Comments on: White-tailed Deer Food Preferences http://www.buckmanager.com/2007/08/24/white-tailed-deer-food-preferences/ Deer Hunting and Habitat Management Tue, 07 Feb 2012 14:05:17 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Buck Manager http://www.buckmanager.com/2007/08/24/white-tailed-deer-food-preferences/comment-page-1/#comment-3388 Buck Manager Thu, 30 Dec 2010 13:58:21 +0000 http://www.buckmanager.com/?p=137#comment-3388 Ronald, from what you have written, I suspect white-tailed deer are very much responsible for the disappearance of your missing plant species. Although you may not see signs of overbrowsing on some browse plants, deer can still overuse forbs and more preferred woody plants. Deer prefer forbs over browse in most cases. It sounds like forbs are being eliminated on your property and some browsing pressure exists. If the deer population continues to increase then you will see further sign of overuse. I would contact your local DNR for a list of plants deer consume in your area just to verify. Also, check out these articles to get a better understanding on how deer forage: <a href="http://www.buckmanager.com/2010/03/02/deer-management-through-browse-use/" title="Browse Use by Deer" rel="nofollow">Browse Use by Deer</a>, <a href="http://www.buckmanager.com/2010/01/03/food-preferences-of-white-tailed-deer/" title="Food Preferences by Whitetail" rel="nofollow">Food Preferences by Whitetail</a>. Ronald, from what you have written, I suspect white-tailed deer are very much responsible for the disappearance of your missing plant species. Although you may not see signs of overbrowsing on some browse plants, deer can still overuse forbs and more preferred woody plants. Deer prefer forbs over browse in most cases. It sounds like forbs are being eliminated on your property and some browsing pressure exists. If the deer population continues to increase then you will see further sign of overuse. I would contact your local DNR for a list of plants deer consume in your area just to verify.

Also, check out these articles to get a better understanding on how deer forage: Browse Use by Deer, Food Preferences by Whitetail.

]]> By: Ronald F. Dodd http://www.buckmanager.com/2007/08/24/white-tailed-deer-food-preferences/comment-page-1/#comment-3376 Ronald F. Dodd Sat, 25 Dec 2010 16:07:36 +0000 http://www.buckmanager.com/?p=137#comment-3376 I have a 60 acre piece of woods in Sussex County, Delaware, that my family has owned since 1686. It's the remnant of 1,600 acres we owned by 1700; all left with daughters. My woods for years had several prized small botanicals that have disappeared; I will name them for you, both common and botanical, and ernestly solicit your opinion if deer are tha cause; I do not see any signs of overbrowsing on any of the woody plants, except I attempted to start Pawpaws (asimina triloba) and the saplings were consumed entirely. I have held off attempting American chestnuts for that reason. We had thousands of ladies slippers (cypropedium acule) and now there are none; the same holds true of trailing arbutus (epigaea repens), teaberry (gaultheria procumbens), pipisissewa (chimaphila umbellata), partridge berry (mitchella repens), and I think our 2 members of the club moss family, turkey beard, ground pine, running cedar, crows-foot, all names of lycopodium digitatum and obscurum. There has been no significant change in the piece other than the usual seasonal variations in rainfall and temperature. The property was last logged off in 1960-61, and the plants I have mentioned continued without any hesitation. Other than the usual population of squirrel, opossum, racoons, etc., the other inhabitants recently sighted are 20-25 head of wild turkeys. Thanking you for your consideration. I have a 60 acre piece of woods in Sussex County, Delaware, that my family has owned since 1686. It’s the remnant of 1,600 acres we owned by 1700; all left with daughters. My woods for years had several prized small botanicals that have disappeared; I will name them for you, both common and botanical, and ernestly solicit your opinion if deer are tha cause; I do not see any signs of overbrowsing on any of the woody plants, except I attempted to start Pawpaws (asimina triloba) and the saplings were consumed entirely. I have held off attempting American chestnuts for that reason.

We had thousands of ladies slippers (cypropedium acule) and now there are none; the same holds true of trailing arbutus (epigaea repens), teaberry (gaultheria procumbens), pipisissewa (chimaphila umbellata), partridge berry (mitchella repens), and I think our 2 members of the club moss family, turkey beard, ground pine, running cedar, crows-foot, all names of lycopodium digitatum and obscurum.

There has been no significant change in the piece other than the usual seasonal variations in rainfall and temperature. The property was last logged off in 1960-61, and the plants I have mentioned continued without any hesitation. Other than the usual population of squirrel, opossum, racoons, etc., the other inhabitants recently sighted are 20-25 head of wild turkeys. Thanking you for your consideration.

]]> By: Buck Manager http://www.buckmanager.com/2007/08/24/white-tailed-deer-food-preferences/comment-page-1/#comment-3143 Buck Manager Mon, 18 Oct 2010 01:49:19 +0000 http://www.buckmanager.com/?p=137#comment-3143 George, deer will not look to consume buckeye nuts. The nuts are believed to be somewhat toxic and they are considered a food of last resort (i.e. starving deer), which means they do not like them. George, deer will not look to consume buckeye nuts. The nuts are believed to be somewhat toxic and they are considered a food of last resort (i.e. starving deer), which means they do not like them.

]]> By: George Berry http://www.buckmanager.com/2007/08/24/white-tailed-deer-food-preferences/comment-page-1/#comment-3130 George Berry Sat, 16 Oct 2010 17:21:32 +0000 http://www.buckmanager.com/?p=137#comment-3130 Do deer eat buckeye nuts? Do deer eat buckeye nuts?

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