I've been researching this subject and decided this spring its time to start incorporating American Plums into a bedding area I've been developing with hinge cutting over the past three years. Plums create thick bedding, soft mast, and great browse. Anyone have any experience hunting over plums or planting them for improved deer habitat?
I think plums add alot of good thick cover but as for a food source I dont know about browse as far as leaves go but the years we get plums there is a ton of them but they get ripe about the last week in augest yotes deer every thing love them you see plum pits in the dropping of all animals
Plums are a favorite of some deer for sure, and they do add great food to bedding areas. They can even get large enough to hinge over from time to time thickening them up even more and getting browse down to their level. The only downside to plums is they ripen too early to be a "huntable" source of food. However, if you can get them for a great price I say go for it! It is another food option for a time of year most hunters over look. We're going to be grafting some old non-productive apple trees this year hopefully. And we will be using scions from trees that produce apples from August-December.
Thanks guys, I'm planing on using the plums for cover and browse, with crab apples and pears mixed in. From what I've read plums have shallow roots and they'll sicker additional trees from the roots. Look forward to the experiment, if it works I'll post the results.
