Creating Better Wildlife Habitat with Cover Crop Food Plots
Cover crops are becoming more and more popular in the farming community. Its not just about soil conservation but also about bringing nutrients out of the soil for use by cash crops and animals.
In our case, as wildlife habitat enthusiasts, we are concerned with nutrient mining that takes place when we use cover crop species. After all, the purpose of deer and turkey food plots is to transfer nutrients from soil with the help of sunlight and build healthy wild animals.
Recent research by Dr. Gruver at Western Illinois University shows that where cover crops such as radishes, mustard and phacelia are planted in rows, levels of phosphorous and potassium are as much higher in the planting rows as if fertilizer was banded in those rows. Radishes have been shown to mine phosphorous from several feet down in the soil.
From my own experience, I have found when I have the soil straightened out from a pH standpoint and start using cover crop cocktails, I never need inputs after that. And, deer demolish these plots.
If you watch the video I posted on my Youtube channel about some of my experimental fields, you can see what a field of mixed cover crop species can look like:
Keeping the Soil Covered
There is a craze lately, not a fad, but a movement toward keeping soil covered throughout the year so that there is a living root in the soil all year. This is easily achieved by using cover crop cocktails.
The benefits are: to keep food on the plot through the year, keep the soil healthy so that it will be productive without inputs, prevent erosion and suppress noxious weeds.
Cover Crop Mixes for Food Plots
There are many cover crop mixes available today. All one needs do is look around for one that has plants that deer like and will grow in your hardiness zone. The mix in the above video had sunflowers, hybrid rape/turnip, sorghum, buckwheat cow peas. This is a good summer mix to keep soil cool and keep plenty of different roots in the ground pumping carbon from the atmosphere into the soil. This, in turn, keeps the soil biota such as worms, bacteria, fungi healthy. These healthy ecosystems provide plenty of nutrients for current and future plantings.
Best Fall Cover Crop Mixes
For deer hunting, a good fall cover crop is best. These mixes have species that will come in during cool fall weather and be really attractive to deer. Some varieties for fall mixes are: wheat, rye, triticale, brassica, annual clovers, winter peas, hairy vetch.
In this video, I describe how a fall annual mix can actually reseed itself with some inexpensive management.
Rays Crazy Fall Cover Crop Mix
Why Use Cover Crops Instead of Single Species
The benefit of cover crops to wildlife is that they produce food and cover during parts of the year when cash crops are not growing. Many wildlife species benefit. You may start to see more small game around your fields. Additional benefits over single species planting include:
- Deer may browse on many of the species planted as cover crops at different stages of their maturity, providing longer periods of attraction.
- Small mammals such as rabbits, mice and voles can feed on cover crop seeds and foliage. Their presence provide more food for predators like coyotes, taking the pressure off your deer and turkeys as these animals are easier to catch.
- A diverse mix of cover crops instead of single-species stands provide a more varied and nutritious diet and provides a buffer in case one species gets overbrowsed or doesn’t grow well on your site.
