Conservation Corner: September 6, 1999

Food Plots - Part 1
by James L. Cummins

Wildlife food plots are very attractive to wildlife because they can supplement their daily nutritional needs. They can contain wild or cultivated vegetation, or both. They 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 planted. Prior to planting food plots, inventory the existing natural foods which are available and manage them for maximum production. There are several factors to consider when planning food plots. They include location, size and spacing.

Food plots should be located near cover on fertile soils with adequate drainage. Soil testing is an important factor in having a productive food plot.

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 you are 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 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 for deer are soybeans, corn, browntop millet and japanese millet. Next week, we will discuss the best food plots for waterfowl, quail and turkey.

James L. Cummins is Executive Director of the Mississippi Fish and Wildlife Foundation in Stoneville, Mississippi. Known as "Wildlife Mississippi," the Foundation is a non-profit, conservation organization founded to conserve, restore and enhance fish, wildlife and plant resources throughout Mississippi.