cool season

5 Clovers That Help Fall Food Plots Feed Deer in Spring and Summer, Too

Aug 6, 2025 Mark Turner

Many deer hunters are interested in producing larger-antlered bucks, healthier does, and more robust deer populations, yet their food plot programs often fall short at providing high-quality nutrition when deer require it most – in…

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3 Simple Food Plot Options for Fall Deer Attraction

Jul 19, 2023 Ben Westfall

Believe it or not, fall food plot planting season is right around the corner in much of the country, so now is the perfect time to consider what’s next on the menu. Here are three…

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Ladino Clover for Deer | A Step-by-Step Guide

Mar 15, 2022 Bob Westerfield

This article was updated on March 15, 2022 Few things are more attractive in the deer food plot world than a solid stand of ladino clover, particularly when it is still there after the third…

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Frost Seeding Clover and Other Food Plot Species: When and How

Mar 1, 2022 Kip Adams

This article was updated 3/1/2022 If you live in an area where the surface layer of soil freezes during winter, you can save fuel and equipment costs by frost seeding a portion of your clover…

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Do Brassicas Actually Get “Sweeter” After a Frost?

Dec 22, 2021 Mark Turner

We’ve all heard it in one form or another – that deer select brassicas more strongly after frost because the starches turn into sugars, making the plant sweeter. At the University of Tennessee, we set…

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Choosing the Best Brassicas for Your Food Plots

Aug 19, 2020 Ryan Basinger

Updated April 4, 2024 Although they have long been used as a livestock forage, brassicas came on the scene as a deer forage about 20 to 30 years ago. There are numerous species that belong…

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Food Plot Species Profile: Oats

Jul 15, 2020 Ryan Basinger

It’s no secret that cereal grains – wheat, oats, cereal rye, triticale – are popular choices for planting in food plots managed for whitetails. Cereal grains are highly attractive to deer, and they perform well…

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Annuals, Perennials or Both for Food Plots? How to Choose Wisely

Jun 24, 2020 Ryan Basinger

One of the most basic characteristics of a deer forage that essentially lays the foundation of a food plot program is the time of year it is available and how long it lasts. When you…

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Austrian Winter Peas

Jul 28, 2016 Ryan Basinger

Austrian winter pea (Pisum sativum) is a cool-season annual legume that has long been considered a high-preference forage for whitetails. Due to its nitrogen-fixing ability, winter pea has numerous agricultural uses, and it is very…

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Radishes for Deer

Jul 18, 2016 Ryan Basinger

Radishes (Raphanus sativus) are somewhat of a newcomer to the food plot menu for whitetails. Native to Asia, radishes are produced for a variety of uses but are primarily grown for food. In the United…

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