A BRASSICA BREAKDOWN DEER CANDY!

A LOOK AT WHICH BRASSICAS ARE BEST AT VARIOUS TIMES OF THE SEASON AND UNDER DIFFERENT CONDITIONS.

BY TODD AMENRUD

In 1984, I started a food plot program on my home property. Back then, where I live, if you wanted to provide food for late season attraction or wintertime nutrition, corn was about the only alternative. Then, during the 90s, brassicas became all the rage – for good reason. They outcompete corn in almost every desirable characteristic – they produce much more food (tonnage) per acre; they are more palatable and digestible and they have far greater nutritional benefits. They are also accessible with moderate snow fall, and even when covered, stay green long into the winter. While corn can still have a place in a food plot program, brassicas are my “workhorse” from late August through the winter… or until they’re browsed to the ground.

From the time Toxey Haas and BioLogic first steered “whitetail deer management” into the age of planting brassicas, we have been researching, learning more about them and understanding better how to utilize different brassicas to help us accomplish a wide variety of management goals. If you have enough ground to devote to your food plot program, most gamekeepers would agree that a well-diversified food program with an assortment of plants that will offer your herd what they need regardless of the time of the season or current conditions is the best. Some of the plants you choose would likely be perennials, but for the best in attraction during the hunting season, it’s hard to beat a food plot full of luscious late summer / fall-planted annuals.

When it comes to annuals, brassicas are, in my opinion, the best deer food God has given us. They are my favorite plantings for numerous reasons; they are the most attractive, best producing (yield), most nutritious, easiest to plant, and one of the hardiest growing food plot choices we have. Combine that with the fact that they’re also great for the soil. What’s not to like? It used to be said that they only work well in the North. That’s untrue, they work the same throughout the South, but closely examining the palatability timeframe and conditions under which each variety of brassica performs best is more important in the South than in northern climes.

Working for BioLogic has enabled me to learn a lot about these plants. Everyone who considers planting them should know a few things. Many years ago, before brassicas became a popular planting, we (BioLogic) ran into a couple instances of having to battle the “whitetails’ learning curve” - when you introduce a plant they’ve never seen before, it took them a season or two to become accustomed to it. However, that was rare and I haven’t heard of it happening in two decades or more. However, if you’ve never planted them before, keep an open mind.

Annuals, in general, are typically easy to plant, and since these are a “late summer / fall planting” (depending on your location north to south) for the most part, the summer weed cycle should be over.

When brassicas were first introduced, varieties of rape were used most often. A whitetail’s needs and current weather/temperature conditions will typically dictate when consumption happens. With the varieties of brassicas available then, initially, for some in the South, the brassicas weren’t being targeted until after the hunting season was over. Since then, other types of brassicas have been introduced that are appealing much earlier, so even in the South, they’re likely the best attraction and nutrition you can plant – bar none.

A common progression during the hunting season would see your herd switch from legumes (both perennials like clover, alfalfa and trefoils and annuals like soybeans, mung beans or cowpeas) to cereal grains (like oats, wheat or triticale) to brassicas (like radishes, turnips, rape and kale). While there are many other things we can offer our herd, with these three types of plantings your herd should have a palatable food choice throughout most of the hunting season or until each type of food runs out.

Different crops will dramatically extend the palatability timeframe of your plot.To take this “variety approach” a step further, within each type of plant, a varying assortment of each will also extend the amount of time your plot will remain attractive, especially when it comes to brassicas.

From my experience, they will attack daikon radishes first. We have a new product called Endurance Radish that also has super-early palatability. Whitetails

Not only are brassicas some of the best hunting time attraction available, they are also the best in nutrition. With an average crude protein content of 32% to 38% and a TDN score (Total Digestible Nutrients) of over 80%, whitetails benefit greatly from them. (Photo Credit :Charlie Alsheimer) will first lay siege to the green tops, then finish by devouring every bit of the long root tubers. These aren’t your “auntie’s dinner radishes,” these are large tubers that resemble a “huge, white carrot.” My favorite blend is BioLogic’s Deer Radish, it’s not just my preferred brassica planting, it’s my favorite planting, period. They will begin eating these radishes as early as mid-August in the north and around early October further south – until they’re gone. So if you plant enough, they can last throughout the season.

Next, your whitetails will typically set their sights on various turnips and beets. While sugar beets are actually in a different plant family and are not a brassica, they are very similar. Just like turnips, they hold a high concentration of sucrose; however, it is contained mostly in the root bulb. As opposed to brassicas that have sugars contained throughout the plant. I usually see them hit these plants after the radishes. I use them for attraction during the months of November through December and on until they’re gone. My favorite blend is Winter Bulbs & Sugar Beets and just like the radishes, they will consume the entire plant. First they’ll eat the greens and then the root bulbs. The radishes are easier for them to pull out of the ground to consume, so with turnips and beets you’ll often see partially eaten bulbs or they’ll scoop out the top and inside of the turnip or beet so it looks like a “beet bowl” left in the soil.

Lastly, they tend to hit rape, canola and kale after the radishes, turnips and beets. These last three brassica types do not produce large root bulbs or tubers like radishes, beets or turnips, but they produce an amazing yield of sweet, green forage. I often use these last three brassica types as “winter nutrition.” The blend Maximum produces a yield of more succulent, nutritious forage than any other planting I’ve ever seen. While they certainly may hit these brassicas as soon as cold temperatures hit, if you have radishes and turnips also planted, they’ll typically consume rape after the other two brassica types.

Brassicas are also great for the soil, especially daikon radishes like you see here. They break up hardpans up to 6 feet deep, increase microorganisms, are amazing at biodrilling and scavenging nutrients that would otherwise leach through the soil, and produce glycosinolate compounds that prevent weeds.

Kale is especially cold hardy. Kale’s large leaves will stay green and attractive long into the winter, even if covered by several feet of snow. I like to utilize kale only as winter nutrition.

Remember that the timeframe I’m suggesting for these to be their most attractive is just an estimate. It can vary from year to year and region to region. As an example, in the “big woods” where there isn’t a lot of agriculture or other crops to back up your food plots, they may eat any of these as fast as they come out of the ground.

The other great thing about brassicas is not only are they the best attraction I have ever seen; they are without a doubt the absolute best nutrition you can provide for your herd. With an average crude protein content of 32% to 38% (depending on the cultivar and stage of growth) and a TDN (Total Digestible Nutrients) of over 80% that would suit me fine, but add to it they yield more than any other planting AND they are great for the soil (especially radishes) – checkmate, brassicas win!

More often than not, I plant my cereals and brassicas separately, for several reasons. However, if a manager wants a fast, simple, “one and done” plot, a blend of cereals and brassicas (and sometimes other plants) together may be your ticket. An annual or biannual clover is sometimes added to provide extra nutrition or a flush of nutritious forage reemerging after dormancy the following spring. The clovers will also help to add nitrogen to the soil.

Alabama resident Austin Delano, who is head of Research and Development for BioLogic, said that in his home state, he likes to mix oats with Deer Radish. He said, “It’s an easy to do, ‘one and then you’re done’ hunting plot. Provided you plant enough; this can keep them coming back for more throughout the entire hunting season.”

One important thing to mention is that brassicas can also be planted with perennials. With the perennial/ brassica option, since obviously the brassicas are annuals and won’t come back, I would suggest that you overseed with a pure perennial like Clover Plus or Non-Typical the following spring to fill in any spaces vacated by the annual brassicas growing the previous year.

Variety in a food plot program is important, and brassicas are my favorite food plot crop. All of the plants mentioned are great choices for a food plot, but they’re eaten at different times or under various conditions - exactly why it is wise to plant a variety if you have enough acreage to devote. Even with limited food plot acreage, when looking for attraction, planting the right brassica to target the peak of its attraction when you want to hunt the area is a great tactic – they’re just like “deer candy.”