North American Whitetail's Favorite Food Plot for Year-Round Forage

This article was featured in the 2024 Habitat Issue of North American Whitetail.

Most letters from magazine editors include a sentimental story or reflection, maybe a current event, or just a summary of the articles within a monthly issue. I know because I’ve written those same types of editorials! But not this month. Instead, I’ll spare you a monologue and instead answer the No. 1 land management question I’m asked every year. This one comes from folks of every experience level, be they hardcore land pros or never-planted-a-plot newbies.

I’ve got room for about 1,000 words to answer what could be (and is) the subject of entire books. Note, it didn’t fit entirely on this page, so you’ll have to flip to pg. 104 if so inclined to finish reading my reply to this million-dollar question: “What’s your favorite food plot for whitetails?”

If I could answer in just three words: The Dairyman’s Plot. That’s the name we call it here at North American Whitetail, because that’s how it’s usually described to us by our colleague, biologist Dr. James C. Kroll.

What’s in it? Three more words: Oats, Clover & Chicory. This perennial plot combo, in my experience, cannot be beaten for its year-round forage and nutrition, attractiveness to deer (and wild turkeys), drought-and cold-hardiness. Bonus: it’s easy to plant and grow. Also, if the word “perennial” triggered you in the first sentence of this paragraph, yes, I’m aware oats are annual (more on this later).

Why do we call it the Dairyman’s Plot? As explained by Dr. Kroll: “In the 1970s we needed a better approach to food plots, so I went to the folks who knew most about planting forages for ruminants — dairymen! When asked about what forages would work best for deer, dairymen always answered cereal grains and legumes. Given this information, we began what became the longest running research program on deer food plots in history. Over the next several decades, we tested every plant variety that could possibly serve as a good deer forage.”

To make an extra-long story short, Dr. Kroll’s research team identified just a handful of plants in the cereal grain and legume categories that performed best. Their cereal grain of choice was the oat, thanks to its high preferability by deer over wheat, rye and triticale. Later, in collaboration with Louisiana State University’s Dr. Steve Harrison, the men developed a variety of oat that is “designed” specifically for deer: Buck Forage Oats.

As for legumes, Ladino white clover is impossible to ignore for its excellent crude protein content (25-30 percent) and digestible energy, creeping growth habit, browse tolerance and high yield (up to 3,000 pounds/acre). At NAW, we use Buck Forage Clover variety.

Perhaps Ladino clover’s perfect companion, chicory is a non-legume herbaceous perennial plant that can last five seasons. It’s packed with protein (up to 30 percent) and is highly palatable and digestible to deer. Like clover, it’s a great option for frost seeding, broadcasting/dragging or drilling. This plant’s hidden talent is its long tap root that makes it incredibly drought resistant. I prefer Buck Forage Chicory variety, as it’s comprised of round-leaf and white-stem varieties, proven by Dr. Kroll to be more preferred than frilled-leaf and red-stemmed ones.

I sew this three-plant combo in the fall from mid-September to early October (in North Carolina, USDA Zone 7), using the following methods. First, I till my plots using either a disc harrow or PTO rotary tiller. Then I broadcast a 50/50 mix of Buck Forage Clover and Chicory at a rate of seven pounds per acre and plant to 1/4-inch depth. Finally, I use a seed drill to plant Buck Forage Oats at a rate of 50 pounds per acre to a depth of 1/2- to 3/4-inch.

Note, if you don’t have access to a seed drill, I recommend broadcasting the oats first and covering them with a second tilling, then broadcasting the clover/chicory last. Don’t worry too much about the planting depth of the oats (shallow is better than too deep), as I’ve literally seen spilled oats sprout in the bed of my truck and on the floor of my barn. However, clover and chicory won’t tolerate being planted too deep. In many cases, simply broadcasting them on top of tilled ground prior to a rain will result in great germination.

When fall-planted in my area, this combo progresses as follows: the oats emerge first and grow into a strong cool season forage within a matter of one month. The clover and chicory take a full season to establish but are excellent by the following spring. Because they’re an annual plant, oats die off by summer of the following year; and it’s at this point the seed heads shatter and fall to the ground (if not already devoured by deer and turkeys). I’ve found that the fallen oats do surprising well at reseeding and sprouting as “volunteers.”

By year two, the chicory and clover are well-established and can be controlled with top mowing, virtually eliminating any need for herbicide weed control. If volunteer oats aren’t present, you can simply drill a new planting directly into the standing clover and chicory, keeping the plot going strong for at least three to five years.

Personally, I’ve seen this plot used successfully across the entire Deep South and southeastern United States, much of the Midwest as far west as central Kansas and north into Wisconsin and Michigan (thanks to Buck Forage Oats’ cold hardiness). I’ve seen this combo perform well in serious cold conditions, especially when protected by a layer of snowfall.

Now, I’m not saying this is the only food plot mix worth considering, or the best for every scenario! For instance, would I prefer the Dairyman’s Plot over standing beans or corn if I was hunting in Iowa during the late muzzleloader season? Nah. Similarly, there’s a time and place for warm season plot varieties consisting solely of legumes like cowpeas and soybeans.

But hey, that’s for another article another time. For now, just know if I could only plant one food plot forever, it’d be oats, clover and chicory, or as we’ll always call it here at NAW: The Dairyman’s Plot.

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