what shrubs are very attractive for deer browse.

[Catscratch]

Just got this in the mail from the Iowa DNR nursery. Super helpful.

Included hardwoods

I would love to see a chart like this for all native species—especially those ‘weeds’ in the seed-bank.


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https://www.noble.org/ag-publications/wildlife/quality-of-native-plant-forage-species-important-to-white-tailed-deer-and-goats-in-south-central-oklahoma/

Go to the "publication" in the link. Tons of info about preference per season and nutrition. I absolutely love data like this!

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Genetic testing has revealed that the larger-fruiting Aronia selections, like Viking, Nero, McKenzie are actually Sorbaronia X - hybrids of Sorbus (European mountain ash) and Aronia.
I've got a single seedling selection of A.melanocarpa, from OIKOS Tree Crops, purchased 10 years or more ago. I never notice the deer browsing it, and it does produce a good crop of black, astringent berries - smaller than those I've seen in landscape plantings that were probably Viking. I do a vodka extraction with them, and mix it in with homemade blueberry brandy... the Aronia lend a nice astringency.

Didn't know about the genetic testing on Viking, Nero, or McKenzie. I'll do more reading about them. Thanks for the info.

 

[H20fwler]

Haven’t seen this one talked about in this thread and definitely not recommending ever intentionally planting, but if you already have it… bush honeysuckle.
Deer here eat it like crazy, I’ve got it bad at our Little Woods. There I don’t try and kill it, it’s just part of the understory. And there are crops on three sides of the woods and our yard on the other so it isn’t going to get any worse there. I watch deer eating it all the time.

At our other place I’ve only got a little of it at one end of woods so I cut and spray it every spring. I don’t want it in woods or jumping to the pasture.

In winter here deer eat white pine needles like crazy too , if not protected they look like groomed poodles by spring.

Everything we have planted in our shrub strips seems to get browsed on, top ones are plums and willows.

 

[PatinPA]

I have what I think is a multiflora rose in my food plot. The deer browse it like crazy too. I purposely miss it while spraying to keep it around. The deer keep it trimmed back pretty small so I don't have to worry about it getting out of control

 

[Telemark]

Pokeweed is often mentioned as choice deer browse. I haven't personally tried it yet.

 

[Teeder]

I've got extras of the multiflora rose and honeysuckle if anyone needs it!

 

[PatinPA]

Pokeweed is often mentioned as choice deer browse. I haven't personally tried it yet.

I have a lot of pokeweed. They definitely browse it but I wouldn't call it choice browse.

 

[Wind Gypsy]

I don't have bush honeysuckle as bad as buckthorn but its creeping. That stuff can all go to the depths of hell as far as im concerned!

 

[Native Hunter]

Pokeweed is often mentioned as choice deer browse. I haven't personally tried it yet.

Where I live it is browsed hard. Twenty minutes away at my farm it isn’t touched at any time.