Weeds deer need to eat MORE of!! KUDZU

[jmb4wd]

A couple of weeks ago, on the farm I was putting some plots on, there was a big hill side that had been covered in Kudzu. They had burned it off, and a dozer had cleaned it up down to the dirt. While I will admit, I have never had any experience with kudzu other than driving by it, I know it is an erosion control experiement gone wrong.

While spreading seed, I noticed kudzu starting to come back, and I got off and looked and man I was floored at how may runners this stuff produces, and now I know how quickly it can take over.

The whole reason for this post is that the deer had been hammering these kudzu runners and the more I looked the more I found. I guess it is just young tender growth. BSK, Quailman, others, any research on whitetails feeding on Kudzu??

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[PickettSFHunter]

Deer love kudzu around here. Common to see herds standing all in patches of it.

 

[TNDeerGuy]

Deer will hammer kudzu because it is legume, just like any other bean. The only problem with it is generally the population isn't dense enough to control the growth of that extremely fast-growing vine�several feet a week in optimum conditions!

 

[Bayou Buck]

I've always heard that deer love it but I dont want any of that stuff around my place.

 

[eastTN270]

Same situation here. We had a large area just overtaken with Kudzu. Had a dozer come in and take everything down to dirt, burnt everything we could, then the next year sprayed the whole area and killed it all. This year the stuff is still coming back. Deer will eat it, but from my experience only when it is young. When it is full grown for the year I would bushhog some lanes through it and the deer would be all over it when it started to regrow.

 

[DOC1187]

wow

 

[BSK]

Yes, deer eat kudzu. The problem is, kudzu can grow almost a foot per day. It grows so fast, deer just can't eat enough of it to control it.

 

[Quailman]

I agree with what the others have said and yes, deer eat kudzu. However, because of it's invasiveness, I would do anything possible to remove it from my farm ASAP!

 

[BowGuy84]

Not nearly as much in KY and I'm thankful for it. Around Hardeman Co and parts of East TN I have seen acres upon acres upon acres covered and nothing else growing. I'd be terrified if it was close to my place.

 

[BSK]

I agree with what the others have said and yes, deer eat kudzu. However, because of it's invasiveness, I would do anything possible to remove it from my farm ASAP!

With whatever means necessary.

 

[doubledownranch]

well I have bull dozed the kudzu, burnt it. spraying it doesn't seem to kill it... so I'm lost at how to control this crap. I suppose ill doze the area over and over and burn it every year. I don't know what else to do.

 

[BSK]

Goats. Lots of goats...

 

[WMAn]

well I have bull dozed the kudzu, burnt it. spraying it doesn't seem to kill it... so I'm lost at how to control this crap. I suppose ill doze the area over and over and burn it every year. I don't know what else to do.

I would use caution if I was working with a dozer around kudzu. Machinery tends to spread rather than control kudzu. You could potentially pick up pieces of the kudzu on your machinery and then spread it to other parts of your property.

Many people do not realize that kudzu has large tubers beneath the grounds surface. These tubers serve as energy reserves. This is why you can spray kudzu with round up, watch it wilt, and then watch it resprout.

There are only two ways that I know of to eradicate it. The first is goats. It will take enough goats to immediately eat the kudzu back after it begins resprouting. Also, you will need to cut and chemically treat any vines that grow out of reach of the goats. This can also be a long term process.

The second is chemically. But the chemical you use will have to have a residual effect and you can expect to retreat a number of times. Tordon 101 Mixture (2,4-D + picloram) and Tordon K (picloram liquid) is an effective mixture. Simply Google search "chemical control of kudzu"

 

[BigAl]

While bush-hoggin on our club, I have to cut lanes through kudzu just to get access to some areas. 8 feet tall and so thick its scarry. Before returning home with my equipment, I go by a car wash and spray my tractor very hard. I'm terrified I'm going to bring some of that stuff home.

 

[Boone 58]

I have seen hundreds of photos in georgia of deer standing in kudzu in August....particularly........and tearing it UP!!!!
Yes they eat it quiet prolifically i understand.

 

[RKenney]

I once read something about the root system of kudzu. It was unreal how deep it goes.

 

[jmb4wd]

I once read something about the root system of kudzu. It was unreal how deep it goes.

You must be right, cause when I was taking the pictures, I tried grabbing one of the plants and trying to pull it out of the ground to see the roots, and it wouldnt budge!!

 

[7mm08]

I once read something about the root system of kudzu. It was unreal how deep it goes.

You must be right, cause when I was taking the pictures, I tried grabbing one of the plants and trying to pull it out of the ground to see the roots, and it wouldnt budge!!

lucky you didn't lose your hand to it!

Kill 'em All!!! varieties of Kudzu that is..

 

[ferg]

I agree with what the others have said and yes, deer eat kudzu. However, because of it's invasiveness, I would do anything possible to remove it from my farm ASAP!

With whatever means necessary.

Napalm

 

[Crosshairy]

It's unfortunate that wild hogs won't eat all of it...

That'd be a great way to put one rampant nuisance to use against another

 

[southernhunter]

It seems it would make good cover for the deer ,as well as food . If it was some where u didn't mind it taking over , we have a huge ceded thicket I wonder what it would be like to plant it in there where the deer bed ? We don't hunt the area because it's so thick plus I like to leave the deer some where to retreat front the hunting pressure , what y'all think ?

 

[bigtex]

Yes, deer will eat it when it is young and it does make a great hiding spot for the deer, but man is it invasive!!!
It is growing on the edge of my property, the landowner doesn't try to stop it's spread so it's just a matter of time before I have it on my property unfortunatly.
If it wasn't for the fact that the first frost stops it's growth [temporarily] that stuff would take over the world.

 

[doubledownranch]

Dont EVER plant Kudzu. It should be illegal to plant. I have some on my property and it is a nightmare. It will kill anything and everything in its path. Yea I see some deer eating it, but they don't eat it near fast enough to keep it from taking over. Trust me, don't ever do it. There are better things to plant for cover. Try pine trees.

 

[Shed Hunter]

Plant beans or some other tall forage. If you knew how to manage kudzu, it would be a good idea but I doubt that can be done. Look at Natchez trace state park; do you think they expected it to cover thousands of acres?

 

[Football Hunter]

yep,kudzu sucks

 

[southernhunter]

Ok , y'all talked me out of it . Lol

 

[catman529]

if I had land and it had kudzu, I dont care if deer like it, that's not my type of food plot... I would do what it took to destroy the patch. I've heard a well established patch of kudzu can take upwards of 15 years to eradicate.

 

[BigAl]

I read an article recently about some bug that's sweeping the south and it eats Kudzu. The problem is, it also eats soybeans.

You guys reminded me that I forgot to wash my tractor after bushogging at the club this weekend. Now I won't be able to sleep worrying about bringing Kudzu home.

And as for deer, I've never seen deer in the Kudzu on our lease.

 

[Boone 58]

The Georgia outdoor news publication used to frequently run articles on the attraction of deer to Kudzu and used pics of nice bucks tearing it up in August. I have never seen them feed on it but they do and frequently.....though i dont think it has ever been listed as "high" on the preferred list.

 

[Good time Charlie]

I have seen them bed in the stuff,there is a big patch on both sides of the road when I come home from work at midnight ..almost always have to wait on deer to cross

During the rainy season you can almost watch it grow.