Deer love mast, and need this important nutrition as part of their diet. Chestnut Hill Outdoors has the best selection of soft and hard mast trees to choose from. Deer foods that grow on trees and shrubs are usually referred to as mast. There are two types of mast, hard (chestnuts, acorns, etc.) and soft (persimmons, pears, apples, grapes, berries, etc.). We all know that deer crave chestnuts, but deer are extremely attracted to soft mast. Some of these soft mast trees bear fruit early in the fall, so are exceptional food plot additions for bowhunters. Other varieties hold fruit until late fall.
Not only are soft mast trees great for bowhunting, but they can condition deer to stay on your land before and after hunting season. By planting a variety of trees you can extend the fruiting season from spring through late fall, thus keeping the deer on your land throughout the year.
The following are the soft mast varieties that bear fruit during the spring, summer and fall:
May- Peaches, Blueberries (early)
June- Peaches, Blueberries,
July- Apples, Pears, Blueberries, Blackberries
August- Apples, Pears, Blackberries, Grapes, Persimmons
September- Apples, Pears, Grapes, Persimmons
October- Apples, Pears, Persimmons
November- Apples (late), Pears (late), Persimmons (late)
Chestnut Hill offers a variety of soft masts at their extensive nursery. They have the following soft masts for your bowhunting food plots: persimmons, pears, apples, blueberries, grapes and mulberries.
Persimmons are often called Deer Candy, for good reason. Deer seek out sweet tasting persimmons in the fall for their nutrition and flavor. Chestnut Hill offers two types of grafted American persimmons selected specifically to attract deer. The Deer Candy American Persimmon
Early Drop and the Deer Magnet American Persimmon Late Drop will get deer coming to your land throughout the entire fall! Both are excellent for colder regions and will grow as far north as Zone 5. The Deer Candy drops fruit in September and October and the Deer Magnet drops its fruit as late as November. Get your deer hooked with Chestnut Hill’s persimmon trees.
Pears are a popular soft mast deer and Chestnut Hill is introducing some excellent new varieties – the Dr. Deer Pear and the Thanksgiving Pear. Dr. Deer Pear was discovered by Dr. James Kroll, aka Dr. Deer, and is highly disease resistant and ripens in the late fall. The Thanksgiving Pear was discovered in Georgia and holds its fruit until Thanksgiving! Both are cold hardy and will bring bucks into your land deep into the fall. Other pear varieties ripen earlier, such as Pineapple, Orient and Kieffer.
Grapes are excellent for bowhunting season! Chestnut Hill offers the native Muscadine grapes, which are highly disease resistant and produce in Zones 6-9. They ripen in late August through early October. Blueberries ripen in spring and early summer. This extends the season that deer will come to your land.
If you want to keep deer year round, Chestnut Hill has fruit bearing plants that will keep your deer fed throughout the year. With that kind of selection, deer will always associate your property with food. Even if you have only a small parcel of land, having the right food sources will pull in deer from all of your neighbors. Deer always seek out fruit over eating grass and leaves!
Chestnut Hill is the best place for you to purchase your food plot and deer attractant plants because they offer a large selection, their plants are specifically bred to attract deer, and they offer customers different sized plants at different levels of growth. If you’re a bowhunter looking to attract a deer, planting a variety of soft mast trees is the best way to get them on your land. Both you and your deer can enjoy the harvest, and venison tastes great with fruit!
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