Food Plots in Mississippi: Supplementing The Nutritional Needs Of Wildlife

The merit of wildlife plantings is debatable; however, food plots remain attractive because they can supplement daily nutritional needs of wildlife. Such plots can contain wild or cultivated vegetation, or both. They are designed to serve as a source of food or cover depending on the greater need on a given acreage. Well-managed food plots have the potential to increase numbers of wildlife, quality of health and observability.

Consistently productive food plots require considerable thought and planning before they are ever planted. Prior to planting food plots, inventory the existing natural foods which are available and manage them for maximum production. In many cases, simply fertilizing native vegetation may supply seasonal needs of many wildlife species.

There are several factors to consider when planning food plots. They include location, size and spacing. Food plots should be located on fertile soils with adequate drainage, and near cover. Soil testing is an important factor in having a productive food plot. To determine how to take soil samples and where to send them, consult a county agent.

Plot size and shape my vary according to the type of planting and the intended wildlife use. Plots should be scattered over the entire property if possible. It would be more beneficial to establish ten plots, two acres in size scattered over the entire property than to have one plot which is twenty acres in size.

Depending on the species that one is trying to manage for, plants can vary. Food for white-tailed deer should be made available during all times of the year. This will provide forage during stressful periods of the year such as late winter, early spring and late summer.

Planting a variety of species which will provide food during these stress periods is a common approach. To accomplish this, both warm and cool season plantings should be used. If agricultural crops are being produced in the area, leaving unharvested strips of corn or soybeans near wooded areas will also provide forage.

The size of food plots for white-tailed deer should not be less than one acre in order to provide adequate sunlight. Two to five acre plots work best.

During the cool-seasons, small grains and clovers are the preferred plantings of white-tailed deer. During the warm-season, soybeans are preferred over all other forages. Cool-season plantings include arrowleaf clover, ladino clover, LA-S1

clover, ryegrass, oats and winter peas. Warm-season plantings which work well are soybeans, cowpeas, alyce clover, corn, browntop millet and japanese millet (see Table 1).

Just as food plots are important to deer, they are also valuable to other species such as waterfowl. Food plots are important to wintering waterfowl as nutritional needs increase during the winter months. Waterfowl must have access to quality food sources in order to maintain body weights and prepare for the upcoming breeding season. During this period, waterfowl rely heavily on invertebrates for protein and acorns and moist-soil seeds for energy. Food plots can help to supplement the energy needs of waterfowl. Corn is an excellent source of carbohydrates (energy) which can be important in years of poor acorn crops.

Almost any grain can be grown for waterfowl. Some of the most commonly grown crops are corn, browntop and japanese millets (see Table 1).

For bobwhite quail, fall and winter are critical seasons. In the fall, quail move frequently. If an abundant supply of food is available, most birds will remain in the area. During the winter months food is critical to bobwhites for survival. Food plots for bobwhite quail should be 1/8 to 1/4 acre in size and should be located near thick wooded areas, tall grassy fields and brushpiles. Row crops such as corn and soybeans provide adequate amounts of waste grain as long as they aren't covered by plowing or disking after harvesting. A portion of a harvested field adjacent to cover should remain undisked throughout the winter, or a row or two of unharvested plants can be left in the field.

Recommended plantings for bobwhite quail include partridge pea, Florida beggarweed, kobe lespedeza, hairy vetch, browntop millet, bicolor lespedeza and wild reseeding soybeans in conjunction with corn (see Table 1).

Wild turkeys eat a variety of plant and animal materials. Young turkey poults require large quantities of insects and other animal matter during the first few months of life to obtain protein for rapid body development. As the turkeys mature, plant materials become the primary food source. Mature turkeys prefer acorns, when available.

In years of low mast crops, food plots can supplement the nutritional needs of wild turkeys. Food plots should be made available to turkeys during the fall, winter and spring months to fulfill the needs of the young poults as well as mature birds.

Food plots for wild turkeys should be located near prime turkey habitat. Large tracts of mature bottomland and upland hardwoods or pine-hardwood mixtures interspersed with open areas are preferred habitat. Open areas such as old fields and logging roads are excellent sites for food plots.

Recommended plantings which work well for turkeys include ryegrass, ladino clover, crimson clover, bahiagrass and wheat.

Many plots intended for white-tailed deer will also provide adequate forage areas for wild turkeys.

When planting food plots, crops should be planted according to prescribed rates and seeding times. Preparing seedbeds properly will increase germination and yield a more productive food plot.

Try different varieties to find which plantings work the best in a given area. When planting large food plots, try combination plantings or try half cool-season and half warm-season plantings. Many of the clovers, small grains, and grasses work very well when planted together.

* Denotes varieties that must be inoculated prior to planting.
** Denotes varieties that must be scarified prior to planting.