ANOTHER HUNTING QUESTION

[Bill Norris]

Always kind of kept my deer baiting with natural (feed) and never used attractants much at all. My question is what bait attractant and/or what rut attractant works best in the Southeastern states ?

 

[TTE]

Just read a blurb on my news feed a few days ago. It said acorns were the #1 attractant ... with corn being #2 ... alfalfa was in there as well, but farther down the list.
FWIW

 

[Knotwild]

These are just my observations and I'm in SC on an island. Temperature has a big effect on what deer eat and they do prefer acorns over corn. Bucks prefer does over acorns or corn. I see less deer in milder temps because they don't need the calories. Shoot all the does you can shoot. Bucks will roam more searching for does. More roaming = more need for calories. I used to keep big piles of ear corn at every stand and didn't see many deer because any time they pass through food is there. So last year I only put a little corn sporadically out at fewer stands, like 6 out of 13. We saw bucks almost every time we hunted. Since they outlawed doe in heat urine, I don't know what people are using to attract deer. I rely on fronts and temps to encourage them to feed. And again, work on the doe population. I have friends seeing spotted fawns this September. I also hunt the tides here - just before low tide, low tide and just after low tide. The moon drives the tide.

In food plots I start with cow peas and then plant oats and turnips. I've found they like oats over wheat or rye.

 

[Coyotefurharvester]

Big&J BB2 granular. Will always pull in the best buck lure(does).

 

[CJ6]

It will vary by location to some degree.

 

[Fast14riot]

You guys are allowed to bait and use attractant?! Man, us blacktail and mule hunters have been chasing them all over!

 

[Jeff Porter]

I am always amazed at the different game laws for pursing the same species of deer across the states. No universal definition of fair chase.

 

[OMW57]

Bill, I live in northern Illinois, yea, I know!, any way, We own some timber ground right out our back door & I can tell you for sure, The deer like the white oak acorns the best! We have all kinds of oak trees all around the yard & the first place you see deer is under the white oaks! the acorns under the red oaks get left for later in the winter & they will paw through the snow to dig those up!
Best of luck with your hunting this year!

 

[Coyotefurharvester]

Whitetail are browsers, they nibble as they feed until the rut finishes and days get short. Fresh fallen maple leaves will be eaten, as will other leafy matter. Their diet changes often and quickly. When soybean blossoms are available the deer will slowly move down field rows eating just the blossoms. But when the plants start to dry up, deer will change food/locations quickly, here(for me) it is right around bow opener. So often late summer scouting can ruin a first sit. In my area(in the summer) if I find shady quiet area that is a few degrees cooler during the day than the surrounding area and I can setup fresh water and salt/mineral, most of the deer(that share that home area) will visit daily. No help for hunting but great for inventory/buck assessment with cameras.

 

[dthomas]

Tom's premium deer mix seams to work pretty good. It's made here in Louisiana and I don't know if it is available everywhere.

 

[Gary in MD]

I worked with a guy that was from Georgia, he told me to mix Koolaid in with corn. I can't remember if it was grape or cherry? LOL. I haven't tried it, but he said that the deer were really attracted to it.