Pumpkins/squash.
Contributors to this thread:Whitetail Deer
From: Bearman
02-May-22
Anyone here plant them as a plot? Easy to do, minimal care and cheap. Been a favorite of mine for years as a mid_late season plot. Any questions, just ask.
From: Zbone
02-May-22
Had read deer luv pumpkin but I hadn't had much luck putting old kids jack-o'-lanterns out...
From: bigswivle
02-May-22
Cucumbers. Trust me
From: milnrick
02-May-22
Had a friend use them by the pick up truck load in TX. The deer wore them out. He got them from a local grocery chain when they became over ripe.
I'm going to sow some pumpkin in one of our food plots this year just out of curiosity.
From: Bearman
02-May-22
Bigsw. Thing I've found with cukes is the deer eat em up before season starts. Pumpkins without the gutts aint real good. They like smashing and eating the interior. I plant about 1/2_1 acre a year. Superb foodplot with lots of tonnage. I like planting the 5_10lb size.
From: Missouribreaks
02-May-22
The degree of attraction will depend on the availability of other choice foodstuffs.
From: bigswivle
02-May-22
One thing I’ve learned in my farming “career”(produce, squash, cucs, pepper etc) if it’s green and it’s fertilized, a deer will eat it.
From: Olink
02-May-22
The deer here don't touch them. We normally have a few pumpkin fields in my area and there are rarely deer in them. I've put pumpkins in front of my trail cams and the deer will sniff them and keep on walking.
From: Catscratch
02-May-22
Took a couple of yrs for the deer to take to them, but once they decided they liked them it was game on! Great plot but I had trouble with squash bugs killing the vines. Became more work than they were worth.
From: Bearman
02-May-22
Cat, yes bugs can be a problem. If I see them which is not every year, I get a can of sevin and dust the plants. Works real well. I've watched 100s of deer walk past beans,clover,rye ect and beeline for the pumpkins/squash. Just thought I'd share something that works excellent here and easy to do and don't need any equipment to do.
From: kadbow
02-May-22
I watched deer hammer some pumpkins my neighbors threw out last year. I have some planted this year. Anxious to see how it goes.
From: MQQSE
02-May-22
The wife always tosses the leftover holiday pumpkins out and the deer love them.
The wife always tosses the leftover holiday pumpkins out and the deer love them.
From: D31
03-May-22
My deer wouldn't touch pumpkins. I hauled 45/60 yards of pumpkins to the field beside my woods the day after Halloween for 6 years trying to get them accustom to eating pumpkins. I am in Michigan surrounded by corn ,beans and small oak woodlots. They rotted into the ground every year. Deer would walk over the pumpkins and never touch them. I would not have believed it if I didn't see it with my own eyes. YMMV
From: scentman
03-May-22
My deer bury their face in a big pumpkin... best time to shoot!
From: Bearman
08-May-22
Try it guys. It's an easy to do plot and has been incredible. Especially late season. I've convinced quite a few buddies to try it and in one word "awesome"
They do like a spot withal of sunlight though.
From: Meat Grinder
08-May-22
Don't dismiss their attraction for squirrel hunting! Lol.