Rutabaga is an exciting option to improve your late season hunting opportunities. We know this because we have been testing it for the past few seasons after an organic farmer in our area told us he couldn’t grow them for his family because the deer wouldn’t leave his garden alone. He gave us a bag of seed to try for ourselves, the deer on our property cooperated, and we haven’t looked back.
Now we love turnips but our experience with rutabaga shows it is not only a comparable option but better in some cases. Deer will consume the bulbs just like turnips. With a longer growing season (75 to 90 days) than turnips this means that you can expect a larger bulb when established at the correct time of the year. It is possible to provide up to 6 tons of forage per acre with a successful rutabaga plot if planted alone.
It also makes it an affordable alternative to planting sugar beets. In fact, we tested rutabaga side by side with sugar beets at our testing location and on multiple hunting properties we manage in our area for three years with great results. Rutabaga performed much better when compared to fussier sugar beets that are harder to grow, require more fertilizer, don’t like weed competition, and are susceptible to drought.
Better yet the deer love them especially late in the year making for great December hunts when deer are looking to increase their energy reserves as winter approaches.
If planting alone, we recommend targeting the middle of July. Prepare your seed bed and then broadcast ahead of a rain event. A good seeding rate is 6 pounds per acre.
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