Should You Plant Trees for Deer?

There is a lot of information and hype out there talking about special super-trees that attract lots of deer.  While fruit-bearing trees are definitely a big part of improving deer habitat, it is a long term commitment and not without its frustrations and challenges.  But, as the saying goes, the best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago and the second best time to plant a tree is today.

Should you plant trees for deer? Planting fruit-bearing trees and shrubs is always a a good idea for increasing food and cover for wildlife.  Deer live mostly on the leaves and fruit of trees.  Anything that produces hard or soft mast can be planted as long as your climate and soil conditions will make them thrive.  Fruit bearing trees like acorns and chestnuts or soft mast like persimmons, paw-paw, apples and pears are all good choices.

This article will discuss what to plant and where, as well as how to go about planting the trees and ensure they survive and thrive.

Here is a video from my youtube channel illustrating the frustrations of planting trees for deer.  You can avoid these problems by learning from my mistakes.

 

What Types of Trees Should I Plant For Deer?

The types of trees to plant for deer, as stated above, are anything that will produce hard or soft mast.  The caveat is that these trees won’t grow just anywhere.  Trees are adapted to particular climates and site conditions.  Trying to grow trees that were not developed or evolved in a completely different climate and geology or site conditions than what you have is an exercise in frustration.

Here is a list of commonly planted trees for deer:

• apples
• crabapples
• pears
• persimmons
• paw-paw
• chestnuts
• oaks

Here is a list of trees that are native to the forests of the Appalachian region that produce mast for deer:

• oak – white, chestnut, swamp white, pin, red, scarlet are all native to my home state of Pennsylvania
• honey locust
• black gum
• american plum
• crabapple (cretaegus, spp)
• American chestnut

When considering what to plant, it is a great idea to plant trees you know are native to your region so you will know they will grow and thrive.  It takes many years to grow a tree to an age that it will produce fruit.  So, planting and waiting years for a tree that will not be healthy or bear fruit is very disappointing.

Apple trees come in all kinds of varieties.  Apples are the number one planted tree for deer attraction.  However, they are susceptible to all sorts of diseases and pests and can be hard to grow and produce fruit if not in the correct climate.

The best apples for deer are going to be from wild stock in your USDA planting zone.  Apple seeds taken from an old tree that has never recieved any care yet produces lots of apples are the best ones to plant.

You can obtain your own seeds from these trees and propogate your own, or learn to graft them onto good root stock.  Apple seeds need to be scarified in order to germinate – an adaptation of many plants that need the seed to go through and animal before it can germinate.  The fruit is part of the strategy – to disseminate the seed.

The best way to buy apple trees is to get some from a native plant nursery in your planting zone.  They will have varieties that are not great for human consumption but are hardy and produce apples good enough for deer.

Landowners like to plant Dunstan chestnuts.  I have planted American Chestnuts but it takes many years to re-establish American Chestnuts and get mast from them.  Still, it is a noble cause to try and get this great tree back into the landscape.

Crabapples can be grown from seed as well.  They need to be cold stratified, as many plants do.  In other words they need to be stored in cold temps to mimic over-wintering, or one can just keep them in potting material over winter and keep an eye on them to make sure they stay moist after winter is over.  Here is a good explanation of how to grow them from seed: how to grow crabapples from seed

There are claims that oak hybrids like the Bur/Gamble cross will produce earlier than the regular varieties.  Oikos nursery in Michigan has cross-bred oak trees that I have planted successfully in the past.

Other native plant nurseries I should mention are:

Flatwood Natives

Mossy Oak Natives Tree Nursery

In PA, the DCNR has a list of native tree nurseries in our state

DCNR List

There are many places to buy stock.  Some are better than others and they have a wide variety of available plants and pricing.  A quick internet search will provide plenty of sources.  I usually plant a lot of trees at once so obtain bare root seedlings wholesale.  A group of guys can plant a thousand trees in a weekend easily.

How To Plant Trees for Deer

It is important especially when you spend some real money on a potted seedling or sapling sized tree to plant it with care.  Follow these steps to good success.

• dig plenty of hole and add some compost to the removed soil
• take the tree out of the pot gently and make sure the roots are not twisted, if so stretch them out with your fingers.
• put some good soil in the bottom of the hole so the surface of the potted plant or the root collar of bare rooted seedlings is even with the ground surface.
• Back fill and tamp the soil firmly. Add a tree tube and/or wire cage firmly attached to good stakes to protect the tree from animals

Here is a video I filmed while we were planting apple trees in a food plot.  All these trees survived and are growing well.  They have already been pruned by a pro nurseryman and should start bearing fruit in a few more years.

 

 

Conclusion

Whether you plant fruit trees fruiting shrubs or hard mast trees, you can’t ask for a better way to improve your land for wildlife.  But, its not always easy to have successful plantings.

By placing protection around the trees to prevent deer browsing or planting inside a large fenced area, you will ensure success.  Planting some thick confers in patches to provide thick thermal and escape cover is a good plan too.

Choose trees that are native, will grow in your hardiness zone, plant them properly and protect them.  You will have to wait a long time to see the benefits but your efforts will be enjoyed for many generations to come.