Deer food
#1
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: hartselle al USA
Posts: 2

I was wondering about the kinds of acorns deer prefer. I know they like white oak but what are some more. What other kind of things do I need to look for scouting. (kinds of trees and browse)
#2
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Salem VA Salem, VA
Posts: 753

Deer eat forbs, like flowering plants and weeds. Deer love sweet fruits like apples, crabapples and persimmons. Acorns, beechnuts, pecans and other hard mast. Plants and crops, such as peas. In winter, deer are often forced to feed on twigs and other woody browse. For oaks also look for red oaks and sawtooth oaks a.k.a. gobbler oaks. A trip to your local library and finding a book on trees will help you identify the differn't oaks and their acorn cycles. Some oaks will have acorns every year like the white oak and some give acorns every other year like the red oak. Also look for junipers and eastern cedar (also a juniper).
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Tick a Liberal Off, Buy a Hand Gun!
http://tscott.fws1.com
ONE NATION UNDER GOD!
#3

This time of year I have always had good luck finding deer where there is a patch of honeysuckle or green briars. Also look at patches of kudzu(hunt this b/4 the first frost) and what we call sweet gum berries. Check your bookstorers for a pocket tree guide to help identify the different types of trees. Seems like I found one at one of the chain bookstores that are in the malls.
#4
Dominant Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: land of the Lilliputians, In the state of insanity
Posts: 26,274

elvis, I just had to respond to your name. Its nice to have the king as part of the board. Glad to see you are not really dead. <img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>he he.
"Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity" Martin Luther King Jr.
"Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity" Martin Luther King Jr.
#5
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: East Texas
Posts: 1,382

For acorns it often depends on the area and each tree. White oaks are deer's favorite acorn but I've seen white oak acorns from one tree go complete untouched while every acorn is eaten off off the ground from a nearby white oak. Something about one trees acorns can taste differently to deer.
That being said in somewhat of a general order the deer's list of acorns would be:
white oaks
red oaks
post oaks
water oaks
There are hundreds upon hudreds of different oak trees but that is a basic small list of good acorns especially in East Tx.
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Hunting the Piney Woods of Deep East Texas.
That being said in somewhat of a general order the deer's list of acorns would be:
white oaks
red oaks
post oaks
water oaks
There are hundreds upon hudreds of different oak trees but that is a basic small list of good acorns especially in East Tx.
--------------------------------------------
Hunting the Piney Woods of Deep East Texas.