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What deer do and don't eat

Ohiosam

*Supporting Member*
11,707
191
Mahoning Co.
Over the years there have been lots of talk about deer eating this or that (or not) that doesn't jive with my own observations. I know it has a lot to do with what other choices deer have in an area. I live in an area with very diverse small farms: dairy, fruits, veggies, grain. The chestnut thread made me think of this again. I have some Chestnut trees and don't see deer eating them. The orchard I hunt at has a few trees too, right next to the woods. Deer are in there some but not what you would expect if it was a favorite.

A big one for me is pumpkins, I grow pumpkins and I never see any evidence of deer eating them. But I have a friend in PA that quit growing them because the deer just destroy them and another friend that hauls truckloads to his camp in WV and the deer go crazy for them. Recently someone said deer don't eat wheat, but in the spring when it first comes out of dormancy and other food is scarce I do see them eating it.

What are some things you see deer eating or avoiding that others differently?
 

bowhunter1023

Owner/Operator
Staff member
48,879
274
Appalachia
The deer in my area seem to eat the same general stuff: corn, beans, clover/grasses, and acorns. One thing you'll see on TV is deer eating beans in the late season and that is something I have only witnessed a time or two. I have planted turnips a handful of times and still have not had much luck with them, yet you'll see them tearing them up in other places. Each fall I witness deer eating freshly dropped maple leaves which is not something you hear as a common food source. Greenbriar is another food source I see get hammered in my area...
 

jagermeister

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
18,060
223
Ohio
Interesting topic, Sam. This goes right along with deer being picky with certain types of food plots. One example would be brassicas... Deer in some areas will avoid brassicas like the plague, deer in other areas won't touch it until after the first frost, and yet deer in other areas (like where I hunt) absolutely destroy the brassicas as soon as they start popping out of the ground.

I'm with Jesse on the late season beans, too. In areas I hunt or I've hunted, I've never had success hunting near bean fields after brown-up. And I pretty much never see them feeding on dry or picked beans while I'm driving around. However there's one field on my way to work, next to a pine thicket on property that's not hunted... They've been feeding in this picked bean field regularly all through the winter.

Down where I hunt in Carroll County, I watch a lot of deer browsing on young maple leaves during the early season. Back when I hunted in NW Ohio, I don't think I ever saw a deer eat a maple leaf.
 

Ohiosam

*Supporting Member*
11,707
191
Mahoning Co.
Yes beans are another one, seems like as soon as the first leaf in the field turns the deer stop feeding and don't return.

I used to grow turnips, mustard, collards, kale etc. they are often less bitter after a frost especially collards.
 

Schu72

Well-Known Member
3,864
113
Streetsboro
Mom has an osage orange tree. Deer seem to leave them alone until there is snow on the ground, or at least after temps are below freezing.
 

cotty16

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
I knoiw I've said this before, but when I put pumpkins out the deer destroy them. In fact, this year they ate rinds and all.

I've planted brassicas... last year they ate it. This year they did not.

I planted oats. They never touched them. I had a camera over the oats and the only reason they came in was for the salt block or nuts I put out.

In regard to nuts, there is a small patch of hazel nuts by our football stadium. My dad and I gathered them up and put them out. They disappeared quick. The pile was in front of the camera and the deer were all over them.
 

Fullbore

Senior Member
6,439
126
South Eastern Ohio
Persimmons! Everytime I locate a persimmon tree, it seems that there is a lot of deer sign. Apples and pears are another fruit that the deer in my areas seem to go crazy on!
 

Derek j

Senior Member
3,058
0
Knox Co.
On my farm, the deer have been enjoying the clover and alfalfa field we planted a few years ago. After the third cutting this year, the deer seemed to flock to it. Previous years was hit or miss if you seen deer in it, with only does in it on those rare occasions. We have a large oak tree that historically has always produced acorns. I have only seen deer by it a few times. It could possibly be that it is right next to a building that my dad frequents often, but even then, it is still not visited as much as I would think. Next year, I will be gathering all the acorns up and taking them back to my stands. No sense in them going to waste, and I can see if they gobble them up like everyone says. I am also planting pumpkins this year for the sole purpose of feeding the deer. Between apples and pumpkins, I am never disappointed with the pics I get off them.
 

Schu72

Well-Known Member
3,864
113
Streetsboro
As far as non-mast/agricultural feed, I think you'd be surprised at things they will eat. I may have posted about this before, so forgive me if I have. My Mom's cousin started feeding deer years ago with bread from the day old store. There was a Wonder bread and hostess outlet near him. When he first started he would mix crumbled bread with corn and then just went to straight bread. He would just come home from work and throw a loaf or two in the back yard and by dinner time they would be behind the house chowing down. Then he started with the stale snack cakes. I shit you not. One day I was over there and he had bags of bread and boxes of snck cakes piled 4 ft high in the garage. He had deer, foxes, coon, rabbits...all over the place. One of his favorite stories was the time he had a grey fox and a rabbit both eating from his feed "pile" at the same time.
 
Honeysuckle is a big one for our farm down there. They begin working on it some in October and as winter closes in they turn to it more and more, especially if acorns and other foods are scarce. Heck, I never knew what the stuff was til I saw them eating it and asked my uncle what the heck it was.
 

Beentown

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
15,740
154
Sunbury, OH
Honey locust pods. I watched a group chewing them like it was Levi Garrett. Had stained cheeks after they were done.
 

Derek j

Senior Member
3,058
0
Knox Co.
Jesse: We have never fertilized the tree.....Basically just been growing for 100+ years. The thing is absolutely huge.....but is only 15 feet away from the hen house. On a good calm day you can hear the acorns bouncing off the metal roof from a couple hundred yards away. It should be like a dinner bell for them, but the close proximity to the house and barn is a slight deterrent.
 

at1010

*Supporting Member*
4,943
139
It is weird.

I have planted turnips and the deer demolished them! I mean tore them up. Jesse is not that far from me at all, and the deer dont hit his.....strange!

Often heard it matters what others are planting, not sure, all I know is turnips, radishes, etc. are being planted by me next year!
 

reo

Junior Member
484
68
N.E. Ohio
Deer hit the greebriars hard in the winter where I hunt.

I had read before that some things deer have to "learn" to eat. Kinda makes sense.
 

dante322

*Supporting Member*
5,506
157
Crawford county
redcloud and I were out checking cams over the weekend and found an apple tree that they had nibbled all the tips off of the branches. We checked a branch that was higher than the others and out of their reach and found that they were eating the newly forming buds.
 

MK111

"Happy Hunting Grounds in the Sky"
Supporting Member
6,551
66
SW Ohio
Now you guys are really confusing me. I am putting out my 1st food plot and I thought I had it figured out but looks like I need more research. Looks like my plot machinery will be delivered this weekend.
Frank
 

hickslawns

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
39,720
248
Ohio
Now you guys are really confusing me. I am putting out my 1st food plot and I thought I had it figured out but looks like I need more research. Looks like my plot machinery will be delivered this weekend.
Frank


Well that just plain sounds fun! Post some pictures of your new equipment when it arrives!

Frank- We have only been doing it a few years. We have much to learn yet. This year we had acres and acres of soybeans we couldn't get picked. Ground was TOO wet. Just picked them a couple weeks ago. The deer weren't messing with them even in the bitterly cold spell we had. They flocked to the picked corn fields and herded up. I say this only because what Brock might see with soybeans, we did not see. What Jesse might see, seems to be different than what AT saw (and from what AT said they are not far apart.) If there is any one thing I have learned, try not to make massive plots. A 20 acre plot with all kinds of selection hurt us. The deer came out wherever they pleased and meandered around in smorgasboard heaven. I think 20-30yd wide plots along the edges of a hay field is awesome. This gives the deer browse in the woody vegetation along the edges, 20-30yds of food plot, and whatever is in the field out further. Sort of keeps the deer meandering from the tree line out to about 40yds. They seem to hug that 20-30yd line of food plot for us when we did it this way. Plant a 20acre field all the same and we had no pattern on them. They just wandered around randomly wherever they pleased. It was great for seeing deer, not so great for getting them within bow range.

Bottom line: There is no "perfect" answer. Give them some choices. It is trial and error no matter how much you read. Just plant in attempts to keep them close to your stands or blinds.
 

Fullbore

Senior Member
6,439
126
South Eastern Ohio
Now you guys are really confusing me. I am putting out my 1st food plot and I thought I had it figured out but looks like I need more research. Looks like my plot machinery will be delivered this weekend.
Frank

Frank, my food plot is mainly Imperial White Clover and it is out standing for all year. I've done beams, turnips and brassica, they draw deer as well, but a lot more work in my opinion.
 

MK111

"Happy Hunting Grounds in the Sky"
Supporting Member
6,551
66
SW Ohio
My farm is a pasture only setup for cattle. I never farmed anything so only needed a good tractor and grader blades and a hay fork. I got a good 6 ft 3 pt. disk coming this weekend and I hope a cal de packer and fertilizer spreader.
My farm is in hilly country with a creek running through it. My woods is in the SE corner bordering 2 other properties. The property to the East is a open field and he has a ladder stand setup about 150 yrs from my woods but only hunts 4:30 to dark.
The propery to the South is owned by a anti-hunter. My woods is connected to his woody area and the deer pass through my woods heading North-South. Plus the deer go through my woods East-West.
We have another natural gas pipeline coming through bordering my woods to the East this spring as they put up my East fence this last weekend. When the other pipeline came through 5 yrs ago it took 3 years for the deer to get back to normal. But when that pipeline went through they removed a tree line running North-South so the deer movement really changed.
The food plot is about 350X350 or 2.3 acres bordering my woods to the West. Just to the South is a 2 acre hay field with brush around it owned by the anti-hunter. The deer just hit it. On Now 10th my grandson seen 11 deer before 11:00 in that 2 acre field. When I only seen 7 deer in my woods in 11 hours.
I'm thinking with a food plot connecting that field and my woods I can draw the deer over and keep them in the area.
I was going to plant a clover, chickory, brassica mix. Plus maybe a area of turnips. I need to lime and spread fertilizer as nothing has been put on the land in over 30-35 yrs. I owned the land going on 22 yrs.
But being just a meat hunter I always took the 1st deer for the freezer I seen. This new bow hunting sure changes things as I put in over 250 hrs in 2012 and that's more than the last 12-14 yrs combined but it sure was enjoyable.
More research in the works. Going to the anti-hunter neighbor and talk to them about me hunting that patch. The last time I talked to them about 14 yrs ago they told me to hunt in Indiana as there was too many people living in Ohio. I need more land for me as a new bow hunter and the grandkids. I turn 69 this month and times a waisting.
Frank
 
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