Wildlife Food Plots
and Early Successional Plants

by Craig A. Harper

Look for a revised edition with new planting mixtures, more management strategies, additional herbicides, and more plant species profiles COMING IN 2024!

book synopsis

Wildlife Food Plots and Early Successional Plants is a science-based book that provides comprehensive information on establishing and managing food plots for a number of wildlife species. “Science-based,” meaning the information and recommendations are the result of replicated experimentation over years of research, not opinion, dogma, advertising, or marketing. The book begins by discussing the importance of a management plan, setting goals and objectives, and then meticulously differentiates management for different wildlife species. Lacking from any other source, this book carefully and artfully helps the reader understand not only how to grow and manage food plots, but how to incorporate food plots into a more holistic management approach that enables landowners to better and more quickly reach property management goals.

This latest version of Wildlife Food Plots and Early Successional Plants includes revision of all chapters, including some new food plot mixtures as well as revised information on management and hunting strategies. All appendices have been updated and revised, especially those containing comprehensive information on herbicides and herbicide applications, as well as the appendix containing nutritional information for naturally occurring forages. The Plant ID Guide in the back of the book has been expanded with 30+ new species as well as many new pictures and additional information related to the wildlife value of these plants and how to control unwanted plants.

Wildlife Food Plots and Early Successional Plants is for professional wildlife managers as well as serious private landowners and hunters who wish to take their property management efforts to the next level. The book is nearly 500 pages packed with information, replete with hundreds of color photos, graphs, and figures on nearly every page. And true to Craig Harper form, every photo includes an informative caption explaining what is shown. You will not only learn from what is provided, you will enjoy the approach taken. Expect to use this book as a reference for many years to come.

PROFESSIONAL PRAISE

“Dr. Craig Harper and his students have used scientific rigor over the past 15+ years to research every facet of wildlife food plots and habitat management. Luckily for us, all this research has been compiled and condensed in a single book for the layperson and wildlife professional alike. You need this book. It is the most significant and comprehensive work to date on the subject.”

Dr. Bronson Strickland, St. John Family Professor of Wildlife Management, Extension Wildlife Specialist, Mississippi State University
“Finally, one book that explicitly covers everything a landowner who is passionate about wildlife needs to know in order to provide optimum habitat for various wildlife species.”

Dan Perez, Broker and Land Specialist, Whitetail Properties
“This book is not just about making you a better food plotter. It’s about making you a better steward of the land, and the knowledge comes from one of the foremost habitat managers in the United States. The information within is backed by science and tested with gunpowder. That’s a perfect combination for hunters and land managers looking to enhance their abilities.”

Kip Adams, Director of Conservation, Quality Deer Management Association

About the author

Dr. Craig Harper

Dr. Craig A. Harper is a Professor of Wildlife Management and the Extension Wildlife Specialist at The University of Tennessee, where he has worked since 1998. Dr. Harper maintains an active extension program and directs graduate students in a research program that specializes in upland habitat management, including effects of silviculture, prescribed fire, and herbicide applications on habitat for white-tailed deer and other wildlife species. He has published more than 200 peer-reviewed journal articles, Extension publications, books, and manuals related to his work, and is widely considered one of the nation’s leading experts on land management practices for wildlife. In particular, his books and manuals on managing food plots and early successional communities are used as reference materials by several state wildlife agencies. Craig has given more than 700 presentations on various aspects of wildlife and land management, and he is a regular speaker at many events throughout the country each year, including serving as an instructor of QDMA’s Deer Steward course. He routinely visits properties across the US to evaluate habitat for various wildlife species and prescribe management recommendations. Dr. Harper is a Certified Wildlife Biologist with The Wildlife Society, Certified Prescribed Fire Manager, Life Member of the Quality Deer Management Association, and member of the Brothers-Hamilton Legacy Society. Craig has an A.A.S. degree in Fish and Wildlife Management from Haywood Community College, a B.S. degree in Natural Resources Management from Western Carolina University, a M.S. degree in Biology from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, and a Ph.D. in Forest Resources from Clemson University.