Best Spring Food Plots for Deer in East Texas – What to Plant
The best spring food plot mixture for deer in East Texas is a combination of Iron & Clay Cowpeas and Alyce Clover. The combination of these two species planted together can yield 5,000-6,000lbs of forage per acre, and will last through the late spring and summer months.
If you’re planting in bottomland areas you can also add American joint vetch, a hardy legume, to the mix.
This is an excellent mix for areas in Texas receiving over 35” of rainfall annually and is recommended by Texas Parks and Wildlife Biologists and Agrilife Extension.
I’ve shown the area of Texas below included in this rainfall belt.
Planting spring food plots for deer is east Texas can make a major impact as they provide supplemental forage during a critical time of year as deer are raising fawns and growing antlers.
To learn even more about food plots designed for White-Tailed deer check out another article on our site called “Best Article on White-tailed Deer Food Plots, Ever!” written by Dr. James Kroll.
What to Plant in Food Plots for Deer during spring in East Texas.
Alyce Clover
Alyce Clover sells for about $3/pound and should be applied at a depth of only ½ in. Alyce clover will require inoculation prior to planting, be sure to purchase the correct inoculant when purchasing the seed.
American Jointvetch
American Jointvetch sells for about $5.25/lb and should be applied at ta depth of only ½ in.
Iron & Clay Cowpeas
Iron & Clay Cowpeas sell for about $1.10/lb and should be planted at a depth of 1 inch. Plant Cowpeas at 40lbs/acre if broadcasting and at 32lbs/acre if drilling. Cowpeas will last through the summer but will quickly die back after the first frost which marks the time to disk and plant your fall food plots.
Cowpeas will require inoculation prior to planting, be sure to purchase the correct inoculant when purchasing the seed.
Curious to know how many deer are in East Texas? Check out our article How many deer in Texas? We break down White-tailed deer populations by region!
How to plant the best food plot in east Texas.
To plant the combination above it’s best to first drill or broadcast the cowpeas, drag the ground, then go back over with Alyce-clover and Jointvetch.
If you are in Central Texas, check out another article on this site called “White-tailed Deer Food Plots for Central Texas” written by Ricky Linex of the USDA-NRCS.
How much of your land to plant in food plots?
It is recommended to plant 1-3% of your property in supplemental food plots. Break the plots up into small areas (Between .5 to 3 acres) and spread them across your property to maximize the utility for White-Tailed Deer. White-tailed deer tend to avoid browsing with their heads down in wide open pastures so breaking the plots up into smaller areas tends to maximize their utilization.
References
Supplemental Forage Management for East Texas White-Tailed Deer