Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Best spring summer food plot plantings?

I know I want to plant Crush perfect 10 for the fall but looking for something for my small food plots to plant in the spring/summer. What are you using?

I only do 1 spring/summer plot and that's usually Milo to help out the quail.

Spring oats followed by rye in the fall is what works in our area.

Field peas planted in June overseen with turnips in August... two weeks after turnips broadcast Rye or Wheat...

Depends on the goals. Around here, food is not in short supply in the spring/summer. So if I plant a summer plot is more so to prep it for the fall plot. For that purpose, I like buckwheat. Great for the soil, weed suppression and easy to grow. That said, I've had good luck letting my oats/cereal rye go to seed and use it to "plant" the fall plot. Soybeans work well for us from the time they come up until the leaves fall off. Overseed with oats/cereal rye around labor day. Since we use regular ag soybeans, you better have a fence or a decent amount of area to plant. Too small and they will eat all of them! I imagine field peas would be the same. Would like to try them some year, but keep getting soybean seed for free.

Imperial Whitetail Power Plant. Great stuff

What are you wanting to feed and when?
Are they small "bait plots" meant just got hunting over, or are you looking to leave them as a winter food source to help carry animals over til next year?

For me I want to feed prairie chickens, pheasants and deer over the winter, but also have huntable plots in the fall. So this year I'll plant 10 acres or so of food plots.
2 will be corn, 5 will be Milo and 2 will be a multi species mix, leaving one for fall clover and brassicas. Short season Milo I'll plant a couple weeks after the crop fields arrive here are done and I'll plant in 15" row spacing and a little heavy. This helps with weed competition and the birds seem to do better with it, plus it's easier to see birds and dogs moving through it.
I've left some plots 2 years if there's good food left the following year, cover is cover.
I stay away from rye and now I'll stay away from buckwheat so my neighbors that farm wheat don't have any issues from me anyway.
My goal is to have healthy numbers year round using my plots rather than just while I'm hunting.

You're question is spot on. What and when. And good on you for being a good neighbor with your plot species selection.

One of my great regrets is not getting any of the Lesser or Greater PCs I have shot mounted. Stupid and likely never get to shoot another one. Such a cool bird.

Clover and chicory or buckwheat