Deer attractants?
- Thread starter TomDeer
- Start date
glasshalffull
Well-Known Member
Not intentionally but they like cattle/sheep lick you get in a tub and crab apples which are in abundance in a particular part of my permission. Just an observation from my high seat 
Thanks for that. I may put out some crab apples from one of the trees they have been browsing (but which is in the wrong place to shoot near).Not intentionally but they like cattle/sheep lick you get in a tub and crab apples which are in abundance in a particular part of my permission. Just an observation from my high seat
Rhodesianjess
Well-Known Member
Crab apple's good draw, also crushed horse chestnut ( every road on estate overhung by chestnuts has deer hoovering them up), acorns too. Tried aniseed added to wheat one year as an experiment in pheasant hoppers, deer played bloody hell with hoppers trying to open them up. No trouble since so can only presume it was the aniseed! Best regards Jess
Grannysmith
Well-Known Member
What species?
Roe and fallow/red.
The reason for the slash between fallow and red is that there are big 'uns in there but I haven't had a visual yet and there are no clear prints to confirm which it. Size and texture of croties possibly points to reds.
Another one that seems to work brilliantly is being in a position from which a safe shot can't be taken. It's like deer know it and flock out to taunt!
Grannysmith
Well-Known Member
Ivy is good i used to manage a deer park and the deer hit the ivy on a fallen tree in hours
Have successfully set up fallow deer feeders now for around 3 years, each established with a couple of Ltl Acorns recording the what’s /when’s visiting.
Best for in the hopper is Beef nuts (highest molasses content) mixed about 3/1 with cut maize (tree rats soon eat whole maize) finish off with either Barley or Wheat tailings 50% of volume.
Then find a moveable stump approx 2ft high and 2ft round, site it near a camera and start saturating this from the top with liquid molasses. The deer will spend hours licking, chewing the edges. I say moveable because once saturated you might choose to relocate it, it becomes a valuable draw.
Apples are tops for pulling in deer, they love a juicy apple but don’t chop them up as they will not last, just cut any the size of a tennis ball in half and put at lease a bucketful down each visit. Start off with 3 or 4 buckets full to establish the feedsite and if the site can only be visited at weekends leave a pile. The idea is that the deer will find something every time they visit.
Don’t leave apples too near the cameras or all you will get is pics of ears n eyes, pm me if you need any more info and no question is silly because if you don’t ask you won’t learn
Willowbank
Best for in the hopper is Beef nuts (highest molasses content) mixed about 3/1 with cut maize (tree rats soon eat whole maize) finish off with either Barley or Wheat tailings 50% of volume.
Then find a moveable stump approx 2ft high and 2ft round, site it near a camera and start saturating this from the top with liquid molasses. The deer will spend hours licking, chewing the edges. I say moveable because once saturated you might choose to relocate it, it becomes a valuable draw.
Apples are tops for pulling in deer, they love a juicy apple but don’t chop them up as they will not last, just cut any the size of a tennis ball in half and put at lease a bucketful down each visit. Start off with 3 or 4 buckets full to establish the feedsite and if the site can only be visited at weekends leave a pile. The idea is that the deer will find something every time they visit.
Don’t leave apples too near the cameras or all you will get is pics of ears n eyes, pm me if you need any more info and no question is silly because if you don’t ask you won’t learn
Willowbank
Bavarianbrit
Well-Known Member
Anyone local doing apple juice? We get the leftover mush from them and fill the blue chemical tubs with a salt skin on top then cap them and leave them to ferment, we put it down one bucket per site visit.
Costs us 60 Euros per huge trailer and pickup back end full good for thee years of feeding. A bit backbreaking work but we just finished doing it a week ago.
Costs us 60 Euros per huge trailer and pickup back end full good for thee years of feeding. A bit backbreaking work but we just finished doing it a week ago.
I used to be an enthusiastic cider maker myself but that was before the stalking bug bit! I like the idea of leaving it to ferment and getting deer hooked on scrumpy
Apples in one form or another seem to be a recurring theme and there is no shortage round here so I may give it a try.
The ivy browse lines on trees are all pretty uniform, albeit they seem to have left the ivy on some trees completely alone.
Thanks for the suggestions.
Erik Hamburger
Well-Known Member
Longer-term, if you can create a small clearing in a woodland where the shooting angles are safe, and run a topper over it just once a year (end of Aug/early Sept.) it becomes a 'deer lawn' and will reward you as deer will visit it on a regular basis.
Planting or sawing some Chicory (variety Puna 11 is good) or other plants that are attractive to deer could help, such as red clover, and orchard grass. Certain high-protein crops, such as peas, soybeans, turnips, alfalfa, sorghum and kale will also attract deer.
Be aware that a landowner may not be impressed if you try to attract deer, if your Brief is to reduce the population... (?).
Planting or sawing some Chicory (variety Puna 11 is good) or other plants that are attractive to deer could help, such as red clover, and orchard grass. Certain high-protein crops, such as peas, soybeans, turnips, alfalfa, sorghum and kale will also attract deer.
Be aware that a landowner may not be impressed if you try to attract deer, if your Brief is to reduce the population... (?).
John Gryphon
Well-Known Member
Generally apples are a food source that they love. Note this mong`s gob mitt apple.
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