Deer and Hedge Apples

[bctgrad]

I've always heard that deer don't eat hedge apples, only squirrels do.  But on a hike today I found several that look like the one in the picture below.  The snow around them was churned up with deer tracks and they sure look like the deer were eating them.

Do deer normally eat hedge apples or does this have something to do with all the snow we have?

Brian

[Coonbait]

They sure eat the ones on my property! It seems that they have to be at the rotting stage before they touch them though. Maybe when other foods are gone they eat whats available, not sure.
GLENN

[SEMO_HUNTER]

I think your blue heeler did it while you weren't looking.

Seriously, I don't think the deer cull much this time of year and will eat whatever they can find to survive. Especially when there's a heavy snow on the ground like we have now, these are the times that nature culls the sick and the weak from the herd.

Animals eat some strange things that seem out of the norm when times are tough.

[Burnsie]

They eat them once they start getting soft and mushy.

[JamesJamison]

I agree, when nothing else is available, they won't pass them up.

Fox squirrels seem to love them anythime though.

[wingnut]

Yep they eat a bunch of them once they start breaking down.

Mike

[ksbowman]

Like Burnsie said when they get soft and mushy they also get sweeter. They always have a high sugar content, but when they start breaking down my cattle think they're candy. Bad part is cows  only have lower teeth and I had a bull choke to death on them. Horses and deer with both uppers and lowers can chew them up with no problem.

[John Scifres]

I've seen them eat them when they are fresh off the tree also.  I've also seen a video of a deer eating eggs and one where it was eating a chick. Deer are weird  

[SEMO_HUNTER]

Yep, all animals defy "Weird" at some point, just when you thought you knew it all and had them all figured out. Something new comes along to leave you scratching your head once again.    

[Stump73]

Had to take a second look, thought I was looking at a picture of my blue heeler. Very intelligent dogs

[bctgrad]

Thanks for all the replies, I knew the squirrels weren't doing all the damage that I saw.

Brian

[RLA]

They eat them around here when they get soft enough, they also seem  to like the seed pods off the honey locust tree alot! Good lookin Heeler.

[JAG]

You stole my wife's Heeler!
Late in the season have noticed deer foling with them.

[ishoot4thrills]

Make a bow out of that there osage/hedge apple tree and shoot them deer with it next season. That'll show those deer!   :rolleyes:        :p