Food Plot Repellents

Even though you are planting your food plots to attract and hold whitetails, feeding pressure too soon can seriously harm your plots and keep them from reaching their full potential.

In addition, some annual food plot seed such as peas and beans are especially vulnerable from early deer feeding pressure and can kill your young crops.

There are a couple options out there for repelling animals from your food plot.

1. Use a solar powered electric fence.  This can be very effective but somewhat expensive and is sometimes unpractical based on the layout of your plot.

2. Purchase a liquid solvent diluted to repel animals. Often sprayed on a tape strung around the perimeter of your plot.   Several brands can be purchased online. Repeated applications are needed for it to remain effective.

3.  Provide plenty of additional deer food plots such as clover and alfalfa.  Keep them mowed and fertilized for continued fresh growth and they should help draw attention away from a newly planted food plot.

4. Another good option, especially for smaller plots is to use Milorganite organic fertilizer.  Milorganite can be very effective for repelling deer for a few weeks after application and it is high in Nitrogen and thus beneficial for your food plot.  People have been using it in flower beds for years to keep the deer away.

What is Milorganite?

Milorganite is derived from heat-dried microbes that have digested the organic material in wastewater. Milorganite is manufactured by the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District. The District captures waste water from the metropolitan Milwaukee area, including local industries such as MillerCoors. This water is then treated with microbes to digest nutrients that are found in it. Cleaned water is then returned to Lake Michigan. The resulting microbes are then dried, becoming Milorganite fertilizers. The Milorganite program is one of the world’s largest recycling efforts.

For more info and dealers visit:  www.milorganite.com

Although none of these tips are foolproof and will keep your whitetail herd out all year, they will often keep them out long enough for your food plots to become established.