Fruit trees/plants for deer

[kd350]

Listened to a podcast the other day that got me thinking. They are planting honeysuckle for their deer since they can’t bait.

what trees or plants would get good to get? I was thinking trying the honey suckle, maybe a mulberry tree? We have established persimmon trees on the place already

[Outback77]

Wild plumb thickets are good food and cover

[dbaio1]

We have a fair amount of wild plum trees on one section of the farm. The deer love them. We also have persimmon and crabapple that also get hammered. All seem to be pretty hardy and have survived drought and freezes. All were planted years ago so do not know the particular varieties. I would suggest contacting a tree place that specializes in trees for wildlife. The Wildlife Group is one I recently started following as we are doing some timber thinning and a few habit projects will follow that will include some plantng of crabapple, persimmon and pear in protective setups to get established next year.

[cstrey18]

Oak trees are probably the best thing to attract deer during hunting season. Beautyberry and persimmons are also good depending on location. Wild plums, mesquite and hackberry provide food and cover during the summer months. Honeysuckle can provide food throughout the winter but make sure it is one of the native varieties. Japanese honeysuckle will take over and eventually kill trees and other native plants. These are just some of the things I’ve seen in north central Texas. If you’re in East Texas you probably have a lot more options.