Vet Judy

The most often overlooked part of whitetail deer food plot success is weed control. Here are some additional facts that you should know about weeds in your food plots.

Broad Categories of Weeds

1.  Grasses( includes sedges and grasses).

     *Seedlings have one leaf narrow and upright  *Roots are fine and branching*  Sedges differ from grasses: some have triangular shaped stems rather than round or oval.

2. Broadleaf (plants, shrub, tree seedlings)

       *Two seed leaves that are broad with netlike veins *Root system coarse *Often has strong tap root

        * May be herbaceous (plant does not regrow from wood tissue above the ground) or woody (brush, shrubs, trees) *brush and shurbs usually have several stems and generally no taller than 10 feet.

Other Classification Systems are based on life cycle:

                Annuals, biennials, and perennials

1.       Annuals most common in cultivated crops

a.       Lots of dormant seed

b.      Grow fast

c.       Produce high numbers of seed

d.      Can be either winter or summer annual weeds

       Summer annuals: germinate in spring or summer, but die before winter, remain dormant  in soil for the winter or in some cases for years before emerging again

Winter annuals  germinate in later summer or early winter, they overwinter in their vegtetative form then in spring or early summer they flower, set seed and mature  and die. Seeds are dormant in summer months.

These weeds are the most concern in fall seeded crops (ex winter wheat and alfalfa) which go through winter dormant period. Note winter annuals can live 2 seasons but the life cycle is completed during one year

Biennial: life cycle lasts two years. First year plant forms basal leaves(rosette) and a tap root. In the second year the flower comes, matures and dies. No biennial grasses or sedges

Perennials: live more than one season. Some seem to go on forever. Have persistant resprouting roots, rhizomes, stolons, tubers, plant fragments etc. difficult weeds to control.

To avoid this problem it is important not to let the seedlings become established.

Spread by two routes: simple or creeping

 Simple: resprout from crown buds on tap root and spreed from seed.

                        Roots are fleshy, may be large (dandelion)

 Creeping: reporduce by creeping roots(canadian thistle, field bindweed), or above ground stems (runners or stolons) (bentgrass, bermudagrass) or below ground stems(rhizomes)(quackgrass, johnson grass). Also reproduce by seed.  ****once established most dificult group to control. May require cultivation repeated, herbicide, mowing.

Adapted from Washington State University Weed Management Principals. You can purchase this guide here: https://cru84.cahe.wsu.edu/ItemDetail.aspx?ProductID=14331 

The good news is that food plots made for whitetail deer are also great for turkeys.

In general the wild turkeys use cool season food plots in late winter and early spring when the growth in these types of plots is green.

Warm season food plots are generally used through early to mid summer and provide insects and other invertebrates key to the turkey diet. 

Grain plots are especially coveted by the turkey in the fall and winter.  So consider adding corn/grain sorghum (Milo) to your warm season plots and plant in strips at least 50 feet wide. Generally 7lbs/A of corn and 8lbs/A of Milo are advised. 

The added advantage of using corn and grain sorghum strips is in the fall the deer may use them for protected travel routes and if carefully planned these pathways can help you funnel deer travel. If the corn is partially knocked down and left unharvested deer will often eat the corn in the later fall and early winter too depending on available forage options and conditions in your area.

brassica’s  are a good choice for fall and winter deer food plots. They produce large amounts of quality deer food during the time of year when perennial forages and native plants are limited in both production and quality. Seeding your brassica crops in the summer can attract deer late into the fall and early winter.

Food plots are used extensively by Deer Management groups. Good deer managers use brassica’s in their food plots because they realize the value of the brassica group. The specific varieties that Deer Management specialists commonly use are kale, rape, and turnips.

The leaves of these plants are bitter until hit by a heavy frost. Deer managers capitalize on this deer behavior to get outstanding deer attractant factor in their food plots in late fall and early winter during hunting season. Deer will be seen to eat the leaves first and then dig out the roots later in the season as the snow covers the plot.

Here are a few facts about the varieties of brassica crops used by deer managers.

Kale (brassica oleracea): Varieties with a high leaf to stem ratio are preferred by deer. If planted in the spring the stemless is ready August through September. The stemmed variety takes longer and is usually ready October through December.

Turnips: (brassica rapa):All parts of this plant are eaten by the deer. It can be late fall planted and the deer will eat the leaves first and then dig out the roots later. Choose a variety with a high proportion of leaves to provide a better deer attractant.

Forage Rape (brassica napus):  This variety is tolerant of adverse conditions such as cold, heat and drought. It is often planted in mid to late July.  The dwarf types are best when using them as deer lure.

brassica crops are often used by game managers to attract deer to their food plots, especially in the fall and early winter months. They are strong nutritionally and provide good grazing during times of the year when the native plant choices have deteriorated. So, consider brassica species when you want good fall and early winter grazing for your deer.

Planting Food Plots is beneficial to the deer herd and can supplement the herd when times are tough. Deer Food Plots Made Easy provides a complete and simple guide for the DIY crows who want more information on how to use deer food plots.