Which fruit trees provide the best nutrition for deer?

By Grant Woods,

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← Grant's Answers — Food Plots
Question
Grant i seen that you feel like growing soybeans helps your buck grow bigger antlers ,we have 150 acres but very little that is flat enough for food plots but we do have some spaces that we could plant several acres of fruit trees was wondering witch trees would be healthy for deer? what makes antlers grow? and wich trees have whats best for deer health? thanks Amos

Amos,

Fruit trees can do a great job of attracting deer!  Fruit is mainly sugar (energy) and fiber.  Both energy and fiber can benefit deer and are part of a healthy diet.  However protein is essential for antler development.  

My property is very steep. I use a no-till drill to plant and never disk the soil. This greatly reduces the chances of erosion and establishing soybeans this way is much easier than maintaining fruit trees.  I like and have a combination of both – soybeans and tree plots with fruit trees.  I prefer fruit trees that are known to do well in the area. For example apple trees don’t produce well where I live due to the apple/cedar rust (there are lots of cedar trees in the area). 

I suggest you plant fruit trees that are adapted for the local climate.

Enjoy creation,

grant

November 3, 2015