Species Used in Wildlife Mixtures

Alfalfa
Where it is adapted, alfalfa alone or in mixtures with tall-growing grasses, is one of the highest yielding forage plants available. Alfalfa produces best on well-drained soil with good water-holding capacity and pH of 6.5 or above. It is long-lived and drought-resistant. Choose varieties with good winter hardiness, disease resistance, and high yielding ability. Varieties with resistance to Phytophthora and Aphanomyces Root Rot adapt better too wetter soils.

Alsike Clover
This short-lived perennial tolerates wet and acid soils better than alfalfa and slightly better than red clover. On wet or acid soils alsike may be desirable even if it does not persist long in the mixture. While it survives, it will provide nitrogen to the grass, thus lowering fertility costs. Its relative short growth makes it desirable in pasture mixtures.

Alyceclover
An annual legume that produces an abundant growth of high protein forage. Works well in wildlife mixtures with cowpeas. Tolerates low soil pH. Plant 15-20 lbs. per acre in the spring.

Arrowleaf Clover
Latest maturing annual clover that re-seeds itself. Thrives on sandy or clay soils with adequate pH. Will not tolerate poorly drained soils. Pink to purple flowers with leaves having a distinct white V-mark that resembles an arrowhead. Used in wildlife mixtures.

Berseem Clover
An annual clover with oblong leaves and an upright growth habit with yellowish-white flowers. Known for its vigorous forage growth, it is the most tolerant of wet conditions of all clovers. Used in wildlife mixes or as a green manure for cropland.

Birdsfoot Trefoil
A long-lived herbaceous perennial legume. It has been known to survive up to 30 years of pasturing. It produces a beautiful cluster of bright canary-yellow, orchid-like flowers. It is beautiful for parks, steep cuts, dams, dikes, around ponds, highway roadsides, driveways and lawns. It can be mowed and will continue to bloom after each mowing until frost. It controls erosion and withstands semi shade, Upland game birds, ducks, rabbits, deer and other animals eat its foliage and seeds. Sow @ 6 to 12 #/Acre.

Black Peredovic Sunflower
An oilseed crop that grows to six feet tall and matures in 100 days. Deer like the small plants, game birds and songbirds eat the mature seeds. A very popular planting for turkeys and pheasants. Plant 15-25 lbs. per acre.

Bromegrass
Smooth bromegrass is one of the most productive palatable grasses available. It is widely used in mixtures with legumes for pasture, hay or silage. When used in pasture mixtures, a faster recovering grass such as orchardgrass should be included to increase the grass content.

Browntop Millet
A heavy seed producer that grows 2-3 feet tall. For quail, doves, turkey, and ducks when flooded. Plant 30-40 lbs. per acre.

Buckwheat
An erect annual grain with low heat requirements for development. Very sensitive to frost and hot dry weather will also hurt grain formation. Used as a specialty food for humans and livestock and as a cover for wildlife. Plant at 50# per acre.

Chicory
A perennial taproot herb, chicory is drought tolerant and mineral rich. It produces abundant high protein leafy forage throughout the summer. Used in wildlife mixtures as a food for deer, grouse and turkeys. Plant 2-3 lbs. per acre in mixes.

Chufa
A southern crop that produces a nut-like tuberous root growth that turkeys love. In agricultural crops chufa is known as yellow nutsedge, which is a severe weed challenge for many farmers. For this reason we do not recommend planting chufa.

Corn
An annual grain crop that can provide fall and winter food for deer and other wildlife. In most cases it requires at least a 5 acre field to have any effect. Plant 15-20 lbs. per acre for wildlife.

Cowpeas
An annual legume that is tall and vine-like producing a high-protein forage that is usually planted in the spring with a soybean or annual grain mixture for a livestock forage. These mixtures are also planted in the fall as a deer attractant. Plant 25-35 lbs. per acre in a mixture.

Crimson Clover
Late maturing annual clover that tolerates medium acidic soils. Flowers are dark red (crimson) colored. Used in wildlife mixtures or as a green manure for cropland.

Crownvetch
Purple flowering legume used along steep banks and roadsides. Slow to establish but very aggressive and will form a complete cover after two years.

Festulolium
A cool season sod-forming grass that is easy to establish and spreads by tillers. Festulolium is a hybrid of Italian ryegrass and meadow fescue. Used in pastures and waterways, it is hardy if ample snow cover exists.

Fine Fescue
A broad category of fine-stemmed fescue grasses, including creeping red, hard chewings, sheep’s, and slender fescue. These are slow-growing, shade-tolerant grasses that are also tolerant of poor, acidic soils. Used extensively in turf mixtures and also in wildlife mixtures where challenging conditions exist and a complementary grass is desirable.

Forage Brassicas
Various crosses between brassica species, such as Rape, Turnip, Kale, Swede and other hybrids. Used extensively as a wildlife attractant for good reason, they generally show improved forage quality with little tuber growth. Most resist flowering the first year—an improvement over the common rapes. Plant alone or in combination at a total of 8-12 lbs. per acre.

German Millet
Also known as manta, siberian, foxtail, american, or finch millet, this annual does well on more than average moisture. Small seed makes excellent feed for waterfall, all upland birds, songbirds and also used extensively for caged birds. Also used as a single-cut, short-season hay millet. Will not re-grow after cutting. Seed at 15-25# per acre.

Grain Sorghum
A tall growing plant similar to corn that provides a seed head at the top. Useful for pheasants and other game birds. Plant 10-20 lbs. per acre.

Japanese Millet
A warm season annual grass (also known as goose grass, or black millet) that tillers and produces leafy forage. Mainly used in wildlife mixtures to provide cover and forage. Excellent for attracting ducks and geese where wild rice cannot be grown. Grows 2-5 feet in height, providing very good blinds. Produces a large seed head loaded with an abundance of food. Will re-grow after cutting and can be grazed or used as a hay crop. Seed from mid-May to the end of June at 15-20# per acre for seed production; 25-35# per acre for forage.

Kura Clover
A very hardy perennial clover with a deep taproot and extensive underground rhizome system. Very slow to establish but extremely persistent and aggressive after the third year. Tolerates acidic soils and heavy grazing. Used in pasture and wildlife mixtures. Plant 1/2-2 lbs. per acre in mixes.

Lab lab
A tall annual legume, native to Africa and Asia, that thrives in hot, dry conditions. Often used in spring plantings with soybeans and peas for deer. Plant 5 lbs. per acre in mixes, 20 lbs. alone.

Ladino Clover
Ladino clover is a tall white flowering clover that tolerates wet, acidic soils. Ladino is very high in protein and should only be used in mixtures. Under conditions favorable for its growth it becomes very aggressive and may increase the bloat hazard. A major component of many deer and wildlife food plot mixtures. Plant 1/2-3 lbs. per acre in mixes.

Lespedeza
A perennial herb in the pea family providing valuable cover for quail and other game birds. Tolerates poor soil and grows very slowly. Plant 20-30 lbs. acre.

New Zealand Clover
A medium height white clover that is a short-lived perennial, but will re-seed itself. It will tolerate a lower pH than red clover and alfalfa while producing an abundance of high protein forage making it very useful for wildlife and livestock pastures. A major component in most perennial food plot plantings for good reason. Plant 1/2-3 lbs. per acre in mixes.

Orchardgrass
Somewhat lacking in winter hardiness, orchardgrass will usually survive if snow cover is available. It has good seedling vigor and recovers faster than bromegrass after cutting or grazing. It is useful in mixtures containing bromegrass, particularly in pastures. Because of its vigor throughout the growing season, it adds grass and thus helps prevent bloat in legume-grass mixtures. It matures early and must be managed carefully.

Pearl Millet
This annual produces well on infertile, droughty soils. Grows to 5-6 feet in height. Seed heads are usually 6-16 inches in length. Good cover and feed for birds, deer, and other wildlife. Can also be used as a multi-cut forage for livestock feed. Seed at 15-20# per acre.

Perennial Ryegrass
A rapid-growth, high-quality grass used in short term rotations for livestock or as a cover crop. Germinates very quickly making it useful in many mixes from turf to forage. Italian, diploid, intermediate, and tetraploid are all types of ryegrasses that are available. Tetraploid has superior hardiness and is the best choice for forage uses. Italian will not flower the seeding year, making it useful as a cover crop with alfalfa.

Persian Clover
An annual clover growing to three feet tall with purple flowers. Will tolerate a soil pH of 5.5 and has good re-seeding ability. Used very sparingly in wildlife mixes.

Rape
A short season brassica species that is classified as a biennial but will usually not over-winter in the north. Very succulent top growth of high nutrient value that stays green very late in the fall. Should be planted in the late summer for fall forage. Used in wildlife and deer mixtures. Also known as canola when grown as a grain crop for its oil. Plant 2-4 lbs. per acre in mixes, 8-12 lbs. alone.

Red Clover
Red clover is shorter lived than alfalfa. Older varieties usually provide only 1 to 2 years of hay or pasture production. Newer varieties will persist longer. If alfalfa can be successfully grown, it is a better choice. However, red clover grows on wetter and more acid soils than alfalfa and is a good choice for cropland where alfalfa production is questionable.

Reed Canarygrass
Previously considered to be suitable only for low wet areas, reed canarygrass is one of the most productive grasses on upland sites if adequately fertilized. Older varieties contain alkaloids that cause it to be less palatable than other grasses listed earlier. Newer "low alkaloid" varieties should be used for agricultural purposes. Adequate fertility increases productivity of reed canarygrass and may increase palatability. A very aggressive grass that may take over and dominate the planting if conditions are favorable.

Sanfoin
A perennial legume that is very high in nutrient value similar to other forage legumes. Grows very slowly and does not tolerate low pH soils. Usage is very limited, as it does not handle competition from weeds or other forages well. Plant 25-30 lbs. per acre.

Sesame
Birds love this annual herb that produces an oily seed in 120 days. Plant 5-7 lbs. per acre.

Small Burnet
A perennial forb that likes dry gravel or sandy soil where a lot of other crops will not grow. Spreads by rhizomes but establishes slowly and is not very competitive. Plant 2-5 lbs. per acre in mixes.

Small Grains
Oats and Barley can be used as a cover crop in the spring or planted in the fall to provide a fall forage for deer. Best if used in combination with other fall attractants. Deer Creek Deer Oats has been shown to have superior hardiness and preference over other oat products and would be the product of choice for a fall planting. Plant 80-160 lbs. per acre.

Soybeans
An annual grain crop that produces beans in the fall when planted in the spring. Deer love the young vegetative growth and for this reason some people stagger the plantings through the summer to provide a summer forage. Deer and other wildlife will also feed on the mature beans through the winter. Plant 100 lbs. per acre.

Switchgrass
A perennial bunchgrass that grows to 3-5 feet tall. Provides excellent nesting and winter cover for pheasants and other birds. Very slow to establish, making perennial weed control essential. In northern climates, be sure to select a winter-hardy variety. Plant 6-12 lbs. per acre.

Tall Fescue
A hardy, deep-rooted bunchgrass that is very tolerant of intensive grazing and animal traffic. Withstands heat and dry conditions better than other grasses. Used in pasture mixes, roadsides, waterways and turf types are becoming very popular in turf mixes. For livestock uses an endophyte free variety must be used to avoid palatability and health problems.

Timothy
This is one of the most widely used grasses in the humid northern United States. It is quite productive, in these areas. It is easier to seed than bromegrass. A large proportion of the total tonnage is usually produced in the first harvest. However, if rainfall is adequate and temperature is moderate, timothy will produce well during the summer.

Turnip
A short-season brassica species very similar to rape, except it also produces a significant tuber growth as well as a succulent top growth. Deer will eat the top growth in late fall and dig for the turnips in the winter. Plant 2 lbs. per acre in mixes or alone.

Wild Rice
Plant in lakes, ponds and marshes with 6-18 inches of standing water. Sown in late fall or early spring, seeds will germinate when water temperatures reach 60 degrees. Plant 25-40 lbs. per acre.

Winter Wheat and Rye
Both are very hardy and vigorous small grain crops when planted in the fall. Use in combination with other fall attractants, as deer will eat the young growth in late fall. These crops will appear and start to grow very early in the spring providing essential food for wildlife at a critical time of year in the north. Plant 100 lbs. per acre in the fall.

White Dutch Clover
Very short white flowering clover found in lawns and wooded areas. Tolerates acidic soils and low fertility making it a good choice in wildlife mixtures. Very useful for trails and fringe areas where a low growing clover is desired. Plant 1/2-2 lbs. per acre in mixes, 6-8 lbs. alone.

White Proso Millet
One of the newest, best and largest of the millet seeds for ducks, doves, and upland game birds. This annual will withstand more drought than Japanese Millet. Seed at 15-20# per acre.

Yellow Blossom Sweet Clover
A short-lived clover with a deep taproot and small serrated leaves. Yellow flowers are a favorite of bees. Used sparingly in pasture and forage mixtures.