Five Mast Trees That Will Provide A Quick Return

Get a group of hunters together, and when the talk turns to food plots, the focus is on clover, sugar beets, turnips, soybeans, and so on.  Hardly ever does the conversation turn towards trees.  I do not understand why though.  All serious hunters know the benefits of nut and fruit trees, and how deer are attracted to them.  So why don’t more hunters plant them?

One of the biggest reason hunters shy away from planting trees is the misconception that they take forever to produce mast.  That is true for some trees, but not all.  Below are five trees that will benefit wildlife in as short as two years.

Chestnut

  Apple, oak, and chestnut trees are a favorite food producer for wildlife.  Hunters think that acorns are the favorite nut deer and turkeys consume, but they prefer chestnuts to acorns by far.  Chestnuts contain 40 percent carbohydrates, 10 percent protein, and are not as bitter as acorns.

Over a century ago, the American Chestnut tree was wiped out by some fungi.  The result was the whitetails favorite mast crop tree was wiped out.  Deer had no other choice but to turn to acorns.  Luckily, a plant breeder, Dr. Robert Dunstan, was able to cross the American Chestnut with the Chinese Chestnut, resulting in a tree named the Dunstan Chestnut.  Once again, chestnuts were available for deer to feed on half way through the 1900s.

Mulberry

A very rapid growing deciduous (drops its leaves) small tree, mulberry trees produce fruit early in the year when other food sources are not yet available.  Mulberries are an important early season source of food for wildlife, deer, and game.  With a carefully planned out tree plot it is possible to have fruit and nuts available year-round in a Mulberry tree is an important step in that progress.  These trees are quite easy to grow and you can expect fruit to drop April – May. 

Persimmons

There are several variety of persimmons to choose from.  What many of us know is the American Persimmon that takes about 6 years to bear fruit.  Luckily, there are other varieties available. 

Deer Candy Persimmons are grafted American female persimmons and will bear fruit in 2-3 years.  Of course, like all trees, a lot of how well a trees does depend on the climate and soil. Deer Candy Persimmons are medium sized persimmon, 1.25-1.5″ long. You can expect the fruit to drop between late August through October. 

The Deer Magnet grafted American female persimmon! Turkeys, deer and just about all other wildlife will find these trees and enjoy the sweet nutty flavor of the fruit. The Deer Magnet Persimmon ripens late and drops its fruit late in October through December, depending on the zone and climate where planted.  This type of persimmon tree will bear fruit in 2-3 years depending on care and climate they receive. Medium sized persimmon, 1.25-1.5″ long. Heavy bearer.

Southern Crabapple

The southern crabapple is a small native tree with beautiful pink apple blossoms in spring, and small red-green crabapples that are a favorite food for turkeys, deer, and other wildlife in the fall. The Southern Crabapple will begin to bare fruit 3-5 yrs.  And ripens September – December.  Plant in areas free of cedar trees. Unlike most crabapples it does well in wet or moist soils.

Pear

Don’t let the name fool you.  The Dr. Deer Pear is a favorite of all wildlife including turkeys. This was discovered by Dr. James Kroll in Texas. A wildlife pear that ripens in late fall and through November. The fruit is excellent for turkeys, deer, and other wildlife, and will bring them in throughout the fall turkey and deer hunting season. The Dr. Deer Pear is grafted and thus self-fertile.  Like most trees, you will see better fruit production with more pollinators.

Captions

1. Chestnuts are loaded with carbohydrates and protein.
2. Many hunters do not realize planting trees will yield results in as little as two years.
3. There are many varieties of persimmons to choose from.