🌾 Whitetail Institute Whitetail Oats Plus – 22.5 lb

✅ Basic info

• Size: 22.5 lb bag

• Coverage: about ¼ acre

• Type: annual (cool-season grain)

• Best for: early fall attraction + holding deer into winter

🌿 What it is

• A premium, high-sugar forage oat blend

• Contains:

  • Special Whitetail oat variety

  • Small amounts of triticale / winter wheat (for cold tolerance)

👉 This isn’t just regular oats — it’s bred for deer preference and sweetness.

🦌 Why deer love it

• High sugar content = extremely attractive

• Deer will often hit it before anything else

• One oat variety was so attractive it got eaten out of university tests

👉 Translation: it’s basically candy for deer in early season.

🔥 Key benefits

• Fast germination (sprouts quick with moisture)

• Heavy early-season draw (Sept–Oct)

• Cold tolerant (lasts longer than regular oats)

• Easy to grow even in average soil conditions

📅 When to plant

• Best planted late summer → early fall

• General window:

  • Aug 15 → Oct 1 (Midwest)

📍 In Michigan:

• Ideal timing: late August → early September

🌱 How to plant (simple)

1. Prep

• Disk/till soil

• Remove weeds

• pH target: 6.0–7.0

2. Fertilize

• If no soil test:

  • ~300–400 lbs 17‑17‑17 per acre

3. Seed

• Broadcast evenly

• Lightly cover (~¼ inch deep)

👍 Best uses

✅ Early season bowhunting plots
✅ Quick, low-cost food plots
✅ Nurse crop (start clover plots)
✅ Areas where you need fast attraction

⚠️ Weak points

• Not great late winter food (compared to brassicas)

• Can get overgrazed quickly if deer population is high

• Single food type (no variety like blends)