About J. Wayne Fears

Back in the early 1970s, when I first started doing research to determine what crop to plant in food plots created for deer, there was little information available based on actual food plot planting experience. Planting food plots for deer was a new management tool. One of the first groups we talked to were farmers in areas with good deer densities. We asked them what they planted in the fall that deer were attracted to that reached a point of being considered crop damage. The answer was cereal grains including wheat, cereal rye, and oats – with wheat being the most heavily used.

At that time, I was in the process of setting up a 12,000-acre tract of river-bottom forest land to be the base of a new hunting operation. Within the tract of land, we had created 65 food plots designed for deer and wild turkey. The plots ranged in size from one to 15 acres. The first year, taking the information we had gathered from the farmers, we planted cool season food plots in a mixture of wheat and crimson clover. The variety of wheat we selected was suggested by the local county agricultural agent. We added the crimson clover to be a food for wild turkey and deer the following spring.

The trial was a success right from the start. In fact, in almost every food plot, the wheat was eaten down to the ground by late January. From those early days in food plot research until today, wheat has been a major crop for cool season deer food plots and is included in many mixes.

	Wheat has been a food plot staple for many years.

Wheat Pros

To understand why wheat (Titicum aestivum) continues to be one of the favorite food plot crops, we must first look at its positive points:

• Wheat can be grown successfully almost anywhere white-tailed deer are found in the U.S. and Canada.
• Properly managed, wheat is nutritious and contains from 15% to 25% crude protein.
• Wheat is highly digestible, as it has an acid detergent fiber in the 20% to 23% range.
• All parts of the plant are utilized by deer, including the seed head, especially in the awnless varieties (seed without the hair-like stiff awns).
• Wheat is easy to plant.
• Wheat is tolerant of shade and wetter soils than other cereal grains.
• Wheat seed is available at most feed & seed stores, farm co-ops, and so on.
• Wheat is cold tolerant.
• Wheat is an excellent companion plant, making it ideal for including in seed mixes.
• Wheat germinates and grows fast, and serves as a protective plant for clover and brassicas. Deer feed on the wheat heavily, allowing the legumes and brassicas to develop before being fed upon.
• Wheat, due to its fast out-of-the-ground growth, is a good plant for early season hunting.
• Well-managed wheat can produce up to 6,000 pounds dry weight of forage per acre.

Wheat Cons

While wheat has many endearing qualities, it is not perfect in all situations. Before deciding on wheat, consider these cons:

• Wheat planted in food plots where the neighbors all plant large fields of wheat will not be very successful at attracting deer.
• Wheat is not as cold tolerant as cereal rye.
• Wheat planted alone in a food plot in areas of high deer density will have a short life, leaving deer without food in late winter and spring.
• Oats offers more palatability than wheat.
• There are scores of wheat varieties available. Those that are for seed production are less favored by deer; you want forage wheat. Consult the county agricultural agent where you live as to what wheat varieties you should use for deer food plots.
• Wheat seed planted long before a rain can be eaten by crows, wild turkey, and birds in general, resulting in a failed food plot.
• Wheat does not do well in acidic soils.
• To be attractive to deer, wheat must be fertilized properly.

Soil Prep

Wheat is a good companion plant, growing well with clovers, brassicas, and legumes

The first step to planting a food plot mix containing wheat is to get a soil test and follow the resulting recommendations for lime and fertilizer. I have visited many food plots where the owners blamed bad seed on a wheat crop that was a greenish-yellow color and not being fed on by deer. After some discussion, I found out that to save cost, no lime or fertilizer had been applied, or that they bought a couple of sacks of cheap fertilizer and scattered it over the plot. Follow soil test results and recommendations to avoid failure. Deer know the difference between cheap hamburger (nonfertilized plots) and prime filet (plots managed as per soil tests).

If wheat seed are to be broadcast, a good seed bed is needed. Once the seed has been broadcast as per recommendation, it needs to be covered about one inch with a drag or cultipacker. Wheat can be drilled and no-tilled easily, and in remote hard-to-get-to food plots, the seed can be sowed on scratched up dirt and lightly covered. A good thing about wheat is that anytime you have good soil-to-seed contact with moisture, you will usually get seed germination.

Seed Selection & Planting Date

There are a lot of different types of wheat varieties available. There is wheat that was bred to be grown for forage, wheat to be grown for high seed production, wheat with awnless seed head (seed without the hair-like stiff awns), and seed with awns. Some varieties of wheat that deer love in Mississippi, deer in Ohio will not eat. In most cases, the best wheat varieties for deer are those which are for forage production. For spring food, consider the awnless varieties of wheat so deer will eat the seed heads. The best way to make sure you get the ideal variety of wheat for your food plots is to go to the local county agricultural agent’s office, in the county where your food plots are located, and get their recommendation as to what variety of wheat they would suggest.

Wheat should be planted when rain is in the forecast for a day or so after planting. In the North it should be planted in late August to mid-September. In the South it can be planted from late September until late October. Just be sure to plant when rain is predicted.

	Plant wheat varieties that do best in your local area. Wheat, when well-managed, usually has 15% to 25% crude protein.

Seeding Rate

If wheat is to be broadcast alone, use 120 pounds per acre on a well-prepared seed bed. If drilled, use 80 pounds per acre for a pure stand. If wheat is to be used in seed mixes, then use no more than 50 pounds of wheat per acre. You do not want to crowd out your other plants.

Wheat in Mixes

Wheat does best when combined with other annual forages such as arrowleaf, berseem, crimson, red and white clovers, winter peas, and brassicas. A typical mix would be 50 pounds of wheat, 10 pounds red clover, 1 pound chicory, and 20 pounds of winter peas. Avoid the temptation to use more wheat seed, as it will crowd out the other plants in the mix.

Wheat has a long and successful history as a cool season food plot crop for deer. When all things are done right, it should always be considered as a staple in your cool season deer food plot crop planning, especially if you like to make your own seed mixes.