Real World Wildlife Products has always believed in promoting the “complete system” for both food plots and overall land management. For example, a complete deer property contains both food and cover.  Every seed company sells a line of food plot seed but how many also provide their customers with seed for bedding cover? Real World does this through our “Bedding in a Bag” and switchgrass products.

When it comes to food plots the key is to provide highly nutritious plots on your property every week of the year. To do this we need both annuals and perennials as well as both “greens” and “grains”. Diversity of plots on a property not only provide your deer with the nutrition they need all year long but it helps you keep deer on your property all year long. Again, a lot of companies will sell you the seed mixes to provide the greens but what about the grains?

Real World also realizes that some land managers have limited food plot acreage to work with so they are limited on what they can provide, both in terms of quantity and variety. This fact was one of the driving reasons behind the creation of Real Worlds new “Deadly Dozen” seed blend. The goal with Deadly Dozen was to provide a fall-planted plot that would be attractive to deer and benefit them over as long a window as possible, especially during hunting season and the critical winter and early spring months that follow.

Deadly Dozen is actually a combination of two very popular Real World seed blends, Harvest Salad and Plot Topper.  Deadly Dozen only comes in smaller 12.5# bags which will plant 1/4 acre, perfect for small kill-plots or hidden honey-holes. For those with larger plots of an acre or more in size, we recommend buying the Harvest Salad and Plot Topper separately and planting them in the same plot. This will not only save you a little money but help you get a more even distribution of the various seed species over your larger plots.

When combining Harvest Salad and Plot Topper you should use 1 bag of Harvest Salad and 1 jug of Plot Topper per acre. DO NOT mix the seed before planting as the smaller seeds in Plot Topper will settle out from the larger Harvest Salad seeds and thus will not be evenly spread across your plot. Instead, first broadcast the Harvest Salad over your worked plot then culti-pack, roll or drag the Harvest Salad seed into the soil. Finish the planting by broadcasting the Plot Topper over the plot. It is not necessary to work this small seed into the soil.

Here is a great tip for getting the small 3# jug of Plot Topper spread evenly over an acre of land – Mix the jug of Plot Topper with some pelletized lime in a bucket. This will give you a lot more “material” (seed and lime) to spread across your plot. You should get a more even distribution of the Plot Topper seed. Also keep in mind that many of the seeds in the Plot Topper mix will turn into plants with giant bulbs. You do not want to plant the Plot Topper seed too thick or the plants will be stunted and not able to produce the bulbs. It is much better to plant Plot Topper too thin than too thick.

The Deadly Dozen seed blend contains 12 different plant species that deer will start hitting as soon as it sprouts and continue to eat through the entire winter and spring.  You will literally get 6-8 months of prime food from one plot.  The plant species that the deer are eating will change as the seasons change but with a dozen plants in the mix there is always a few that are “in season” and highly palatable.

So whether you are buying ready mixed bags of Deadly Dozen or buying Harvest Salad and Plot Topper to mix your own, this blend will help you achieve the complete food plot system by providing a highly nutritious plot for much of the year. The good news is that NOW is the perfect time to be planting Deadly Dozen. For most of the country we recommend planting from mid-August through mid-September.  If you haven’t already done so, plant some of this new blend and see just how “deadly” it is!

Best of luck to everyone this season!