I just saw a picture of a turkey sitting in a crabapple tree eating. Does anybody have any crabapples that they actually see turkey/grouse feeding on them. My parents have some kind of ornamental crab in their yard that seems like the birds don't even care for(except the Canada geese). I wouldn't mind having a few for the birds if they would eat them for sure.
Crabs for turkeys
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yoderjac
5 year old buck +
Turkey will eat just about anything that doesn't eat them first. When managing for turkey, food is generally not the limiting factor except in the harshest conditions. If you are far enough north that deep, long-lasting, snow makes ground food unavailable, I'd consider trees like dogwoods. They love dogwood berries. There are plenty of "bird crabs" if you have other birds you are planting for.
Not a direct answer, but just some food for though...
Not a direct answer, but just some food for though...
I’ve seen turkeys do the same thing with persimmons as well. Boss tom in the tree and 8 others fighting over what it shook off. When do the turkeys use your place? Drop time and fruit size are what I’d look at.
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Peplin Creek
5 year old buck +
Smaller crabapples seem to be great for grouse all fall. Turkeys in the winter.
Native Hunter
5 year old buck +
Yes, turkeys eat about anything.
The finest thing I have found for spring turkeys is a soybean field from the previous year. There is a lot of waste and many beans left on the ground during harvesting. They eat them all winter and into the next spring. I hunt a place like this and when you clean the spring turkeys, they are full of beans.
Also, my bordering neighbor at my main farm put in about 60 acres of beans for the first time last year. This week I counted over 70+ turkeys in that field. Generally you may see a max of 15 to 20.
The finest thing I have found for spring turkeys is a soybean field from the previous year. There is a lot of waste and many beans left on the ground during harvesting. They eat them all winter and into the next spring. I hunt a place like this and when you clean the spring turkeys, they are full of beans.
Also, my bordering neighbor at my main farm put in about 60 acres of beans for the first time last year. This week I counted over 70+ turkeys in that field. Generally you may see a max of 15 to 20.
A northern mn photographer sells a ton of grouse pics that he takes from a red splendor crabapple tree from his yard.
I planted a pile of red splendor crabapples because of that recommendation and the seedling fruit size varies a lot, but the birds seem to eat them all.
I planted a pile of red splendor crabapples because of that recommendation and the seedling fruit size varies a lot, but the birds seem to eat them all.
rocksnstumps
5 year old buck +
Maybe the birds eat them all early but have not seen any dogwoods with berries on them during the winter at my home property or at hunting land so for harsh winter conditions not a good option
rocksnstumps
5 year old buck +
^^^^Red splendor are a good choice. Got a bunch from the local nwtf chapter as a matter of fact. If you go back thru some older threads you can see other recos for zumi and siberian. The nwtf also had sargent crab. If you do a search on line look for crabs that are listed as 1/2" or bigger and also persistent so they hang a long time. During mild winters they might go untouched but during a harsh winter they sit for months until they hammer them and gone in a week. Seen it multiple times with a few crabs I have.
rocksnstumps
5 year old buck +
I will put in a plug for washington hawthorn also. I think bowsnbucks thinks highly of them. I have a bunch of hawthorn growing wild but mine do not hold fruit into the winter so not as useful for winter feeding but like crabapples there are lots of kinds of hawthorn
I have a fairly large patch of grey dogwoods. The birds and the bears destroy them every year. All the berries are gone shortly after they ripen. The same at home with my yellow osier and silky dogwoods, the songbirds just don't allow any to make it to winter.
Thanks I'll order a couple of splendor I think. I was looking for a tree that the songbirds would leave alone but the turkeys and grouse could use in the winter or early spring. Do any of the red splendor have apples hanging in the winter?
Have hawthorns on my wish list every year. I need to find a spot and order some.
Prof.Kent
5 year old buck +
The onyly berry that I know of that animal shy away from is Winterberry Holly. It grows as a bush or shrub in full sun and a a gangly tree-ish shrub in the woods. Maybe the wildlife eat them after they rot off the tree in springtime, but I have never seen anything eat them in the winter.
We get a big flush of little barley in picked beans fields around here. Nobody planted it but the turkeys don’t care. The turkeys gorge on those- their crops are usually 50/50 beans and little barley.
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Bowsnbucks
5 year old buck +
Rocksnstumps, post #9 - Yep - Washington hawthorns will hold the red berries into winter at my camp location. ( zone 5 & 6 border. ) Grouse and turkeys both eat them. We also have several varieties of smaller crabs that produce red and yellow fruit around 1/2" dia. and about 5 other crabs that make 1/4" to 3/8" dark red fruit. ( these are all un-named varieties we got from the Pa. Game Commission seedling sales ). They also hang into late winter if the birds and grouse don't clean them off. Solid snow cover seems to focus bird traffic to those crabs then. Grouse and turkeys find them and fill up on them.
Like someone said above - it may depend on availability of open ground and other food sources. In my experience, snow cover and serious cold will get the crabs and hawthorn berries clobbered. Look at varieties that say "persistent" through winter when describing the fruit ripening/drop times.
Like someone said above - it may depend on availability of open ground and other food sources. In my experience, snow cover and serious cold will get the crabs and hawthorn berries clobbered. Look at varieties that say "persistent" through winter when describing the fruit ripening/drop times.
Apple Junkie
5 year old buck +
This is drifting off topic, but I've noticed that in late winter the turkey really get after European Buckthorn berries. It's a nasty invasive that I can't seem to keep up with, but the turkey did not get the memo and will eat every one. The fact that they are still around in late winter tells me they are not the first choice for many birds. Same with bradford pears, the birds and deer are killing themselves to get after them right now. Like you, I am looking for decent crabs that will fill that niche!! Good thread, useful infomation.
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Diesel5610
5 year old buck +
More of the same observations on my properties. The dogwood berries (gray, Red osier and others) get no where close to winter before they are stripped off by birds, deer, turkey and grouse. We are fortunate enough to have a couple acre crabapple thicket on our property that the grouse, turkey and deer spend a lot of time in this time of year. They are all crabs that are 1" or under and most hang through winter with just enough falling off to keep animals checking underneath them as well as the birds, turkeys and grouse that get in the branches to eat. These are wild crabs as far as I know and the crabs the PA Game Commission sells are very similar. They are a great late winter feed source on our property. I will try and take some pictures to post of the trees and activity.
All of the red splendor crabapples I planted by my cabin hold their fruit in the winter. I can't say how long they would stay though since the birds eat them all by December usually. That should change soon though as the trees mature and fruit production ramps up. I've planted dozens of red splendor crabapples up there since then specifically for a late winter food source for birds.
The fruit size and shape can vary with the red splendor seedlings though, but the birds like them all and you can't beat the price for those seedlings.
I have wild hawthorns on my land too and they also have lots of fruit for birds. I'd plant both if you can. I've also been looking into mountain ash for late season grouse food too. I haven't found a place to buy them yet though
Bowsnbucks
5 year old buck +
If it's any help - I have a Profusion Crab in my yard here at home. It gets red apples of 5/8" to 3/4" dia. and they hang until March each year. They shrivel up in the cold, but a flock of cedar waxwings comes through every March and cleans the tree of whatever is left. No turkeys or grouse here, but the tree puts on loads of fruit and they supply birds with grub all winter. I also planted a Sugar Tyme crab in the yard this past year. Very DR and persistent 1/2" red fruit.
You may be able to find Profusion at nurseries for $10 to $15. I've never seen them as seedlings.
Here is a site that gives info on some good, small fruited crabs ( though not all are persistent hangers ) -
www.bhg.com/gardening/trees-shrubs-vines/trees/best-crabapples-for-your-yard
You may be able to find Profusion at nurseries for $10 to $15. I've never seen them as seedlings.
Here is a site that gives info on some good, small fruited crabs ( though not all are persistent hangers ) -
www.bhg.com/gardening/trees-shrubs-vines/trees/best-crabapples-for-your-yard
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sandbur
5 year old buck +
I have a similar crab (as well as red splendor) in my yard and wonder if it is profusion. I have seen a partridge in it years back.
Last week it was dropping a few of those tiny crabs and deer were working under it.
No idea what it was as it was part of a gift of 2-3 trees from a neighbor. Either seedlings or dug up root suckers.
I have a Nevis crab cross tacked onto a limb of it and also a northwest Greening on another tree from the same gift.
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