I am hoping that a few members here can give me some insight/advice in reading the public land that I hunt...I cannot determine what the main food source is for the Deer in the area. I'll do my best here to give you what I know about the land. It is a huge area of public land located 10-20 miles South-East of Longville, MN...just south of Lake Inguadona. There are long wide strips of very healthy acorn producing Oak's...but for the most part the land is Pine and Cedar covered...and riddled with Cedar and Tamarac swamps...deep, thick, nasty swamps.

There is onlya couple"fields" that I am aware of that are anywhere near this area I hunt...and in shining those fields over the years...I haven't seen enough deer to make it worth mentioning. And, the fields are really just wild growth...nothing of consequence ever seems to be growing in them.

I know that the acorns are an obvious source of food for the Deer...but that is a short lived supply at best. And by early Novemember they are almost all eaten up.

Given the lay of the land...and that acorns can only last so long...what else should I be looking for that would be a viable, long term, consistent food source for Deer living in this type of terrain?

I know where many of the bedding area's are...I have a few dozen potential...and "for-sure" water sources...I have Deer trails mapped into my GPS units...but I have just never been able to determine the mainstay food source.

Can anyone help with this?? If I haven't given up enough info...just ask...I'll post it here.

baby trees

Deer are oppertunists (sp), they eat the best food sources first. Then move on to the next best. However, deer are browsers, they will eat almost anything. They love leaves, especially little sugar maple leaves. I'm in Wi. & Ill. Find the bedding areas from a distance and see where they come from and where they go. If you find two different doe bedding areas, hunt the trails that connect them, during the rut.

Those grown up fields may be producing the best deer forage in the area. Lot of native forage will be over 20% protein and are preferred by the deer often over some of the planted food plots. I would look at them closer.

deer eat the buds off sapplings, and depending on the trees in your area, this may be some of their favorite foods in the area. they eat the acorns when they are available, maybe crab apples here and there, some other wild fruits, herbaceous plants, blackberries. They eat whatever is available, and more than lieky there is always something available. your best bet is to sit and watch for deer in different areas and see what they are munching on.

This buck was shot poorly,, as in gut shot!

It was absolutely full of cedar and nothing else! No crops in the area at all.

They will even eat laurel leaves in the late seasons.

Hey Falkan,
I know what you are going through I live in the N. East and there are no farms around me what so ever. This may not be a big help to you but I'll tell you what I do and not pulling my own chain but in my 40 years of hunting I thinik I do pretty good.
Deer are browsers and where there is not actual crop they just move along and feed at what ever is there. So what I do is find well used trails and hunt them. If nothing shows in a couple days I move to the next. Like I said its not Rocket science (thank god) but it works for me.

If you know where the bedding areas are why not just hunt the fringes of them. Find a couple good trails that lead out of the bedding areas and you should be able to connect.

Diddo on the sappling and the buds on them. The deer in central missouri love them come late november and early december. When walking thru the woods in the late season look at the young trees as you pass by. Look at the top to see if there is any buds on the top then look to see if there are any down at deer height. If they are gone then you have found a great place to hunt. I like hunting on the trails deer will eat those trees alive on the trails.