Field additives to attract deer in summe
Contributors to this thread:Whitetail Deer
From: Turkeyshooter
14-May-21
Is there anything I can add to my field that will help keep deer around during the spring and summer. Plenty of deer traffic in the fall and winter. Neighboring farms are planted mainly in fescue.its cattle country.
From: WV Mountaineer
14-May-21
Salt blocks. Other then that, you are going to have a hard time competing with natural forage until crops and natural hard and soft mast get edible.
From: APauls
14-May-21
Question: Why? Why do you want the deer eating your food in the summer instead of saving it for the fall/winter which is hunting season which is when you want to have the food. Why have them decrease your available lbs/acre before you need it?
From: White Falcon
14-May-21
Bird seed and bread. My deer love it. ( at the house )
From: Turkeyshooter
14-May-21
Thanks, everyone. And I never thought about how much they ate before the hunting season, but that's why I joined the forum. I appreciate all and any advice. I am having to learn everything about planting/farming and food plots. My place is small.Roughly 13 acres but it's in a deer highway surrounded by farms and woods. Got my first 10 point last season in the back yard headed to my food plot, or cutting through. Not sure which. Thanks again.
From: t-roy
14-May-21
Lots of good information in the Deerbuilder forums, on a variety different food plot related subjects.
From: drycreek
14-May-21
Excuse me, but with a couple of exceptions the stuff deer eat in the spring ain’t the stuff deer eat in the fall. That’s why we plant spring plots and fall plots. Ask sit0, I think he feeds corn year ‘round.........
From: sitO
14-May-21
I've upset you haven't I Don, I apologize.
From: Catscratch
14-May-21
Hard to beat a mix of clovers, chicory, and sunflowers for a summer plot.
From: Bow Crazy
15-May-21
On smaller parcels I recommend planting food plots for volume and attraction during the hunting season. Here in Wisconsin, my target dates are end of October through November, and secondly, to the end of the year. Let your neighbors attracted them in the summer, you concentrate on the fall.
Now to answer your questions, what to plant for attraction in the spring/summer. Cereal Rye, Wheat, and Oats grows fast and easy to plant. Plant in the fall (just overseed) and it will come up very early in the spring. A mix of Clover, Alfalfa (if your soil is in top shape) and Chicory is a great spring into fall mix. This mix is even been a great mix for my target time of late October through November (depending on the snow). BC
From: Turkeyshooter
18-May-21
Thanks everyone!
From: Ok...Russ
18-May-21
Drycreek and t-roy X2. Luckily you can't bait in Missouri or this thread would never die!!
From: 35-Acre
19-May-21
I learned the hard way the same thing APuls said above. If you have them on your small parcel in the spring and summer, you're going to build a "doe factory" (fawning, etc.). They will eat anything you plant. This means, you will have a TON of trouble getting your fall plantings to maturity. I started letting my fields do the natural thing until late summer.
