yoderjac
5 year old buck +
Here is a link to William Reids pecan blog. He is the research director at Kansas State's Pecan Experiment Field near Chetopa, Kansas.
http://northernpecans.blogspot.com/2011/11/oh-deer.html
It has lots of information on grafting, pruning and tree care. While his blog is all about pecans some of the advice could be transferable to other hardwood trees. He also documents deer use of pecan nuts.
I have planted a couple of grafted pecans on the Tickranch for my own benefit and didnt think about deer at the time. However, if the deer are going to use them, I may start a few more.
A question for those of you with pecan trees: Do you find pecan nuts a favored food source for deer in your area?
Tick,
I looked around trying to answer the same question. I could not find anyone who suggested they saw significant use. I hope you get some positive responses. From what I understand, pecans can be grafted to hickory. I have a lot of native hickory that I could use for rootstock. So far, I have not found enough evidence of significant deer use to justify pursuing this further yet.
Thanks,
Jack
I used to hunt river bottoms that were loaded with pecan trees. Never saw deer eating them.
We used to have a big pecan tree that sat about 30 yards out in a field and the deer would come feed on them at certain times,we shot several out of that tree.But it wasn't an every night type event
Lots of pecan orchards and random trees on my in-laws farms. I have not noticed any use at all.
We have quite a few wild pecans growing, but I have NEVER noticed deer eating them...BB
Heck with the deer! I want to plant some for my own enjoyment!!!!!
God I love pEcan pie(INTERNAL IMAGE LIKE EMOTICON REMOVED)
Virtually zero use at my place. In fact, I've torn out nearly two thirds (10 acres) of existing pecan orchards at my farm in order to plant more deer friendly crops/habitat. I certainly wouldn't have incurred those expenses if I noticed reasonable usage.
Deer use them heavily in the Mississippi delta, but the key is they must be sweet pecan. Bitter pecan is whole other spices the different timber value and fruit. Bitter pecan is basically worthless for deer.
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Originally Posted by longleaf
Deer use them heavily in the Mississippi delta, but the key is they must be sweet pecan. Bitter pecan is whole other spices the different timber value and fruit. Bitter pecan is basically worthless for deer.
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Maybe we are narrowing in on something here. I have heard a few (very few) reports of deer just loving them but lots of reports of deer ignoring them. I know different varieties have different shell thicknesses. I was thinking perhaps shell thickness had something to do with it.
Can you talk about which varieties are sweet and which are bitter?
Thanks,
Jack
I apologize for my last post, I should have proof read before posting!
Here in Mississippi, you will find a native pecan (Carya illinoensis) that produces excellent timber and a sweet fruit. Deer will eat these. This tree is found on moist, but well drained ridges in river bottoms.
We also have bitter pecan (Carya aquatica). This tree grows in very wet areas, has a bitter fruit, and the wood quality is poor. It is almost worthless here. Deer do not eat them.
The two trees are almost identical in appearance. The fruit have a different appearance and are easily identified.
I have hundreds of wild pecan trees on my duck club. The nuts are small compared to "commercial" varieties but taste great. The deer use them somewhat, perhaps looking more for scraps from raccoons and squirrels than crunching the whole nut. They do not browse the foliage.
squirrels yes, but I have never seen a deer feeding under pecan trees, and almost every property I ever hunted had them on them or close by. I would not plant pecans for deer, but as part of a general wildlife improvement plan (and/or for personal use) sure, why not?
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Originally Posted by Tickrancher
Here is a link to William Reids pecan blog. He is the research director at Kansas State's Pecan Experiment Field near Chetopa, Kansas.
http://northernpecans.blogspot.com/2011/11/oh-deer.html
It has lots of information on grafting, pruning and tree care. While his blog is all about pecans some of the advice could be transferable to other hardwood trees. He also documents deer use of pecan nuts.
I have planted a couple of grafted pecans on the Tickranch for my own benefit and didnt think about deer at the time. However, if the deer are going to use them, I may start a few more.
A question for those of you with pecan trees: Do you find pecan nuts a favored food source for deer in your area?
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Tick,
I'm glad you started this thread. It looks like I'm going to give it a go! I had a chat with the old grafter that I'm working with for native American persimmons. He grafts a lot of other stuff besides persimmons for wildlife. He has about 80 acres of pecans and says the deer just hammer them. He offered to send me some scions from one of his favorite varieties and I took him up on it.
I don't have any native pecan trees, but we do have some hickory trees. As I understand it, you can graft pecan to hickory. He says the same bark graft I've been using with the persimmons will work well with pecans. So, I hope to give it a go this spring.
I'll report back as things progress.
Thanks,
Jack
when i was a kid my dad and his BF grafted some pecans onto hickory trees. Those were bark grafted and he used a very small nail to firmly attach the scion to the tree.
Have fun but don't get too excited about deer eating pecans. I have more pecan trees than I can count on my property. I'm cutting some down to make room for more "deer" friendly trees. I have never seen a deer eat a pecan and I have a several that are right in the middle of my clover plot that produce a good abundance of pecan almost every year. The squirrels love them as well as the crows but not the deer. They are native and kinda small but and taste wonderful but the deer never touch them.
good luck
todd
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Originally Posted by dogdoc
when i was a kid my dad and his BF grafted some pecans onto hickory trees. Those were bark grafted and he used a very small nail to firmly attach the scion to the tree.
Have fun but don't get too excited about deer eating pecans. I have more pecan trees than I can count on my property. I'm cutting some down to make room for more "deer" friendly trees. I have never seen a deer eat a pecan and I have a several that are right in the middle of my clover plot that produce a good abundance of pecan almost every year. The squirrels love them as well as the crows but not the deer. They are native and kinda small but and taste wonderful but the deer never touch them.
good luck
todd
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Well if these Kanza pecans work out for me, I'll be able to send you some scions to graft to your native pecans. By the way, I've seen that bark grafting technique with nails. I'm not sure if I'll use it or not.
Thanks,
Jack.