Whitetail Habitat Improvement
Low Cost Nutrition Boost

Whitetail habitat improvement could be considered the economical food plot. Hunters can improve the nutrition of the deer herd on their property by enhancing the natural habitat. On our hunting property the deer eat many varieties of plants, nuts and fruits including: clover, several varieties of acorns, apples, pears, tender ends of tree branches, honeysuckle, wild cherry seeds, wild grape seeds and various green tree leaves that are within reach. This list includes the things that I have seen them eat but they also eat many other grasses and weeds.

If you don’t want to spend much money on habitat improvement you can still make improvements. Keeping areas mowed provides green plants for deer throughout the summer and early fall months. In our hayfields we usually keep a few paths cut down to provide some green vegetation for the deer until the hay is cut.

Keeping trees cut back along old roads as well as field and clearing edges provides two varieties of nutrition for deer. First, the trees that are cut down provide tender tree tips for the deer to eat and if it is in the summer the deer will eat the leaves. Second the cleared areas will now fill with green vegetation now that the sunlight is hitting the ground. Some of the things that we do around our property just to keep things cleaned up are actually habitat improvements that benefit the deer.

I have also seen deer feed heavily on wild cherry and wild grape vine seeds. One fall I even saw deer stay under the wild grape vines instead of shelled corn. On another occasion I was fortunate to have put my treestand up near a wild cherry tree at the same time that the deer had discovered the seeds that had dropped. I have not tried to enhance these sources but I suppose that you could fertilize them if you wanted to. Usually the wild grape vines are considered a nuisance and are cut off. You wouldn’t want to fertilize wild grape vines on property that you do not own. I don’t fertilize them myself but just try to take advantage of them if they are there.

I shouldn’t have to say much about acorns since the fact that whitetail deer love acorns is well published. Deer prefer the white acorns but will not turn their noses to the other varieties when readily available and the white acorns are not on the ground. The only problem with acorns is the variability of the mast crop. There are good years and bad years, so deer need other food sources for the down years. I have read articles where it is recommended to fertilize mast producing trees but I haven’t done so yet myself.

Deer also like Japanese honeysuckle. Honeysuckle is considered an invasive plant in many areas since it can take over if left to grow unchecked so many areas would not call enhancing honeysuckle habitat improvement. The deer population on our property is dense enough that we are not in danger of honeysuckle taking the place over. Honeysuckle will grow up the multiflora rose bushes and the deer eat every leaf that they can reach. Honeysuckle has a high protein value and is considered an excellent plant for whitetail deer but some states would not like for you to propagate this shrub and it would not be considered as habitat improvement if it reduces the native plants. If only the deer would eat the multiflora rose bushes. This invasive bush can take over real fast. I have seen deer snack on the leaves but this does nothing to stop the bushes themselves.

Apples are an irresistible attraction for the deer on our property. Deer will come to visit the apple trees any time of the day when the apples are falling. The hardest thing with apple trees is getting them started. The deer will not let a young apple tree grow. They will eat the leaves and stems and then the bucks will use them to rub their antlers on when fall comes. A small apple tree has to be protected from the deer when it is small so that it can help them out later. Deer will also stand on their hind legs and pick the low hanging apples themselves. We have witnessed this on many occasions.

My rule of thumb concerning whitetail habitat improvement is that deer will eat almost anything that is green, the more green vegetation that you can provide for them the better. This can come in the form of food plots, mowed grass and weed areas and tree leaves. Unfortunately deer have the capability of depleting a food source, thus it is important to keep the deer herd within the carrying capacity of the land. Give them as much green as you can and keep the herd under control.

I have learned a lot over the years reading magazine articles. One magazine that I have learned a lot from is Deer and Deer Hunting. You can get a subscription from Amazon below.

Honeysuckle in a multifloral rose bush.

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