Summer Food Plots for Deer Need Structure: Sorghum and Sunflower

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Ethan Smith
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Video grain sorghum for deer

A good summer food plot can do wonders for a local deer herd when everything comes together. Unfortunately, it does not always work as planned, that is, if there is any planning at all! We all know the value of food plots for deer nutrition, but what about the value of plants that are not particularly popular in deer food plots.

Sunflowers and Sorghum

White-tailed deer will eat both of these crops. This is especially true if you are planting them for commercial harvest. There is something about commercial crops that whitetail deer really love; they are always getting into our wallets. It could be all the fertilizer? Deer do seek out micro-nutrients that are in short supply within their environment, so there could be something to this theory.

I would venture to guess that sunflowers are never planted to food plots for deer. This species gets planted for doves, no doubt, but not for whitetail. That said, many bird hunters have seen there dove hunting plot fall victim to a hungry deer herd. Whitetail love newly-sprouted sunflowers, but they will eat them as the mature as well. How much a deer herd like sunflowers varies by location and by property. It really boils down to the other foods that they have to eat.

Sorghum, on the other hand, is a grass. Yes, whitetail deer eat sorghum, but either when it is very young or once the green seeds and maturing head hit the dough stage. The seeds have a lot of nutrition packed in to them at this point and they are easily digested. Whitetail will also eat mature sorghum seeds. Again, this varies by area and by environmental conditions.

See also  .17 HMR Hornady Magnum Rimfire for Whitetail Deer Hunting? Best Ammo (Round, Load, Cartridge) for a Successful Whitetail Deer Hunt Hunting Calibers 04 Apr, 2020 Posted By: Foundry Outdoors Is the .17 HMR Hornady Magnum Rimfire a viable caliber/load/round/cartridge for whitetail deer hunting? The accurate answer is “it depends”. However, the goal of this article is simply to address the question of whether the .17 HMR Hornady Magnum Rimfire is within the ideal range of suitable calibers to harvest whitetail deer. As with anything, the devil is in the details. To answer the question completely, we would need to evaluate the downrange distance to the whitetail deer, the bullet type, the grain weight of the bullet, the physical condition of the firearm, the size of the whitetail deer in question, the shot placement, the local wind conditions, the expected accuracy of the shooter, the ethics of the ideal maximum number of shots – the list goes on. [Click Here to Shop .17 HMR Hornady Magnum Rimfire Ammo]What we can do is provide a framework to understand what average conditions might look like, and whether those are reasonably viable for a shot from the average shooter to harvest a whitetail deer in the fewest number of shots possible, i.e., ethically. Let’s dive right in. In the question of “Is the .17 HMR Hornady Magnum Rimfire within the ideal range of suitable calibers for whitetail deer hunting?” our answer is: No, the .17 HMR Hornady Magnum Rimfire is UNDERKILL for whitetail deer hunting, under average conditions, from a mid-range distance, with a medium grain expanding bullet, and with correct shot placement.Let’s look at those assumptions a bit closer in the following table. Assumption Value Caliber .17 HMR Hornady Magnum Rimfire Animal Species Whitetail Deer Muzzle Energy 250 foot-pounds Animal Weight 210 lbs Shot Distance 150 yardsWhat is the average muzzle energy for a .17 HMR Hornady Magnum Rimfire? In this case, we have assumed the average muzzle energy for a .17 HMR Hornady Magnum Rimfire round is approximately 250 foot-pounds. What is the average weight of an adult male whitetail deer? Here we have leaned conservative by taking the average weight of a male individual of the species, since females generally weigh less and require less stopping power. In this case, the average weight of an adult male whitetail deer is approximately 210 lbs. [Click Here to Shop .17 HMR Hornady Magnum Rimfire Ammo]What is the distance this species is typically hunted from? Distance, of course, plays an important role in the viability of a given caliber in whitetail deer hunting. The kinetic energy of the projectile drops dramatically the further downrange it travels primarily due to energy lost in the form of heat generated by friction against the air itself. This phenonemon is known as drag or air resistance. Thus, a caliber that is effective from 50 yards may not have enough stopping power from 200 yards. With that said, we have assumed the average hunting distance for whitetail deer to be approximately 150 yards. What about the other assumptions? We have three other primary assumptions being made here. First, the average bullet weight is encapsulated in the average muzzle energy for the .17 HMR Hornady Magnum Rimfire. The second important assumption is ‘slightly-suboptimal’ to ‘optimal’ shot placement. That is to say, we assume the whitetail deer being harvested is shot directly or nearly directly in the vitals (heart and/or lungs). The third assumption is that a projectile with appropriate terminal ballistics is being used, which for hunting usually means an expanding bullet.Various calibersA common thread you may encounter in online forums is anecdote after anecdote of large animals being brought down by small caliber bullets, or small animals surviving large caliber bullets. Of course those stories exist, and they are not disputed here. A 22LR cartridge can fell a bull elephant under the right conditions, and a newborn squirrel can survive a 50 BMG round under other specific conditions. Again, the goal of this article is simply to address the question of whether .17 HMR Hornady Magnum Rimfire is within the ideal range of suitable calibers to harvest whitetail deer - and to this question, the response again is no, the .17 HMR Hornady Magnum Rimfire is UNDERKILL for whitetail deer hunting. [Click Here to Shop .17 HMR Hornady Magnum Rimfire Ammo]This article does not serve as the final say, but simply as a starting point for beginner hunters, as well as a venue for further discussion. Please feel free to agree, disagree, and share stories from your own experience in the comments section below. Disclaimer: the information above is purely for illustrative purposes and should not be taken as permission to use a particular caliber, a statement of the legality or safety of using certain calibers, or legal advice in any way. You must read and understand your own local laws before hunting whitetail deer to know whether your caliber of choice is a legal option.Foundry Outdoors is your trusted home for buying archery, camping, fishing, hunting, shooting sports, and outdoor gear online.We offer cheap ammo and bulk ammo deals on the most popular ammo calibers. We have a variety of deals on Rifle Ammo, Handgun Ammo, Shotgun Ammo & Rimfire Ammo, as well as ammo for target practice, plinking, hunting, or shooting competitions. Our website lists special deals on 9mm Ammo, 10mm Ammo, 45-70 Ammo, 6.5 Creedmoor ammo, 300 Blackout Ammo, 10mm Ammo, 5.56 Ammo, Underwood Ammo, Buffalo Bore Ammo and more special deals on bulk ammo.We offer a 100% Authenticity Guarantee on all products sold on our website. Please email us if you have questions about any of our product listings. Leave a commentComments have to be approved before showing up Your Name * Your Email * Your Comment * Post Comment

Remember, deer will eat anything if it’s the only thing around. If you plant or are considering the planting food plots as a way to improve deer hunting (hopefully) as part of a deer management program, then know that habitat should come first. Ideally, food plots should not be the only thing on a property to eat. Natural vegetation should comprise the bulk of a deer’s diet. Food plots should be considered supplements for the most part.

In short, the best quality about both sunflower and sorghum in food plots plots for deer is that they provide structure. This may not seem like a good reason to throw them into your plot mix this spring, but let’s consider why you may want to do just that.

Summer Plots Need Structure

Lab lab, cowpeas and soybeans. Am I speaking your spring and summer food plot language yet? These are some great go-to species for warm season whitetail forage. Each of these legumes is highly sought after by whitetail deer. They all have high protein levels and are easily digested. What’s not to like about lab lab, cowpeas and soybeans when it comes to deer, right?

Well, nothing, if your plots grow. Often times, hunters and land managers are discouraged when they plant a summer plot for whitetail and the stuff fails to grow. It tries to grow, but the deer keep in mowed down to the ground. Deer are definitely using the food plot, but it’s not providing much food and looks more like a grave plot… dirt.

A potential remedy in this situation is, you guessed it, structure! Structural plants such as sunflower and sorghum can provide camoflauge for the main crop while also providing something for your high protein legumes to attach to, and grow up with. Plants that provide vertical structure help protect very young legumes but also help with growth as the structural plant and the legume mature.

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The function of growing up provides more biomass, more forage for the local deer herd. If all of the legumes are competing for limited sunlight with a limited ability to climb they produce less vegetation. As they climb upon structure, they produce more stem but also more leafy material and that means more forage for your deer herd.

Add Sorghum and/or Sunflower to Your Summer Plot

These species are not recommended as stand-alone species for plots intended to provide supplemental forage primarily for whitetail deer. Stick with legumes for deer food plots during summer months but consider a structure plant as a way to guard your forage plants and increase the amount of forage they can produce.

Ensure that food plots are only part of your overall management strategy. In most cases, plots should only make up a maximum of about 2-5 percent of your total acreage each season. Another key to successful food plotting is to keep the deer numbers in line with what the habitat can support on the property. Too many deer ensures that plots get hammered, but none of the deer get enough food for it to be a true supplement.

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Ethan Smith
Ethan Smith is a seasoned marine veteran, professional blogger, witty and edgy writer, and an avid hunter. He spent a great deal of his childhood years around the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest in Arizona. Watching active hunters practise their craft initiated him into the world of hunting and rubrics of outdoor life. He also honed his writing skills by sharing his outdoor experiences with fellow schoolmates through their high school’s magazine. Further along the way, the US Marine Corps got wind of his excellent combination of skills and sought to put them into good use by employing him as a combat correspondent. He now shares his income from this prestigious job with his wife and one kid. Read more >>

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