Do Deer Eat Peaches? 🍑 - The Body Training

Fact checked by Steven Lines, lifelong Hunter, and Outdoorsman.

When you are hunting, food can be a great lure. If you pick the right food item, you’ll be able to bring plenty of deer onto your hunting ground. So, do deer eat peaches?

Deer love to eat peaches. They will eat most fruits and hunters can capitalize on this by creating a food plot. When done correctly, you will be able to attract deer onto your property throughout the hunting season.

Finding food sources is one of the best ways to predict the movements of deer populations. Here’s how you can use the deer’s love of peaches and fruit to build a consistently rewarding food plot.

In this post, we'll cover:

Will Deer Eat Peaches?

Deer aren’t fussy eaters. They will eat a wide range of fruits. They will eat peaches. Interestingly, many people report that they are more interested in eating saplings. They also tend to be more interested in eating the leaves rather than the fruit itself.

Often, deer will show the most interest in peaches when they have become overripened. This causes them to fall off the tree.

Sometimes, though, deer won’t be familiar with peaches. In this case, they will be more hesitant when first confronted with them. They might only take a small nibble. But as they get more familiar with the fruit, they will eat them more vigorously.

What Other Fruit Will Deer Eat?

Deer will eat almost any fruit. They enjoy eating apples. They also tend to favor persimmons. They also enjoy eating smaller plums and cherries. Things like watermelon, squash, pumpkin, and tomatoes can also be a good way of attracting deer to the property.

Many hunters are familiar with using soured corn. This is a smellier food. Because of this, deer will find it easier to discover the food source.

Acorns also form a large part of the deer’s diet. Other nuts that would accumulate on the ground will also be a big part of their diet.

Will a Fruit Plot Attract Deer?

One of the best ways to capitalize on the deer’s love of food is putting in a fruit lot. There are a few benefits that this will provide.

First, it’s a good reliable source of food for deer. This means that they will visit it consistently throughout the hunting season. Deer need to feed five times per day. If you hang a large bird feeder in the fruit plot, you’ll be guaranteed to see some action.

Compared to some other types of food plots, it will be an excellent investment. You should be able to get some strong saplings at a hardware store. Then, you need to plant them and give them plenty of water. Once you do this, it won’t take a lot of time and money to maintain them. The fruit will be able to survive for many years, consistently attracting deer.

What Should You Plant in Your Fruit Plot?

As we mentioned, deer have a varied diet. Almost every fruit will attract their attention. This gives you a massive variety of trees that you can use:

Cherry tree
Apple tree
Peach tree
Pear tree

And many more. There are a few things that you need to consider to find the right one for your plot.

First, you’ll want to think about your local climate. You want to purchase something that will be able to handle the weather conditions. This will reduce the amount of time and effort you need to invest in caring for it. Often, the nursery owners will offer plenty of advice to help you find suitable trees for you.

The next thing that you need to consider is when the fruit will be ripening. You want to get something that will ripen at different times of the year. By doing this, you’ll be able to build a plot that will attract the deer at all times of the year. It also offers good insurance. If the weather makes it hard for one species to bloom, another variety might thrive.

Third, you’ll want to get a full-size fruit rather than a dwarf variety. These plants will produce more fruit. The bigger plants are harder for the deer to damage when they are younger. This ensures that they will be able to grow into adulthood.

Lastly, you’ll need to consider the placement of the lot. Check that there aren’t any other plots in the area. For example, you don’t want to put it just down the road from a large cornfield. If possible, you want to avoid putting the plot near a busy roadway. Too many cars will scare away the deer.

How Can You Protect Peach Trees From Deer?

If you are planting a plot, you might want to protect some of the smaller trees. If you don’t, the deer will eat the leaves and rub their antlers against them. There are a few measures you can explore.

You might want to hang soap on the leaves of the trees. This is a good way of deterring deer. If you want something more powerful, you can get commercial deer repellent sprays. These will release an odor that will drive away from the deer.

Sometimes, you can get repellants that you apply to the leaves. These have a bitter taste that will stop deer from eating them. You might need to experiment with a few options before finding the repellant that will deliver the best results in your area.

Sometimes, you might want to use a free-roaming dog. The deer won’t want to mess with these animals. They will also protect against other animals, like pigs.

If you plan on hunting the plot later, you’ll need to ensure that the measures are only temporary. Once you remove them, the deer might be a little hesitant, but the smell of the food will be enough to entice them into the plot. You’ll then be able to set up your stand and start hunting.

How Can You Attract Deer to Your Food Plot?

Once you have put all the work into creating your food plot, it’s time to start hunting. Usually, the smell of the fruit will attract deer naturally. In this case, all you need to do is get your tree stand set up.

But sometimes, you will need to work a little harder to attract the deer into the plot. First, you might want to consider using a scent lure. It’s best to use this on a day with light winds. This will ensure that the wind will carry it for longer distances.

There are plenty of scents that you can use. For example, things like doe urine are practical, especially during the breeding season.

It’s also important to consider what’s around the plot. The deer will want some cover when traveling to and from the plot. Thicker hardwoods will be the best option.

Finally, make sure that you have a way of getting into the plot without being seen. Sometimes, your presence can be what is spooking the deer, making them run away. If this is the case, you might need to consider moving your tree stand to a more inconspicuous location.

Final Thoughts

Deer are fond of eating fruit. They enjoy everything from pears and apples – like elk – to pumpkins. Because of this, some hunters have decided to start a food plot. This is where you will grow fruit. By providing a food source, there is always a good chance of finding deer on your property. Hopefully, these tips will make it easy to establish the plot yourself and boost your chances of getting a good shot next hunting season.

Steven Lines is a hunter and outdoorsman from Safford, Arizona, USA. Since he was a child, he has been hunting and fishing and has over 20 years of outdoor experience. Steven works as a hunting guide in Arizona during his spare time and runs a Youtube channel dedicated to sharing his outdoor adventures with others.

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