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Deer browse

Robert loper

Well-Known Member
SH Member
Joined
Sep 19, 2017
Messages
1,772
Location
NJ
Im gonna try to find some good pics of deer browse in my areas.
I live and hunt in both Delaware and New Jersey.
Im pretty much right on the beach and hunt within 30 minutes from the beach
I hunt the marshes along the coast, swamps and a few fresh water marshes a bit inland and north, a ton of pine thicket transitions and clearcuts. Im very curious if and how different the species of deer browse are from the east coast to midwest and west coast.
ill try to get together some good food source pics for this post.
 
I know for me, the best "tell" for deer density is the presence of smilax or greenbrier. If greenbrier is in the area, and if it isn't browsed down to the woody bits, there aren't enough deer present to justify hunting.

They usually leave browsing sign on deerberry and yaupon and Dewberry, but the smilax is the best tell. The more of it i see without seeing tender green tendrils, the happier i get.
 
Define "browse." Some of us "nuance types" on here will equate "browse" to winter forage, others will just think what deer eat. Both are technically correct but that changes dramatically throughout the seasons where I hunt. Right now our deer are in the hay and alfalfa fields at night but tons of different weeds and other forages are available to consider. Check out this article for your state from the NDA at: https://deerassociation.com/know-native-deer-foods/
 
Define "browse." Some of us "nuance types" on here will equate "browse" to winter forage, others will just think what deer eat. Both are technically correct but that changes dramatically throughout the seasons where I hunt. Right now our deer are in the hay and alfalfa fields at night but tons of different weeds and other forages are available to consider. Check out this article for your state from the NDA at: https://deerassociation.com/know-native-deer-foods/
No man your good my friend @woodsdog2 No Problem
I figured i would post this to get attention of people who are new or are are still learning what deer like to eat or nibble on before they head out to the main food source Whatever that may be
I would say any edible forbs, woody branches, Roots, Tubers, etc within a few 100 yards of bedding area
A good description especially bucks is some sort of staging area food before the deer make it out to a primary source which could be alot of things Corn,Beans, Alfalfa, Acorns, Yes Acorns can be a seasonal main food source in non ag areas.
I believe seeing what deer are browsing on and at what time of year they are browsing on it will greatly benefit hunters knowledge going into the season. Timing is very important when it comes to locating deer.
If food an cover is not there the deer probably wont be either
 
I appreciate the thread, it will definitely be helpful for this newbie. I'd make observations of the fawn hanging around but my list would include everything but the gooseberries lol
 
The upland areas I hunt (almost no Ag land) have been clear or select cut pretty heavily. These open areas are pretty dense with Black Raspberry, Greenbriar and Dogwood. These are certainly the most common "browse foods" that are munched on throughout summer to early winter. They will also eat the tender leaves of the young aspen that sprout in these areas. Obviously these are supplemented by shorter periods of focus on the wild cherry, acorns and beechnuts as they all come into season.

Generally by January the snow is too deep for the deer to successfully browse and they migrate from the uplands to winter yards in the cedar swamps. Cedar, along with any remaining dogwood is the primary winter browse here.
 
Some of the preferred browse that comes to mind here in the central PA biggish woods: greenbrier, pokeweed, raspberry and blackberry, oak and maple seedlings.

Like old Nutter said, if they ain't eating on greenbrier, that's a bad sign. And pokeweed too, those two are deer candy.

Conversely if I see mountain laurel, hemlock, and rhodendron heavily browsed I have no qualms about knocking back the doe population. If they're eating that garbage the oak regeneration has no chance.
 
Some of the preferred browse that comes to mind here in the central PA biggish woods: greenbrier, pokeweed, raspberry and blackberry, oak and maple seedlings.

Like old Nutter said, if they ain't eating on greenbrier, that's a bad sign. And pokeweed too, those two are deer candy.

Conversely if I see mountain laurel, hemlock, and rhodendron heavily browsed I have no qualms about knocking back the doe population. If they're eating that garbage the oak regeneration has no chance.
The smash poke berry and another good one they love an is literaly everywhere along roads,ditches,swamps, is trumpet vines
The bright orange trumpet shaped flower is highly visible and when you find them you will realize they are everywhere in summer lol
 
I appreciate the thread, it will definitely be helpful for this newbie. I'd make observations of the fawn hanging around but my list would include everything but the gooseberries lol
Alot of great hunters on here a ton of deer and woodsmanship knowlege please ask away anytime
 
Here is some good pics of good browse type deer food.
 

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I have watched them eat twigs, clover, alfalfa, honeysuckle, corn, beans, sunflowers, mullein, hedge balls, acorns, hickory nuts, crab apples,and most interesting multifloral rose and hedge balls. Finding their favored seasonal food sources is the key, I think.
 
I have watched them eat twigs, clover, alfalfa, honeysuckle, corn, beans, sunflowers, mullein, hedge balls, acorns, hickory nuts, crab apples,and most interesting multifloral rose and hedge balls. Finding their favored seasonal food sources is the key, I think.
Agree 100%. Late season I believe they look for the more woody browse like twig type branches. Ive seen them chew on evergreen twigs, dogwood branches, spicebush is big one around here.
There is of course a ton of them.
i do see a-lot of acorns being searched for but at that late part of season alot of them i believe are probably sour or bitter.
 
I missed a 5 pt last year and was able to watch him come for a ways off and on through brush and a holler. He would just periodically snag a leaf or a bud as he walked along. Thought it was actually pretty neat
 
On the mountain I hunt in November and through the winter.
Deer like the brown shots of the Hobblebush.
 
Big difference between what a deer will eat and what it wants to be eating
Kinda like us. Can I eat roasted grasshoppers and tubers sans salt? Absolutely. It's pretty nutritious. Am I eating it when there's a pack of oreos in the cabinet? Nope. Doesn't matter how many grasshoppers there are on the savanna, I'm eating milk's favorite cookie until it's no longer an option.

Deer in my experience go for young forbs and mast (acorns here) over every other natural food source (and a lot of bait/planted) when available. You don't see deer browsing woody stems for cambium or eating grass on the side of the highway when those are readily available.
 
In the early season apples are hit hard where I hunt too. White Oaks and Hickory Nuts, Beech nuts as welll but our season opens on October 1st so they are more into fall mast than other locations.
 
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