Rye Grass or Oats?

What attracts' Deer better Rye Grass or Oats?

Oats, but winter rye could be a different story. The two are not to be confused.

Tried both. Oats by far the best.

Oats will work in areas better that don't get really cold freezing weather. Wheat works better in much colder areas. Down in South Texas oats is planted in October and wheat in Nov. Both work well when they first start growing. So IMO it really depends on when and what you plant since deer prefer tender new growth. Rye grass will grow well and deer will eat when they do not have much else to choose from. Now cereal rye is going to be more like oats or wheat to them.

Oats no question in my mind

Cereal rye will also germinate and actively grow at much cooler temps than oats. Can't speak to deer preference, but I would imagine that there would be little difference in young growrh, but might stay on oats longer. Split your plot into thirds: plant 1/3 in about 50lbs/ac oats, 1/3 in 50lbs/ac cereal rye, 1/3 in 25-30lbs/ac oats AND the same rate of cereal rye mixed in the drill or spreader. Then let us know!

oats

Do u have to disc the ground up to plant Oats?

Depends on what you're working with. Have to achieve best possible seed to soil contact with whatever implements you have at your disposal. Are you going to drill or broadcast? Size of plot? Top-soil type? Cultivation tools you have access too, if any?

Oats hands down. However cereal rye seed can be thrown down cheaply and easily and require no seeding, if the rain comes. Always a good idea to throw rye seed around feeders and areas that might receive high moisture. deer, hogs and turkey eat it, and will actively seek it out. It works great.

As the fellas said, cereal rye is far better than a winter , or "lawn type" Rye and has a better nutritional value where standard Rye like "Gulf annual", has little value.

Oats are the bomb.

Oats don't buy "rye grass" but "winter rye" is really good. I'm in north carolina but my favorite food plot mix is oats and rye grain.

We disc our field before seeding and again lightly after with a chain pulled behind the disc. We have had army worms wipe out our oats the last couple years though...

Oats

What time of the year do you throw out or plant Cereal Rye grass?

I just spoke with a guy from Southwest Fertilizer in Houston, and he said regular Rye grass would not catch during the hot months. They only carried Cereal Rye during the Fall. The time to plant that would be during October or November.

Most all cereal grains(oats, rye, etc) are planted in the fall. They are cool season plants in Texas. Cereal Rye is different from Rye Grass although both will be planted in the fall.

We have been planting oats the past several years. We prep the ground with a disk and tractor, broadcast seed by hand and drag an old 16' gate behind a truck to cover it. Has worked well, comes up and grows every year only trouble we seem to have is our plots aren't big enough and are continually grazed to a nub.

Rye grass is worthless; deer will walk through a wheat field to get to an oat field, but if you have cold temps you have to go wheat. I don't know about cereal rye, it could be decent stuff. Plant a mix and see what happens!

I did a experiment few years back. Planted a plot with rye, one with oats, and another one with wheat.
Wheat was the winner hands down.

Worthless? Not true at all... it may not serve much for nutrition but it grows easier and stays tender much longer than oats or wheat.. I always plant over the food plot with rye late in the season because it will keep deer coming to it when most oats would be showing rust in January and be not as desirable to deer..

It also will grow thick during the late spring and keep any weeds or trash from growing in the plot making get ready in the fall much easier....

Is it better than oats or wheat during the fall/winter no... not at all but they will choose it over both late winter and early spring and it will keep them full.

There are new varieties of Rye Grass out that are better quality than plain old Gulf Rye Grass. If you contact a seed dealer they can get you info on them. Here is one company that has Rye Grass that will work in Texas that is a better choice.
http://www.barusa.com/forage/products

I have about 40 acres in wheat/oats that the deer have used all season. However starting in Feb the deer have decided that they would rather eat the rye grass growing in the front yard. Wake up and there are about 10 deer in the front yard and the wheat/oat field is only about 100 yards away.

Don't know which is better for them but I do know that they decided to eat the rye grass starting in Feb.

Our oats and wheat are getting mature and not tasting as good as they did in Oct-Dec. Rye Grass is generally a little later to grow and will be more to their liking since it is new growth in my area. Yours might be the same. I used to mix Oats, Wheat and Rye Grass so the deer would have something to eat up until April(Rye Grass).

Is Wheat a seeded material?

Different soil in South Arkansas than most of ya'll but Wheat works best here. We plant wheat and clover. right now the wheat is about gone and the clover is starting to do it's thing. Rye does ok but there's not as much nutritional value to it as there is wheat or oats.
I'm going to try an oat plot this year for comparison purposes. I'll get back to you with the results.

I do a combination of wheat/oats/turnips every year. They like the oats early season, then wheat around Jan/Feb and back to new growth in March. Once we get a good freeze and the oats die/wheat goes dormant, they hammer the turnips. I also run full year plots of alfalfa/clover that get hammered in early fall and early spring into mid summer (trick is to keep the clover/alfalfa mowed to 6" or less to keep it tender). Don't forget the spring/summer plots of soybeans/lablab/brassicas. I have some type of natural food plot on my hunting property at all times.

Agreed. I'm not sure "turf" rye is good, although several deer mixes have it in there

Ceral Rye Grain works real well for me. you have to spray it or till it under around may or June. That's what we do and it works well as we plant summer plots also.

Planted rye one year, came up and looked like a manicured lawn but nothing touched it. Id go oats or turnips, depending on where youre at.

Did you plant rye grass or cereal rye? There's a big difference in performance.

Oats mainly. I will throw rye around and under feeders. Keeps the mud to a minimum and they do eat it.