Did not know this..

[Nealmeally]

Glad I saw this. I'll try not to knock em down now if I can help it.

http://www.qdma.com/articles/know-your- ... s-pokeweed

 

[tndeerman]

deer love them

 

[TheLBLman]

. . . . . both the fruit and foliage are highly preferred by deer because of its ease of digestibility (as low as 12 percent acid detergent fiber) and high crude protein content (up to 32 percent).

------- Nature's Foodplots

Throw in a little ragweed and other forbes . . . . . . .

------- Wildlife Weeds

 

[Nealmeally]

. . . . . both the fruit and foliage are highly preferred by deer because of its ease of digestibility (as low as 12 percent acid detergent fiber) and high crude protein content (up to 32 percent).

------- Nature's Foodplots

Throw in a little ragweed and other forbes . . . . . . .

------- Wildlife Weeds

No telling how many I've cut and ranover clearing out places for plots.. Not gonna touch em now if I can help it.. Lots of em on one of my places. I've let 70 acres grow up over 12 years and 2 years ago we started clearing places in it for plots. Was a lot of it in there and still is..

My Grandmother used to cook it all the time when I was little.. Loved it and it would sure nuff clean you out too.. :grin:

 

[timberjack86]

Well I didnt know it either till last year. Some of you guys told me the same thing and I said hogwash. I started paying more attention in the woods and found out you guys were right. I see lots of poke that deer have been feeding on.

 

[mike243]

My brother killed a big doe 20 some odd years ago that was full of it.since then i always look when i see some for deer tracks.

 

[BSK]

First let me point out (which I have many times) that deer were originally classified as "woody browsers" because they were first studied in the "big woods" areas of Virginia, where woody browse was about all they had to eat. Deer will eat woody browse, but basically only when nothing else exists. When available, deer are actually forb (leafy weeds) eaters. Forbs are often highly digestible and nutritious. Even in "big agriculture" regions, in summer more than half of a deer's diet will be forbs.

Now back to the original topic, in the Midsouth in August and September (notice I wrote "in August and September," not June or July), poke is such an important and preferred food source that it can be used as an "indicator" plant--a plant that can be used to assess deer density in relation to food availability. I often hear hunters say they've never seen deer eat poke or haven't seen browsing of poke. Either they aren't really looking or they are looking at the wrong time. In late summer, poke is a HIGHLY preferred and important deer food source. Luckily, in our region, nothing is required to produce poke except allowing sunlight to reach the ground. Birds readily spread poke seed because the berries are such a preferred food for them.

 

[catman529]

I once saw a dead/dormant poke weed that was big enough, a buck had made a small rub on the stem. They can get pretty huge

 

[Yeppers]

This article says Poke is a poisonous plant that can kill livestock if enough is ingested...

http://www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/weedgui ... asp?id=270

Do Deer have a natural resistance to the toxin?

 

[Football Hunter]

Love it,seeing lots on my place this year!

 

[BSK]

This article says Poke is a poisonous plant that can kill livestock if enough is ingested...

http://www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/weedgui ... asp?id=270

Do Deer have a natural resistance to the toxin?

Deer have a tendency to eat a little bit of everything instead of gorging on just one food source, as cattle will do.