Deer and Potatoes?

Harvester

Harvester

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Hey Everyone,

I am new to this site, and let me say I have been enjoying reading all the posts in this forum! GREAT SITE!

Anyways on to my question. I hunt a 100 acre plot of land, which fortunatley is located next to a large vegetable farm. This year one of the fields has been planted with potatoes. Does anyone know if potatoes are a food of choice for whitetails?? If not the root then perhaps the actual plant? There isnt much sign in this particular field BUT there is a neighbouring pumpkin field that has yet to be picked clean so I doubt potatoes are appealing just yet. I am wondering if the deer will come to this field once the pumkin source is exhausted or if they would return to forest forage, ie oak stands etc?

Any input would be appreciated! :)
 
I sat in a ground blind in Uxbridge with a buddy and watched a huge buck feed through a recently harvested Potatoe field.
He walked with his head down sniffing like a hound and was finding the potatoes missed by the harvester. He would poke them out of the ground with his front hoof and swallow them hole... we could see him lift his head and gulp them down his throat in the bino's :shock:
This is the only time I have seen this behaviour but I do not think it is unique... whitetail will eat many tubers and roots and are opportunity feeders :wink:
 
Carefully watched a couple of our small fields in Pary Sound District for months. Deer crossing through the veggie fields, but not bothering unharvested potato plants whatsoever. They would take any spuds on top missed in the harvest however. A few of the squash & pumpkin flowers were eaten, but otherwise pretty much left alone. No problem in the turnip patch either.
Pure hell on Swiss Chard though - had to fence them out !

One thing - they DO like the wild apples along the fencerows - big time !
 
Wow, I can't believe they were swallowing them whole! I will have to kick a few up and see if they last! (or If I was really lazy, buy a bag ;))

Thanks for the info guys
 
An orchard or soy bean field would likely be better. Deer love apples and soy beans. Standing corn is another legal bait.
 
I don't know about deer but the moose have destroyed my fathers potatoe garden this year. Eaten every stock they can get to. Put a fence up but they managed to break it down.
 
Never saw a deer eat potatoes, but they dig up carrots and beets .. They also ate a lot my cabbages , tomatoes, beet tops and lettuce . They haven't bothered what's left of the Cukes .
Last fall after halloween I put my grandson's Jack-0-Lanterns out for the deer ...they sure like them ....even tho they were frozen solid (but broke open ).
 
Interesting bits of information.

i know someone who rents out plots of land to farm soybean. I guess I'll have to give her a call to find out if they see a lot of deer and if she'll let me hunt on her land... :wink:

I'm sure there must be a lot of deer around that arear as it is full soybean and corn fields.

Do deer like sunflower?

BT
 
I live on a farm (168 acres) and the farmer (my cousin) alternates between feed corn (not sweet corn) and soybeans. During the corn years the deer are feeding all the time. But during the soybean years, the whitetails just cut across the fields to the wheat or corn (neighbouring farms).

Also, when I get to play with the toys (combine/tractor), I've chased out some deer (and some coyotes) when doing corn, but only chased out coyotes during soybeans.
 
About 5 - 6 years ago in Deloraine MB we shot a lot of deer coming off the sunflower fields just at daybreak . The deer were in there all night feeding on the left over sunflowers .
 
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