Attracting Whitetail Deer To Your Property

Every whitetail hunter dreams of the ability to enter a deer paradise upon stepping out their back door.  Giving the deer the right foods will go a long way towards making this dream a reality.  You should consider planting a feeding area with multiple food options that will mature throughout the year giving the animals on your property a seemingly endless buffet to feast on.

What foods do deer prefer you might ask.  The following will give you a pretty good starting point for some of the preferred foods for whitetails.  Planting a variety of these will give the deer in your area an excellent reason to repeatedly visit your property.

Crab apples and sweet apple varieties are a well known food source.  Plant some apple trees to provide a favorite food for deer.  They will eat both the buds and the fruit.  The older the trees are when you plant them, the less time it will take for them to produce apples.  Apple trees typically take around five to seven years to begin fruiting.

White and red oaks will both attract deer although deer tend to prefer the acorns from white oaks over those from the red oak trees as they are less bitter.

Dry bean plants (kidney beans, pinto beans, black beans, etc...) are another food source for whitetails.

Soybeans, corn and alfalfa fields are great sources of food for deer especially when they are near a stand of trees that offers them a place to disappear should any predators happen to encroach on their space.

Peas and vetch (a plant closely related to the pea)  are a food source that deer will find hard to resist.

White and red clover are both excellent choices to offer to the whitetail deer that eat on your land.

Birdsfoot trefoil is a great choice for those properties that have low pH even when the soil doesn't drain well.

Planting chicory will provide forage for deer to eat during the spring and summer months.

Brassica is part of the mustard family but the deer enjoy eating it especially later in the year.

Peanuts are another option for whitetails.

Deer will feed on oats where they are available when the foods they prefer more aren't readily available.

When none of the other food options are available deer can often be seen eating browse (twigs from hardwood and softwood trees)

Don't underestimate the importance of mineral for use as an attractant.  You can mix your own with mineral and salt purchased from your local farm supply store.

Keeping deer around:

Make sure that you don't hunt over their food plot.  Make their food plot in a "safe" area where you will allow no-one to go or hunt.  This makes the deer feel like they have a secure area to hang out on your property which can come in handy when  hunting pressure ramps up and the bullets start to fly.  It is typically best to center their feeding area on your land as this will allow you to observer where the deer are entering and exiting the property, and enable you to set your stands in the right places for hunting effectively.  Set up multiple stands in order to be prepared for varying wind conditions always keeping yourself positioned downwind from the deer.  If you have enough land you may consider setting up a "safe" area for bedding as well.

Note:  Use game cameras in order to see the deer that are entering your property enables you to choose the best animal to pursue.  This will also allow you to find out the time of day they are entering and exiting your property making it easier to plan your hunts.

- Any day in the outdoors is a good day