deer conservation and habitat

[whitty]

I am new to NC and have access to 40 acres in the louisburg nc . I am looking to plant some trees and shrubs to attract and keep deer and turkey on my property. I would like to know what trees and shrubs that are natural to NC to attract deer and turkey. I have looked online and at the USDA site and others with no luck.I do have good fire lanes in property some in length as long as 500 yds that have great sun with little or no shade. I was thinking regarding trees mulberry,apples,plums and crabapple and bushes such as mayhaw, blueberry and blackberry. I really want the best result for the money and appreciate any help. I am waiting on soil samples that should be here in 10 business days .I am a hunter but practice strict wildlife management rules and regulations. I just have to create better than normal conditions for the herd to grow. thanks for and advice.

[JQ Public]

It may be good to let the land/trees establish a bit before opening it up to deer.  They will not give many of the trees/plants a chance otherwise.

[whitty]

i was looking to buy trees close to maturity to speed the proccess. The land has no eatiable forage for deer and turkey and corn overtime is too expensive and I dont have access to a tractor.

[Bayhead]

What grows there now?  Are you trying to plant over the whole 40 acres or just the edges of the fire lanes?  How long is the time frame for you or others to keep using the property for game species?

The NC state wildlife department and the NC soil conservation service (now, Natural Resources Conservation Service, I believe) will have at least one expert on these matters (though maybe not in each county).  You just have to dig harder and check around.  Also, many of those plants are available as seedings from state forestry departments, for massive plantings.

You will have a very big job with the 40 acres (I’m tempted to say “No tractor?  What about a mule?”).  With just the fire breaks you will never support a deer herd or turkey flock, but you sure could attract them.  If the 40 acres, plan on planting a lot of shrubby browse plants (bushes) for deer.  For turkey there may be some fast growing native attractant (I don’t know) but what is usually used is a tuberous grass called Chufa  (the tubers are human edible too and taste a bit like almond).  Still you’d need a tractor.

You have some, but very limited, time this winter to plant a beginning of apples, crabapples, mulberries, plums (among the plants you mention) in open areas.  Or additionally pears (this being hunter’s main choice in deer attractant tree).  Recognize though that no apple or pear is native.  On the other hand, the edible apples and edible pears are also noninvasive (I’m pretty sure), but ornamental pears such as Bradford are becoming real pests.

Regarding the plants you mention, the mulberry, apple, plum, and crabapple, and probably blackberry would do fine on normal upland soils, though late-summer/fall dryness can greatly reduce yield on the blackberries.  Probably lots happier on moist but not wet soils are the mayhaw, blueberry, and blackberry.  There are native species available of all of those but not apple (and, realistically, not commercial blackberry, though you can find some essentially native dewberry selections, dewberries being trailing blackberries, not the arching ones).

I’m no expert in this stuff but do have some longer interest in it and have a few buddies involved in management projects not too different than yours.  I'm in SC and the agency contacts here are not what would do you any good. 

Good luck.