Seeds and plants fill the local stores, and while we are all interested in what new blight-resistant tomatoes are being offered this season, it’s time also to think about what you are going to plant in your deer food plot. Full page ads in many of the sporting magazines promote brassicas and clovers as top seed, which can come with a hefty price tag. It’s not uncommon to see a bag of mixed grasses, legumes, and brassicas at $150 for 20 pounds. Lured by the potential for a big buck to be dining in your field, many pay this tidy sum only to be disappointed with the results.

My success varied until I joined the Quality Deer Management Association (www.qdma.com). The membership brought me six issues of their journal, Quality Whitetails, a high quality, well-written, magazine dedicated to the science behind producing quality deer, not just another “how-to” shoot deer mag. From this came my association with members of the NY chapter and my learning curve increased dramatically.