The physical evidence of deer browsing on leaves, twigs, agricultural crops and natural fruits show a unique type of deer sign. This is an area that deserves your close examination as it can be a puzzle to figure it out without knowledge of the signs. An area rich in food should also support a herd of deer. If you cannot be certain of feeding within an area, it may nevertheless, serve as a travel corridor for deer, but you will have to find other signs, like tracks and trails to verify this.
To find evidence of feeding, you must know what deer consume, which includes more than 6 different plants. As grazing animals, they randomly nip off small leaves, twigs and buds of many trees and bushes. In northern forests the important natural foods are white cedar, maples, dogwood, aspen and blueberry. In the south deer prefer greenbriers, black gum, maples, honeysuckle, sumac and kudzu. In general they prefer new growth. In times of starvation; however, deer will eat pencil-thick stems.
Across the whitetail country, the acorns of oak trees remain a common food source from late summer through the winter. Fifty-four different species of oaks grow in North America, and just about every species produces acorns important to deer. Botanists divide all oaks into two groups, white oaks and black oaks. Generally, the white oaks produce "sweeter acorns", although black-oak acorns are slightly bitter. Deer shows a preference for the very sweetest whites, such as the chinquapin, the post and swamps white oak. Then again, black oaks produce acorns more consistently than white oaks, and deer eats black-oak acorns in years when white oaks do not bear fruit.
Squirrels shuck the shell of the acorn. Deer eats acorns whole, so the physical signs of such a meal are subtle. If you look close, you may detect some disturbance in leaf litter associated with deer, or you may see some tracks in exposed dirt underneath oaks. Parallel wind rows of leaves usually indicate feeding activity of wild turkeys. With snow cover, you can easily recognize where deer have pawed down to find acorns.
Essential agricultural crops that deer use includes corn, soybeans, apples and alfalfa. Deer eat these foods in many different stages. In an apple orchard, for instance, deer will graze on apple twigs in addition to eating the fruit itself. In a cornfield, deer will nip off the tops of the stalk and silk as well as the mature ear. When encountering shelled corn, they will chow down with relish. Frequently, they will also carry a cob of corn with them as they leave a feeder or field.
Deer lack incisor teeth in the front of the upper jaw; therefore, they cannot nearly "bite" off stems. Instead, a deer used its lower canine teeth to press a stem or leaf against the upper jaw and then tears away a mouthful. The remaining stem or leaf exhibits a jagged edge. By contrast, neatly-pruned stems low to the ground suggests rabbit activity. Broken branches of apple and cherry trees in general represent the work of a bear. Blame the raccoon when you find broken-down stalks of corn. Deer is dainty eaters by comparison.
To find evidence of feeding, you must know what deer consume, which includes more than 6 different plants. As grazing animals, they randomly nip off small leaves, twigs and buds of many trees and bushes. In northern forests the important natural foods are white cedar, maples, dogwood, aspen and blueberry. In the south deer prefer greenbriers, black gum, maples, honeysuckle, sumac and kudzu. In general they prefer new growth. In times of starvation; however, deer will eat pencil-thick stems.
Across the whitetail country, the acorns of oak trees remain a common food source from late summer through the winter. Fifty-four different species of oaks grow in North America, and just about every species produces acorns important to deer. Botanists divide all oaks into two groups, white oaks and black oaks. Generally, the white oaks produce "sweeter acorns", although black-oak acorns are slightly bitter. Deer shows a preference for the very sweetest whites, such as the chinquapin, the post and swamps white oak. Then again, black oaks produce acorns more consistently than white oaks, and deer eats black-oak acorns in years when white oaks do not bear fruit.
Squirrels shuck the shell of the acorn. Deer eats acorns whole, so the physical signs of such a meal are subtle. If you look close, you may detect some disturbance in leaf litter associated with deer, or you may see some tracks in exposed dirt underneath oaks. Parallel wind rows of leaves usually indicate feeding activity of wild turkeys. With snow cover, you can easily recognize where deer have pawed down to find acorns.
Essential agricultural crops that deer use includes corn, soybeans, apples and alfalfa. Deer eat these foods in many different stages. In an apple orchard, for instance, deer will graze on apple twigs in addition to eating the fruit itself. In a cornfield, deer will nip off the tops of the stalk and silk as well as the mature ear. When encountering shelled corn, they will chow down with relish. Frequently, they will also carry a cob of corn with them as they leave a feeder or field.
Deer lack incisor teeth in the front of the upper jaw; therefore, they cannot nearly "bite" off stems. Instead, a deer used its lower canine teeth to press a stem or leaf against the upper jaw and then tears away a mouthful. The remaining stem or leaf exhibits a jagged edge. By contrast, neatly-pruned stems low to the ground suggests rabbit activity. Broken branches of apple and cherry trees in general represent the work of a bear. Blame the raccoon when you find broken-down stalks of corn. Deer is dainty eaters by comparison.
About the Author:
Watch the forecasts - the deer know when a storm is coming and tend to feed like crazy before and after the storm. Closer to the date of your hunt keep tabs on forecasted wind directions and inclement weather. Compasses Focus your hunting near food sources before and after a heavy rain.
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