Vet Judy

            Okay, let me tell you right up front: forage rape (brassica napus) is my brassica of choice in the deer food plot mix on my ranch.  It’s not just the fact that the plant contains 30% crude protein—but that’s certainly a good selling point.

            First of all, remember: forage rape is different than oilseed rape.  You won’t be able to utilize the oilseed varieties in your deer food plot like the forage varieties.

            Second, there are also different kinds of forage rape out there.  There are “giant” varieties, which are often used to graze cattle and sheep and “dwarf” varieties which are used in the sheep industry as a forage in lamb production.  If you’re using your food plot to also attract deer for the early fall hunting season, be sure to use a “dwarf” variety, which will naturally mature when the plant is shorter.

            Forage rape is often regarded as a little easier to manage for grazing than kale and turnips.  At my location, forage rape will be seeded in early August to begin being available to deer in September or October, after our first hard frost. 

            Honestly, the thing I love about forage rape is that it can offer a forage food source well into the winter.  It’s ready for grazing about 60 days after planting; I like to plant in early August so it’s ready for the deer by October.  After the first grazing, forage rape will regrow in about a month—an ideal addition to the fall deer food plot crop mixture.

            As for all brassicas, forage rape will be more attractive to deer after frost.  It is also not a one-size-fits-all wonder crop for your deer food plot.  But if you’re looking for a winter-hardy, nutrient laden grazing crop of choice for deer—especially in regions of harder winters—forage rape is my brassica deer food plot crop of choice.

brassica All-Stars: Turnips

            Imagine a food crop that you could eat several times while it’s growing…then come back later and get some decent nutrition by digging up the roots.

            That is, essentially, what a deer gets out of a turnip.

            The turnip, whose scientific name is Brassica rapa, is one of those gold-plated deer forages in the brassica family.  Turnips have the reputation for being a humble crop, but they’re a critical part of many deer food plot stands.

            You’ll want to seed turnip in the late summer in northern climates; locations farther south can get away with early fall seedings.  Peak forage growth for most varieties is 60-90 days, with the best leaf nutrition coming about six weeks after planting.

            Turnips will keep growing after the first grazing—that is, if the point where the turnip greens grow, located at the tops of the roots, isn’t removed.  This is why it’s important to offer other crops in the food plot mix besides turnip, especially crops like cool-season grasses that can be managed for early fall deer forage.  The idea is to let the deer get a nibble of the turnip while there are still other things to eat.  Then, when there aren’t as many other forage options, the deer will return to graze the turnip.  Like other brassicas, turnips promote this feeding habit naturally as the turnip greens can taste more bitter before frost.

            At my ranch, I’ve seen turnip stay green well into the winter and even be available underneath the snow.  Deer can also dig up the turnips for nutrition in the mid-winter.

            Agronomists have selected lines of brassica rapa that are best suited for grazing.  Be sure to use a grazing variety when you put turnip into your deer food plot mix.  Then watch turnips become a part of your deer food plot that you’ll wonder why you never tried before.

            When it comes to forage crops that can grow in the late summer and the fall, you have to talk brassicas.  Unlike cool-season grasses, the growth of brassicas isn’t as affected by the cooler fall weather and shorter periods of daylight.  At my ranch, I’ve found that brassica crops are some of the best performers for deer food plots.

            Remember the importance of protein in the deer diet in Deer Management?  Well, brassicas are typically 16-18 percent “crude protein”—that’s nearly the same level as a premium, warmer season forage legume such as alfalfa.  Brassicas tend to be a very productive crop, and are very digestible for deer.  They are seeded in the summer and then provide forage into the fall and winter.

            As I’ve noted in my book, Deer Food Plots Made Easy, the neatest thing about brassicas is that they naturally repel the deer early in the season, before frost.  Leaves are bitter before they’re hit by frost; after frost, they naturally sweeten as starches in the leaves are converted to sugar.

            Turnips are a popular brassica crop, and are examined in more detail in a separate blog posting.  Turnip is also a good example of a multi-use brassica, for deer can forage for the edible roots long after the turnip tops, or “greens,” have been eaten.

            So if brassicas are such a wonder crop when it comes to deer forage, why doesn’t the deer food plot manager just plant an acre of brassicas and watch the racks roll in?  One word: fiber.  That’s right—for all their positive protein content, brassicas are notoriously low in fiber.  This is a big problem in ruminant nutrition, because ruminants need proper fiber levels to keep the bacteria living in their rumens happy and productive.  Sheep and cattle managers have discovered that brassicas shouldn’t make up more than about 75% of a ruminant’s diet.

            So while brassicas are absolutely essential for the deer food plot, they’re not the magical “silver bullet” crop that will guarantee food plot success.  That success will only come with proper deer habitat management, good crop seed mixtures, and well-thought location for your deer food plot plantings.

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.