Food plots that attract plenty of deer and other wildlife take year-round effort. When temperatures drop, food plot maintenance shifts from planting and growing to planning and preparation.  Food plots are areas that draw deer and other wildlife near to tree stands. Yet they also provide supplemental nutrition throughout the winter for higher and healthier herd populations come spring. Food plots are planted with high-quality forage seed, like PlotSpike, and are designed to provide everything deer populations love, like high levels of protein and carbohydrates.

Map Out Your Next Food Plot

Take the time now to look at areas that will be suitable for a spring and summer food plot. For kill plots, look for openings in the woods, skid trails and areas between a food source and bedding area. Keep away from travel routes so deer won’t be able to wind you. If the weather permits, start clearing the area now. If you’ve found the perfect spot but can’t your machinery to it, try the PlotSpike Quick Stand No-Till Blend. This blend requires no tilling before planting but is packed with nutrition like forage tetraploid ryegrass, fast-growing annual clovers and rape brassica forage seed. Large openings and neglected fields make idea areas for nutrition plots. PlotSpike Forage Feast has everything deer love to eat. It is a mixture of Grazer Pro Wheat, Oats, Australian Winter Peas, Rangi Rape Seed, Dixie Crimson Clover and Annual Prine Ryegrass. This blend has been specially produced for high amounts of forage. A 40-pound bag will seed a half-acre of land. When allowed to reseed with adequate moisture, it provides nutritious grazing for years to come.

Test Your Soil

Winter is the ideal time to test your soil. If your soil’s pH is out of balance, your forage seed won’t be able to develop properly. You’ll also waste money pouring fertilizer on poor soil to try to get it to produce. Take samples from several areas to get an accurate test. Contact your local county extension office to inquire about test kits or order them online from companies like Amazon. Once you receive your results, you can add whatever fertilizers or minerals, like lime, your soil needs. Keep these products on hand and till in before planting in spring.

Consider Cold-Weather Resistant Blends

Some PlotSpike blends are designed to withstand colder temps, like PlotSpike Clover Blend and New Zealand Blend. Both contain high levels of clover, which are a cool-season legume that can be planted until mid-November. The PlotSpike New Zealand blend has a high seed count, with more than 250,000 seeds per pound, and if allowed to reseed, it can produce healthy fall and winter forage for years to come. Maintain these clover food plots during winter by ensuring they get adequate amounts of moisture. The last step for winter food plot maintenance is to order your seed. Ragan & Massey’s PlotSpike blends are available both online and in stores. Hunters across the United States can find blends on Amazon and Tractor Supply Co. Or, find them in-store by using our Where to Buy page.