Is there anything I can plant in the woods(fairly shady/ heavily wooded) that would attract deer and hogs, I am in east Texas so the soil is pretty sandy, I have had luck with rye grass but seems as though nothing really likes to eat it.

Try clover too.

Agree, a clover blend may be worth the expense, depending on the size of the area. I read an article done by a biologist where he tested food plots in East Texas, Arrowleaf clover was what he recommended, along with wheat and oats and something else I don't recall, probably clay peas.

If it is a large area, you'd best be served to get a soil sample before spending on seed, prep and fertilizer, soil test run around $20 through A&M.

Another option, have your county Agriculture agent out, they are free and provide loads of information forto you on what plants do well in your county/area.

Before just buying clover seed though, you need to research the various cultivars online, some re-seed well, some don't. They can be picky on when to plant for best growth and some wont hardly grow in certain areas. Your local farm and seed store may also have good info on what other plant around you with success.

If it is a very small area and you have a decent # of deer, you may never get a plot off the ground, even if you do everything right, deer can really mow down something they like.

tag

rye grass is your best bet.. clover will come up but not last long.. try planting the rye late when the leaves start falling

I have had good success with clover in small plots. Keep in mind that clover likes semi-wet soils more than sandy soils. A good crop for sandy soils is Extreme from Whitetail Institute. It's fairly drought tolerant too. Don't know how big a plot you're talking about, but if it's very small, the deer will consume it prematurely. Get a soil test and follow it to maximize your crop's potential.

Go to the QDMA website for more info on food plots.

The Whitetail Institute has a clover sampler for cheap. Also, they do soil testing. Not to berate A&M but i've found that most testing is done by students and they don't really seem to care about accuracy.

My personal experience with straight rye grass over the years has not been good. I planted 6 acres once and never saw a deer eating it. Ended up turning my cows into that pasture. I now plant a mix from the local feed store.

Just depends on the area and weather... rye can be a good tool but only if its late in the season and everything else like oats and what not are old/tough.. the rye is good about staying tender and will be used better then.

but if your in an area that has a lot of volunteer rye annually don't expect much out of your acre or two when there are pastures full of it close by.

I would look into clover and clover blends that will start growing in the fall/cooler seasons on all of them. Some will be more dormant than others in the blend, that way you will have fall/winter grazing on some and then spring/summer on the others. Madrid, Hubam, Crimson, Arrowleaf, White, Red, Berseem or Alyce would be good ones to look into. Turner Seed Co in Breckenridge is a good place to start. You could mix in some Rye Grass also in light amounts to start. Look into some of the newer varities of Rye Grass also as they are more palatable.