Seasonal Management Activities

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Interest in deer management usually runs high in the fall, but there are activities you can do on your land year-round to help boost the size and health of the deer population. Use this checklist as a guide.

Year-round activities

• Planting and maintaining food plots

Spring

• Pruning mast-producing trees when trees are dormant (usually late February/early March, depending on where you live).
• Fertilizing mast-producing trees and patches of native vegetation.
• Planting young dormant trees in early spring. 
• Protecting seedlings/young trees from wildlife.
• Planting food plots for warm-season consumption. (Follow these tips on what to plant).
• Mowing perennial food plots for weed control.
• Thinning tree stands.
• Establish watering holes.
• Discing (mid to late spring) to encourage warm-season forbs.
• Prescribed burns (early spring) to stimulate legumes and forbs.

Summer

• Irrigating food plots during dry summer months.
• Planting food plots for cool-season consumption.

Fall

• Discing at this time of year will encourage cool-season forbs.
• Plant food plots for winter.

Winter

• Prescribe burns to stimulate spring-time growth of legumes and forbs.