Osage snack

[osage outlaw]

It's been a very wet summer here.  The osage fruit seems to be ahead of schedule for this time of year and weighing down the limbs.  The deer are taking advantage of it and gobbling up the leaves.  From my observations, osage leaves are one of their favorite things to eat.  I took a few pictures from the house over the last couple of days.




I stepped outside to take a picture of this hickory board for Bubby's new facebook page about board bows.  The doe in the background didn't even care I was there.




They will often stand on their hind legs to reach the leaves. 




I've started mowing the small field next to our yard.  The clover is slowly taking it over.  I'm seeing more deer from our house than ever before.  Next year I would like to sow the entire field with some kind of clover seed.

[bjrogg]

Nice pictures Clint. Love watching them stand up on their hind legs and feed.
Bjrogg

[Chippintuff]

In my yard they eat every osage leaf they can reach. It would be really nice if I could train them to eat the thorns.

WA

[BowEd]

Good pics Clint.The deer are premier browsers around here too.

[chamookman]

Way cool Clint  ! Bob

[Aaron H]

Cool

[Hawkdancer]

They look very healthy!  They will start on the regular apples before too long?  Sweet clover is also a delicasey(sp) in the deer diet!  They will also go on high alert when the season opens !
Hawkdancer

[bjrogg]

We seed sweet clover in our wheat crop so after the wheat is harvested the clover grows as a cover crop. It helps protects the soil from wind and water erosion. It also is a legume and puts nitrogen in the soil for other crops. The deer love it and it last late into fall even though winter with snow cover. If I were planning on trying to establish a food plot Clint. I'd suggest spreading it on very early spring. We normally spread it with a atv and garden spreader on the frozen ground when snow is mostly gone.
Bjrogg
PS I could probably give you a few more tips if you want to PM me.

[osage outlaw]

Thanks for the advice BJ.  I'll try to remember to PM or text you in the spring. 

[JEB]

Good photos Clint. Do the deer eat the fruits or the leaves?


Brian, are you saying to spread sweet clover over our food plots to help build our soil up in the spring. Our fields are cleared pine tree fields and the ground is sour. Right now I planted buckwheat, rape and rye for fall plots.

[osage outlaw]

Right now the deer are eating the leaves.  They don't eat the fruit until later in the year when they start to get soft and mushy.  I did a skull mount for my brother in law a few years back.   He killed a buck when several inches of snow was on the ground.  When I skinned the head out its mouth was full of osage fruit.

[Parnell]

Cool photos, cool post Clint.  Archery closes here this weekend and I took a young buck.  Here is to a good season...

[osage outlaw]

Cool photos, cool post Clint.  Archery closes here this weekend and I took a young buck.  Here is to a good season...

Congrats on the buck Parnell.  Are you posting it?

[bjrogg]

Good photos Clint. Do the deer eat the fruits or the leaves?


Brian, are you saying to spread sweet clover over our food plots to help build our soil up in the spring. Our fields are cleared pine tree fields and the ground is sour. Right now I planted buckwheat, rape and rye for fall plots.

Jeb I'm saying we spread our clover seed early in the spring. We plant our wheat in the fall around mid to late September here. It comes up builds it root system and then goes dormant over winter. Early spring we seed the clover which will germinate but won't grow much until wheat is harvested and it can get sunlight. Then it will grow nice. Once it starts to bloom it slows its growth and try's to make seed, so we cut it and that helps it compete with weeds and regrow. Clover does well in cooler temperatures. Your pine cleared plots might be acidic. Might try spearing some ag lime. How does your Rye do? The clover will put some nitrogen in soil. It will also overwinter and be there the next year. Kinda like Alfalfa. I'm not saying you don't need any fertilizer but it does add a substantial amount.
Bjrogg