MISSISSIPPI STATE – Wildlife managers can get expert tips on what to plant in food plots year-round with a new app from the Mississippi State University Deer Lab.

Bronson Strickland, a wildlife management specialist with the MSU Extension Service, said he wanted to give people easy access to research-based information while in the field or in the feed store looking at seed.

“We took information about seeding rates, varieties, warm-season and cool-season plants and perennials from the Supplemental Wildlife Food Planting Manual and developed an app to give people quick ideas on how to plan and what to buy for their food plots,” Strickland said.

Strickland said users can click on the type of deer food plot they want, such as a cool-season plot for the hunting season, and they will see information for reliable forages.

“When the user selects a particular forage, the seeding rate, planting date and common varieties will be displayed,” he said. “We even have a section on mixes of different forages that will work well for wildlife managers in Mississippi and the Southeast.”

“Deer Plot App” is available for Apple devices. An Android version will be ready soon. Strickland worked with Steve Demarais, a professor in the Forest and Wildlife Research Center, and Rodney Pearson, professor of management and information systems in the MSU School of Business, to create the app.

Additional research-based information on managing white-tailed deer is located online at the MSU Deer Lab website, http://www.msudeer.com.