Deer Hunting The Mast
In the deer hunting world, the term mast refers to the time of the season that the deer begin feeding on a variety of deer food produced by trees and bushes. There are two basic types of mast which are the hard mast and the soft mast.
The hard mast can include acorns, beechnuts, walnuts, chestnuts, pecans, and others. The soft mast can include persimmons, blackberries, dogwood berries, apples, and other such fruits and berries. All are good food for deer.
When the mast trees and bushes start producing, often the deer will immediately begin congregating to these locations. This deer food source is needed to provide good nutrition and extra body fat in preparation for the upcoming winter.
Deer hunting near these areas that offer such food for deer provide excellent opportunities for hunters. Place stands located within sight of the mast trees. Or set up along the travel routes leading to the deer food. If no sightings occur during daylight, it may be necessary to move closer to the bedding areas.
Any additional sign such as a rub line or a scrape line near these areas will only improve the chances of success. This time also corresponds with the upcoming breeding periods so there should be signs of deer activity.
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Know Your Deer Food Sources
Deer food is obviously an important factor in finding deer. Deer hunting land that offers a variety of deer food sources normally will hold more deer. Hunters need to know what types of food for deer is available on their property in order to be more productive.
Food For Deer
The food sources that a hunting property holds are usually easy to identify. This is because deer will eat a wide range and variety of foods. There are many farmland field crops such as beans and corn. There are fruits such as apples or crab apples. Acorns and other nuts are a favorite. Deer will eat hundreds of browse type foods. Modern hunters often plant special food plots specifically for the deer.
Hunt Active Deer Food
In most cases, locating such food does not present a problem for hunters. The issue that hunters face is determining which food is most likely to be eaten at a specific time frame and which area is the most active. The best way to remedy this is to be aware of when each food source is available and to keep constant checks on those areas.
Monitoring Deer Food
A smart hunter will keep good field notes each season while monitoring the available food sources. This is important because many times the food for deer will change from year to year. Browse type foods are the only constant from one season to another. Due to certain conditions, field crops, fruits, and nuts are not always available on consecutive hunting seasons.
Hunting Deer Food Sources
Through proper scouting skills, a hunter should be able to determine which foods the deer are actively feeding on. These locations will offer the best areas for deer hunting and good chances for harvesting the deer.
Know the land, know the deer food, and you will know where to hunt the deer.
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