The use of supplemental food plots as an intensive management tool evolved from hunters' efforts to concentrate deer in one area for harvest. Description of the region East Texas is composed of two major ecological regions - the northern part of the Post Oak Savannah and the Pineywoods. The Post Oak Savannah lies northeast to southwest between the Blackland Prairie of Central Texas and the Pineywoods in eastern Texas. Soils throughout East Texas are generally acid. Annual rainfall is usually the highest of any region in the state - 35 inches on the western edge of the region up to 55 inches along the eastern boundary.
Abundant rainfall is a mixed blessing when managing deer habitat.
It quickly leaches nutrients from the soil, which lowers the quality of food supplies. It also results in the rapid succession of vegetation and causes native food supplies to grow beyond the reach of deer. On the other hand, the amount of rainfall East Texas receives annually is generally sufficient to produce consistent crops of supplemental forages. Fore these reasons, planting supplemental forage is a sound strategy for managing white-tailed deer in East Texas. Well planned food plots can increase forage availability and at least partially compensate for decreases in suitable deer habitat.