Seasonal Natural Browse -Midwest

[RiverBottoms]

Hello,

This winter I am trying to up my plant / deer browse identification game. I've done some searching on this forum and other web resources, but I am interested in what the most experienced woodsmen have to say on the topic.

Aside from the typical agricultural crops that most deer hunters key in on, what natural browse do you notice deer feeding on and also when in the hunting season (early, rut, late etc.).

Some of the websites I've found online have some good info, but are not necessarily geared to the hunter, or the public land hunter. Some preferred foods were listed on the QDMA website for the Midwest states in the list below (I think I got it from there). While I'm sure this stuff grows all over on public land, I suspect that habitat that is not pristine/managed (think public land swamps and marshes) or land that holds a lot of deer get over browsed, and this stuff gets cleaned up first. What else do you see deer feeding on besides the obvious stuff, and when? Does this alter your hunting strategy at all, even in small ways?

Midwest brambles (blackberry, etc.)
coralberry
dogwoods
grape
greenbriar
Illinois bundleflower
ragweed
trumpet creeper
wild lettuce
wild rose

[jhenrich]

I'm interested in this as well. Would be nice if the general location was given too (northern WI big woods vs. central/southern WI farmland). Should be a good thread.

[Drenalin]

I would add red maple to that list. Maybe other species of maple as well, but red is the one I notice.

[mheichelbech]

I see them browsing in Bush honeysuckle a lot but I’ve recently it’s a terriblly invasive plant that it’s roots emit a poison that prevents other plants from growing. At maturity it can be difficult for deer, especially bucks to walk through. It’s one of those plants that “seems” good but is ultimately bad for deer and deer hunting.

I see them browsing a lot on some kind of woody vine but I don’t know the name of it. Similar to English ivy but smaller leaves.

[ghoasthunter]

dont forget mushrooms deer love them another big one while its green is jewel weed. but deer really eat anything so browse really should not be targeted as a food source but targeting the browse line exiting bedding now thats the ticket.

[PK_]

Someone listed it by month a few years ago. I want to say Bush honeysuckle, red maple and aster? were the most common sept-nov and then dogwood was king in dec...

I’ll see if I can dig up his post...

[PK_]

Sourced from MN DNR biologist:

September

Bush Honeysuckle 24%

Asters (Mainly large leafed) 33%

Pincherry
Fringed Bindweed 10%
Clover

Mountian Maple 9%

Willow 6%

Clinons Lily 3%

Golden Rod 3%

Bracken fern 3%

Red Maple 2%

Rose 2%

October

Red maple or grasses and sedges (if red maple not available) 29%

Bush honeysuckle 13%

Beaked and American Hazel 1%

Clover 7%

Aster (mainly large leafed) 11%

Bunchberry 8%

Golden rod 8%

Paper birch 1%

Wintergreen 5%

Quaking aspen 5%

Raspberry and black berries 2%

Strawberry 2%

Common thistle 2%

Hedge Bindweed 2%

November


Large Leafed aster 25%

Baslm Poplar or quaking aspen depending on availability 4%

grasses 11%

willow 1%

birch 10%

Bunchberry 8%

Pine 1%

Alder 3%

Apple 5%

Bog laurel 4%

gooseberry 4%

hazel 1%

Twin flower 3%

Thistle 2%

aweet pea 2%

December

Dogwood 44%

Red Maple 10%

Hazels 13%

Mountian maple 15%

June berry 7%

Bush honeysuckle 3%

Willow <1%

Quaking aspen 2%

[brancher147]

There are two types of bush honeysuckle, Amur Honeysuckle (Lonicera maacki) and Morrows Honeysuckle (Lonicera morrowii). I think Amur is more common in midwest and deer do browse it. In WV we have Morrows and deer do NOT browse it. They do browse japanese honeysuckle also.

But deer will browse most any woody vegetation with the exception of striped maple, locust, red cedar, beech, mountain laurel (they do browse rhododendron), and most pines and I am sure there are others especially in midwest. And I have seen them browse all of these except beech if they are hungry enough. Green grasses, forbs, some ferns are also a draw.

On an out of state trip this year in mature woods with very little browse, I knew of an area where invasive tree of heaven was coming in. With no acorns and little browse deer can be drawn to tree of heaven, and sure enough the tree of heaven shoots were all browsed and there were multiple rubs (they also like to rub tree of heaven). I hunted the spot the next day and two bucks came through at noon browsing tree of heaven and striped maple shoots and I shot the bigger one, a nice 2 year old.

[stash59]

An actual list would probably be in the thousands. And yes that's just for the Midwest! Deer can and will eat lot's and lot's of different plants. Rather than trying to compose a list, especially for the whole Midwest. Pay attention to what you see they've browsed on while out scouting/hunting in the area/areas you hunt. If you'd like to get more technical, take some pics. Then try to identify them through research at home.

Also just like deer can be seen feeding in only the most choice/greenest sections of a field. They may totally ignore some plants of even the most choice browse species! Because they lack the nutrients that other plants of the same species contain!

[ghoasthunter]

when i target areas were deer rely mostly on browse i start with areas where the most diversity's collide. if you can find a spot where they have food all season you normally find the best activity.

[ghoasthunter]

There are two types of bush honeysuckle, Amur Honeysuckle (Lonicera maacki) and Morrows Honeysuckle (Lonicera morrowii). I think Amur is more common in midwest and deer do browse it. In WV we have Morrows and deer do NOT browse it. They do browse japanese honeysuckle also.

But deer will browse most any woody vegetation with the exception of striped maple, locust, red cedar, beech, mountain laurel (they do browse rhododendron), and most pines and I am sure there are others especially in midwest. And I have seen them browse all of these except beech if they are hungry enough. Green grasses, forbs, some ferns are also a draw.

On an out of state trip this year in mature woods with very little browse, I knew of an area where invasive tree of heaven was coming in. With no acorns and little browse deer can be drawn to tree of heaven, and sure enough the tree of heaven shoots were all browsed and there were multiple rubs (they also like to rub tree of heaven). I hunted the spot the next day and two bucks came through at noon browsing tree of heaven and striped maple shoots and I shot the bigger one, a nice 2 year old.

ive shot big bucks with bellies packed with rhododendron buds late season.

[ghoasthunter]

There are two types of bush honeysuckle, Amur Honeysuckle (Lonicera maacki) and Morrows Honeysuckle (Lonicera morrowii). I think Amur is more common in midwest and deer do browse it. In WV we have Morrows and deer do NOT browse it. They do browse japanese honeysuckle also.

But deer will browse most any woody vegetation with the exception of striped maple, locust, red cedar, beech, mountain laurel (they do browse rhododendron), and most pines and I am sure there are others especially in midwest. And I have seen them browse all of these except beech if they are hungry enough. Green grasses, forbs, some ferns are also a draw.

On an out of state trip this year in mature woods with very little browse, I knew of an area where invasive tree of heaven was coming in. With no acorns and little browse deer can be drawn to tree of heaven, and sure enough the tree of heaven shoots were all browsed and there were multiple rubs (they also like to rub tree of heaven). I hunted the spot the next day and two bucks came through at noon browsing tree of heaven and striped maple shoots and I shot the bigger one, a nice 2 year old.

ive shot big bucks with bellies packed with rhododendron buds late season.

. on east coast right now its red brush, hemlock, cedar, wax myrtle, fiddle head roots, laurel, rhododendron, rock tripe, moss, water cress, catbriar, mushrooms, juniper and just about anything green. you know when they switch over too winter brows when you see the colored pee in the snow. this year it started early from low mass. i found blue pee in that mid November snow we had

[RiverBottoms]

Great stuff, Thanks everyone!

[Itchy Bones]

best thing to do is like others have said look for heavy browse near bedding identify those plants and whatever else you observe deer browsing on. use the plant net app on your smart phone. you can take a picture of the plant and it will reference it to thousands of pictures uploaded by botanists from all over the world. It is definitely not a cheat code so don't low brow it. Its like having a plant i.d. book in your pocket but you don't have to flip through hundreds of pages. for more obscure plant species you basically get a starting point to reference from then you'll have to keep doing homework. find it over and over, see where it grows and what conditions it grows in, what plants grow near it, when it seeds when it flowers when it goes dormant if its perennial what kind of fruit or mast it produces. Its a never ending study. Big ones I have noticed are ragweed jewel weed dogwood native grasses. native grasses have been tough to I.D.

[Wetfoot]

dont forget mushrooms deer love them another big one while its green is jewel weed. but deer really eat anything so browse really should not be targeted as a food source but targeting the browse line exiting bedding now thats the ticket.

You're absolutely correct. It maybe easier to figure out what they don't eat. It's best to find the bedding in the area you're hunting and Concentrate on the hot sign near the bedding. Hunt the stuff that looks best. Food sources in big woods change very quickly. Secure bedding and hot sign are key.