#1 Worst Food Plot Seed 

I'm sooooo excited to plant my first ever food plot this year I can hardly wait! Thanks Jeff!

Agree 100% on the rye grass. I’ve been experimenting with food plots for 30 years and appreciated your honesty so much that I subscribed!

I hunt in west central Arkansas. Thanks for the rye grain recommendation. The rye held my soil all winter long and provided a great source of food for the deer. I plant red clover too. The rye grain and red clover are growing like crazy right now. The deer are eating it good.

Again another great video. I picked up 200# of both buckwheat today for my May planting.

Jeff......thanks for explaining the difference between rye grass and rye grain. As I speak to food plotters, many think they are the same. As you pointed out rye grass is useless as a deer food source.

Great information! Sir you are a gentleman and a scholar. Thank you. 🦌

Deer love the ryegrass I plant in late July. By Oct 1 they are all over it. They’ll eat it right through December. Nothing else grows as well in the shade. I have ag fields all around and they still hit this even before the fields are harvested.

Great video Jeff I’ve been watching your videos for a year now I’ve learned a lot I am going to be planting two one acre plots this year I was wondering what would be the best blend in Central Kentucky where there is no age where I hunt.

I'd not seen this one somehow. Good tip. Ryegrass is the cool-season version of Bermuda grass, so unless you're grazing cattle - it no bueno. Dry weather has us behind schedule, but we're looking to put in a mix of iron clay cowpeas, winter hardy rye and Arrowleaf clover on the ground before the next stormfront....if we get one. But pretty pumped to get the show on the road.

Dang good video and information, thanks for sharing your knowledge ✅💥✌️

Thanks Jeff, Great video. In one of your other food plot videos you recommend over seeding the existing crop with 200 pounds of winter rye. Would this be the grain that you mentioned in this video? Versus the grass. I will be following your guidelines this summer for my plantings. Thanks!

The one place where I had luck with a blend with ryegrass (which was a cow feed variety, not a lawn variety) was when it was mixed with clovers... it grew faster than the clovers in a shady plot and helped them establish... I went back into the plot in year 2 and sprayed the grass out with a grass-only herbicide and have one of the best clover plots I've ever established... maybe not the most cost effective companion crop but it did work well in this case

@Whitetail Habitat Solutions - Hi, and boy am I super glad to have found this channel. I will get right to it. I live in southern Indiana and have a nice piece of property with lots of deer which I purchased early last year, but it is a mixture of hills valleys, and lots of bottlenecks :) There are some places where there is only about half an acre to 3/4 an acre of flat land, but the woods were logged last year. As part of that, we cleared a lot of canopy so that we could grow plots in the middle of the woods. We had a PH of 5.4, but now we have a PH of 6.8 which we are happy to have gotten the soil to for this year. Basically, I planted a White clover + chicory mix from BioLogic. Since that is now complete/done before having found this channel, what can I do to prepare these two plots for spring, summer and going into the fall? The great thing about these plots are that they are situated to be where the deer are already going to Ag fields of corn or soybean. We are stopping them before they get there, or minimally, we are at least giving them some green to eat on and they are near the "deer highways" we have in our woods. Can you give me a combination of oats, beans and peas we should plant near august 7th to 15th or whatever other combos we should use? Should we stick with the clover until it gets well established? Should we do something other than the clover? We get plenty of sunlight now, but I want to use your advice to do the best we can for these plots. We have implemented a watering hole and "licking stick" today as you suggest in your other videos. We can do whatever is best, and funds aren't currently an issue to change things as needed, etc. Thank you for making your wealth of knowledge available to the plebs like me! I plan to buy your book too!

Couldn't agree with you more on many of your subjects

Absolutely correct! Rye Grass is junk but some people plant it because it's cheep! I would only recommend it where nothing else would grow but also discourage it!

Thanks for the pointers. I'm from northern wisconsin and some of the stuff you mentioned that is "junk" is amazing up here where little to no agriculture exists though. I am not going to name the product because I don't advertise for free but could it be that certain plots just work better in other areas of the country?

Some mixes have an annual rye that deer actually like. Italian rye is one type. I have planted winter rye in small plots and the deer wouldn't touch it.

Hi Jeff I’m new to food plots, but I’ve watched many videos and try to learn from your videos. I have someone who lets me hunt on their property and are so gracious to let me plant an acre food plot . I planted Iron Clay Peas last year and the deer loved it. In September, I planted another plot with Winter Wheat and the deer loved it. It lasted into early archery season. I just limed again, fertilized and replanted yesterday with the Cow Peas again and plan to replant with Winter Wheat in September. The ph is good...6.5 .Can I throw winter wheat over the cow peas or do I need to crimp or mow the cow peas first. Any help for this rookie will be appreciated. Thanks

I live in Alabama and Rye grass is the only thing that will grow in our wet soil. We use the cattle variety of rye grass and it works pretty well.

What’s your opinion on hairy vetch? I was given a bag at a local coop that had gotten wet, 95% of the seed was still good, I planted it with my fall blend, wheat, cereal rye, triticale, and oats. Came up really good but I couldn’t tell if they are eating it or not. Plus we’ve had one heck of an acorn drop this year so they are hammering those.

Another great video going to make my dad watch it, we go round and round on this subject I buy 95 percent of my seed from John komp Northwoods whitetails and have lost count the number of bucks killed of my plots sweet feast brasica blends are deer magnets in bow season, my dad's plot look like a weedy lawn that hasn't been mowed in 4 years but he saved 50 bucks tho hahaha

You are right on with the ryegrass, but saying all ryegrass is the same is like saying an F150 is the same as a Peterbuilt because they are both trucks. There are turf type ryegrass and forage type ryegrass that deer love. I also agree that there is turf type ryegrass as filler in most food plot mixes. The forage varieties are worth investigating. They have become a recent staple on many dairy farms because the yield and quality are excellent. Extremely high sugar content & digestibility.

Ok so I have seen wair sertain seed you throw right on top of the soil how in the world do you keep the birds out of it in a remote local ...or do you have any remedy ?

Jeff. I am considering planting Rye Grain in the 8 foot wide trails I have around the farm giving access to my stands on the outside edges of the woods. I am in Northern IL. so would this be a good idea and when is the best time to plant. I just sent off a few soil samples so I can prepare the ground first.

What’s your opinion on the “sweet” variety’s of ryegrass being offered in the “sweet spot by sugar seed” mix? They claim it’s a very high sugar ryegrass that deer love.

What type of seed would you recommend for a small woods plot in New York.

I wish i would have seen your videos before I purchased my millborn seed ranch hand mix, IDK if building a plot for my cows is any different but I have terrible sandy soil and their mix seemed like it worked to build and feed.

Save some time, it's Rye grass seed.

In Canada southeastern ontario region we harvest deer in the hardwoods where its thick cedar Bush, and our land is not even remotely close to farmland or ag field. I tried a mix last year that consisted of corn, oats, barley and molasses in spots. Had great bucks coming in daylight hours but bears came along and nearly ruined the season. I want to grow green, something that can handle growing in hards woods and not attract bears. Being so far away I cant always maintain the land. What would you recommend for hard woods that has moist land that would grow late summer to fall?

How do you feel about cowpeas in heavy blend. Trying to draw in more deer to my green field but having to deal with wild hogs as well

Glad to see your staying safe at home.I see blends that say other...What's that?The dust off the seed blend for weight??

Had great luck with rye grain in fall and clover in spring. No ag in my area just timber. Going to expand food plots this season do more micro food plots keep deer filtering thru

I have to say, never seen deer eat my lawn grass however at times I have seeded annual rye on my garden plot and they love the first fresh 8” sprouts in November. As far as perennial rye i agree w jeff but a small percentage of annual rye is a quick shot of green and fixes moisture and nitro in the roots and stabilizes the ground, this is why annual rye is always sown with fescue or in a contractor blend to stop erosion as quickly as possible.

Damn it, I planted Imperial Whitetail Secret Spot there is a certain amount of what they call forage annual ryegrass. You say that ryegrass is a perennial and basically is a weed that will come back. Is there a difference between the two types. Great videos!

I only have a few open areas of maybe 1/2 to 2/3 acres each and I used rye grain, brassica and clover with 2 apple trees in 1 and 2 pear trees in another. The trees are still a few years from producing. What would be a better mix or is what I planted okay?

How do you feel on 7 card stud?

GREAT VIDEO !!

I ordered a blend through Crooked Bend seed that has a mix of Radish + Purple Top Turnip + Cereal Rye + Wheat + Crimson Clover. Is Cereal Rye the same as the rye you’re talking about in the video? It’s a 25lbs bag and says it can plant around 2 acres. Just looking for opinions! Thanks!

Morning Jeff, so the seed I’m looking at has 29% rye grass I should go the other direction? The WHS blend that Northwoods Whitetail has, is that a good year long plot? I’m thinking I would plant it now and replant in the fall? I’m in Northern Minnesota

I have heard that for over 20 years. I think different locations it could be very true. In south Mississippi I’ve seen the deer eat rye grass as well as non rye grass plots. As far as brassicas the deer aren’t touching them in our plots this year, however in the past I’ve seen them eat to the ground and same thing 2 miles away was knee high. Simply soil and fertilizer quality and location.

Would you consider beans with an electric fence, then top seeding over it with brassicas ? 2 acre plot.

Jeff, there is a huge difference between turf-type perennial ryegrass and forage type ryegrasses, and in the world of forage ryegrasses you can have annual types, bi annuals are also known as Italian ryegrass, intermediate type (live about 3 to 4 years) and perennial forage types. there are diploid and tetraploids in the forage ryegrasses as well. I can also tell you this when it comes to feed value forage ryegrass make a lot of protein and are very high in sugar if you chose the right ones. They are not cheap. the most important thing when it comes to using ryegrass is getting it planted at the right time. the rest of your video I agree with and really agree with the higher planting rates.

Could you make a video on the different situations on where to put food and cover if the hunters access will be the same? Some examples, I think you might have stated once to put cover next to your neighbors and food more inside. If your neighbors hunt. Another time when someone was next to a golf course or some non-hunting facility. The opposite was recommended. I am just looking to make sure I have my facts straight since I don’t believe there has been a video on food and cover if hunter access will be neutral on placement.

Do you have any experience with domain outdoors LLC seed company?the property I hunt only allows for small food plots acre or less in about 4 select areas what do you recommend? Obviously being said proper pH and fertilization

Good morning Jeff, I believe I have my switchgrass planting done for the year. I'm planning on spraying glyphosate and 2-4D on Sunday 4/26 for the last time over the seeds. I am wondering if I am trying to build the deer heard if I should plant food in the spring? I was originally just planning on following your no till system with buckwheat in June then spraying, smashing and planting August 1. I am also wondering what you would recommend for planting in shady areas on a trail through the woods? Another great video, thanks for all your hard work!

What about the high sugar ryegrass? Is it better? I'm talking Sucra Seed / Sweet Spot

What type of beans oats and peas do you recommend for the one half of your plots ? Forage beans ? Austrian winter peas?

Good Morning Jeff,, I have a area I will planting some cave in the rock switchgrass soon, the area is aprox 20yds by 80 yds. I was thinking about planting some pockets of food inside this and may do a spring planting and a fall planting in on those/ What would be a great food plot seed for these. Its sandy here, full sun . What are your thoughts? I already have clovers in a nearby plot and another plot that will get buckwheat early and fall blend later. Thanks for all your video's

I checked a bag of crap I bought on sale from Tractor Supply last fall. 79% rye grass . 3 percent brassicas and 0 percent (actually says that) clover. On the front picture there is a beautiful dark green brassica plot. Man I feel stupid. Buying my own seeds from now on. Thx. Glad I didn’t plant it yet.

I live in Missouri, and I have land over in Oklahoma. I can't visit the land very often, but I plan on making a deer plot. What seeds should I use? Whats the best way to get a food plot out there? I do plan on disking, cultipacking, spreading seed, and cultipacking.

Jeff I just ordered a bunch of seed from Northwoods whitetails for my destination plot, and I also ordered a few bags of seed from different companies promoted by other RU-vid channels just to test. I found the other seed companies all had near or over 50% rye GRASS! I am extremely impressed by the label on my Northwoods whitetails mixes, should I just throw the others out or would you recommend using them for an early planting to build the soil in those other plots before I replant with good seed in August?

So I know you focus a-lot on small parcels of land in your videos, and my question is are you able to have a sanctuary on such a piece like 80 acres. Knowing that every piece is different what is your take on deer sanctuary?

For just a some several acre plots what would you recommend that I could use with a spreader that attracts deer and has good forage

I'm in Central Norhter Michigan By the 2 big lakes. What can I plant in the ground here for food plot. Its Sand

Almost every big box store , tracktor supply, etc has rye grass seed. Im waiting on my rye cereal to be delivered to the feed store but waiting til almost 3)4 through September to plant it . Im in south east Va, stays wet warm. I like this guy and show but seems all or most of his recommendations are for northern States

i am wanting to plant some food plots with different seed blends this year. i hunt normally in middle to south Georgia. What would be my best bet for a great all around seed blend or seed blends to plant for early to later months? Any suggestions are welcome!

I purchased a large amount of Imperial Whitetail Ambush for this year. It’s got a 5% fria annual ryegrass mix. Is 5% an issue?

Jeff I have a question I live in Menominee county in the UP I was wondering where to find bulk lime everywhere I've been calling is around 200$ a ton

Any suggestions for drying out the extremely muddy logging roads we use to access our land?

I used rye grass not for them to eat but to fertilize and weed control where my brassicas and such wouldn't grow. Makes a nice nurse grass. Make sure you kill it with some strong glyphosphate

The more I hear how bad it is, the more I want to try it. I had 2 floodings put in in 2007 and they seeded the top with something the deer liked quite a bit.

Do you recommend whitetail institute?

Is it ok to use ryegrass by itself? I've heard you using ryegrass in your food plots in other videos. I guess as long as it isn't included in a mix blend.

So in another video you said to add 200 lb per acre winter rye over pea plot, around Labor Day. Is that different?

Im a born farmer. My folks been farming for over 30yrs. A landowner once told me. His friend has a pet deer. If you give it a banana. It will eat it. But the 2nd banana. It won't eat it. Deer like eating wide variety of foods not just one. Soybeans. Deer feed em in the summer, fall, and late season. Clover. Deer feed em in spring summer and fall to late season depending on how much snow covers it.

Why do you plant so much denser than a typical cover crop planting?

I'm going to try some black eyed peas and pinto beans with some clover just to see what happens this year

I live in oregon and my buddy has a couple hundred acres in eastern Oregon (Malheur National forest) the area has some of the best mule deer hunting in the state . We are debating on putting a food plot on the land . Any tips what to use there . There isn't a whole lot of info on food plots for this area ,most info is for mid west (white tail)any opinions would be greatly appreciated!

Is there anywhere I can buy blackberry/bramble seeds to throw out around some rough areas on my property?

Ive been planting soybeans for years and never had a plot fail. They are a great plot base to add in other seed after your post spray. If your not using them in your plots you just missing out.

Sitka wouldn't sponsor you so now your on to first lite. Lol

What are some of the best seeds for shady areas?

Damn, I remember seeing this video a while ago and I clicked on something else, too late now

Its mainly a cover crop for the food plot is why its in there, not there to attract deer or wildlife, rye grass is for cover crop nothing else.

I called a local coop and they tried to sell me a blend with mostly rye grass and I said no way that's just a filler!

I don't know but I plant ryegrass and have great luck with it they won't hardly touch cereal ryegrass 🤷🏽‍♂️🤔

And I just planted throw and grow.. clover, Brassica, and tetraploid rye grass 🤦🏾‍♂️

I feel so stupid right now. I just bought 40 lbs of a blend called Hidden Spot, meant for shady areas like forest slopes. It is Ryegrass, red and white clover, balansa clover, forage chicory, and purple top turnip. It wasn't cheap either, I paid a bit over $100 not including shipping. I should have watched this first. I am tempted to use the seed at this point, on into August (site prep for now), but if you think its better to avoid the blend, it can just be a hundred dollar lesson. My parcel is only 10 acres, of which about 2 acres along the driveway in the woods will be food plot (there is an old logging trail in there).

So would it be better to plant nothing instead of rye grass?

When I went to my local feed store. I asked for winter rye. He said ag rye that gets 5 ft tall and I said no winter rye. One was 14$ for 100 lb and the one I got was 35$ for 50lb. New to the rye world I spread the high dollar rye in October. I’m not sure now which one I got. Assuming all rye grows in the winter now. You would think cereal rye would be easy to sell at a feed store. How can I tell which one from growth? I may be 24d before spring ugh

Winter wheat, buck forage oats, winter rye (the grain) winter pea add alfalfa (red,ladino,white Dutch)clover plant in late august fertilize boom got early-mid-late season and even spring covered with high traffic high quality food for deer...plant it and prove me wrong that it isn’t the best for all hunting season long

God Ioves you!

Deer eat beans from time they sprout in late summer through early fall into late winter to nothing left... period.

Did anyone notice Jeff isn’t wearing SITKA?? Lol

I have great success with the triploid type ryegrass. It is very high in protein high in sugar highly palatable to deer. I think you might be stuck in 1990 with your thinking on this.

Clover for Turkeys

So basically you don't like anything

Youre just talking Rye and not Winter Rye correct?

Don't buy rye grass mix or alone. Got it.

It's so confusing listening to all you " experts " on what and when to plant . I live in central Mississippi and I am trying to grow BIG bucks . I have watched hours of these videos and now I'm more confused than when i started this journey !

Your seeding rates are awfully heavy, particularly with peas and rye. Peas are only 50lbs to the acre for a pure stand and rye is 100lbs to the acre for a pure stand. Other than that, lots of good knowledge here. I plant food plots as a business and I have to talk a lot of people out of soybeans. I'll also challenge the clover comment, just because here in Pennsylvania the deer will hit the clover year round.

The best food plot out there for my 100 acres has been powerplant from whitetail institute. It has sun hemp in it and I do not agree with your statements. Maybe where you live, but southern indiana; its GOLD.

I love your videos i do but you give mix messages all the time plant rye grass dont plant rye grass rye grass is good this video rye grass is bad the next video i mean come on dude get your stuff together bro LOVE YOU VIDEOS i just be confused some time

In your other vid Soybeans was your number 1 food plot! I smell BS!

Could i private message you for hekp with my first plot in WV? I really need experienced help.