OUTDOOR LOGIC WITH BIOLOGIC
“Ice Cream” Crops for Hunting Plots Fall Planting Options for Whitetails
Some crops become most attractive during a stage of their growth, some need to mature to produce a yield and some need temperatures or other weather conditions to turn them to their most palatable state. Thus, the timing of when a specific crop turns attractive can vary widely north to south because of planting dates and weather conditions. (Photo Credit: Tony Campbell)
Throughout the country, traditional planting times for most crops coincide with when there is ample topsoil moisture available. The soil normally holds enough moisture during the spring from snowmelt in addition to those “April showers.” Then again, moisture returns during the late summer or fall when the sun’s angle to the earth subsides, allowing the moisture from any late summer thunderstorms to stay in the topsoil long enough to germinate the seeds and facilitate the new seedlings through lag phase and into plants our whitetails will relish. Some of the most attractive crops are planted during the spring, but majorities of those “candy crops” are traditionally planted during the late summer (in the north) or fall (in the south). In Minnesota, you may be planting as early as July to as late as the first couple 32
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of days in September. On the other extreme, in Mississippi or Alabama, you may be planting as late as November. Picking a crop that is most attractive for when you want to hunt is a key to getting the most from your hunting plots. Whitetail managers are lucky in that many of the most attractive plantings end up also being some of the most nutritious. Timing and placement dictate when and how they will be used from north to south. Some plants can be used for specific missions while others cover a wide array of benefits. Some of the most attractive crops are planted during the spring. For instance, perennials such as red and white clovers, alfalfa, birdsfoot trefoil and chicory are very attractive and very nutritious at times during the fall. And soybeans are relished for their forage
