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By: Tracy Breen

When most people think about food plots, the first thing they think of is green clover fields. The truth is there are plenty of options available. Sometimes the key to food plot success relies on your ability to find that certain treat that deer might be looking for that they can’t find anywhere else. For instance, I know many land managers plant fields full of clover and soybeans even though adjacent land owners do the same thing. In most agricultural areas, deer don’t have a hard time finding corn, soybeans or clover. Finding something they can’t resist can often lead to success.

I recently interviewed Babe Winkelman about his hunting property in Minnesota. His property is surrounded by old farms and agricultural land. His secret weapon? Crabapple trees. “We have planted over 1,000 crabapple trees and most of them are blooming and producing fruit. The deer love them,” Winkelman said. “They provide the deer with food during the late fall and well into winter when many crops have already been harvested. It gives them something to eat that they can’t find on any properties around me. On top of that, other animals also enjoy eating the crabapples.” 

If you decide to grow crabapple trees, buy trees that are several years old that will likely produce fruit the year after you plant them. Plant as many as you can afford. One or two will likely be loved to death by deer while they are in the process of growing up. The best way to ensure they won’t be killed is to put a cage around them when they are young.

Just like a food plot, apple trees need tender loving care if you want them to flourish. They need plenty of sunlight, water and well-drained soil. Giving them plenty of fertilizer also helps as does pruning them regularly.

If you don’t have the time or cash flow to plant large numbers of apple trees, there is a backup plan. Do you know of an old lone apple tree or two that grows on property you have permission to hunt on? Pruning an old tree, giving it fertilizer, and cutting down some of the trees around it so it receives plenty of sunlight can greatly increase the amount of fruit an apple tree produces. The nice thing about lone apple trees that are surrounded by other species of trees is deer will likely travel great distances to eat those apples once they drop. By increasing the number of apples a tree produces, you can increase your own hunting opportunities. Hunting near a lone apple tree can be an awesome place to hang a stand.

When your apple trees start produce fruit, regardless if they are trees you planted or trees or decide to take care of, hang a scouting camera near the tree or trees.  You will be surprised how many deer will be feeding on the fruit in the fall and winter. Use a Pine Ridge AT-5 to ensure you get plenty of great pictures.

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About the Author:  www.tracybreen.com