# Winter Wheat as a Food Plot?



## MNHOYT (Oct 6, 2007)

I dont use it as a food plot however my 40 is connected to a 120 acre winter wheat field this year as well as last year. Deer still came into the field but if there are other food sources such as beans or corn, it seems they will hit that before wheat. Just my opinion:darkbeer:


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## dbackinstructor (Jul 27, 2006)

In my experience wheat stubble that will be cut this july seems to attract more deer in october than the wheat planted in september and just came up.

Soybeans double cropped into wheat stubble seam to be quite abit better yet

Its hard to beat corn though


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## trykon_buck (Jan 19, 2008)

I've never used winter wheat souly on its own as a food plot. That being said, I've found winter wheat to be a good companion crop; I usually mix it in with clover.


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## bennymj171 (Apr 9, 2007)

ttt


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## joesandi (Jun 5, 2006)

I built a house last fall and put it in my yard for erosion control. It stayed green for a long time and the deer were in it. I like to use it as a nurse seed. It comes up quick.


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## bowhuntr311 (May 20, 2009)

WW, Rye, Oats... Are all along the same lines. Small green grass.

If your looking to go out and buy some seed and plant it I suggest Oats for pure attraction, rye does seem to grow faster that oats, and I dont have alot of WW experience. Last year, I had a stand of rye from the fall before, I disked it under lightly and broadcast oats and drug it all with a bedspring. I had oats and rye. Awesome pulling power. When the neighbors only had rye.


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## bigrackHack (Jun 11, 2004)

bennymj171 said:


> anyone use winter wheat for food plot for deer, and if so what did you think of it, I hunt in SD, if that helps


It's awesome for a food plot...or better yet, in conjunction with other offerings. For instance, I've planted peas/brassicas/wheat in plots. They hit the peas until a frost, which cures the brassicas so they move to them until they're gone, then the winter wheat is there to carry them thru the rest of the winter and into spring.

Of all the cereal grain grasses (wheat/rye/oats), I've had much better luck with the deer eating wheat. That may be different in your area though.


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## Rothhar1 (Apr 1, 2007)

Since deer eat little grass and wheat without the grain in its green state is just a grass you might be better served by alfalfa , clover ,chicory ,rape mixture instead .Also corn is never a bad choice if you can get it to grow there .When give the choice with healthy non starveing deer they will bypass a grass type plant in its green form everytime for other grain crops or forbs ,or legumes.


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## bigrackHack (Jun 11, 2004)

Shouldernuke! said:


> Since deer eat little grass and wheat without the grain in its green state is just a grass you might be better served by alfalfa , clover ,chicory ,rape mixture instead .Also corn is never a bad choice if you can get it to grow there .When give the choice with healthy non starveing deer they will bypass a grass type plant in its green form everytime for other grain crops or forbs ,or legumes.


Actually that's true about most grasses, except the cereal grain grasses....those are a preferred food for whitetails. And they won't eat wheat/wheat grass in it's grain state because it's dry by that time. Find a green wheat field it'll have deer in it.


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## Rothhar1 (Apr 1, 2007)

bigrackHack said:


> Actually that's true about most grasses, except the cereal grain grasses....those are a preferred food for whitetails. And they won't eat wheat/wheat grass in it's grain state because it's dry by that time. Find a green wheat field it'll have deer in it.


I have em on my farm, every other year Hack and the deer will walk right past them or through them to go to the alfalfa or corn .They will however glean the stubble for the grain once it hits the ground after the harvest and a good rain .But then agin the birds ,waterfowl ,doves,pheasant ,**** ,and tree rats will be right in the fray as well.


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## Lonestar63 (Mar 19, 2007)

Shouldernuke! said:


> *Since deer eat little grass and wheat without the grain in its green state *is just a grass you might be better served by alfalfa , clover ,chicory ,rape mixture instead .Also corn is never a bad choice if you can get it to grow there .When give the choice with healthy non starveing deer they will bypass a grass type plant in its green form everytime for other grain crops or forbs ,or legumes.


Not in Texas Nuke.

Deer will be all over our red winter wheat in its green grassy state all year long. Won't touch it when it heads out in the spring, cause there's too much tender browse by then.

Many a Texas deer has made it thru the winter because of winter wheat.

I've seen 50 deer before on a fairly small patch of it, because for several months thru the winter here, it's the ONLY green, tender browse they have.


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## Rothhar1 (Apr 1, 2007)

Lonestar63 said:


> Not in Texas Nuke.
> 
> Deer will be all over our red winter wheat in its green grassy state all year long. Won't touch it when it heads out in the spring, cause there's too much tender browse by then.
> 
> ...


Big differance in those starveing southwestern deer and fat spoiled upper midwestern deer .I figured that was the cas down there. They will only consistantly eat it here if there is no other green brows within thier home range such as hay feilds or food plots .I mean half our land is clover ,alfalfa ,and pastures .But we have a fair amount of good old fasioned crops as well.

By the way been in Texas my uncle lives in Roundrock and I have a cousin south of Dallas


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## Lonestar63 (Mar 19, 2007)

If i was a buck, and i had a big ol' field of beans, and a big ol' field of corn, and a patch of wheat, i would probably bypass the wheat. :wink:


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## RightWing (Aug 22, 2004)

*WW and WO......*

Deer in Tennessee love winter wheat and winter oats, it's a kill-plot for sure :thumb: They really tear it up in late November through the rest of the deer season. :thumb:


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## jdawg240 (Feb 20, 2007)

Plant oats in September. They will be in them all winter unless you have standing beans or corn still up around you.


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## bbaker-25 (Apr 7, 2009)

wheat tends to be better in winter months when snow is on, im guessing its because it is easier to find food while pawing around in a wheat field verses a cut bean or corn field


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## bennymj171 (Apr 9, 2007)

the thing that has me leaning towards winter wheat is that it will be still green and desirable to the deer, once all the beans and corn are harvested.


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## RxBowhunter (Feb 16, 2005)

My friend planted winter wheat all over and around his new pond that was built last Summer. It's dual purpose as erosion control and a deer attractant. We have our food plots on either side of the pond and deer in our area prefer the clover mix plot over the WW but they hit the wheat all Winter and Spring.


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## LimbHanger (Jan 27, 2003)

For the last several years I've been fortunate enough to spend alot of late season hours in NW Nebraska and the most sucessful has been sitting on winter wheat. There are alot of other prime (corn, alfalfa) food sources in the area but the rotated wheat fields pulls the deer like magnets!

I know the wheat has no nutritional value compared to alfalfa, beans or corn BUT I had it explained to me this way. Deer are browsers and require a certain amount of GREEN in there diet for their stomaches to work proper. In harsh areas....Dakotas, North NE, etc I think the trick is to have something green and it WILL pull them your way. 

Its hard to plant a corn plot or beans and have eough of it survive the heavy grazing to do much good come late season.


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## LimbHanger (Jan 27, 2003)

Oh and the BEST part winter wheat is CHEAP and EASY to grow!


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## bang250 (Jan 10, 2005)

Winter wheat next to the woods we hunt has really hurt us in the past. 2 years ago you'd see 20-30 deer out in the field and not a 1 in the woods. They seemed to like it for browsing and bedding. Thanks goodness last year they didn't plant it again


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## hoyt bowhunting (Nov 24, 2004)

Yeah it has brought deer into my property that i live on.
matt


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## bigrackHack (Jun 11, 2004)

Shouldernuke! said:


> I have em on my farm, every other year Hack and the deer will walk right past them or through them to go to the alfalfa or corn .They will however glean the stubble for the grain once it hits the ground after the harvest and a good rain .But then agin the birds ,waterfowl ,doves,pheasant ,**** ,and tree rats will be right in the fray as well.


Oh, I don't doubt that one bit! When I have beans and stuff available, they'll hit that first/hardest. Even then, it's not that they ignore the wheat, but they don't really hit it super hard until the beans and brassicas are gone. But when they DO it it, man they likes it.


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## bbaker-25 (Apr 7, 2009)

bennymj171 said:


> the thing that has me leaning towards winter wheat is that it will be still green and desirable to the deer, once all the beans and corn are harvested.


also it should still be good for spring turkey season:bounce:


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## Sparkkky (Sep 29, 2005)

Been using rye and wheat -rye mixes for over 20yrs, it brings the deer in droves during hunting season!:darkbeer:
What I have seen at our family farm is that the deer prefer the rye over the wheat thats close.
Got about 20A I planted last year that I am going to hit with a disk and go on!

Hope those darn army worms don't come back or out of the ground or where ever they came from. Anybody else had them?


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