Apples and jumping deer

[NYBowhunter]

Here are pictures of deer enjoying some apples. This year is a bumper crop for apples that I will never forget, Never before have I seen trees loaded up with this many apples.Some trees are loaded down that the limbs are bent so much they look like they are ready to snap. Enjoy the pictures.

[burmjohn]

It must be nice to have those apple tree's, how old are they?

[NYBowhunter]

It must be nice to have those apple tree's, how old are they?

Yeah apple trees are nice to have, but there are lots more that need prunning. I didnt realize until I bought the property and took inventory of how many there really are,I never really counted but I would think that there are atleast 50 -100 apple trees. They are all over the place, in some places where you would not expect them to be, They are literally on every place and every corner of the property from the fields to the mountain top. From what I can gather most look like they have been there for quite some time. Some I dont intend to care for as they inhabit a part of the property that I keep as a sanctuary, however some other areas I have created multiple mini orchards. The mini orchard where these pictures were taken is being nursed back to health, I prunned all the trees and add fertlizer each spring, they dont produce as much as some other trees, but being this mini orchard is in a very secluded spot the deer tend to visit this orchard at all hours of the day.

[burmjohn]

Wow, that is a gold mine to have. Lucky you!

[wdswtr]

I have a huge amount of apple trees in one section of my woods. Yes the trees are loaded this year but the size of them are rather small but the biggest problem is most of them are on the ground already so come opening bow the crop will be already gone or rotten. The oaks however not looking so good this year.

[NYBowhunter]

I have a huge amount of apple trees in one section of my woods. Yes the trees are loaded this year but the size of them are rather small but the biggest problem is most of them are on the ground already so come opening bow the crop will be already gone or rotten. The oaks however not looking so good this year.

By me the apples are all still in the trees and yes majority are small but I have saw some larger apples as well.

[First-light]

I have a bunch of trees also. They are very old and looks like they never got trimmed. Branches growing in crazy directions. I wouldn't know where to start?

[sweet old bill]

the wild apple trees all over are loaded this year. But not seeing any good nut crop at all.

[Doc]

From what I can see, it looks like there are not any real good trees for a treestand. Not really a lot of other cover for a ground blind either. That's usually the case with apple orchards. If somehow some of the apples last until bow season, how would you go about setting up a good ambush spot? Are there trails leading into the area that might provide better treestand opportunities or ground blind possibilities?

[Cabin Fever]

This year, I have very few crab apples on the trees on my property. The wild pear trees are pretty loaded though. I haven't walked back into one area yet on the neighbors property that has a lot of crab apple trees to see how they are doing.

[NYBowhunter]

From what I can see, it looks like there are not any real good trees for a treestand. Not really a lot of other cover for a ground blind either. That's usually the case with apple orchards. If somehow some of the apples last until bow season, how would you go about setting up a good ambush spot? Are there trails leading into the area that might provide better treestand opportunities or ground blind possibilities?

There actually is a treestand 10 yards to the left of those pictures and this is where the majority of my bowhunting is done.. What you cant see in the frame is that there is a very large tract of pine trees that lead right up to this mini orchard. As far as ambush, the deer naturally funnel through this area, in the morning I use the back door and catch them coming off my food plots going up to the ridge top and in the afternoon the deer stage up here before going into the food plots which are a couple hundred yards away.

[phade]

Yeah apple trees are nice to have, but there are lots more that need prunning. I didnt realize until I bought the property and took inventory of how many there really are,I never really counted but I would think that there are atleast 50 -100 apple trees. They are all over the place, in some places where you would not expect them to be, They are literally on every place and every corner of the property from the fields to the mountain top. From what I can gather most look like they have been there for quite some time. Some I dont intend to care for as they inhabit a part of the property that I keep as a sanctuary, however some other areas I have created multiple mini orchards. The mini orchard where these pictures were taken is being nursed back to health, I prunned all the trees and add fertlizer each spring, they dont produce as much as some other trees, but being this mini orchard is in a very secluded spot the deer tend to visit this orchard at all hours of the day.

You'll be surprised. After you release the trees and get a few years of fertilizer, etc. they will begin to attract deer pretty well - over the other apple trees in the area.

One of the earliest tricks I can remember learning about hunting when growing up in the south...thinking maybe 12-13 years-old at the time, was the release/fertilize trick. When hunting oak flats or areas with many apples, pear, or persimmon (that was big where I hunted), the succesful hunters would trim and fertilize 1 or 1 group of trees only. Interestingly, the deer tend to gravitate to them as being preffered over others in the area.

When I moved up here, the same thing was repeated by a distant family member with one apple tree and one white oak. Pretty neat to see it work.

Edited August 31, 2011 by phade

[phade]

I have a bunch of trees also. They are very old and looks like they never got trimmed. Branches growing in crazy directions. I wouldn't know where to start?

A little late now, but release (trim, etc.) in the late winter/early spring timeframe (March, possibly early April). Some people get picky with fertilizer, but I generally just use good old 10-10-10.

[Slugger09]

I agree apples are everywhere on my property. I didn't even know I had this many apple trees. Pear trees are coming in very well too.

[Fantail]

I also noticed apples seem to be dropping a bit early, I'm sure the deer don't mind. There's all smaller wild - crab but it sure is nice for Bow season.

[phade]

Between the early dropping apples and the poor acron crop...the hunting could be pretty good for some people.