If you’re a public land deer hunter or simply want to better understand the native ground you hunt, it’s wise to learn about plants deer prefer. So much attention is given to food plots these days, but it’s the native and non-native plant families that can put you on deer faster in situations where good, old-fashioned scouting is required.
Black medic — often called “black clover” — is one such plant.
The photos accompanying this blog post were taken while I was walking a woodside ditch yesterday afternoon. The stretch of road is exactly 2 miles, and it winds through prime deer country. Much to my surprise, few of the other native forages were nipped by deer (including white clover, red clover, dandelion and wild raspberry). The same could not be said of the many colonies of black medic growing in the gravel and ditch areas. Nearly EVERY plant was nipped by deer, especially the leaders.

Black medic (Medicago lupulina) is a common, prostrate broadleaf weed that is found throughout the US and Southern Canada. Native to Europe and temperate Asia, this member of the legume family (Fabaceae) has a few other common names including yellow trefoil, black clover and hop medic. (source)
Also spelled “medic” or “meddick”, the plant is known by a number of alternate names, including nonesuch, black nonesuch, black medic clover, hop clover, hop medic, black clover, black hay, blackweed, English trefoil, hop trefoil, and yellow trefoil. (source)
Black medick may be confused with other plants that have three leaflets and small yellow flowers, such as hop trefoil (Trifolium campestre), large hop trefoil (T. aureum), lesser hop trefoil (T. dubium), and yellow woodsorrel (Oxalis stricta).
Not surprising, the thicker colonies of black medic were accompanied by well-worn deer trails heading back into the adjacent wooded ridges and swamp bottoms. Granted, the browsing activity will be seasonal, but the trail heads would be a key starting point if I were scouting these areas for early archery action. Similar scouting plans have helped me immensely in the past when looking for early season bowhunting spots. For example, I’ve used past intel on black locust locations, winged sumac and even wild grapes to find inside edges. Those edges have helped reveal secondary trails leading to secluded bedding areas. Bedding areas reveal staging areas. It all goes hand in hand.
