Deer season is quickly approaching and now is the time to plant food plots, according to Texas A&M AgriLife Extension experts.

Dr. Billy Higginbotham, Extension wildlife specialist, has a food plot combination strategy that keeps a constant supply of forage available and attracts white-tailed deer even after hunting season is over.

He recommends a combination of winter-hardy oats, iron and clay cowpeas and arrowleaf clover in areas of Texas that receive 35 inches or more of rainfall.

Moisture helps speed the growth of cowpeas when planted in September.

He also says that numerous small plots edged by cover will attract deer during legal hunting hours.

Higginbotham says that transition zones between the edge of the woods and the open food plots will help deer feel comfortable enough to graze.

One acre “sanctuary plots” should be planted for every 100 acres of habitat in cool-season food plots, Higginbotham noted.

“It’s good to rotate food plots each hunting season, but I also recommend having a few food plots where deer can feed and are never pressured,” Higginbotham told AgriLife Today.

The oats will be established as the cowpeas will begin to die out by the first frost.

“Of all the small grains, deer prefer oats when given a choice,” Higginbotham said. “Be sure to select winter-hardy oat varieties to plant because they will provide the bulk of the forage available from first frost until spring green-up.”

The arrowleaf clover will emerge in spring and last until early July, he said.

“The cowpea-oat-arrowleaf clover combination has proved to provide early deer hunting opportunities for youth-only and archery seasons when established in early September,” Higginbotham said. “The combination then provides a constant supply of forage for deer into early summer.”

He recommends to shred and disk the area to be planted. If there is heavy vegetation in the area, consider applying herbicides a few weeks before planting to kill the vegetation.

When choosing a location, Higginbotham said there should be enough sunlight for the forages to grow, but small enough to provide the deer the security of nearby cover.