Andy,

Thanks for watching GrowingDeer.tv! When picking a crop to attract deer to a specific location, remember the bear hunting with your buddy tip! If a bear charges, you don’t have to be faster than the bear, just faster than your buddy!! Similarly, you don’t have to plant the best crop, you simply need to have the most palatable crop in your neighborhood. Some warm season options include forage soybeans. Soybeans are very palatable, once deer learn what they are (don’t laugh, deer at The Proving Grounds had never seen soybeans and it took a couple of years for them to begin consuming them). However, once deer learn to consume soybeans, they can consume large quantities of them. If the plot sizes are small relative to the number of deer using them, a better option might be a mix of clover and chicory. These crops are a bit more browse tolerant and are better suited for smaller plots. However they do require some maintenance to persist several years. Buckwheat is an annual warm season forage that is often over looked as an attractant crop for deer. I often use it when I’m establishing a food plot simply for attracting deer for viewing during the warm season. It usually only lives for 75 +/- days, but is very easy to establish. Deer usually readily consume its forage. There are lots of forage options. Late winter is a perfect time to research which one fits your specific mission.

Growing Deer together,

Grant