Deer not touching apples

[Chef]

So I was up at camp over the weekend and noticed that unlike in the past there was no deer scar in the apple trees. We have 8 trees out behind the house and they usually get hit pretty hard.... I did notice some coyote scat in the area. What do you guys think could be the reason they aren't hitting the trees like usual

[Hock3y24]

There is so much food out there right now it's crazy, they hit apples some days here and other days it's nuts. Kind of

Like a buffet.

[Zag]

There is so much food out there right now it's crazy, they hit apples some days here and other days it's nuts. Kind of

Like a buffet.

 

Yeah great point. Were absolutely loaded with acorns and hickory nuts.

[Berniez]

Apples this year are hit and miss.  I have about 55 trees on the property.  About 15 have a decent amount of apples. The rest have either few or none. One tree thats a consistent producer has about 1 dozen apples on it.  One tree is loaded and the tree next to it has zero.  One tree has really  sweet apples and is being used by 4 bucks and 4 does...the rest are seeing little action. I think there is so much food in the woods that they are just being picky.

[Dave]

Have been up the last two weekends and have not seen any deer. Where have they gone. Don't see them in the fields in back of my house or across the road. Any thought as to why there no sightings. August I saw a load of deer all around th area but not now.

[dbHunterNY]

if there's a better food source they'll go to that first.  acorns and ag crops with miles will get preference.  apples really just provide high sugar content.  that's only when they're really ripe and fall off the limb from their own weight.  until then they only pick and move on.

[Dave]

if there's a better food source they'll go to that first.  acorns and ag crops with miles will get preference.  apples really just provide high sugar content.  that's only when they're really ripe and fall off the limb from their own weight.  until then they only pick and move on.

 

We have apples all over the area and some are starting to fall.  No farms in immediate area, and no acorns.

[Chef]

We have about 8 trees 6 of which are heavy with apples I can see some chewed on the ground but only coyote crap just weird to me

[Doc]

The drops from our trees don't last very long. And those blobs of sloppy deer crap kind of indicate that they are eating something pretty rich like apples .... lol.

[chiefbkt]

They are killing my apple trees!  But, my trees are between two main food sources so I think they use it for snacking while on their way to and from the other food sources.  It's weird how apple trees can be loaded and the one next to it has nothing.  We were fortunate that the 10 apple trees we have all did well.  Our pear trees are doing awesome as well, but since I put a new sheep pasture out where those trees are the deer haven't touched them.  

[GreeneHunter]

Our apple trees were getting hit heavy and suddenly nothing .... what gives ?

[genesee_mohican]

Like others have said......there is a ton of food out there right now.  White oaks, hickories are getting a lot of attention right now. There are wild apple trees, mushrooms, maple leaves and all kinds of browse this time of year.  The deer shift from the fields to the woods and key on the best foods each fall.  I have bushels of apples under my tree with a trail cam setup.  If it's anything like the last few years, they won't start showing up to eat them for another month.

 

 

 

[brownclown]

agree with others. i hunt ct and the use of corn is legal. it is usually like crack and if i put out a 50lb bag it gone it a few days. well they still hitting it but nothing like last few years.still have a lot left a over a week later.  they are all over the acorns. they will browse for a few minutes on corn then move on spending signifigant time acorn munching.

[Curmudgeon]

They have really lush grass right now. As it has been cut for second cutting hay the past couple of weeks, they move to different patches.

 

They are eating the drops here too but more are in the grass.

[LuckyPickle123]

In the past 2 weeks:

About 10 to 15 pictures neer a large acre green field

Under 10 pictures in a apple orchard

20 or so pictures near a corn/soy bean 5 acre combo

Over 300 pictures on a ridge flooded with acorns.

[Dave]

In the past 2 weeks:

About 10 to 15 pictures neer a large acre green field

Under 10 pictures in a apple orchard

20 or so pictures near a corn/soy bean 5 acre combo

Over 300 pictures on a ridge flooded with acorns.

 

Wish we had oak trees by us. Have beech, maple, ash, cherry for the hard wood but no Oak.