I live in central Illinois and am surrounded by corn, soybeans, and winter wheat. What is a good food plot that can be done entirely by hand. I dont have farm or ATV equipment to use. I would like to do several small plots, so not to be noticed by people who think fences are just things you climb over. Thanks

a good leaf rake will do amazing things.rake away old debris to expose the soil,take a sample for testing.do what is then recommended and plant.pruning of trees to allow sunlight in will be recommended also.a good clover or mix of clover ,wintergreens,and rye grass.if turkeys are present in the area try some chufa in a couple of spots..what your trying to do is simple and the choices are many.goodluck on your choice and enjoy the results.

I will try the clover and winter greens. I had a soil sample ran last year, but ran out of time to plant any thing. Do you need to spray for weeds to kill existing plants? Or is that just over kill. Also cant the clover and wintergreens be planted in fall, or do you spring plant and the can last into the winter. I would love to have a late season Honey Hole!

I would spray with round-up now and possibly before I planted in fall depending on how bad the weeds came back. Put down some pelletized lime now and then lime and fertilizer when you plant. I would plant a brassicas blend(Antler King Honey Hole or similar product)  in August in places I wanted to hunt during December/Januuary timed with a good rain just after planting. For October/November plant Buck Forage Oats and white ladino/red clover blend around Sept. 1. If the August plantings failed due to lack of rain then replant that area also. The fall planting will help with weed competition. The oats are a great attractant and serve as a nurse crop for the clover, which won't be fully established 'till the next summer. This could all be done with a garden rake, a 2-3 gallon hand pump sprayer, a hand crank spreader for lime,fertilizer and oats. You can get a smaller hand spreader for the clover seed which is very small.

 That will get you started, but what you need to do is get 2 books. "Ultimate Deer Food Plots" by Ed Spinazzola(www.qdma.net) and "Grow 'Em Right,A Guide to Creating Habitat and Food Plots" by Neil and Craig Dougherty(www.northcountrywhitetails.com). If you read those you will be ready to go and won't make any mistakes you'll regret later. Also you will know all equipment needed to get the job done, how much and what type of fertilizer,and how much seed to use, everything. You can create your hunting spots for all wind directions,time of season,entry and exit routes, etc.

That said, I've hunted west central Ill. and in many places it's thick cover habitat that is missing, especially after the corn is down. The guy with the secure sanctuary type cover is the guy with the bucks. Your situation might be different, only you can answer that. But there is a guy who can help that probably isn't far from you. Don Higgins from Gays, Illinois(www.higginsoutdoors.com) is a real world hunter from your area that knows what he's talking about. He also has written a book that covers this subject in one chapter.

 If I had read these books before I started a project at my hunting camp I could have avoided some mistakes that will take a few years to recover. Also you will be more confident and get greater satisfaction. Hell, you will be telling other people what they need to do. But best of all, the deer will benefit.

 Also, you can rent equipment and get more done quicker. A garden tiller can do a lot in a short time. The cost to rent something a couple times a year is far cheaper than buying it. If you have a good hunting spot in Illinois you are a lucky man. I was fortunate to have leased a farm for 3 years in Pike county before the cost of leasing sky-rocketed. Enjoy it to the fullest, nothing lasts forever. 

Just give me 5 seconds.

Wow thanks for all the help. I have the books order and hopefully will be getting started shortly. I am very lucky to have the ground I do, and want to make the best of it. Thanks again!

Sun ...lime...spray...the top three and then fertilize to the need of the plants....I go 10-20-20 for all my legumes....they fix nitrogen and use a 20-16-16 pasture type fertilizer for my braccs and other non legumes....when starting out and even now I used a riding mower....tiller...hard rake...push fertilizer/spreader...and a length of chain link fence with 2 logs tied to it as a drag....behind mower....

I use buck wheat as a spring summer in all new plots...until PH is up and then over seed braccs in the fall....I use feed corn...spelt...jumbo wht clover...star red...alfalfa...chicory...Burnett...soybeans ...turnips... just depends on how old the plot area is ...how big and soil type....we go from sandy loam ...to clay...and wooded loam areas that are dry and shady...which I'm trying Succra seed in this year..here's some pics......

here are a few more pics....
good luck this year...If this ole gal can do it anyone can....

I'll take a different view. You have all the food already, I'd use a mineral (block or loose) and put my stand(s) where they move to and from the fields.

Good Info Horndog,
I have hunted southern Ill. the horse shoe lake area got a little pricey for me a Mo. resident.I do agree with GAWs view! The foods is there,ya just need to find out there pattern.A mineral lick may take some time to get results,and its not a mainstay for Deer.
Supized no one brought up Turnips yet...Its like candy for Deer..I would find a place they move to and fro the fields near the thickest suff and try a 1/4 acre of turnips.

10-4 hillbilly, that's why I mentioned the sanctuary/security cover should be addressed. Everyone wants to plant a majic food plot that the deer come and commit suicide in but the cover is sometimes the missing piece to their success.

Brassicas is kind of a misunderstood crop. Basically it is rape, turnips, and some other plants, kind of a generic term. The Antler King Honey Hole mix I mentiond has 3 different rape and 2 different turnip(purple top and seven top) varieties blended together. In areas where the deer haven't seen turnips before and food isn't scarce it may take a couple years for them to hit them hard. The rape is a big hit always. Of course the deer don't find it palatable 'till after some frost, thus the late season attractant. It will stay green well into winter, and I have seen a tendency for bucks to use it more than does, digging through snow to get at it. Rresults probably vary greatly by region.

I would suggest staying away from the branded seeds, such as Mossy Oak, or Antler King, and instead visit my local feed and seed store. There, you can get info about what works the best in your area, as well as tips on when to plant, what fertilizer to use, and have your Ph level checked. Down here, I never plant any of the National Brands, but always get seed blends tailored specifically for my area. I believe you will have much better results by following the reccomendations of your local Ag. Dept. or feed and seed dealer. You will usually run into some other hunters or land managers who can also give you some input while you are in the Feed and Seed store.

Don't by any of that stuff like Biologic or anything like that. That stuff is "made" (don't know if that's the word), or rather grown down south where it actually looks like it does on package. We've tried it and it's good for crap. As rt4 said, just go to your local feed mill and get some stuff. Here in Wisconsin, we've had great success with Rape, Turnips, Rie, Wheat. Good luck

Interesting. I have had good results with bulk seeds from the local feed store, clover, rye, wheat, but they sell Tecomate seeds also. I asked why and they said they are the best. What I've done is try a little of everything and experiment until I find what works best, then I'll plant larger plots after I know what works in my situation. The bulk seeds have always worked well for me, but hands down the deer prefer Imperial Whitetail Clover, Buck Forage Oats, and Antler King(Wisconsin Co.) Honey Hole(rape,turnips) over anything else I've tried. That's my situation, you need to experiment to find what works best for you. I have found that the biggest reason for plot failure from my own experience and friends is lack of moisture and weed competition. This can be avoided by planting in the fall.

That said, if I lived in Illinois I would concentrate on creating as much sanctuary/security cover as possible as I mentioned before. I don't think starvation is an issue, and unless hunting pressure is extremely low, large bucks aren't going to be in them 'till after dark. It's what's missing in most situations. And you can make a lot of food with a chain saw, and browse is preferred when available, all the while making that thick cover bucks prefer. Just don't over do it if your wooded acreage is small in size. There is so much information in the 3 books I mentioned above that it would take days of typing to pass it on. Read those books and you will have more fun learning yourself from people who have more knowledge and writing skills and won't have to take anyones word for it.

Throw and grow is great for that. I use it in the wood, just read and follow on how to plant it.

Any baiting with blocks or food throwen on the ground is not allowed in Illinois.

Funny food plots are ok, thats Illinois for you.

Hello everyone!

I wanted to plant a small food plot on our property, but most of it is grass/yard and the rest of it is weeds, poison Sumac, Honey Suckle, and Black Walnut trees. Here is what our property looks like:




It is approximately 3.75 acres in size. About 2/3 is grass, garden and the house, the rest is trees and weeds. This is an older photo from April 2005.

I would clear a spot in the woods. Looks like you got lots of people around you, so plant it as far away from those houses or maybe in that hidden point or the far corner.

I would start with a mix seed to get a feel of what brings the deer in and go from there.

MGroff...first let me say...I don't know how much plant knowledge you have...so....bare with me when I first suggest Googling sumac...Blk walnut and the honeysuckle plants...to find out a couple of things...like whether it is really poison sumac or the good sumac ...that deer actually like....Blk walnut roots give off a type of plant inhibator...and see what you can and can't grow around them...and third well there is honeysuckle vine and brush....deer eat both but prefer the vining...then there is PH to consider and the suns rotation....through out the year the sun is changing its angle and thus the amount you'll have in a given area changes ...so light requirements...also leaf fall..It wont do you any good to plant something you want to hunt over in the late fall ...early winter if the falling leaves bury it...then you feel the need to disrupt an area trying to keep it clear...risk deer going nocturnal in that area or changing patterns....so please consider all factors...some times finding a good trial and just fertilizing and liming the natural browse they like ...can be a better option

Got this from the other site hunt10 Read this and your on your way.


Last January I was talking about quality deer management (QDM) with a friend in Minnesota. We were discussing one particular manufacturer of food plot seeds and mineral supplements. Both of us agreed its products were excellent—except for one, my friend noted.

"Brad," he said, "I've had tremendously good luck with its seeds, but not with one of its mineral supplements.

I actually had to mix cracked corn with it to get the deer to eat it. The strange thing is, another friend of mine who lives only 3 miles away has had the opposite result. He puts the same mineral in an old dead stump, and the deer hammer it. I can't figure it out."

As our discussion continued, I noted that the soil types in an area can change dramatically, even in a short distance. Obviously, the soil where my friend lives contains plenty of minerals like those found in the supplement he was using. His friend, meanwhile, lives on soil deprived of these minerals, which obviously were ones the whitetails in his area needed. It made perfect sense why the deer zeroed in on the supplement-filled stump.

It's talks like this that make managing deer so interesting, because there's always something fascinating and new to learn about these animals. In addition, the deer's habitat also draws our attention. In some regions deer grow to giant proportions in only 3 years, while in other parts of North America, they carry spindly racks at the same age. We can't help but wonder why.

Naturally we want to duplicate the conditions found in regions growing bruiser bucks, so we search out ways to do so, and therefore get involved in QDM. We read everything we can on the subject and quiz people about what products work best for them. Like most hunters, we're looking for the magic formula—the magic seed—that will grow the buck of our dreams. And that's where we sometimes get into trouble.

It's In The Soil
Most hunters who've been involved in planting food plots for any length of time have tried a product recommended by a friend who's had great success with it. I know I have. Sometimes these recommendations work out well; other times they're dismal failures. These failures usually revolve around the soil, and not the seed. That's why it's critically important to plant the right seed for your soil, not your neighbor's.

For example, one deer manager might have outstanding results with white clover. Seeing his lush food plots, a hunter 2 miles down the road plants the same seed and has marginal results. The reason this occurs is the first hunter planted his clover in moist soil, while the second planted his in dry, well-drained soil where alfalfa would've been a better choice.

My home county in Indiana contains 72 different soil types. Illinois has more than 600 soil types, and Ohio checks in with approximately 400. Obviously it's important to know which soil type you have so you can plant the seed best suited for that soil. While it might seem impossible to determine your exact soil type, this isn't the case.

Each county in the United States has a Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) office. These offices normally are located in the county seat. If an NRCS employee knows where your land is located, they can check their soil survey map and determine exactly what type of soil you have. They'll also tell you what plants will grow well in your soil. These soil survey maps, incidentally, are overlaid on an aerial map, so it's easy to transfer this information to your own aerial or topographical map since section numbers are the same.

To give you an idea of the type of soil information the NRCS has, one soil type in my area is classified as BmC2, a Bloomfield-Alvin complex with 6-15 percent slope. This is an excessively well-drained sandy soil that's poorly suited for growing corn, soybeans and small grain. It will, however, effectively grow melons, as well as grasses and legumes for hay and pasture. Suitable grasses include fescue, orchard grass and timothy. Legumes include alfalfa and red clover. Overall, this soil is rated "poor" or "very poor" in eight out of 10 categories when it comes to growing any type of plant or tree. You won't see 200 bushels of corn per acre from this soil.

Interestingly, this poor soil region drops off into a river-bottom that's less than a half-mile away. There, the ground is comprised of rich, moist soil. So moist in fact, that drainage lines are placed in the fields to drain the water from the ground. This drained river-bottom soil will grow fantastic crops—including 200-bushel-per-acre corn.

This gives you an idea of how fast soil types can change in a short distance. It also indicates how important it is to pick the right seed for your soil in order to grow the most nutritious foods for your whitetails.

Picking A Seed
"We've researched soils for 20 years," noted Steve Scott of The Whitetail Institute of North America ((800) 688-3030). "We're acutely aware one seed won't work perfectly for every soil type, and that's why we have several high-quality products available. For example, if you have moist clay soil, Imperial Whitetail Clover can't be beat. It's a shorter rooted plant that produces tremendous nutrition for deer, including the protein needed to grow antlers. It's been a top-seller for 17 years.

"For food plots on well-drained side hills, possibly with thin soil, we designed Alfa-Rack and Alfa-Rack Plus. Alfa-Rack contains Imperial Whitetail Clover and a specially blended alfalfa. Alfa-Rack Plus also includes chicory, which thrives on even drier soils. Realiz­ing these products didn't fully cover all soil types, we recently introduced
Im­perial Whitetail Extreme. It's a product that quality deer managers are having fantastic success with on dry soils where it's hard to get the pH level up to proper numbers.

"All of these are perennial plants," Scott said. "They should last for 5 years or more if properly maintained. They can be planted either during the spring or fall."

Bobby Cole, seed products expert for BioLogic ((866) 677-9625), says the challenge BioLogic faces when developing seeds is to find products that will work in a diversity of soils.

"There are a tremendous number of different soil types," he said. "A sandy soil, for example, is large grained and doesn't hold nutrients well. Certainly if the wrong product is planted in sandy soil, there will be limited production. A QDM advocate needs to pick the right product for his particular type of soil and be sure he takes a soil test frequently so he can properly lime and fertilize his plot.

"Because of soil diversity," he said, "we often put several different seeds in one product. This way if one seed isn't perfect for the soil, others will be. You're ensured of a good stand. Our Clover Plus, for example, includes red and white clover, plus chicory. It's a perennial that can be planted during spring or fall."

Cole says BioLogic's Premium Perennial blend contains a combination of annual and perennial seeds. Several perennial products feed deer throughout the summer and early fall, then the large-leafed annual brassicas kick in during the fall and serve as a deer attractant during hunting seasons.

"We even have a fall planting blend called Green Patch Plus," Cole said. "It contains 50 percent clovers, 21 percent brassicas and 29 percent wheat and oats. The brassicas, wheat and oats are annuals and have to be planted every year, but I can assure you this mix will provide a great place to hunt over during the fall. Because Green Patch Plus contains a variety of seeds, it'll work in several different soil types."

More Seed Choices
As noted, The Whitetail Institute of North America and BioLogic are two companies producing high-quality seed products. Keep in mind, however, there are other fine companies that have developed seeds specifically for certain problem soils. Tecomate Seed Company ((888) 629-4263), for instance, has Lablab, an annual legume that thrives in hot, drought-like conditions. It's commonly used throughout Texas and the Southeast where dry, hot conditions are common. During the first few weeks of growth, however, it can be over-browsed by deer, so it's important to keep the plot size large and deer numbers down. Lablab is planted during the spring and provides exceptional nutritional value through early fall.

Another annual plant attractive to deer is Buck Forage Oats ((800) 299-6287). This is a winter hardy oat that was specially blended to withstand the rigors of Northern winters. When planted during the fall, it serves as an outstanding deer attractant. Oats have the benefit of being adaptable to a variety of soils, but they grow best in well-drained soils. Oats also tolerate acidic soils. As with other seeds, it's important to remember all oats aren't created equal. If you live in a cold climate, the winter-hardy oat is the one to use.

Of course there are many other types of products to plant in food plots, and certainly there are some out there compatible with your soil. Every company selling seeds for deer food plots has information available on which types of soil their products grow best on. They also list the nutritional production of their plants. By adhering to the following instructions and spending some research time, you'll be able to make a wise seed choice.

Do It Right
The first step in planting a food plot is to determine its location. Take advantage of any terrain features on your land that might funnel deer past you. Also consider the best wind directions for the setup. De­termine the size of the plot and give it a name. Using an aerial or topographical map, or both, draw in the exact location of your plot(s). Once this is done, go to your NRCS office and show them your plot location. As previously noted, they'll have detailed information describing what type of soil you have, and what plants grow best on it.

Now it's time to open your wallet and decide whether you want to plant perennial products, the most cost efficient or have a mix of annuals and perennials. This is also when you need to decide whether you want to plant deer attractant products for fall hunting. In cold regions, these fall attractant plots pull in whitetails during the November through January hunting seasons. After this decision is made it's time to research seeds and pick the ones most compatible to your soil.

The next step is to take a soil sample of your plot(s). The results from this test will allow you to apply the proper amount of lime and fertilizer to your soil. Read all soil preparation and seeding instructions carefully and follow them exactly and you should have a nutritious food plot. Regardless of how good your food plot is, however, you can always make it better by learning more about how to enrich your soil. New seeds will also come along, so in the future you can expect new and better products for specific soil types. The best is yet to come!

Hello everyone!

WCDH, thanks for the information. I know for a fact we have Poison Sumac. I used to get the red itchy patches after brushing up against it. But after all these years I guess I built up some resistance to it.  Here is another photo, a wider view with what is around our property the deer are most likely to eat. Corn!! <!--[if gte mso 9]> Normal 0 unctuationKerning/> false false false oNotPromoteQF/> EN-US X-NONE X-NONE ontGrowAutofit/> ontVertAlignCellWithSp/> ontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> ontVertAlignInTxbx/> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:1; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-format:other; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:0 0 0 0 0 0;} @font-face {font-family:Calibri; panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-1610611985 1073750139 0 0 159 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin-top:0in; margin-right:0in; margin-bottom:10.0pt; margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} .MsoPapDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; margin-bottom:10.0pt; line-height:115%;} @page WordSection1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;} --> <!--[if gte mso 10]>


As you can see, the deer can get plenty of corn once it is ready. Then when the farmer cuts the corn down there is not much for the deer to eat except for what is left of the corn.  There are a couple fields that get planted with wheat, that are not shown on this photo.  I know where the deer go and "hang out", even know some of their travel routes. The problem is access to those areas and/or drawing the deer to our property earlier in the afternoon and keeping the deer there longer in the morning.

I can tell you this. I plant corn just for the deer and leave it standing til after the end of season. They hit is hard all year and at the end when I disc it up all I seen was 2 ears left. When its late season and cold I have had to get the wife to come out and run 20 deer of before I can get down or stay til who knows went in the stand.

What I'm trying to say is people are so into food plots they just over look some of the simple things. I have other plots but the corn gets me the deer and some big deer.

Going to plant some falldraw in sept, thats a oat they like it to. I put 1 acre of it in last year and it was gone before season started, I'm going to try two acres this time and hope it works.

Good luck on what you do, but kill the weeds and grass before you work the ground spray roundup mix at 15 gals. per acer spray rate 2 to 4 ozs of round up per gal. get it at your local FS.