So many guys have told us the same story about their brassica plots. You planted a nice field, they came up great — maybe one of the nicest looking plots you ever planted. Big leafy greens, bulbs bulging out of the dirt. And you thought "the deer are going to absolutely hammer this plot." But then… they just didn't. Maybe you had a few takers now and again, but for the most part those big leafy greens just sat there, looking great but not doing their job. Maybe in late winter when your deer got desperate you got a little action, but all in all that plot let you down.

It's a story we've heard a thousand times. At trade shows, in social media messages, and over the phone from customers all over — especially from guys in the southern half of the country. Most of the time it's followed by "I won't do that again, that was a waste of time." A lot of guys have gotten soured on the whole idea of brassica plots at all. The explanations you hear range from "deer need a long time to learn what they are," to "brassicas just don't work in the South," to the prevailing notion that if it doesn't get really cold the brassicas won't "sweeten" enough to taste good to deer.

While there may be a thread of truth in a few of those ideas, they all miss the bigger picture. The main reason brassica plots disappoint comes down to the age-old law of supply and demand. It's the rule in economics, and it's also what decides whether your food plots get used or left to rot in the field. Let me explain:

Every good economist will tell you — when supply gets scarce, demand goes up. Even for things people normally wouldn't touch.

Want an example? Since we're talking brassicas already, think of the root vegetable section at your local grocery store. The beets, turnips, and parsnips aren't exactly the hub of activity. You don't see those flying off the shelves, and we'd bet most people never put a single one on the dinner table. But what if there was nothing else left? No bread, no meat — just bare shelves except for the root vegetables. That's exactly what happened in Germany in 1916 during the "Turnip Winter." The British blockade during WWI had cut off food, and the citizens of Germany were left to eat the root vegetables they normally fed to their livestock. Without any other choice, they ate them for every meal. They made soups, breads, jams, even a form of coffee out of them. Because that was all they had. Afterwards, many of the ones who lived through it never touched another root vegetable again. When given the choice, they chose the foods they actually liked. When there was no other option, they ate what was available.

What does this have to do with deer and your food plots?

Deer operate by the same rules. Yes, it all looks like salad to us, but to a deer, different plants rank very differently on the food pyramid. We know which species are high on the preference list — the things they'll eat any time of year, even when they have plenty of options. Clovers, peas, beans, native plants like joint-vetch and partridge pea. Deer treat those species the way we treat a cheeseburger and fries: you don't have to twist their arm.

So now let's get back to those hit-and-miss brassica plots. If you want to know what's really going on and how to fix it, just apply everything we've talked about so far.

At northern latitudes and during harsh winters, deer will eat those plots just fine — because it's eat that or starve. Early in the season, and in more southern regions, they have plenty of other options, so they never get desperate enough to touch what you planted. And that's the real tell: to your deer, the species in that plot were desperation food. If you want real, consistent action in your plots, you need to plant things deer actually like to eat. That's what brings them in all season, on every property — not just when they're desperate.

So what's the answer? Stop planting brassicas altogether? Not quite.

The thing you have to understand is that brassicas are a family of plants with dozens of different types, and they vary greatly in how much deer like them. Unfortunately, some of the most commonly planted brassicas are also some of the least palatable. Turnips and kale are two of the absolute worst brassicas you could put in a food plot. Do they work for some people? Sure — but even when they work, it's usually in places where deer get desperate enough to eat them. It's not that they love them.

Almost every time we hear one of these disappointment stories, we ask what type of brassica they planted, and it's almost always turnips, kale, or a mix loaded with both. The problem isn't that brassicas are bad for deer — that couldn't be further from the truth. They're an excellent thing to plant, they produce more tonnage than just about anything else you can put in the ground, and when you choose the right kinds, they're one of the most attractive plots there is.

So what are the "right" brassicas?

The ones deer eat early in the season and in the South — where they have options. Some of the most favored brassicas are radishes, sugar beets, rutabagas, and members of the rapeseed family, including New Zealand forage brassicas. If you want a good brassica plot, you've got to start with things deer actually want to eat. Do that, and you'll have a plot that doesn't just look like it belongs in a magazine — it hunts like it too.

On top of being extremely palatable, these brassicas bring benefits that make them easy to grow and great for plots. They're some of the most cold-hardy and graze-tolerant options in the entire brassica family — two things you always want. New Zealand forage brassicas will stay green down to 10 degrees and can be grazed up to four times and keep regrowing. That means your plot is still green come January, and it keeps producing after the deer start hitting it — months of action to hunt over instead of one and done.

If you want all of those in one place, already blended in the right ratios to grow well together, plant our Late Season Brassicas mix. Every brassica listed above is in the bag — and nothing else. No turnips, no kale, no filler. Despite its name, deer don't just use it late season. Because we used brassicas deer actually like, we see action in these plots from September on. In fact… maybe we should just rename it "Full-Season Brassicas" instead.

Planting windows open in July up north and run through October in the South, so now's the time to get seed in hand. If you want a brassica plot deer will actually use, plant Late Season Brassicas this year and see what happens when you give them what they actually like.