hunting around apple trees

[muddy]

i just found out that the ground i acquired in northeastern iowa has apple trees from an old farmstead growing on it. there is a decent patch area and then an old logging road with trees growing along it. how do any of you approach hunting near apple trees?? just curious, all responses welcome.

 

[joebell]

We have a huge apple tree on our hunting property and it is a great place to be early in october...an almost sure way to put meat in the freezer -> hunt the apple tree

 

[Bowhunt]

You can not beat a logging road in the timber combined with apple trees. Now just decide where the thickest cover is and get between the cover and the tree. I always seem to catch deer getting apples as a secondary food source in the morning on the way back from feeding all night! If ya need help hunting it let me know sounds like a dandy spot!!!

 

[scout]

I hunted on a couple apple trees for about two years. I found mid morning to be best. 9-11

good luck.

 

[GunnerJon]

Havn't had any experience hunting around domesticated apple trees, but my family's property is loaded with crab-apple trees. The deer absolutely love them! Have watched deer feed on them quite a few times. My Dad actually stalked to within bow range of a small buck one time and arrowed him. Deer love apples, wild or domesticated!

 

[NWBuck]

Abundant apple trees? You've got yourself a gold mine muddy. Ditto to Gunner's comments about the crab apple trees...when they're in a productive year they can be a real magnet. Hope you've got a couple of doe tags in your pocket

NWBuck

 

[livtahunt]

muddy, I have a farm that i hunt that has a apple tree grove on it and i put a ladder stand right in the middle of it and seen more deer than you could shake a stick at ended up taking a 150 class deer off of it around nov. 4 of last. good luck

 

[muddy]

thanks for the responses guys. i might have to make a trip up north next weekend.

 

[muddy]

how late in the year will deer be hitting those apple trees?? will they eat the mushy ones off the ground or just the fresher ones??

 

[Daver]

Muddy - I used to live on an acreage that was adjacent to a timber that supported a decent deer population and our property had over 20 apple trees and assorted other fruit trees too. The deer would be very active around the apple trees around this time of year, especially after dark. More than once I would return home from deer hunting elsewhere only to have a stare down with one or more deer in my own yard. I never did shoot one in my own yard although I could have done so many times. I got to know them too well.

Once the fallen apples were cleaned up though they moved on to other food sources. But I would go out and shake the trees in late October/early November to get all the leftover/mushy apples to fall. Those mushy apples were a deer magnet and I can think of several times deer, bucks too, came in broad daylight to get those rotten apples. One time I think a buck even was getting drunk as I watched him scarf up the rotten apples like he never ate before in his life. We was truly staggering around when he sauntered back into the timber later on.

So yes, they will go after the mushy ones too. I almost think they preferred them or maybe it was that other food sources were less plentiful in late October, but either way, they will hit them.

 

[livtahunt]

muddy, the farm i hunt we would see them all the way thru the end of november