Best Winter Food Plots for Whitetails

Backwoods Whitetails
P.O. Box 372
240 West Main St.
Ipava, IL 61441
Phone: 309-224-2853
info@backwoodswhitetails.com

Planting Winter Food Plots

WINTER FOOD PLOTS: Planting winter food plots for success on late season bucks will mean putting together the right combination of brassica and cereal grains. Creating some of the best late season
plots will mean you should plant more than one type of plant, much like you do with summer food plots. Not saying that just planting one type of plant wont work. Just remember the more ya variety of foods
offered, the longer you plot will attract and feed your whitetails. The benefit to having several types of plants is if a ground level plant becomes covered with a layer of ice making it difficult for the deer to paw
through the ground. The taller food types like soybeans and corn will make a quick and easy access meal. But don't misunderstand. We have seen where whitetails have dug through 2 to 3 feet of snow to eat
the bulb of turnips and sugar beets.
SEED TYPES:
Some of the best and most commonly used brassica seed types are Purple top turnip, Seven top turnip, Kale, Rape, Diakon Radish, Sugar Beets and Rutabaga. The best and most commonly used cereal
grains is corn and soybeans. Some other types of plantings are winter wheat and forage oats. Now much like selecting your summer plot seeds. If ya want the best results from your plantings? YA GOTTA
GET TO KNOW YOUR SEEDS FIRST!! Understand what each seed is and does. Most all winter plantings are done with annuals. This means just want it says. You have to replant it annually. As well some
plants area forage plant where the deer will continue to eat the foliage tops as they regrow from browsing. The other plants like turnips and sugar beets usually will not be touched until they hit a hard frost or
freeze turning the bulb soft and sweet. Also, one thing about bulb style brassica's is that the deer will not always destroy them the first year. For some weird reason the deer in the area have to learn to eat
the plant and it can take two seasons to get them acclimated to eating them. So be patient with your turnips and don't loose all hope if you do not get the results you want the first year. As well it is common
for deer to sometimes not eat them until they are done utilizing other winter food sources. That is a key reason to plant other types of cereal grains to attract and hold deer to your plot.
Brassica Mix: A good Brassica mix will consist of both bulb type plants and forage plants. Obviously the bulb types are purple top turnips, sugar beets. diakon (or tillage radsih) and rutabaga. Forage type
plants are Seven top turnip, Rape, Kale, Oats and winter wheat. Mixing about a pound of or two of each of those seed types is a perfect winter blend. The great thing about these plants is you wont be planting
them until around mid July. So it will give you plenty of time to prepare your plot area throughout the summer months.
Now again planting cereal grains in your plot area is a must. It give your deer another type of food that will attract and hold them longer to the area. Not to mention they should be planted separately from your
brassica mix. It is always perfect practice to rotate your brassica area with your cereal grain area each and every year. So what ever the size your winter plot is gonna be....? Simply split the plot in half and
plant cereal grains on one side and brassica on the other and then the next year just switch sides. Once the deer develop a habit for knowing where all the good food is in the winter. You should start seeing
more and even some of the same deer each year. Remember that the first year a doe is teaching her fawns (buck and doe alike) how to survive the winter. So they will remember when she takes them to
areas where they know there will be food.
Cereal Grains:
Again Cereal grains are important to your plots in a couple ways. They need to be planted for a variety of available food as well as a rotation crop. Now one thing about planting soybeans is you kind of get a
double whammy with this plant. Soybeans will need to be planted in the spring. Select a forage type soybean that will provide foliage in the summer and it is an above ground food source in the winter
months. You will probably have to use some sort of deer repellent for the first month or so to keep the deer off the plot giving the plant a chance to reach a stage to survive over browsing. It is a pain....but it
is much needed to befit from your hard work.
Now for corn one main thing you need to know is DO NOT use any type of corn bore resistant or triple stack corn. The deer and sometimes even cattle refuse to eat it. Kind of makes ya think about what your
eating yourself If even a stupid cow wont eat it, huh? Just know that the best type of corn to plant for plots is conventional corn and unless you are planting ten acres of corn....? Lol....Dont think you are gonna
plant a small patch and the deer will bed in it. One more thing is to rotate your corn and soybeans area's each year. Soybeans will help put nitrogen into the soil where as corn will draw it out.
Plot placement can be tough sometimes as you might be in a situation where you have no choice but to put it in the only place available. Remember to just try and place your plots in areas that are easily
accessible without alerting game that you are in the area. But if that isn't possible...then just remember that your plots are a strong attempt to attract and hold deer for winter hunting. You do not always have
to be looking at or see the food plot to harvest and animal that is utilizing it. Your best bet is to set up your stand between the deers bedding area and the food plot anyway. That way you can get out of your
stand and leave quietly when the food plot is full of deer when the sun goes down. No since in alerting the deer to your presence or stand location for any reason. Just remember to set a stand on the plot for
in the event of being right on top of the plots is available or needed.
Best of luck to everyone this season with planting and hunting their food plots. Remember that food plots is like hunting. You have to do your research about every aspect in order to be the most successful
with our endeavor. Otherwise you are going to get discouraged and give up quickly. Always appreciate what you have done for the wildlife regardless of if you are harvesting big bucks on your food plots.
Hunters are the greatest conservationist. If it weren't for your participation the wildlife would suffer in allot of ways. So don't just take advantage of the opportunity to hunt. Please help create some great
hunting opportunities. Your hunting season and the future of hunting depends upon it.

FOOD PLOT CATEGORIES
Selecting the site
Preparing the plot spot
Mowing & Weed Control
Seed Bed Preparation
Lime & Fertilizers
Understanding Soil types
Choosing what to Plant
Selecting the right seed
Planting the Plot
Food Plot Maintenance