food plots

[Bob Peters]

I was wondering what the best food plot is for pheasants, and is there crossover with deer? I was thinking about sorghum or milo. I know two landowners and they hunt deer and pheasants. I thought perhaps the smaller grain would benefit birds more (milo vs. corn). Anyone have experience with it?

 

[haymaker]

When I plant food plots I like a lot of diversity so there is something for many different species. I like white proso millet, white milo, sunflowers and a tall sorghum so the birds fly a little higher.

 

[Golden Hour]

Haymaker brought up an important point, there really is no single "best". If I had to pick the single crop that I see both pheasants and deer utilizing the most, it would probably be soybeans. The property I manage is a corn/soybean rotation and we leave 40 rows of corn for a winter food plot and the deer and pheasants will both scratch through the snow to pick at the beans. I wouldn't do soybeans as a stand alone, or as part of a mix, but it is worth noting. This spring, I'm going to plant a sunn hemp/white proso patch and see how it does. The sunn hemp is for the broods.

 

[A5 Sweet 16]

I don't consider myself much of an expert on this topic.
But in SD, where winters can be pretty brutal, my vote would go to sorghum (a medium/short height variety).
Good nutritional value. Easy to access grain heads because of the height (less expended energy). And good cover. Birds can get under the leaf "canopy" (if you will) & be sheltered & pretty safe. They can hang out or run around to their hearts' content & be virtually invisible doing it. Sometimes they'll burrow into the snow & roost in the sorghum. I think, if left in the field too long in the spring, they'll actually nest in it.
Other critters like it too.

 

[gettinbirdie]

I will second sorghum if I could only pick one. One of the biggest deer I ever arrowed was a sorghum regular. I've witnessed deer picking the "tops" off with regularity. Sorghum is a crop that is "messy"-it gets everywhere which in turn lasts alot longer and is definitely more accessible/beneficial to the birds as A5 already mentioned.
The best thing if money and time were not an issue, would be to offer a variety/diversity as Haymaker stated.