On my hunting property the farmer had planted corn in all of the fields but harvested it all a couple of weeks ago and is planting barley in the fields withing a week does anyone know if deer really eat barley heavely when it is in the younger stage.

Barley is one of those crops you never hear much about.

A local farmer uses Barley as a Spring planting (northeast), and overseeds his alfafa into it. The Barley is combined in August - and the Alfalfa comes in strong then next Spring.

In his plots - the early spring young barley gets NO attention from deer, maybe too many other things "greening up" - or maybe its too coarse - I cannot say - but I never see deer in the young barley crops in the spring.


In Mid Summer - when the heads form - in "milk/dough" stages - the deer will eat on the heads pretty heavily, especially bucks in my experience. Can't say I've ever seen fawns or many does feeding on barley heads though.

Overall - I'd say I've seen better deer attracing plantings than barley in most every season.

FH

I have never seen a Barley field, they just don't grow it here where I am. The other day I was at the feed store and a guy said he puts out cracked barley instead of corn. He told me it works better than corn and has had deer tear the ground up where he puts it down. I can't say for sure, just going off of what was said to me. Maybe they like the actual Barley and not the plant. That's about all I have, which is really no help to you.[&:]