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Plant This Type Of Fruit Tree To Attract Deer To Your Property
By MICHAEL ALEXANDER UCCELLO
Planting certain fruit trees is a great way to lure deer into your yard. Deer prefer soft, easy-to-digest foods, like tender twigs, young leaves, and soft fruits in their diet.
Drawn to sweet flavors, deer eat tender greens in the spring and summer before turning to fruit-bearing mast trees in the fall and winter as they prepare for the colder months.
Apple trees are the most effective lure for deer. They are a high-energy source, which is vital in the winter. Also, apple trees often drop their fruit making it easily accessible.
Like apples, pears are a great treat for deer as the soft fruit is easy to eat and digest. Plant a variety in your garden for more resilient fruit and a longer fruiting season.
Persimmons also present a great option, especially in the fall. The initially bitter fruit becomes sweet after the first frost when other natural food sources are scarce.
Crabapples are smaller and more tart than apples, but deer enjoy them all the same. These hardy trees thrive in a variety of climates and also have a lovely aesthetic appeal.
Plum trees are easy to grow and maintain. Growing in most soils and reaching heights of 35 feet, they produce edible red plums that ripen in the summer.
Plant fruit trees in a quiet area of your property, away from any roads, and with plenty of space. Install deer-friendly fencing to protect young trees from being over-browsed.