With more and more people taking an interest in being better
stewards of the land, the management of both land and deer has become a primary
focus of deer hunters. Much of the credit for this goes to the Whitetail
Institute. In the late 1980s Ray Scott was one of the first to recognize the
role that food offerings played in having better deer and better deer hunting. Since
Scott founded the Whitetail Institute, hundreds of thousands of hunters and
land managers have been introduced and schooled on the finer points of quality
deer management. Through this magazine everything from managing natural habitat
and soil pH, to seed selection, to food plot layout, to how best to hunt a property
has been covered. In spite of this, questions about these things continue to
come up.
For many hunters interested in deer nutrition, forage is
forage, be it orchard grass or clover. Though this is changing, the end result
is that all too often an understanding of the difference between annual and
perennial forages is lacking. In order to gain an understanding of the two it’s
best to cover the basics.
ANNUALS
Annuals are forages that last for a season and are gone. As
far as deer feeds go, corn, soybeans, annual clover, brassica, tubers (turnips and
beets), rye, wheat and triticale are examples of annuals. In terms of
popularity in my area of the Northeast, annual forages like red clover, oats,
rye, wheat, brassica, turnips and triticale are often used by food plotters for
summer and fall plantings because they grow rapidly, providing a quick
nutritious food source for deer. In terms of growth, annuals are faster growing
than perennials because the plant’s purpose is to grow stems and leaves, rather
than the needed root base required for perennials.
During certain times of the year, due to season, heat,
drought, and cold, perennials might not provide the volume of nutrients deer require.
This is where annuals can really shine. PowerPlant is an annual offered to fill
such a bill. The beauty of PowerPlant is that it is a blend of a forage soybean
with other seeds that are vining plants which produce more leaves. It can take
tremendous grazing pressure and it’s available during the hot summer months
when other plants are stunted from heat and dry conditions.
Another benefit of planting annuals is to provide harvest
strategies. Come fall and the hunting season, many hunters want a fast-growing,
nutritious food plot they can hunt over. A product like Secret Spot and
Whitetail Forage Oats Plus can be planted in late summer or fall and be a real
whitetail magnet by the time hunting season rolls around. The beauty of Secret
Spot is that it requires a minimum of effort, has a pH booster for maximum
growth and grows rapidly so that there is adequate forage for deer throughout
the hunting season.
PERENNIALS
Perennials are forages that last two or more years. When it
comes to popularity, alfalfa and perennial clovers rise head and shoulders
above most other whitetail forages in popularity. Unlike annuals, which are
growing stems, leaves, or tubers after they are planted, perennials are busy
putting down roots in the weeks after planting. It’s only after the roots are
established that stems and leaves begin to be noticed. For food plotters,
perennials are the real super-stars for deer forage. Though they may not be the
complete package, they come close. When longevity, nutrition and cost are
factored together they cannot be beat. Imperial Whitetail Clover reigns king
when it comes to forage choice among North American deer hunters. Its unique
blend of clovers offers diversity and resistance to drought conditions enabling
it to provide the biggest benefit for the hunter/land manager.
Longevity is a real plus when it comes to utilizing perennials.
Being able to get 3, 4 and 5 years from a food plot makes them very attractive to
serious food plotters. About the only down side of perennial seeds is that they
tend to go dormant when summer stress conditions like heat and drought occur.
However, because of their deep root system they will almost always bounce back
when the stress period ends.
Whitetail Institute’s Steve Scott sums up the whole
annual/perennial debate.
“There is no question that annuals offer variety and
nutrients but they are very time specific. Because of perennials’ nature I
believe they should be the base or cornerstone of the food plotter’s plan,”
Scott said. “If you have a reasonable amount of land and the resources to
prepare the land, consider planting annuals and perennials.” Shooting for a mix
of 60% perennials and 40 percent annuals is almost always a solid plan.
WHICH TO PLANT — ANNUALS OR PERENNIALS?
One of the benefits of annual forages is that they are often
easier to establish and can be time specific to deliver the nutrition deer
require when some of the perennial plants go dormant or are stressed. Three of
the best authorities I know on annual and perennial forages are Whitetail
Institute’s Mark Trudeau, Iowa animal nutritionist Matt Harper, and northern
land manager Neil Dougherty. They are outstanding deer hunters and land managers
who have a strong background in farming practices. To a man they agree that the
decision of whether to plant annuals or perennials is dependent on the goals landowners
have for their deer herd and when and how they want to hunt their properties.
Trudeau points out that planting both annuals and perennials
is ideal for a successful food plot program to really thrive.
“Because every property is different I’m a little reluctant
to give a hard and true percentage of how much should be planted in perennials and
annuals. In general terms I like to have at least 60 percent in perennial
forages. Perennials are the workhorse in my programs because they are highly
nutritious and available most of the year — especially from spring through fall
when bucks are growing antlers and does are birthing and nursing fawns,”
Trudeau said.
Harper concurs with Trudeau but with an added caveat.
“I used to tell people that their food plots should be 60
percent perennials and 40 percent annuals. Now I ask more questions before
giving a figure,” Harper said. “If I hear that a landowner has a high deer
density I know that he’ll need a higher percentage planted to perennials. On
the other hand, if the individual does a lot of late season hunting and wants
to winter deer, he’ll have to plant more annuals. I learned a long time ago
that annuals can really shine when it comes to hunting because of the way they
thrive once the weather turns cold and snowy.”
When I discussed the perennial/annual percentage principle
with Dougherty, he said. “I agree with both Mark and Matt. In general I
recommend that at least 60 percent of a property’s food plots be planted to
perennials because they are able to produce great tonnage for a longer period
of time than most annuals. Perennials are the backbone of the programs I run.”
I began utilizing food plots on our farm in the late 1970s.
And like Trudeau, Harper and Dougherty I know that perennials are king — the meat
and potatoes. As important as perennials are, I also know I can’t have a
successful program without annuals. I hunt from October through December and
want as many deer as possible to winter on our farm. Without annuals this isn’t
possible in my part of New York State. So, I rely heavily on annuals to
accomplish my hunting and feeding goals. On our farm 60 percent perennials and
40 percent annuals allows me to accomplish this.
FORAGE ROTATION
The proper rotation of a food plot from one forage to
another is key to food plot success. This is nothing more than sound farming
practices. The reason crop rotation is necessary is because each forage
depletes certain nutrients from the soil. By way of example, clover adds nitrogen
to the soil, so it is beneficial to rotate clover to an annual forage like
Winter-Greens (which needs nitrogen). Because annuals like Tall Tine Tubers and
Winter-Greens deplete nitrogen from the soil they should not be planted in the
same soil year after year, even if you heavily fertilized with a nitrogen-based
fertilizer.
BEST BANG FOR THE BUCK
The decision to plant annual or perennial forages will
depend on the resources available, need, locations, and time of year they are
needed. In the best of all worlds a good food plot program should have some of
each. Generally speaking at least five percent of a property should be planted
into food plots. Following are examples that have worked for me over the years.
I’m always trying something new (i.e., seed and plot location) and constantly
tweaking what I plant in different locations to take advantage of hunting
opportunities.
Five acres: A
mixture of at least three forages. Plant 2-1/2 acres in a perennial forage like
Imperial Whitetail Clover. The other 2-1/2 acres might be split up with annuals
like PowerPlant for spring/summer and Winter-Greens, Whitetail Forage Oats
Plus, and Tall Tine Tubers for fall/winter.
Three acres: Similar
to five acres but scaled down with 1-1/2 to two acres of Imperial Whitetail
Clover with the other 1 to 1-1/2 divided in annuals to provide strategic
hunting opportunities.
Two acres: One
acre in Imperial Whitetail Clover with two one-half acre plots in annuals for
late season hunting and food options. Another option I like for this size
acreage is to put half in Imperial Whitetail Clover and the other half in
Whitetail Forage Oats Plus.
One acre: If
this is all you can plant, you may want to consider using all the space planted
to maximize hunting opportunities. In this case, divide the area up and utilize
Imperial Whitetail Clover and other great annual attractants like, Whitetail
Forage Oats Plus, PowerPlant, Secret Spot, Winter-Greens and Tall Tine Tubers.
www.whitetailinstitute.com.
Annuals
No-Plow
PowerPlant
Whitetail Forage Oats Plus
Pure Attraction
BowStand
Secret Spot
Winter-Greens
Tall Tine Tubers
Perennials:
Imperial Whitetail Clover
Edge
Chicory Plus
Extreme
Alfa-Rack Plus
