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The_Mountaineer
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| Joined: | 4 February 2005 |
| Location: | USA |
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Posted: 23 January 2008 04:02 PM |
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Well gang, I was going to write up a little bit about winter deer foods but when I went out to look for some online images, I found the article below from the Michigan DNR. So, instead of me re-inventing the wheel, I thought I’d just reference it here and throw in a few of my own words at the end.
Source: http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7-153-10370_12148-61306--,00.html
“The white-tailed deer is our most popular game animal, enjoyed by 700,000 Michigan hunters and countless others interested in photographing or simply viewing these animals. As a hunter trying to optimize the chance of success or a landowner wishing to improve land for deer, you should be observant of deer activity and learn to identify the foods on which deer depend.
Food sources available in the fall, winter, and early spring are most critical to deer because they affect body condition, winter survival, and reproduction. During these seasons, deer browse on the leaves, needles, buds, and twig ends of trees and shrubs. Studies by wildlife biologists indicate deer prefer particular plants and dislike or will not eat others at least not until the preferred foods are no longer available,
This guide is designed to help you identify some woody plants of high, moderate, and low importance to deer. By learning to "key" in on areas with preferred foods and with signs of browsing, you can enhance your chances of seeing deer. Remember, look for browsed vegetation from ground level to about five feet in height. Rabbits also browse low twigs, but use by the two species can be distinguished easily.
Woodlands are dynamic, changing from year to year. As trees grow, a maturing forest provides far less food than its previous young, brushy phase which occurred shortly after logging. What you remember as good deer habitat 15 years ago is probably poor habitat today. Use this guide to determine the feeding conditions at your favorite deer hunting or viewing area.
Preferred Deer Foods
White Cedar (Arbor Vitae) - Evergreen with flat scalelike "leaves." Some varieties used for ornamental shrubbery. A swamp tree but it can grow on moist upland. In many areas browsing deer have eaten practically all cedar within reach.
White Pine - The only Michigan pine with five needles in a cluster. Young trees have smooth dark green bark. Deer will eat white pine before they take other pines.
Maples - Trees with buds opposite each other Sugar maple has brownish or gray twigs with brown pointed buds. Red maple has red twigs and reddish rounded buds and is better deer food.
Yellow Birch - The bark of young tree , and twigs is brownish turning yellowish-gray and curling up when older. Pointed buds. Twigs taste like wintergreen. Young yellow birch looks like ironwood (a poor deer food), but ironwood has no wintergreen taste.
Dogwoods and Viburnums - Shrubs that generally have opposite buds like maples. Red dogwood has bright red twigs. Other species have reddish green, brown, or gray twigs. Viburnum buds are many different shapes.
Sumac - Shrub commonly found in old fields and forest openings. Heavy, stiff, brown twigs and branches. One kind is fuzzy and resembles antlers in velvet. Another kind is smooth. Bunches of fuzzy red fruit at the top of all sumac plants.
Medium Quality Foods
Aspen - This tree is, also called "popple" or "poplar" and is one of the most common Michigan trees. Trembling aspen has whitish, greenish gray bark and long pointed shiny buds Big toothed aspen has yellow green bark and fatter, fuzzy buds. Balm of Gilead (a poor deer food) looks similar, but has gray-green bark with bin sticky end buds and grows in wet areas.
Jack Pine - A small needled tree. Needles, 2 in a bundle are 1 to 1 ½ inches long. Young stands provide good winter cover, but only fair deer food.
Oaks - Buds at ends of twigs are clustered and only moderate in food value, but acorns provide excellent deer food
Ash - Green to light brownish gray, stiff, smooth stems with opposite, dark brown and black buds. Side buds close to end bud. Black ash is a swamp species. White ash prefers upland sites.
White Birch - This is the common "paper" or "canoe" birch. Bark on young stems is a shiny orange brown color that gradually turns white and "papery."
Witch-Hazel - Look for the unusual-shaped light brown buds. Yellow crinkly flowers can be seen in the fall along the sterns.
That concludes what the Michigan DNR folks had to say. Lots of good information. However, let’s look at a few more species that are good for say the mid-atlantic region such as West Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio and the like.
Clovers – red, white, alsike, crimson and other commercial cultivars are popular winter deer foods. They’re usually very high in preference and protein. Identification of clover is simple and probably not needed here but just in case here’s what a cloverleaf looks like (duh).
Serviceberry – is a great browse plant. It too is also highly preferred and high in protein content. I guess it doesn’t grow in Michigan, but you’ll find it in a variety of places back east. Kinda looks like a dogwood in that it can be either shrubby or tree-like. Though it has characteristic white showy flowers and fairly easily identifiable leaves, look for the bud pattern in winter. In the image below, visually it without leaves and note bud and leaf scar patterns.
Greenbrier – is one of the few green things in winter and in my area is about the only green vine there is. Easily identifiable and commonly browsed, this is an important food to deer especially in winter.
There are also lots of grasses and forbs but I won’t go into detail on them as identification can be tough. I know of one biologist who does nothing but identify grasses! It’s that tough! Suffice it to say that deer will frequent “green” fields in the dead of winter. These are pastures, hay fields, old crop fields and the like that might have a few sprouts that deer like.
These might include:
Redtop
Bluestem
Wild oats
Field mustard
Various peas (e.g., partridge and flat)
Wheatgrass
Vetch
Deertongue (go figure)
The list can go on and on. Best to go look at the USDA PLANTS database and find out what’s best for your particular state and county where you hunt. An absolutely tremendous resource we’ve made mention before here.
Hope it helps!
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Montani Semper Liber - Mountaineers are always free
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wheezengeezer
addicted handloader
| Joined: | 16 July 2007 |
| Location: | Jeddediah Jones Swamp, Kansas USA |
| Posts: | 623 |
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Posted: 23 January 2008 04:36 PM |
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| here in south central ks they have it easy.wheat is a big part of their diet.
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I was raised in the 50's on gunpowder and jackrabbits.salt and pepper wooda made'em taste better
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