Best Chicory for Deer Food Plots: A Critical Guide to Year-Round Attractants
Chicory is a popular component in deer food plots because it’s drought-tolerant, nutrient-rich, and can provide forage across multiple seasons. This article reviews top chicory-inclusive mixes tailored for American deer habitats, highlighting performance, resilience, and plant variety. Whether you’re planting in spring or fall, these blends are designed to attract and sustain deer with high-protein forage throughout the year.
The following table summarizes five well-regarded products chosen for chicory-inclusive deer plots. Each entry notes brand, starter mix, and a quick note on its strength for year-round attraction. This helps you compare options at a glance before diving into detailed product sections.
| Product | Brand | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Chic Magnet Deer Food Plot Seed | Whitetail Institute | Perennial chicory attractant, strong protein |
| Clover/Chicory Mix | Pure Whitetail | All-season mix, drought resistant |
| Chicory + Clover Food Plot Seed | Hit List Seed | Perennial blend, broad cold tolerance |
| Hot Chic Food Plot Seeds | Domain Outdoor | PH-tolerant, multi-annual mix |
| Chicory/Clovers & More Mix | Hale Habitat & Seed | Year-round attractant with perennials |
Whitetail Institute Chic Magnet Deer Food Plot Seed
Whitetail Institute offers WINA-100 chicory as a perennial forage option that is highly palatable to deer and provides strong antler-building protein. This seed mix is designed for tolerance to heat, cold, and drought, making it a versatile choice for diverse climates. The product emphasizes tenderness and digestibility in chicory, aiming to deliver reliable forage across seasons. It is sold as a 3 lb bag and covers about an acre in typical plots when used as directed.
Pure Whitetail Clover/Chicory Select Seed Blends
Pure Whitetail provides a premium Clover/Chicory blend featuring Arrowleaf and Ladino clover with 17% chicory. This blend is designed for all-season forage, supporting deer and turkey alike. The seeds are chosen for high germination quality and perennially sustainable growth, with easy-to-plant instructions that reduce maintenance while boosting long-term forage availability in your plots.
Hit List Seed Chicory + Clover Food Plot Seed
Hit List Seed’s chicory plus clover blend combines perennial forage with a strong cold-season component. It’s designed to provide high-protein forage for antler development while maintaining resilience to adverse weather. Perennial seed blends like this are positioned to provide dependable forage across multiple seasons, helping to establish a persistent food source on your property.
Domain Outdoor Hot Chic Food Plot Seeds for Deer
This Domain mix includes chicory along with clover and other perennials tolerant of acidic soils and drought. The 3-pound jug provides roughly a half-acre coverage, and the product emphasizes long-lasting performance across years. It is designed to be PH-tolerant and capable of crowding out weeds, making it a practical option for nutrient-rich deer forage in challenging soil conditions.
Hale Habitat & Seed Clovers, Alfalfa, & Chicory
Hale Habitat & Seed combines clovers, alfalfa, and chicory for a perennial year-round attractant. This mix targets multi-season forage while supporting deer with high-protein forage across the year. The packaging notes that a single bag can establish roughly half an acre, emphasizing practical, scalable planting for varied plots and soil types.
Buying Guide: Key Considerations For Chicory-Influenced Deer Plots
- Seasonality and climate: Look for perennials or mixes designed for year-round forage that suit your regional temperatures and rainfall patterns.
- Soil compatibility: Consider PH tolerance and drought resilience; some blends emphasize acid-soil tolerance and weed suppression capacity.
- Drought and heat tolerance: For long-term plots, prioritize varieties with proven drought resistance to maintain forage during dry spells.
- Protein content and palatability: Higher antioxidant and protein levels support antler growth; perennials with tender chicory typically attract more deer activity.
- Ease of establishment: No-till or minimal-soil-prep options can save labor and improve success in marginal soils or restricted plots.
- Maintenance needs: Perennial-heavy blends reduce replanting frequency but may require occasional overseeding and weed control.
- Plot size and coverage: Check bag coverage (acres per bag) to align with your plot size and rotation plans.
- Compatibility with other forages: Blends that include clovers and brassicas can complement chicory, providing a broader forage spectrum across seasons.
- Storage and handling: Reusable containers or resealable bags help preserve seed viability for future seasons.
- Cost efficiency: Compare seed quality and expected yield per acre to assess long-term value for your hunting or wildlife-management goals.
When selecting a chicory-focused mix, consider your soil, climate, and maintenance capacity. Perennial-based blends tend to offer more consistent forage across seasons, while annual-heavy mixes can deliver quick establishment if you’re starting a new plot. Combining chicory with clover and other nutrient-rich forage tends to support deer in both summer and winter, reducing the need for supplemental feeding in many regions.
In summary, the right chicory-inclusive seed mix can improve plot longevity, deer attraction, and overall habitat quality. The products reviewed here vary in emphasis—from ultra-drought tolerance to rapid establishment—so match your choice to your land conditions and management goals to maximize long-term results.