Fortunately, I have enough gray in my sideburns that the
decisions get a little easier every year. But when I’m scratching my head in
confusion, I do what we all should: pick up a phone and shout at an expert. For
this story, I went straight to the top, chatting with Whitetail Institute’s
Steve Scott about general guidelines on how to decide how much food plot
acreage should be planted in perennials and how much in annuals.
“I recommend folks consider a 50-50 split between annual and
perennial plantings as a starting point,” Scott said. “But of course, every
property and situation is different. A lot depends on whether the manager
lives on or close to the land, the size and location of the food plots, timing
and what has been planted in the past. There are a lot of things to think about
when you’re doing your planning for the year.”
With that in mind, here are some ideas as you consider your
annual versus perennial plots this season.
Perennial Power
Perennials — such as clover, chicory and others in the Whitetail
Institute lineup — should be a staple in every food plotter’s plan. I’ve talked
to whitetail experts who’ve told me they’d put clover into every non-row crop
food plot they could. Such is the power of a high-protein, green food source.
Clover is good for deer, and they crave it, kind of like that miracle child who
prefers Raisin Bran instead of Cocoa Puffs. Imperial Whitetail Clover is
extremely high in protein and is one of the first things to green-up each
spring (critical for nursing does and antler-growing bucks) and it maintains its
attraction to deer until it’s buried deep under snow. And a good plot can last
up to five years saving you money from having to plant more often. So why not
plant it everywhere?
Like so many good things, clover comes with a catch. It grows
much better in soil that’s been prepped properly. It can require some extra
attention when it comes to weed control, and even the best clover plot needs
mowing from time to time. None of these requirements demand a degree in rocket
science or tools a farmer would envy, but they demand time and, in many cases,
timing.
“Imperial Whitetail Clover is ideal for food plotters who live
on or close enough to the property to do the maintenance required in spring and
summer which can include occasional mowing and spraying Arrest Max and Slay if
needed,” Scott said. “If you live a long distance away from your property,
those things can be more difficult to do.” For folks that live close to or on
their hunting property and don’t mind the little extra effort, they can plant
even more than 50 percent of their plots in long-lasting perennials.
“Most broadleaf competition can be handled with mowing,” he
said. “But again, this requires the proper equipment and, of course, timing.
You want to mow the plot before broadleaf weeds start to head (seed out), or
you’re simply setting yourself up for more future competition.”
Most broadleaf competition can also be mitigated with Slay, but
again, timing and proper application are important.
Grass competition can require more commitment and aggressive
treatment, as mowing only retards its growth yet does not eliminate the
problem. Fortunately, the Whitetail Institute’s Arrest Max herbicide is the
perfect answer, knocking back most types of grass before it can overwhelm a potentially
healthy clover plot.
“Again, time and timing are important,” Scott said. “When I
think about doing perennial plots well, I believe the personality of the
plotter is important, too. Some guys don’t mind and even enjoy the work that
goes into a perennial plot. Other guys just don’t like the extra effort, which
is fine. You just have to learn what you like to do and, maybe even more
important, what your schedule says you have time to do.”
That concept extends to plot site and preparation. Clover does best on good soil that holds moisture and there’s no doubt it flourishes in soil that’s nutrient-rich and contains the proper pH. Again, that requires soil testing, applying lime to reduce soil acidity and fertilizing to recommended levels. Scott recognizes that although this is the ideal course of action, not every plotter has the time or mindset to do all these things.
Annual Answers
Although Scott believes a 50-50 mix of perennials and annuals is
close to ideal, he also recognizes the realities of the modern-day food
plotter. Time and other constraints can reduce the amount of perennial
plantings we can muster, and in such situations upping the percentage of
annuals is a good idea. Besides, today’s annuals are so good I consider them a
vital part of my food plot plan. There are three plot situations for which I
consider annuals ideal.
For starters, any plot that presents difficult access is perfect
for annuals in my book. Remember, planting killer clover (or other perennials)
most often requires hauling in lime and fertilizer and then planting. Then it
requires a commitment of re-visits for weed control in the form of mowing and
possibly spraying. Remote plots make this difficult, to say the least. Two of
my favorite plots every year are log landings surrounded by timber and are
tough to reach, even with an ATV. In a pair of visits to each plot, I can work
and prep soil, and then return and plant. These little plots are some of my
favorites, year in and year out, and I don’t think it’s a mistake that they’ve
also produced some of the best bucks we see or harvest each fall.
Timing is another major factor in opting for an annual plot.
Many times, I’ve received access to hunt a property in mid to late-summer, and
although that late planting window doesn’t rule out a perennial planting, I
typically choose an annual. My main reason is I usually want to get food on the
landscape that will benefit me immediately. I want to create hunting
opportunities as quickly as I can manufacture them, and a quick-growing annual
puts food in front of deer right away. That pulse of new food can attract area
deer in a hurry, and with a properly set camera, I can inventory deer and hunt
anything that catches my eye.
There’s another reason for choosing annuals in this situation.
For starters, I don’t like rushing a perennial plot. I want to do my soil prep
and planting right, and those steps can take planning or watching the weather.
Also, the growing season in the upper Midwest can close in a hurry, with first
frosts coming as early as mid-September some years. Getting a nice annual plot
going gets the food plot established more quickly than a perennial, and breaks
ground and preps soil for a perennial plot the next year if that’s your goal.
Finally, annuals are a top choice whenever I want to create a food source for post-rut and into winter. Clover will trump most anything as long as deer can get to it, but whitetails are mega-shrewd about when a food source requires too much effort for the calories acquired. In other words, digging through a foot of snow may not make energy sense for a buck, especially when he can grab a tall-growing brassica (such as Winter-Greens) standing tall in the snow. If I have a small plot close to a late-season bedding area, I’ll opt for an annual almost every time.
Stirring the Pot
I’ve come to view devising a food plot plan each year as a sort
of living document. I typically go into the growing season with a rough idea
of what I’ll plant where and when. But hey, I don’t grow deer or deer food for
a living, and sometimes weather, my schedule or just me being a scatterbrain
conspire to toss my plans into a blender. In an ideal world, I’d have a 50-50
mix of annuals and perennials, but as an insurance plan, I tend to stock heavy
on the annuals, which have bailed me out of a tight spot more than once. This
past year is my latest case in point.
I had planned to extend a tiny but popular clover plot. The 1/8-acre dogleg-shaped patch was met by a 40-yard
stretch of logging road that led to a 1/4-acre log landing I’d always had in
annuals. Wouldn’t it be great, I thought, to make that red-hot clover plot
significantly bigger while saving myself the decision of which annual to
plant?
Of course, by late summer, my best-laid plans had disintegrated like a cobweb in a hailstorm. It was time to abort the clover mission and find a Plan B. This time I decided to try something new, and I had the perfect candidate: a bag of Whitetail Institute’s new Beets and Greens, which were happily sitting in my shed and offered plenty of seed to cover the landing. Shrugging and desperate, I sowed the seed and walked away. And of course, you can probably write the ending to this tale of ineptitude: The landing turned out to be the hot plot of the year, responsible for more activity (and more big buck pics) than any of those I’d carefully planned. So sure, become a mix-master whenever you can pull it off, but don’t despair when you’re forced to go with a backup plan.
