Identifying food sources !!

[David1475]

You often hear advice from other hunters to always find the food sources and you will find the deer.
I hunt in the hills of East Tennessee. Outside of acorns, what are the other foods that deer will eat ?

 

[timberjack86]

I will just list a few I key in on hunting in the mountains.Honeysuckle, Honey locust pods, Greenbriars and mountain laurel.If you can find a clearcut that can be dynamite too because its chock full of woody browse.

 

[bigtex]

Yep, what timberjack said. They sure do love honeysuckle, and greenbrier. The deer around here also key in on sumac and although it is an invasive pest luckily they eat the heck out of kudzu.
Kudzu is not a problem on my property but it is slowly creeping closer and closer to my property line.
Deer also readily eat tree leaves, they really like maple leaves in the early Fall just when they start to change color.

 

[David1475]

Thanks for the info guys

 

[TLRanger]

Any kind of fruit tree - apple and pear are the best - persimmon tree (with fruit) - grape vines - muskadine vines. Deer will eat almost any kind of leaves. Rose bushes are a favorite and here at my house, they love my tomato plants.

 

[Boone 58]

I will just list a few I key in on hunting in the mountains.Honeysuckle, Honey locust pods, Greenbriars and mountain laurel.If you can find a clearcut that can be dynamite too because its chock full of woody browse.

They eat alot of tips of trees as well in more substantially wooded areas. If you are predominantly hardwoods then look for edges of clearings. In wayne county it goes alot like this.....
Honeysuckle, cat green briar, blackberry, poke salad, food plots consisting of wheat/clover.....mushrooms, staghorn sumac both the leaves and the flower pods, poison oak.....yes they eat it alot........and pretty much in the order i listed it as top to bottom in preference.