Do deer eat hickory nuts?

Do deer eat hickory nuts? Deer love nuts, so it’s okay to ask this question. However, that isn’t always the truth for all nuts. In this article, we will talk about the connections between hickory nuts and deer.

Deer eats a great number of things. From fruits to twigs, trees, shrubs, herbs, and lots more, they have hundreds of food choices. What’s more, their palate can adapt to the environment’s conditions, making them one of the most adaptive ruminants. For instance, they usually consume fruits during the summer and rely on grasses, twigs, and woody browse during autumn. Their nutrition equally changes from one location to the next.

What you might consider deer resistant in this region may be their favorite snack time in the next location. Still, you should be careful about your cultivation choices, especially if you live within areas with a high deer population. Suppose you wish to cultivate nuts? Then you must know that deer loves nut, especially beech buts, pecans, acorns, and lots more. However, what about hickory nuts? Do deer eat hickory nuts?

Deer and Hickory nuts

At first glance, deer do not eat hickory nuts. Most hickory nuts species have hard shells that will be tough for them to crack. However, some growers have reported that deer do eat their hickory nuts. Pig nut hickory and bitter hickory seem to be the variety in question. This might happen because the pig nut hickory has thin shells. It is not known whether deer will munch on mocker nut or shag bark nuts because their shells are very hard. However, deer can munch on anything when desperate, especially during fall and winter.

Other deer-resistant plants

You can also add other deer-resistant trees to your list if you plan on cultivating fields that will keep deer out. Some trees you can cultivate include:

• American Holly
• Giant Arborvitae
• Japanese tree lilac
• Black tupelo
• Colorado blue spruce
• Black locust
• Redbud
• Smoke tree
• Sourwood
• Bald cypress
• Ironwood
• Sycamore
• White spruce
• Flowering Dogwood
• Dawn redwood
• Gingko
• Larch
• Red maple
• River birch
• Tulip poplar
• Pond Cypress etc.

Nonetheless, don’t forget that there is no such thing as completely deer proofing your fields with deer-resistant plants. Deer can still consume all the trees on this list if they cannot find food choices that they like.

Concluding thoughts

Do deer eat hickory nuts? No, they don’t, especially shag bark or mocker nuts. Hickory nuts have hard shells, which will be tough to crack for them. Some growers state that they have seen deer eating pignut hickory and bitter hickory. Overall, deer will eat just about anything, especially when they cannot access their favorite meals. If you are creating deer resistant fields, then hickory nuts are a great addition. However, if you are a hunter, then hickory nuts are not the best choice. Even when deer eat hickory nuts, it’s usually a last resort.

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