Hunting land and property for sale in Illinois

Clover

Clover is the universal food plot. Every deer hunting property should have at least one clover plot. Clover is fairly easy to grow and maintain and deer love its high protein levels.

Clover is the universal food plot. Every deer hunting property should have at least one clover plot. Clover is fairly easy to grow and maintain and deer love its high protein levels. Shown is white ladino clover from Imperial Whitetail Clover (Whitetail Institute of North America). Clover is considered by many to be the most universal deer food and the reputation is not without merit. Clover is easy to establish in most regions of the country and most soil types. It is easy to maintain with two cuttings per summer and will fight through residue much better than alfalfa so you don’t necessarily have to bale it.



But clover has a downside. First it doesn’t last as many years as alfalfa. Three years is pretty typical for a clover plot before it is overtaken by grass. Second, clover isn’t as viable as alfalfa from a commercial standpoint because it yields less and isn’t as marketable. Also, clover flattens and loses its attractiveness for deer (not to mention its food value) after the weather turns cold. In fact, the first killing frost puts clover into a dormant stage when much of the nutritional value is gone. So clover is not a great late fall and winter planting in areas that typically experience hard frosts by the end of October. However, because it is simple for hobby farmers to establish and maintain clover remains a strong consideration.


Sorghum/Milo


Grain sorghum (often called milo) has been promoted for upland bird habitat, but it is also an effective food source for deer. On the property I’ve managed we’ve planted a lot of milo over the years. It has two positive points and two negative points. On the upside, the grain heads are well utilized throughout the fall, but the plant itself is not touched during the summer, regardless of deer density. This all but guarantees a crop come fall. Also, sorghum is a more resilient plant than corn and will compete well with weeds and still produce heads. It grows well even during fairly dry summers. Like corn, you can generally find a free source for milo, helping to reduce the cost of the planting.

However, on the downside, once deer get used to eating milo they will eat the heads to the stem just as soon as the seeds reach the “dough stage”. This is the point when the seeds take shape but haven’t dried down – typically in September. Again, this is a learned response by deer in moderate to high-densities. The first year or two of a sorghum planting program in this setting will produce the desired result – late fall and winter food – but after that you may only be producing early fall food for consumption at a time when deer could (and should) still be eating legumes and other protein-rich foods.

As another negative, sorghum is less desirable than corn as a winter carbohydrate source. Therefore, it can’t be counted on to bring deer running when the mercury drops the way corn can. In areas with lower deer densities where both can be grown effectively, corn is better. Sorghum has a place in a larger management program but for our five-acres it doesn’t make the cut.


Soybeans


When it gets brutally cold, food plots become very attractive to deer. There is little you can plant that draws bucks during the summer like soybeans. Beans provide plenty of protein, but the plants must also taste good because they often outdraw nearby clover that is even higher in protein.



Soybeans are also good at extracting minerals from the soil that are then utilized by deer. Also, during the summer the deer only eat the leaves. Soybeans are resilient plants that can take a lot of this kind of grazing pressure and still put out pods. And, when the beans in the pods dry down, deer will feed on them heavily during the fall and winter. Soybeans are also fairly easy to establish and are reasonably drought tolerant.



As a perfect food plot planting, beans have two downsides. First, they won’t yield as many tons of food per acre as alfalfa or even clover. Second, the plants are vulnerable when young. The growing point is above ground and if deer or turkeys snip off the plant at the two-leaf stage it won’t grow back. Ideally, beans should be planted early enough to get past the deer while the does are fawning. Also, with the advent of Round-Up Ready beans you can plant into residue and let the growing weeds hide your beans until the young plants are well past this critical stage. Then you can simply spray the field and wipe out the competition. Beans should be strongly considered for our five-acres.


Alfalfa

Alfalfa is an excellent source of protein. Deer will hammer it all summer and for as long as the plant remains nutritious into the fall. They will also start on it as early as possible in the spring.

Many deer hunters are now planting turnips to complement their other food plots. Turnips are a great choice because the deer won’t hit them hard until after it gets cold. The only exception being areas with very high deer numbers where the deer will anything green in late summer and early fall. Alfalfa is an excellent source of protein. In fact, there is nothing readily available that produces more crude protein than high quality alfalfa. Deer will hammer it all summer and for as long as the plant remains nutritious into the fall. They will also start on it as early as possible in the spring. Also, a properly maintained alfalfa plot will last up to seven years and is fairly drought tolerant. Finally, there is a ready and well-established market for quality alfalfa hay. Since you need to cut the crop and remove the residue anyway to keep the field weed-free why not make some money?



Alfalfa also has downsides. First, alfalfa is primarily a summer food source. It turns brown quickly after the first hard frost and will be utilized less by deer thereafter. Also, it doesn’t green-up as quickly in the spring as winter grains or even clover, so it isn’t of much benefit during periods of high stress. Second, alfalfa can be tough to establish and maintain. The soil needs to be well drained or the crop will quickly flood out. Leaf hoppers love the leaves as much as the deer do, so you will have to monitor the plot regularly and treat it for bugs as needed.



Also, alfalfa is expensive to establish. You need to plan on liming, fertilizing and paying top dollar for high protein varieties. You’re probably looking at well over $100 per acre even if you do the work, more if you don’t. While this may not seem so bad when you amortize the cost over the life of the field, don’t forget annual fertilizer expenses that add about $30 per acre.



If you are selling the hay the math is a lot friendlier. In fact, alfalfa as a crop can be very profitable. But, unless you really want to get into this stuff, you are better off having the crop put up on halves by a local farmer. Under the right conditions, alfalfa is a great option so we’ll keep it on the list.

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