Forage production eventually declines as the amount of sunlight reaching the forest floor declines. Later in the forest cycle, with proper fertilization, pruning, thinning, and other timber stand treatments, these areas can again provide excellent habitat. While native vegetation management has a much greater potential to increase total deer forage production than food plantings, plantings may be important seasonally to meet specific nutritional needs. Planting summer forages may be as important as planting cool-season forages, since antler growth, fawn production, and initial rearing take place then. Therefore, both bucks and does face special nutritional demands.
Seasonal comparisons indicate deer eat the most food in late summer.
We know that deer use of warm-season plantings declines from highest in March to lowest in early June. Use increases in late June, peaks in August, then declines slowly through September. Carefully plan and consider equipment needs and access points, soil quality, fertilization or liming requirements, size and distribution of plots, seedbed preparation, and choice of planting materials. Landowners should approve planting locations. Make plots long and narrow, but do not exclude sunlight from plots in forested areas.