als. After the heat of summer, clover, chicory, and alfalfa products will come back strong as nights cool, stimulating new growth. Pure Attraction is a great combination of Whitetail Oats and WINA forage brassicas to plant in early fall. Whitetail Oats Plus will also be at its most tender stage during this period and will attract deer like a magnet. For areas with poor soil, low pH or dry conditions, several alternatives will produce well during this time. One of these is Extreme, with the proprietary Persist forb and WINA-100 forage chicory, which will hold up despite low rainfall while offering up to 44 percent protein. Edge is another good perennial choice for these conditions. It contains several of the plants in Extreme, plus tender X-9 grazing alfalfas and a sainfoin deer can’t get enough of. Winter Peas Plus is hard to beat for creating a hunting plot for early bow season. If you can’t get tractor or ATV access, try NoPlow, Secret Spot or Bow Stand. In some areas, deer will feed on brassicas during this time, but with other options available, some deer might hold off until frost sweetens brassicas by turning their starches into sugars. Natural foods: Hinge-cut trees provide deer easy access to the leaves and the tender tips of branches to help sustain them through winter. This is also a great time to plant extra fruit trees, such as persimmons, mulberries, apples and pears, or add a few mast-bearing oaks or chestnuts.
November/December In most regions, Imperial Whitetail Clover is thriving and will be
used regularly by deer up to Christmas. Yes, the deer will dig through the snow to get to it. This time of year is also when brassica mixtures including Winter-Greens, Tall Tine Tubers and Beets & Greens become especially appealing as the starches in the plants convert to sugars, providing a sweet taste deer can’t resist. Whitetail Oats Plus will be flourishing during this period and attracting bucks and also does, which will entice rutting bucks to follow. For areas that are difficult to reach with equipment, No-Plow, Secret Spot and Bow Stand will produce into cold weather because of the cereal grains and brassicas in those mixtures. For larger fields, go with the unbeatable appeal of Pure Attraction, which features Whitetail Oats to attract deer early in this period, and Whitetail Institute brassicas that skyrocket in attractiveness and sustain deer through winter. Natural foods: Completely felled or hinge-cut low-value trees provide food and extra cover, as do stands of young conifers, which also offer thermal protection during this time. Also keep natural foods such as honeysuckle and grapes daylighted and in a few select locations near your stands. Fertilize them for extra production. Thin competition around persimmon trees.
Conclusion There’s the nutrition formula I’ve used for success on my Virginia land: Provide a wide variety of the best Whitetail Institute perennial and annual forages and as much native food as your property will sustain. Do that, and the deer will do the rest. ^
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Vol. 30, No. 1 /
WHITETAIL NEWS 39
