Food plots for the “dog days”

Chipdasqrrl

Active Member
After checking the 10 day forecast, I’ve realized that the dog days of Summer are soon to be upon us. I got to thinking that I should devote a food plot to specifically feed deer in the hot, dry days of August when there is not much food for them.
Does anyone else do this? What plots do best for you during this time of year? I would guess that chicory would be effective here but not sure what else.
 
After checking the 10 day forecast, I’ve realized that the dog days of Summer are soon to be upon us. I got to thinking that I should devote a food plot to specifically feed deer in the hot, dry days of August when there is not much food for them.
Does anyone else do this? What plots do best for you during this time of year? I would guess that chicory would be effective here but not sure what else.
Soybeans work quite well. Chicory also shines when it gets hot and dry.
 
I like perennial clover. Clover is the closest thing I've found to a year round food source that will last several years with minimal maintenance. Don't plant summer plots anymore due to the cost. I don't have any ag around me so I'm not competing with acres of soybeans. Deer wear out the clover on our place. Unfortunately pigs like it too. But, it keeps pumping out new growth as long as we get decent rain fall which we've had this year. I use Regalgraze ladino and this past fall added durana. I'm going to add medium red as I've never tried that but read great things about it. And based on Native's history with chicory, I'm gonna add that to my clover as well. Here's 3 pics from the same spot overlooking our cabin field that has the perimeter planted in clover. I watched 6 bucks couple weeks ago come in and feed before dark.
IMG_0214.jpg IMG_0113.jpg IMG_0175.jpg
 
Alfalfa plots really shine during a dry summer. The ladino clover goes dormant here for anywhere from a couple weeks to a couple months during the hottest, dryest part of summer. Soybeans are always good in summer. I am looking at some different types of white clover that could be more drought tolerant like durana, or Aberlasting.
 
Acres of ag around us so I never plant anything for this period, just hope it hurries the heck up so we can get to dove season already.


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I would say chicory, but for some reason our deer couldn’t care less about it. They like the flowers when they bolt, but that’s about it. The leaves just sit there untouched.

Iron and clay peas are a workhorse in the hot, dry summer. Lablab is, too.
 
I would say chicory, but for some reason our deer couldn’t care less about it. They like the flowers when they bolt, but that’s about it. The leaves just sit there untouched.

Iron and clay peas are a workhorse in the hot, dry summer. Lablab is, too.
Try the chicory from WI. I planted some seed store chicory and the WINA100 from WI. The WI gets hammered and the other doesn't even get touched. There is a big difference in palatability of chicory from what I am told by people with a lot more knowledge than me on the subject.
 
Clover and chicory are good here then except if we get zero rain which is not so often or at least hardly ever except two out of the last four years. If it is dry there is a summer acorn drop, always a summer apple drop when there are apples which is most years here and then there is the lush regrowth of weeds and browse in the woods. And a food that can always be counted on here even when dry in summer or early fall is jewel weed. Bean plants certainly add to our summer deer feeding as well. There is no shortage here of summer food.
 
Clover around here rarely lasts all summer unless we have an especially wet summer. So far this year we have had long stretches of 100' temps with no rain for a month. No clover. The chicory is still there and provides good forage. As of 3 days ago we finally got some rain. I planted 2 fields of about 7 acres each in a mix of sunn hemp and cow peas about a week before the rain started in the heart of the drought. Amazingly they both came up.I expect them to be very attractive till frost

I'm a big fan of sunn hemp for several reasons and when mixed with cow peas they provide a very drought tolerant, heat tolerant highly preferred food source until frost.

Another of my favorite plants is joint vetch. It is HIGHLY preferred by deer and from mid summer till frost might be the deer around here's favorite food. It has the advantage in the deep south of being an effective reseeding annual as well.
 
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