendations shift based on your exact soil chemistry, not a general rule of thumb. Once you know your numbers, species selection gets a lot easier. Acidic, sandy soil with low fertility points toward more forgiving species like cereal rye or oats while you work on amending pH over a year or two. Better ground with a corrected pH opens up clover, alfalfa, and brassica blends that need more from the soil to perform well.

what equipment do you actually need to plant a food plot

You can plant a small food plot with surprisingly little gear, but the equipment you have (or don't have) should shape which species you pick. A no-till drill lets you plant almost anything into existing sod or a cover crop without disturbing much soil, which is ideal for clover and cereal grains on erosion-prone ground. Without a drill, most hunters broadcast seed by hand or with a spreader and then drag or cultipack it in, which works fine for small-seeded species like clover and brassicas but struggles with larger seed like soybeans or corn that need real seed-to-soil depth. ATV or UTV-mounted disc harrows and cultipackers cover the gap between hand tools and full tractor equipment, and they're what most weekend food plotters actually own. If you're broadcasting brassica or clover seed, a cultipacker pass after broadcasting dramatically improves germination by pressing seed into contact with soil, since surface-broadcast seed that never gets covered can lose a huge share to birds, wind, and drying out before it ever sprouts. Bottom line: match the plant to the tool. If you're broadcasting by hand with no drill, lean toward small-seeded annuals and clover rather than crops that need precise planting depth.

Frequently asked questions

Do deer eat sorghum?

Yes, deer eat grain sorghum, especially the seed heads in fall and winter, but they generally prefer corn and soybeans when both are available. Sorghum is used more often as a screening plant or summer cover crop than as a primary food plot attractant, though it does get some use once other food sources thin out.

Do deer eat clover?

Yes, clover is one of the most consistently used food plot species for whitetail deer. It's high in protein, often 20-25% crude protein when actively growing, and deer will graze it from spring green-up through fall, making it one of the most reliable perennial plantings available.

When should you plant food plots for deer?

Perennials like clover go in during spring (April through June) or late summer. Fall annuals like brassicas, oats, and winter wheat go in 60 to 90 days before your area's first fall frost, which lands anywhere from mid-July in northern states to early September further south.

Do deer like clover more than other food plot species?

Deer show strong, consistent preference for clover, and it's often ranked among the top food plot choices by wildlife extension programs because of its protein content and regrowth after grazing. That said, preference shifts seasonally; deer may favor brassicas or acorns over clover in late fall once frost sweetens those alternatives.

When should you plant oats for deer?

Plant oats 6 to 10 weeks before your first expected fall frost, typically mid-July through late August in northern regions and into September further south. Oats germinate quickly, often within a week, and deer will browse young shoots almost immediately, with palatability increasing again after the first frost sweetens the plant.

When should you plant turnips for deer?

Turnips need about 80 to 90 days to reach full bulb size, so plant them roughly 3 months before your area's average first fall frost date. That's typically mid-July in the north and into late August in southern regions. Deer often ignore the bulbs until after a few hard frosts sweeten them.

What is a food plot?

A food plot is a planted area, usually a fraction of an acre up to several acres, designed to supplement deer's natural diet and attract them for hunting or herd health purposes. Extension programs describe them as targeted plantings meant to fill seasonal nutrition gaps, not as commercial crop fields.

What are deer's favorite foods?

Across most of their range, deer show strong preference for acorns, clover, soybeans, and brassicas like turnips once frosted. Acorns often outrank planted food plots entirely in a heavy mast year, since they offer more fat and energy per bite than most forage crops.

Do deer like honey?

There's no real evidence deer are attracted to honey as a food source; it isn't part of their natural diet and doesn't appear in wildlife agency or extension forage research. Sweet-smelling mineral or scent products sometimes draw curiosity, but that's different from honey functioning as an actual food draw.

What's the difference between a perennial and annual food plot?

Perennial plots (clover, alfalfa, chicory) get planted once and can produce forage for three to five years with regular maintenance. Annual plots (brassicas, oats, cereal grains) get replanted every season but often provide stronger fall attraction timed specifically to hunting season.

How big should a food plot be to attract deer?

There's no fixed minimum, but plots from a quarter acre up to two or three acres are common for hunting purposes. Smaller plots tucked near bedding cover tend to work well as ambush points, while larger plots serve more as destination feeding areas that draw deer from a wider area.

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

Yes, a soil test is the single most useful step before planting. It typically costs $10 to $20 through a land-grant university extension lab and tells you pH, phosphorus, and potassium levels, which determine what species will actually thrive and how much lime or fertilizer you need.

Is baiting or using attractants near a food plot legal?

It depends entirely on your state. Some states allow feeding and baiting for hunting, others ban it outright or restrict it seasonally, and some limit it near the actual hunting site. Always check your state wildlife agency's current baiting and feeding regulations before setting anything out.

Sources

1. Purdue University Forestry and Natural Resources Extension, Food Plots for Wildlife (FNR-428-W): Food plots are designed to supplement natural forage and provide nutrition during specific times of year
2. University of Missouri Extension, Guide G9421, Clover and Other Legumes for Wildlife Food Plots: Clover forage protein content and regrowth characteristics for deer food plots
3. Wentworth, J.M., Kirkpatrick, R.L., and Vaughan, M.R., 'Influence of Acorn Use on Nutritional Status and Reproduction of White-tailed Deer', Journal of Wildlife Management 54(4): 594-598 (1990): Deer shift feeding toward acorns over other forage during heavy mast years
4. University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension, Forage Legumes for Wildlife (AGR-197): Perennial clover plots can produce quality forage for three to five years before needing renovation
5. Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Baiting and Feeding Regulations for Deer Hunting: State-specific baiting and feeding restrictions for deer hunting
6. USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Conservation Practice Standard: Wildlife Habitat Planting (Code 420): Federal framing of food plots as a wildlife habitat management tool