MSU Deer Lab podcast: Mineral Stumps for Deer

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KDdid

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https://extension.msstate.edu/deer-...episode-007-mineral-stumps-for-deer-nutrition
I've just stumbled upon this today. There is a short Facebook video (which I can't seem to link to) describing how stump sprouts with large root systems connected to sprouting foliage concentrated minerals in the leaves, becoming a sought after treat for deer.
The graphics show stump sprouts having similar crude protein levels as preferred herbaceous browse, but mineral content much higher than almost any other plant based source. Interesting stuff.


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That was absolutely awesome! I never thought about it before but it makes perfect sense and was very well explained. Now I KNOW why I'm such a fan of TSI in combination with prescribed fire!

Thank you so much for sharing!
 
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The first thing that popped in to my mind when I saw the video is trail cam opportunities in states with bans on feeding. 5 or 6 trees congregated in a small area should become extremely attractive.
 
Great video, a must watch for deer habitat improvement guys. But these "mineral stumps" are nothing new for deer hunters, every oldtime hunter since the ax was invented knew that if you cut medium sized trees down and let the sun in to them it was going to be a deer feeding hotspot in a year or two, just the same as a several year old burn area is a wildlife hotspot. This study just reinforces the fact that selective cutting in the woods (if done properly) is one of the best things you can do for deer. What Marcus Lashley and Bronson Strickland have now done is research and publish the science behind the phenomenon of "stump sprouts" to give us modern hunters the motivation to keep doing what the smartest "oldtimers" have been doing all along.
 
The real revelation about the study is the concentration effect of the large root systems trying to stuff an inordinate amount of minerals into a smaller number of leaves. I've always thought deer seemed to instinctively prefer higher quality foods, and it makes me wonder if they can taste the difference.


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While I've always known they would hammer stump sprouts, I never really noticed how much more attractive to deer a stump sprout was vs. a sapling of the same species. That is what was eye opening. That and how much more nutrition is jammed into those sprouts.
 
I was impressed with this podcast and did a test without knowing it, though as you can tell it's my back yard with no deer (yes I need to move!)

Photo 1 is March 24. The rear taller stump is a hybrid willow, it was dying so I took down before it was a problem, I left it this high hoping it would sprout as it did. The triple trunk was a stump sprout of what was once an ash, note the different barks, all same leaves, figure that one out! It was.. Well... A stump sprout, and in the way of removing the willow.

Photo 2 yesterday 6/25/2017. Had no idea I'd see this kind of growth! The ash has stems 10' long and 3/4" diameter, some leaves as big as your hand, some of it drooped over once summer heat and lack of rain kicked in.

For scale that's a 6' privacy fence behind them:
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A few questions.
What trees are preferred? The only one I heard mentioned was red maple.
What is the method of making a mineral stump? Just cutting the tree or does time of the year matter? Sorry if I'm missing something obvious.


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BrianVT said:
A few questions.
What trees are preferred? The only one I heard mentioned was red maple.
What is the method of making a mineral stump? Just cutting the tree or does time of the year matter? Sorry if I'm missing something obvious.


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Click to expand...

It would be worth listening again! I think time of year was a factor, and some species respond, where some just die.
 
I listened to a follow up podcast this morning, and a lot of preference by species was a relative thing- what other food sources are available, etc.. The study's author seems to be saying that even marginally browsed species used for stump sprouting became much more attractive than saplings of the same species. They recommended using so-called trash trees like red maple, black and sweet gum, ash, etc. . The time of year recommended was springtime into early summer, because it seems to create the most sprouts.
 
When to cut for stump sprouts? Look up Coppicing in Wikipedia, stump sprouts are a common practice in Europe. According to that article most deciduous trees will sprout out of a cut stump. Quote; "The best time to coppice chestnut is well after the autumn leaf fall when the sap has gone down, and certainly well before the sap rises in the spring."
 
Great podcast, and they speaketh the truth. These pics were taken mid-July in 2016. Loggers cut this tree in either July or August of 2014. This stump has been browsed harder than anything else I've ever seen here.
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I've learned a bunch this summer from the wired to hunt pod cast. I too loved this one about the stumps and also the coyote problems with hungry fawns. Who knew they bleated like that when they hear a twig snap. I do the same thing when I hear the stove turn on.


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KDdid said:
I listened to a follow up podcast this morning, and a lot of preference by species was a relative thing- what other food sources are available, etc.. The study's author seems to be saying that even marginally browsed species used for stump sprouting became much more attractive than saplings of the same species. They recommended using so-called trash trees like red maple, black and sweet gum, ash, etc. . The time of year recommended was springtime into early summer, because it seems to create the most sprouts.
Click to expand...

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This is the first time I've ever seen a Yellow Poplar browsed here. Those sprouts are from a sapling I cut down last July when I was clearing a trail. This is encouraging. Some of our woods have a LOT of Yellow Poplar.

After work today, I went out and cut a few more mineral stumps. I don't have any idea if they'll do anything this year or not. We' gonna find out.

Here are a few Sassafras that I cut. Incidentally, I watched a 2 year old velvet buck try to get through here the other day. There is a salt lick just to the left of the cedar tree in the background. He would approach the cluster of sassafras trees, then back off and try again in another spot. He finally circled back away from the sassafras trees, and walked between some cedars that I had cut a small tunnel through. (Cutting tunnels through cedar thickets by removing the lower limbs is a trick that I learned from articles by Jeff Sturgis. I haven't done a lot of it yet, but so far it seems very promising).
Anyway, here's Before & After. If these sprout this year, I'll post pics.



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