Food Plots | Deer Hunting & Management

Best Mast Producing Trees for Deer Food Plots

Trees that produce mast are very important to white-tailed deer. Arguably, the most well-known mast producing tree species are the oak species. However, mast consists of the fruits and nuts of any woody plant, including vines, brush, and trees. The importance of trees and brush species to deer is often not fully appreciated by deer managers. These species provide high protein browse and energy-rich mast for whitetail. So, what are the best mast producing trees for deer?

Mast Trees for White-tailed Deer

In this article, we will discuss mast-producing trees other than oaks that are very palatable to white-tailed deer. These are species that you may consider establishing for tree plots on your hunting property.

Planting Mast Producing Trees for Food Plots

Trees make great long-term food plots because they are low maintenance and can produce a large volume of food with very little input once established. Remember, sunlight is a must for most species of fruit tree and, of course, the correct tree species for your property will depend upon your latitude. Great species for tree plots include:

Apple — Apples can offer a mast which is a crisp and juicy food source. Apple seedlings 4 to 5-feet tall can produce fruit as early as the second year, but make sure to take necessary precautions to protect young apple trees. The Arkansas Black apple is a great apple species for mast production. The mast is small by apple standards, but Arkansas Black apple trees begin dropping fruit around mid- to late November.

Planting Mast Producing Trees for Food Plots — Arkansas Black Apple Tree

Crabapple — Crabapples produce a great soft mast and serves as a prime food for white-tailed deer. A crabapple tree seedling that is 4 to 5-feet tall can also produce mast within its second year. The two best species of crabapple you can plant are the Transcendent and the Dolgo. The Transcendent is a 2-inch, red-cheeked yellow apple yielding very large crops in early fall. The Dolgo, which produces a 1 and 1/2-inch crimson fruit, also yields healthy crops in early fall.

Pear — Pears are a soft mast which white-tailed deer love. A 4 to 5-foot tall seedling can produce fruit as early as 1 to 3-years. Pears begin dropping fruit in early October and can continue into late November. Pears are long-lived and are really among the easiest fruit trees to grow. In addition, pears are adapted to most soils, including those that are poorly drained. In the south, Keifer pears work great.

Chinese Chestnut — Chinese chestnuts are loved by deer, wild turkey, and just about every squirrel species. Despite the fact that it takes a 3-foot tall seedling 8 to 10-years to produce, if you are serious about a primo deer food, it’s worth the wait! The nut is a wildlife favorite because of the sweet flavor and huge yields. You will like it because it will help with your property’s forage management.

If you decide to go with the Chinese chestnut, make sure to plant 2 or more of these trees to make sure that they cross-pollinate. Avoid planting these tree species on alkaline soils. If you are not sure what types of soils you have on your property, get a soil test!

These are the best options for mast trees in the southeast U.S. These species grow well and whitetail love them. Other good mast producing trees for deer include:

Common Persimmon
Red Mulberry
Mayhaw
Black Cherry
Elderberry
Chickasaw Plum

Trees are not the only game in town, however, when it comes to mast. Vines also produce valuable soft mast and browse for deer and other native wildlife. The best mast producing vines include:

Mustang Grape
Muscadine Grape
Summer Grape
Dewberry
Blackberry

Planting Mast Trees for Deer

Putting trees in the ground for future mast production is not a short-term deer management goal. However, you can meet your objectives of getting those trees in and growing rather quickly. All in takes is some planning, a little money for supplies and some hard work.

The best mast producing trees for a property will vary by region. It’s also good to look around and take inventory of the trees that you and your neighbors do have. Looks for trees that will perform well on your property but also are not very common in the area. These species make good choices for planting.

How Much to Plant in Deer Food Plots?

How much of your property or ranch should you put into food plots? Good question, but the answer depends upon the actual amount of deer habitat you and neighboring properties have, the carrying capacity of the land, and the amount soil you have that is food plot friendly.

Generally, estimates range from 1 to 6 percent in both cool season and warm season food plots, but that wouldn’t make much sense if your property is smaller in size. Continue reading “How Much to Plant in Deer Food Plots?”

Attracting Whitetail Deer With Supplements

A review of offerings at sporting goods stores reveals a myriad of products designed and marketed to attract deer to the hunter. Products, of course, fall into several categories, including food, dietary supplements, calls, decoys, musk and/or scents. Many of these products claim to deliver monster bucks for some unknown reason to anyone who applies them in the prescribed manner at the right time.

Although most products help a hunter increase their chances of success, this success is dependent upon the hunter understanding deer and how they react to nature and other influences. With this is mind, this article focuses on the various “supplemental” attractants used to attract white-tailed deer.

In Texas, it’s legal to hunt deer over a baited area, but hunting adjacent a feeder is not a perfect science. Deer will walk through scattered corn to get to a tree that is dropping acorns every time. Furthermore, deer may not even make themselves visible when habitat conditions are great – all while a mountain of corn grows under your feeder. Continue reading “Attracting Whitetail Deer With Supplements”

Fertilizing Your Whitetail Food Plot

Once you’ve had your soil tested, identified your soil’s pH, and corrected any issues, the next concern is how much fertilizer will you need? Nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) are the main concerns. Typically, one of the most obvious signs of a lack of nitrogen is stunted forage growth and yellow leaves or stems. Why does this happen?

Because nitrogen makes forage, leaves grow green and grow fast, especially if you are planting and growing grasses. However, if you are planting clover, the nitrogen won’t visibly help the plant since clover fixes its own nitrogen, but planting clover with grassy plants does work in a mutually positive way.

Fertilizing Your Food Plot

Buying Fertilizer for Your Food Plot

On each bag of fertilizer there will be three numbers corresponding to the ratio or nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium per 100 pounds. For example, a fertilizer marked as 5-10-15 has five pounds of nitrogen, 10 pounds of phosphorus, and 15 pounds of potassium for every 100 pounds of fertilizer.

If your soil test results show that nitrogen is the biggest deficiency of the soil, ammonium nitrate may be your best option. Ammonium nitrate is listed as 34-0-0, so 34 pounds of nitrogen per 100 and zero phosphorus or potassium.

Food Plot Fertilizer Recommendations

Soil reports are more than the big three macronutrients. Detailed soil reports also list secondary nutrients such as calcium, magnesium, and sulfur as well as the micronutrients zinc and manganese, but once optimum pH is achieved, the secondary and micronutrients will often be corrected. Pay attention to pH as it’s important for micronutrients and the overall production value of the food plot.

Ideally, you want to get the pH level around 6.5 for optimum growth. Buying lime in bulk is a very considerable savings over the 40-pound bags of pelletized lime. In some areas, you can buy and have bulk lime spread over the land for around $50 a ton. Pelletized lime is about $3 per 40-pounds, so it would take 50 bags to equal one ton. That’s $50 for a bulk ton versus $150 a pelletized ton, making a big difference on a per acre basis. It adds up!

How Much Per Acre?

In short, once you have your soil analyzed, do what is necessary to correct for your soil’s deficiencies in order to get great performance out of your food plot, but shop around. Do a little shopping around online to get an idea on cost then call, or better yet, head to the feed store or agriculture supply dealer find out where you can save some money! Now, you are just about ready for that cool season or warm season food plot.

The Importance of Soil Samples for Your Deer Food Plot

No soil is perfect. And by the way, it’s soil, not dirt. Dirt is a four letter word. Well, at least according to the professor during my “Introduction to Soils” class I took in college. But once again, no soil is perfect. Rain and previous growth will remove nutrients and affect pH. A soil test will reveal these deficiencies and that is exactly why it is necessary.

Soil testing involves collecting samples of soil from your food plots, filling out a form describing your plans for the plot, and mailing the samples to a lab for analysis. Once the lab makes an appraisal of the soil, you will receive a soil sample report containing the soils deficiencies and recommendations to maximize its growing potential.

It cost about $8 to $10 to have soil analyzed at a university lab and your county extension agent can supply the paperwork and supplies for collecting and mailing soil samples. Contact them through the listing in your phone book or get online and either call or email. Mossy Oak’s Web site provides soil testing service for a mere $7.50. You can contact them at www.mossyoakbiologic.com.

For every 1 to 3-acre food plot, it is recommended that you collect 10 to 20 sub samples of soil. First, remove any plant residue from the ground. Using a shovel, garden spade, or soil probe, make a vertical core or thin slice down to the depth that will be plowed, which is typically about 4-inches. Place the sub-sample into a clean bucket and mix it well. Be sure the soil is not excessively wet and use a clean bucket without lime, fertilizer, or pesticide residue because this will skew the lab results. Next, mix the soil thoroughly and pack the soil into boxes or bags for shipping to the testing lab.

Once you receive your test report, an important measurement to pay attention to is the pH. Soil pH affects the plant’s ability to absorb nutrients and grow. A common problem with many soils is that they are too acidic (which means they have a low pH). In fact, it’s quite common for soil test reports to come back recommending three tons of lime per acre! Too much lime is rarely a problem, so don’t worry if you think you put out slightly more limestone than the soil report recommends.

In acidic soils, the nitrogen and phosphorus will be bonded to the soil and will be unavailable for the plant. Even when fertilizer is applied, only a small amount can be used by the plant and the rest will remain locked in the soil particles. Lime raises the pH level unlocking soil nutrients and helping in the break down of organic matter for use by the plants.