https://texags.com/forums/34/topics/3272034

Found this thread from the past and wanted to see if anyone will be planting anything if we ever get rain?

I have a place about 30 minutes outside of BCS and looking to do about 1/4 acre plot on a new area to see if it will hold some deer. Going to try "top notch wildlife mix" from co op which i have never used but the ingredients look like the stuff i am looking for.

Probably wont be planting until end of September/early October depending on rain but i wanted to see what success people have had in the past with food plots? In my eyes, feeders will always be the best option for states that allow them but i am looking for something that is available 24/7 when pigs/deer eat all the corn on the ground.
Am i wasting my time with no fence and having pigs on the property ?

I've planted top notch on about 8 acres the last 8 years. I've not had any hogs in it-but I do no till drill it. You're probably inviting hogs if you disc or plow. We are just west of Lagrange in Fayette county.

Did you already plant?

Not yet. Work projects rolling in on me right now. Hopefully in the next couple weeks.

I have a little over an acre I plan on planting in Three Way Grains. Eddie gave me about 2in of rain, I needed it badly and was hoping for more. I got enough to get the plot worked without all of the topsoil just blowing away. I'm hoping for another round of rain in a the next couple of weeks then planting.

We usually plant about 5 acres in food plots every year. I get all the plots prepped and then plant a day or two before rain is predicted.

Where are y'all buying seeds from? I checked online with east Texas, Douglas, and one other and shipping almost doubled the price. I'm in Austin area.

I've done "designer" mixes for clients to in the past based on soils, equipment, and other resources available. At the end of the day, when in doubt get a pre-mix from Turner, Douglas King, or Pogue and you won't go far wrong.

We're going to just do a blend of oats, crimson clover, and turnips this year on 5 or so acres. Ground is broken and dry as witches cooter. Need some rain bad up here. Got my seed from Stratton Seed in Stuttgart.

So damned dry I've all but abandoned the notion of a plot in 2026.

This is what I got From Douglas King this morning.
" We have our prices set, and finally have everything here to make the mixes. The Trophy Forage Mix will be available on Thursday.

Wheat is priced at $23.50 per 50 lb bag
Trophy Forage Plus Mix will be $52 per 50 lb bag.
Native Sunflowers are $13.50 per lb for 5-49 lbs , $12.50/lb for 50 lbs and up."

I'm not going to plant until October. I will plant whatever my local feed store has and hope for the best with rain. I have found over doing this for several years in the Hill Country that it really doesn't matter. Even if it comes up with good rains the deer will just mow it down to almost nothing in no time and it never really has a chance to mature. I guess it is kind of working. But it is part of my wildlife management plan so I have to do it anyways.

I went and listened to a talk last week by Dr. Craig Harper, a wildlife research scientist out of UT-Knoxville. They did a study looking over 16 eastern states looking at overall deer health and horn development as influenced by soil type. https://naturalresources.tennessee.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2025/01/J-Wildl-Manag-2025-Harper-Soil-quality-does-not-predict-plant-nutrition-available-to-white%E2%80%90tailed-deer.pdf

The findings are that soil types dont influence growth and horn develpment, but the availability of native forbs do. They looked at P, Ca, & K levels and found that these nutrients were not limiting in naturally occurring forbs. But its the availability of those plants thats the limiting factor in horn and growth development. Also healthy mamas raise healthy fawns, hence, good natural forage leads to healthy does.
TLDR: let natural broadleaf species grow for big deer management.

I used Turner for years with great results. The shipping/freight on 500-800 pounds of seed was only reason I switched to BWI. Now I drive 10 miles to schulenburg to pick it up- cut my cost by more than 1/2.

That's not as fun for me. I do both. I really enjoy riding my tractor and then seeing the wildlife pour into the plot. My neighbors also have native forbs- they don't have food plots. Deer seem to spend more time on our place than theirs.