5 Great Deer Food Plots For Michigan Hunters

I have deer hunted for a lifetime and have learned the power of food plots can be a game changer. Here are 5 food plots that could be a game changer for you.

Food Plots for Deer

Not every hunter has access to hunting corn, soybean, alfalfa fields, or apple orchards, I have been lucky to have access to some of these situations; it sure makes a difference in seeing more deer.

Baiting deer on private or public land in Michigan's Lower Peninsula is illegal. It is not legal to plant a food plot on public land. It is, however, legal to plant a food plot on your land or other private property if you have permission from the landowner. Below are 5 plot ideas that will work great in Michigan's climate.

Read More: Fatal Deer Disease Has Spread To 11 West Michigan Counties

5 Great Deer Food Plots For Michigan Hunters

 #5 Corn or Soybeans

Corn or soybeans are great foods for deer but not everyone has that much land or equipment to plant, if you do, here are a couple of ideas.

Corn is great but deer don't get much from the plant and only eat it when it is dry. It also provides shelter and will help keep deer on your property.

Soybeans are one of my favorites. I have had my best hunting around soybean fields. Within weeks after soybeans pop through the soil deer begin feeding on them providing excellent nutrition throughout the winter until every pod is gone.

Corn and soybean seeds are one of the more expensive ways to plot for deer.

 #4 Winter Wheat

Winter wheat is cheap and easy to plant. You plant this near the end of August and deer will be all over the plot by bow season. Winter wheat will withstand frost and keep right on growing.

#3 Clover

The beauty of planting clover is deer eat it all year long. Clover grows wild all over Michigan so deer are used to it. Deer prefer white clover so keep that in mind when buying seeds. This is a low-maintenance food plot that will work great in a wooded area that gets a lot of sun. Most plots last several years before replanting.

1st Time Plot Suggestion:

If you are a first-time food plotter using a mixture of clover, chicory, rye, and oats is an excellent mix of seeds that will provide food for the deer all year long.

#2 Brassicas

I don't have a Brassica plot yet but this one is coming. It does matter which seed you choose for this type of plot. Deer will ignore Brassicas until after a frost but that frost makes the sugar come up from the roots and the deer will eat them until they are gone. There is a company called Antler King that has a product called "Honey Hole." This is one of the best Brassicas seed strains on the market. Brassicas offer three times more protein than corn and will make the racks bigger on your bucks.

#1 Cereal Rye (mixed with Clover)

Cereal rye is a deer feeding machine. You plant it in late August. This plant helps build healthy soil and is easy to grow. The trick is to frost seed clover into the cereal rye and the combination is unbeatable at building big antlers and keeping the soil rich.

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Bonus Plot

If you are in it for the long game and have the room to plant some fruit trees you can't go wrong with apples, pears, and persimmons. We all know deer love apples and there are lots of varieties that work well in Michigan. Pear trees are one of the best fruit trees I have ever hunted nearby. When I lived in Indiana I had two on my property and deer would lay in the woods behind my house and wait to hear them fall then come out in the middle of the day and eat them. Persimmons don't get very big in Michigan but get ripe and sweet around firearm season when they begin to drop. I just cleared an area where four rows of trees will get planted next year for the long game.