Why Native Plants Are the Key to a Healthier Deer Herd
For landowners passionate about whitetail deer, herd management is a hot topic. What are the best management practices for whitetail? We humans have been asking this question for thousands of years. And we at Hoksey Native Seeds wanted start getting some concrete answerws. So we tracked down some of the foremost habitat, hunting, and food plot experts to see what they had to say. And they were all in unity with one important piece—native plants.
The Growing Season "Nutrition Gap"
We recently explored this on an episode of The Prairie Farm Podcast with Dr. Mark Turner, a wildlife extension specialist at Oklahoma State University and a leading expert on deer nutrition. While food plots have their place, the real secret to unlocking a deer’s full potential lies in the diverse buffet of native forbs. These are the wildflowers and broadleaf plants that have nourished whitetails for millennia.
One of the biggest misconceptions in deer management is that the growing season offers limitless food. As Dr. Turner points out, this is far from the truth. "We really need to think about managing for high-quality forage availability during the growing season," he explains.
Think about it: by the time soybeans are large enough to provide significant biomass in mid-summer, a buck is already well into his antler growth cycle, and does are supporting fawns with nutrient-demanding lactation. During this critical spring and early summer period, it's the early-emerging native forbs that fill this crucial nutrition gap. Plants like Golden Alexander’s and young, leafy Goldenrods provide the high-protein forage deer need long before agricultural crops are established. Without a healthy native plant community, you're leaving a significant portion of your herd's health and potential on the table.
Deer Aren't Grazers…They're "Concentrate Selectors"
Many of us picture deer grazing in a field like cattle, but their dietary needs are far more complex. Dr. Turner clarifies that deer are technically “concentrate selectors.” This means they don't just browse; they selectively browse for the most nutrient-dense and digestible parts of specific plants.
They are actively seek out forbs, which are packed with the key ingredients for health:
Crude Protein: Essential for body mass, fawn development, and antler growth.
Phosphorus & Calcium: The fundamental building blocks of antlers.
Yes, there are corn and soybeans all over the Midwest, but true health comes from a diverse ecosystem where deer can select from a wide variety of forbs to meet their specific nutritional needs. According to research from North Carolina State University, a diversity of plants allows deer to balance their nutrient intake while avoiding the secondary compounds found in some species that can inhibit digestion (Source: NCSU College of Natural Resources).
So, how do we apply this? The goal is to create a resilient habitat that functions as a year-round buffet, not just a seasonal fast-food stop. By integrating a diverse mix of native forbs into your property, you create a mosaic of nutrition that peaks at different times.
Early Spring: Forbs provide crucial protein right after winter.
Summer: A wide variety of flowering plants supports antler growth and lactation.
Fall & Winter: The seeds from these plants provide energy for other wildlife, and the basal rosettes of species like goldenrod offer foraging opportunities even under the snow (Source: National Deer Association).
For that exact reason, we built a whitetail premium perennial food plot. The goal is to provide that full plate, as Judd McCullum likes to say, for the deer year-round… or very close to it. This is also a once and done mix. Maintained appropriately, it should last for decades.
Habitat for Whitetail and MORE
Las fall we had a fantastic conversation with whitetail habitat specialist, Skip Sligh. If you’ve been around the whitetail hunting world for more than an hour, you’ve probably heard of him. (Psst, he started the Iowa Whitetail Forum.) He told us you NEED native flora, including tallgrasses like Big Bluestem and Switchgrass, native forbs like Illinois Bundleflower and Purple Prairie Clover, and timber like white oaks and cedars. Without these you will hamper your whitetail herd’s interest in your land substantially.
But not only for whitetail… These native flora are needed for quail and pheasants and butterflies and jackrabbits and turkey and many more native animals. Skip understands this better than anyone. You can hear it from him on his Instagram account.
By shifting our focus from simply managing for deer to managing a healthy, wholistic ecosystem with native fauna—we build a healthier, more resilient landscape for all wildlife. And if we all do it together, we’re MUCH more likely to tag that lifetime size buck that we’re all hoping for.
Don’t know where to look. Check out our native habitat mixes here. We did all the research for you, so you can have the assurance that your native habitat will bring in the herd.
