However, on the downside, once deer get used to eating milo they will eat the heads to the stem just as soon as the seeds reach the “dough stage”. This is the point when the seeds take shape but haven’t dried down – typically in September. Again, this is a learned response by deer in moderate to high-densities. The first year or two of a sorghum planting program in this setting will produce the desired result – late fall and winter food – but after that you may only be producing early fall food for consumption at a time when deer could (and should) still be eating legumes and other protein-rich foods.
As another negative, sorghum is less desirable than corn as a winter carbohydrate source. Therefore, it can’t be counted on to bring deer running when the mercury drops the way corn can. In areas with lower deer densities where both can be grown effectively, corn is better. Sorghum has a place in a larger management program but for our five-acres it doesn’t make the cut.
