After Acorns and Apples are gone?

[Wisconsinbuckwatch]

I've been hunting oaks mainly, and some areas with apples as well. Acorns seem to have mostly been eaten and apples seems to be down or rotting in the tree! I'm building up many spots for next years first couple weeks, with my scouting of oaks, but like I said not much still on the ground. What food source to you see deer going to next? I understand they will go to corn, soybeans, are other crops. I'm not hunting field edges, just trying to locate beding near the best food sources. Do you see deer in marsh staying in the same bedding if the oaks go cold, but ag fields are still close? I'm going to do some mid-day scouting I'm going to look for new rubs and scraps coming out of points on the transition. Any advice would be great? I hope everyone is having a good season so far!

[krent12]

I am seeing the same thing. I saw 7 deer in a grass/ alfalfa field right at dark while hunting tonight. Going to go in closer tomorrow.

[Killtree]

Once the acorns are gone in southern Indiana they start pounding the sumac berries pretty hard. Then honeysuckle and cedar needles.

[Bigb]

I'm Jealous, I don't think our acorns are going to be gone until Spring! I've never seen so many in my life and still a lot on the trees. White oaks still seem to be holding a lot. The few apple trees we have aren't really being hit either, lots of apples below both and the apples on one tree look really good and haven't even been touched.

With harvest in full swing, I think they'll be hitting any ag fields that are being cut. Fresh cut corn fields always seem to pull deer the first week after they are cut. Family and work are going to keep me out of the woods until Late October but I'm hoping all fields are cut and the acorns have (hopefully) dried up. We have so many white oaks its tough to pattern which ones they will be going too.

[Brandonkinchen]

If there's no age in the area I'd look for natural browse.

[Wisconsinbuckwatch]

I went scouting and I located some nice bedding and I jumped a small buck and thought let me go see where he was bedding, big mistake I pushed down the Oxbow and another explosion of noise and a large slash into the river. I've been dreaming of what that buck might have looked like. I'll be hunting this spot next time I have the correct wind. Thanks for all the tips guys.

[Thesouthpaw]

Iv'e been curious as well. The ag fields in my area flooded in the early stages this year and killed everything. Once the acorns dry up, It is hard to tell where the deer will be. There are a few grown up hay field in my area that have some clover growing in them. I suspect that the deer will begin feeding there.

[PK_]

Jagger leaves.

[Kcbuckeye22]

Last year my area of the Missouri Ozarks (mostly big woods public with some hay fields on private) didn’t have many acorns at all, by mid-October they started hitting anything green. By November 1st the does completely shifted to green fields. This year is about the same, however it seems the mid-August rains gave life to some trees to produce some mass. I think I’ll see a shift about the 3rd week of October.

However, my cuddelink cams have deer hitting my radish/turnip/wheat/rye plot over the weekend. I think they are hitting the grains, so who knows. This weekend and next will be the last weeks for acorns for me.

I wouldn’t be surprised if they start hammering river bottom browse after the acorns dry up.