I have a grove of buckeye trees that are loaded year after year, i have never seen a deer eat them but something scoops them up, i have broke them open and tasted the nut and they are very sweet, someone told me there poisonous or maybe to deer? fact or fiction.
I don't... But I figured that someone from O-H-I-O would answer your question... Someone tried to explain it to me once. I had no idea what they were talking about. lol I suppose I should ASK (.com) that lol, some day...
The internet says they are poisonous to cattle, and possibly humans... I think deer are pretty close to cattle, so... I would say yeah, not so much on the eating of the nuts... They contain Tannic acid...
To be honest, Ive only seen squirells and chipmunks eat them. From what Ive always been told, Half of the nut is poisonous. But that my be just a supersticion.
The indians would build a dam in a creek and mash up a bunch of buckeyes then throw them in the water. The fish would float to the top. I have never seen deer eat the fruit but they really like the leaves when they fall off.
Have lost cattle and horses from buckeyes, finally killed all in the pastures and no more trouble. My grandfather told me about smashing them in a burlap bag and putting them in the creek to get fish. The old timers in Louisiana believe if you put one of the black seeds that are in the pod, in your pocket your arthritis will go away. Don't know about that but have tried the creek and that works. And sure hated to loose the livestock. Never saw a deer track around any of the trees though, they are really bushes up to about 6 feet tall around here.
we have a lot of these trees on are ground some near 30 feet tall,small diameter and brushy like you pointed out. along a creek bed, something eats them because they disappear fast. people sell them at local flee markets as good luck charms in old mason jars!
