Planting food plots for turkeys isn’t as common as for whitetails, but it should be. Wild turkeys are arguably even more susceptible to the draws of food plots. Thus, wild turkey food plots are excellent options for hunters and land managers.
Of course, like all animals, turkeys have basic needs. These include roosting areas, escape cover (for evading predators), nesting cover, brood habitat, food sources, and water sources. Fortunately, you can supply highly attractive food options in the form of food plots.
Here are some of the best food plots for turkeys. As a bonus, most of these double as great deer food plots, too.
Top Food Plot Seed Options for Turkeys
Whitetail Institute provides excellent seed options for land managers. Keep the following food plot seeds for turkey in mind when preparing to plant food plots for turkeys.
Turkey Select Chufa: Chufa is a great supplement for managing wild turkeys. These are highly attractive, and turkeys scratch for the nut-like tubers. Turkey Select Chufa is high in carbs and protein. It matures in 100 to 120 days and is excellent for holding turkeys in fall and winter. Plant at 10 pounds per ¼ acre. That said, for northern states, May 20 to June 30 is the ideal planting window. For mid-latitudes, May 1 to June 30 is the best timeframe. For southern areas, April 1 through May 31 is the optimal window.
Alfa-Rack Plus: Alfalfa is a big hit for wild turkeys. This legume offers a highly attractive plant, and the plant also attracts insects, which is a double win for birds. Alfa-Rack Plus is cold-tolerant, drought-resistant, and high-protein. Compared to common ag crop alfalfa plantings, this variety offers more leaf foliage, which provides for more food for wildlife. Additionally, this mix also includes clover and chicory. Plantings vary greatly based on the growing zone.
Imperial Whitetail Fusion: Clover is a staple, and this offering is excellent for providing it. These are some of the newest proprietary clovers, which are designed for increased performance. This variety is greatly cold-tolerant and drought-resistant. These can last up to five years on one planting. This also comes with perennial forage chicory.
Imperial Whitetail Summer Slam: Summer Slam is another option that helps carry turkeys through summer into early fall. It has peas and legumes and is excellent for brooding hens. It’s drought- and heat-tolerant and does well in sandy to medium-heavy soils. It provides 25% to 30% protein. Get up to 4,000 pounds of biomass per acre.
Regardless of what you pick, be sure it will help reach specific goals in mind. For example, some of the above are great for holding turkeys in spring and summer. Others are best for carrying turkeys through fall and winter. Land managers should plant food plot species in both categories, and supply turkeys with year-round food plot options.
Alfalfa
A popular legume among many wildlife species, alfalfa has significant drawing power for wild turkeys. It offers up to 30% protein, but the perennial can be finicky to maintain. That said, with a successful stand, it can last several years without replanting. That said, don’t plant less than a few acres at a time. Any less, and wildlife will over-browse it down rather quickly.
Buckwheat
This tall-growing plant is an excellent warm-season forb that turkeys love. At approximately 20% protein, it’s loaded with nutrients, too. It grows up to 4 feet tall and offers both food and cover. It also does well in poorer soils than other food plot species.
Cereal Rye
Also referred to as winter rye, cereal rye is a great food plot species for wild turkeys. This does really well, even when soil conditions aren’t optimal. Generally, it’s a great option for a food plot’s first planting. It comes with about 15% protein, and wild turkeys love the stuff.
Chufa
According to the NWTF, chufa grows plants that are 1-3 feet tall, and each one produces up to 150 fingernail-sized tubers (nuts) just below the soil surface. These tubers are highly desirable among turkeys and provide a lot of forage for turkeys and other birds. Generally, this is best for the southern half of the country, but can grow in northern destinations, too. It offers up to 10% protein, 15% carbohydrates, and more.
Clover
The Arrowleaf clover is a cool-season annual. Reaching up to 3-4 feet tall, it has a pointed leaf (thus the name) that wild turkeys target heavily. This species does best in well-drained soils. With proper maintenance, you can get three to four years out of it before needing to re-seed. Overall, it’s an excellent option within the legume family.
Another member of the clover family, crimson clover gets its name from the crimson coloring. It’s a legume and helps build up soil health and draws insects. It’s easy to grow and maintain relative to other food plot species. Plus, it’s highly nutritious, and offers up to 30% protein.
One of the most popular members of the clover family, ladino clover is an excellent selection for wild turkey land managers. This perennial clover is in the white clover family, and it grows up to 12 inches tall. Overall, it provides a lot of forage for wildlife.
Perhaps the most loved of the clover family, red clover delivers in a lot of ways. It is somewhat more susceptible to disease and fungi, but growing up to 30 inches tall, the volume of forage is excellent. At about 25% protein, it certainly checks the nutrition box. With proper care, it can last several seasons between re-plantings.
Korean Lespedeza
According to Mississippi State University Extension, Korean lespedeza is characterized by a shallow taproot, thin stem, pink flowers, and large seed heads. Turkeys love this stuff, but it does come with downsides, such as disease susceptibility. While these produce lower yields than other food plots species, it should be enough forage for turkeys to benefit. It offers up to 15% protein.
Millet
Millet is an exceptional food plot species that turkeys love. This plant provides forage, but it also attracts a lot of insects, which turkeys also benefit from. Within a couple months of planting, it provides a lot of seeds, making it excellent for late spring. It does well in sandy soils.
Milo (Grain Sorghum)
Milo, which is much the same as grain sorghum, is another turkey food plot option. Of course, there are a couple options here, of which are either annuals or perennials. (Be sure you know which you’re getting.) Of course, milo provides excellent levels of carbohydrates and protein.
Oats
A staple in the food plot world, oats offer a great food source for turkeys, but it’s a fall and winter play. This cool-season food source is high in carbohydrates, but about 17% to 18% protein. Oats are known for performing well in a variety of soil types.
Soybeans
Soybeans are most thought of for whitetails, but these make great turkey food plots, too. While turkeys will eat the leaves during early growth periods, standing soybeans can provide excellent winter food, too. When other sources are limited, turkeys will pick at the bean pods and consume much-needed nutrients. It offers up to 30% protein.
Winter Wheat
Lastly, wheat is one of the premier food plot species. It offers up to 20% protein. It also offers high carbohydrate levels. It even provides good forage per acre. The plant does well in mid-latitude and southern states. In spring, turkeys flock to it.
Hunting Blind Setups in Food Plots
Hub-style hunting blinds were made for all hunting, but these are poison on wild turkeys. First, turkeys seem to pay no mind to blinds. In contrast with whitetails, which sometimes need a “break-in period” to get used to newly deployed blinds, turkeys accept them right away as part of the landscape.
Secondly, it makes hunting in the rain far more sufferable, and food plots are turkey magnets during and after rains. Additionally, blinds are excellent for wide-open landscapes, long (near-full-day) hunts, and more.
All said, there are certain things turkey hunters can do to maximize their efficiency.
Back Off the Roost: Don’t sit too close to the roost. Instead, back off a bit and provide more buffer, effectively reducing the odds of spooking turkeys before daylight.
Prioritize Visibility: Place more emphasis on visibility than most other factors. You need to be able to see turkeys coming. Furthermore, they need to be able to see your decoys. Place blinds in spots that provide visibility.
Set It Up in the Middle: Unlike whitetails, which sometimes take a period of time to adjust to newly placed blinds, turkeys do not. Therefore, consider deploying turkey blinds wherever, even if in the middle of the field. There’s no need to brush these in.
Angle with the Sun in Mind: Lighting is important, and hunters shouldn’t place blinds so that light comes into the open windows. Instead, angle the blind with the sun in mind.
Adjust as Needed: Don’t be glued to your setup. If it needs a change, adjust as needed. This will lead to more success when hunting from turkey blinds.
Those in the hunt for a new blind might consider the HydeOut, HydeOut XL, which are hub-style blinds, or the HydeOut Go, which is a two-panel pop-up blind.
All things considered, food plots are excellent pieces of the wild turkey land management puzzle. Plant food plots for turkeys in the right way, and you can draw more turkeys, boost the local turkey populations, and experience better hunting.
