Eating Apple Trees

[JWW4]

There is an apple tree real close to my plot, and it did not produce a single apple this year. May have been the april freeze, may have been the drought I don't know. Anyway I was looking at it yeaterday and noticed something has been eating the leaves and some of the green stems. It was 4-5 feet off the grownd so the only thing I could fingure it would be was deer. Is that a normal behavior for deer? If it is abnormal is it due to the heat/drought or is there something missing that I need to plant/put out to stop the abnormal behavior?
Thanks

 

[BSK]

Yes, deer browse the leaves of fruit trees. Very normal behavior. The majority of a deer's diet consists of browse (the leaves of a wide variety of plants).

 

[Coach B]

Yep, they wear the leaves out on my apple and especially pear trees.

 

[LA man]

if they eat enought of the small branches the tree may die. i have young trees and keep them in cages till they grow up

 

[Greg .]

I've observed the deer I hunt eating maple leaves as well.

 

[BSK]

Young maple saplings are fairly preferred by deer. Unfortunately, the leaves of white and red oak saplings are too. I've seen a deer herd completely wipe-out all white and red oak saplings in a small clear-cut.

 

[Superduty Guy]

yep deer eat leaves off fruit and other trees