Yep to early. I live in NW Missouri and currently have four plots. Two are perennials with a clover and alfalfa which I rotate about every four to five years with a small strip of brassicas on the edge. Deer and Turkey are in them every day. Great food and cover for the little Turkeys and Fawns. You have to time your mowing correctly though so you don't mow over any nesting Turkeys or hidden Fawns. This year two old clover plots are going to fall/winter annuals. They will tear the greens up all fall but they have lots to eat in late winter which is more important. When all the surrounding corn and bean fields are snow covered I guarantee you they will be in my brassicas. I like WW or WR not Oats as they don't last that long. WW will act as a cover crop and be available in the spring. Then you can decide to terminate it and replant or let it go to seed. Anyway good luck and enjoy.

Most of these posts are northern, most fall-winter foodplot/cover crop this far south will be august-october plant. Even November sometimes. I deer hunt over 225 acres of ryegrass we plant for grazing and early spring hay. We delay planting until October 1 to avoid a possible late surge of army worms

It's humbling- every time I angst over my spray and pray food plots- I can't help but think... God Bless our Farmers! It's hard work and you have control over so little.

If I wanted to have more deer at my place the first thing I'd do is thin my woods very heavily. Leave dropped trees. Drop trees together to form a pile of tree tops not as thick as a brush pile. I'd leave as many Oaks, Hickories and Beeches as possible. Open up the canopy so there is about 50% sunlight on the ground.

I wouldn't waste resources and time on a food plot. The issue with food plots is your competing with all the local farm fields and orchards to attract deer just for food. Not many guys out there making their property better for bedding and security of the deer.
I have a couple of large apple trees on my place. The deer hit them hard for about 2-3 weeks then they are feeding else where.

Had a tornado go thru my woods about 4 years ago. Lots of stuff knocked over. The deer love the place, they bed down in the stuff, they have fawns in the stuff (I have found 3 fawns) they browse all the new growth shooting up in the openings.

So while I'm all about thinning my woods to improve the ground layer of forbs and grasses it comes with the unfortunate problem of more deer.

DD
I'll agree with you. Lots of ag here and secure thick bedding cover is king here. The thicker and larger the bedding habitat the more deer. There's properties here that landowners won't let people hunt and these areas fill up with deer as the season goes on. By the time season is over its amazing how many deer have moved into these places. Big bucks love secure and safe bedding areas.

I forgot the most important part. Contact your local ag extension agent to get help on the varieties that will thrive in your and TEST the soil.

The reason we do a lot of chain saw work on the property Is to react bedding areas. And to create travel ways that coincide with our stands.

Our son in law has about 10 acres of woods and 15 acres of crop land, of which about 3 acres is a small field locked in by woods on 3 sides and an intermittent stream and ditch on the fourth side. Corn and beans are raised on the two larger crop fields. Half of the woods has had some logging and cutting so brush is coming back very well. The small field, we have tried several of the recommended and promoted blends, varieties etc. Most did not work well. We now have a 2-row planter and we have planted corn the last two years and this year. We have the best results with the corn, and it is simple and we can minimum till or no till that as well.

Bryce

I hunt in the middle of thousands of acres of beans and corn fields

In the south, it is hard to beat wheat and clover. Hunt the wheat in fall and winter and deer eat the clover in spring and summer. The clover helps out the does with fawns and the protein draws in the bachelor groups. It is great to have ag in the area - after harvest - right to my plots. We plant durana clover - had some clover plots going eight years. We wont plant until early Oct. Plant wheat right back into the clover each fall

Fertalilized (4) 1/4 acre plots yesterday and cultivated them today.
Got about an inch of rain today. Perfect timing!
I strive for July 25th for my brassica plots and about August 25th for oats/cereal rye.
Made way to many mistakes years ago planting to early. $$$