Native plants for deer browse:

[Gravel Road]

Wild Plum

Very enjoyable plant. The thickets provide both cover and food. There are only a couple plum thickets on my ground so I planted 100 from the MDC last year in an effort to improve an old field. The fruit tastes excellent and never goes to waste.
I’ve heard that disturbing the roots with a disk or ripper will really get fresh shoots to come up, but haven’t had a chance to try it yet.

Ripening fruit, ready for the critters...


Small plum thicket on a field edge. I love this plant in a fence row or field edge as it creates needed cover for big and small game.

 

[Elkaddict]

Great thread....thank you. When we get my plots' soils in shape, a number of mentioned species will be on my list. So many projects....so little time.

 

[Chummer]

Number one at my place by a mile is jewel weed. Deer disappear when it comes on. There are acres of it around me.

 

[Gravel Road]

Number one at my place by a mile is jewel weed. Deer disappear when it comes on. There are acres of it around me.

Thanks Chummer. Looks like I've got some plant scouting to do this year.

 

[GonHuntin]

Did a WHIP project on my place in 2010 which resulted in over 20 huge brush piles. The piles burned in 2012, the remaining dirt from every brush pile has produced large amounts of Poke weed which the deer absolutely devour like candy.

 

[Chainsaw]

Had forgotten about that one GonHuntin. The deer here absolutely love poke weed as well and it makes for good cover also. It has been coming up in our logged over areas. As you can see the poke weed with its purple stems are about eight feet tall. Though the deer have been eating it aggressively the poke weed was able to outgrow the deer browsing and take hold. And it produced a lot of seeds. Its hard to beat or even attempt to match good natural regeneration.

 

[Brushpile]

Great thread! The #1 all time favorite of deer is Strawberry Bush.

 

[TreeDaddy]

You best protect this stuff^^^^^^^^

Deer will completely devour this stuff to the ground !!!!!


bill

 

[Chad Hauenstein]

Great thread! The #1 all time favorite of deer is Strawberry Bush.

Does this shrub ever get to a point where it can survive unprotected once established in areas of moderate deer density?

 

[Gravel Road]

Strawberry bushes have been on the wish list. Haven't had a chance to plant any yet, and it sounds like they'll need to be caged to stand a chance.

 

[Brushpile]

Does this shrub ever get to a point where it can survive unprotected once established in areas of moderate deer density?

Strawberry Bush and it's cousin Eastern Wahoo are not present in areas with moderate deer density, unless they grow where deer can't get at them like the area between a fence and a road. Strawberry Bush will attract deer, so it should be planted in an exclusion cage, where deer can only eat what grows out of the cage.

 

[Brushpile]

Strawberry bushes have been on the wish list. Haven't had a chance to plant any yet, and it sounds like they'll need to be caged to stand a chance.

That's correct! Once you establish Strawberry Bush, it can be easily propagated from semi-hardwood cuttings.

 

[Fish]

Here is a pretty good example of tree browse. I cut this red maple off two years ago. Deer walk the edge of the orchard and eat the fresh summer shoots. You can see the longer shoots on the back of the stump that deer can't reach as easily.

 

[Gravel Road]

Fish, nice example! No red maple here, but hopefully some elm and hackberry are going to look like that soon.

 

[Gravel Road]

Here's a few pictures of one of my favorite plants, Eastern Gamagrass. I never knew it was a Choice whitetail food until reading the OSU White-tailed Deer Habitat Evaluation and Management Guide.

A nice native patch in late spring. Seeds are not quite ready.

Closeup of a spike and seeds

Another pic of the seeds.


Has anyone ever seen deer browsing on this, and if so, did they just nip the seeds off the end. Just curious, as it is a distant relative of corn.

 

[Fish]

I planted some eastern gamma a few years ago. Thought i had lost them all until this fall when i noticed one clump had come back from the dead.
Looks like flowering parts in your pics. The seed is big like a corn kernel.
I remember hearing it was great fodder for livestock. I had no idea whitetails would find any part of it tasty.
Thats an impressive stand of grass in your pic!

 

[Gravel Road]

I planted some eastern gamma a few years ago. Thought i had lost them all until this fall when i noticed one clump had come back from the dead.
Looks like flowering parts in your pics. The seed is big like a corn kernel.
I remember hearing it was great fodder for livestock. I had no idea whitetails would find any part of it tasty.
Thats an impressive stand of grass in your pic!

Thanks Fish.I try not to let the cattle renter graze it too hard in the spring.
These seed nodes below the flowering part (right at my top finger in the pic) harden off and will and break into pieces about the size of corn kernel. It's pretty easy to manually gather a few cups of seeds when it gets to that stage. Of course, this is my "layman redneck" version of seed explanation. I'm sure plenty of others know the correct verbiage... I wonder if the deer are just eating the seed or more of the plant?

 

[CentralKyHunter]

Have not had time to be on the forum much for a decent while. Super good thread going here though. I appreciate all your alls input !!! Well definitely learn from some of this and implement on my place as time allows

 

[dgallow]

Greenbrier:

Although I haven't personally seen this being browsed by deer, apparently it is a preferred browse in the winter. I actually wish there was a alittle more of this on my place. It makes for a nasty place to try and walk through due to the thorns, but that's also a benefit for the quail and small game.

View attachment 5074
Here's some greenbrier that was in a tree that was dropped in a fence row for habitat. Makes for good cover that coyotes can't get through.
View attachment 5077

That is cat-claw greenbrier if memory is correct....more prevalent in mid-US growing zones.....this far south (zone 7) saw greenbrier is the predomiant species. About 40% crude protein in spring.....weanling and yearling calves use it heavily in spring....cows will make a hit on it in winter....deer use it here as long as there are green leaves remaining (so all but winter). When stems are about pinky finger diameter then it's time to mow for regeneration.

We see a lot f browse pressure on green ash and boxelder during the growing season.....you have those up there?

 

[Gravel Road]

That is cat-claw greenbrier if memory is correct....more prevalent in mid-US growing zones.....this far south (zone 7) saw greenbrier is the predomiant species. About 40% crude protein in spring.....weanling and yearling calves use it heavily in spring....cows will make a hit on it in winter....deer use it here as long as there are green leaves remaining (so all but winter). When stems are about pinky finger diameter then it's time to mow for regeneration.

We see a lot f browse pressure on green ash and boxelder during the growing season.....you have those up there?

Thanks for the greenbrier information. We do have both green ash and boxelder locally, but neither are on my place. I had one small ash a few years ago but cut it down, worrying that I'd get invaded with another species of tree that would need maintenance. That was probably a mistake since they stump sprout so well.