Because carrots offer no nutritional value to deer. The best purpose of a food plot is the combination of nutrition and attractant. Sure, deer most often love them, but it's the candy factor. Give them something that'll help them grow bigger and stronger and they'll appreciate it much more...and so will you and your hunting buddies.

 

They also need very loose fertile soil and not most insect resistant. Radishes and turnips are more robust and easy to grow.

 

Because carrots offer no nutritional value to deer. ............

Wow. That statement is simply not true.

Patman has the right idea. Muck fields make for a good place to raise carrots. Also the carrot tops are too bitter for deer. Deer seem to love the tops of radishes and turnips or can at least learn to eat them.

L & O

 

Wow. That statement is simply not true.

Patman has the right idea. Muck fields make for a good place to raise carrots. Also the carrot tops are too bitter for deer. Deer seem to love the tops of radishes and turnips or can at least learn to eat them.

L & O

Hunting a plot of turnips made me think of carrots. They look very similar I couldn't help wonder why carrots aren't used.

 

might help clear up some questions
http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/forum/showthread.php?t=282814

 

Wow. That statement is simply not true.
I should have more correctly stated that they have "very little" nutritional value. We may never agree and I'm not here to argue, just stated what I've come to understand from trusted sources with knowledge of deer's complex digestive systems and nutritional analysis.

 

Carrots can be difficult to grow as they need lots of water and good soil. Plus, weeds can easily out compete them.

 

Carrots can be difficult to grow as they need lots of water and good soil. Plus, weeds can easily out compete them.

That's been my experience. I've tried both carrots and sugar beets grown in a garden setting with intentions of feeding them to the deer ... big waste of time for the return I got.

I also tried some turnips ... deer ain't some, what they didn't eat stank, then my dog learned to eat them, so I stopped planting them, but have spent a bunch of time trying to limit the number of volunteers showing up this year from what managed to seed last year. On the bright side they were a heck of a lot easier than carrots and sugar beets.

 

O.K. , Question. For those of us that don't have the opportunity to put in food plots. What order would you rate the following for bait, that the deer most prefer.
shelled corn
carrots
sugar beets

Why I listed these is that they are easily to obtain and most available.
If you can suggest something else that would be great.

Thanks;

 

Growing up my buddy's family farmed carrots and we always laughed about people buying bags of carrots for bait because we never saw a deer eating in the carrot fields.

 

Never pleased when deer get the runs off new funky foods,just does not seem like doing them any good. See it more in younger ones stuck on em .
But hey we,re trying to kill them anyway.
If hunting a corn field ,corn not really going to get them excited.
So what ever is a rare snack,and amount should be only a snack,gets the nod.
Must be introduced in small amounts in off season if deer never seen it or it will take time for other than adventurous deer to accept.. A friend learned years back in the U.P. where we hunted when he put out strange food for area and watched deer skirt it with great suspicion.
Corn may be more beneficial towards diet,acorns can be gathered in banner years.Been awhile but I used to put out a half pail of corn now and then. A few carrots in winter near a friends corn.
A few apples,a little corn with a few carrots,gee someone should sell this stuff mixed hmmmm. Wheres those bags?
Carrots need dug eventually,whos gonna do that in a plot?
Deer eat potatoes in Posen but something easy to rake out of frozen ground with previously edible/palatable top is going to win.Tiny carrot seed needs thinning,need something to nibble or human intervention. and any stepping near growing tubers causes defective growth,forking and such.

 

O.K. , Question. For those of us that don't have the opportunity to put in food plots. What order would you rate the following for bait, that the deer most prefer.
shelled corn
carrots
sugar beets

Why I listed these is that they are easily to obtain and most available.
If you can suggest something else that would be great.

Thanks;

1. Carrots
2. Shelled corn
3. Air
4. Air
5. Sugar beets

My dad had good experience with sugar beets up north in the past, but I've used all three this year and the deer would not touch them. They don't like the outside skin so after a week I had to cut them open myself, still no results. Carrots have been my favorite so far, the deer like them and the other animals don't appear to steal them.

 

1. Carrots
2. Shelled corn
3. Air
4. Air
5. Sugar beets

My dad had good experience with sugar beets up north in the past, but I've used all three this year and the deer would not touch them. They don't like the outside skin so after a week I had to cut them open myself, still no results. Carrots have been my favorite so far, the deer like them and the other animals don't appear to steal them.

1. Corn
2. Pears
3. Carrots
4. Apples
5. Beets

I too did not have luck with beets this year, have in the past though.

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The parts of a carrot plant deer would like to eat are mostly below ground. If you can grow a nice plot of carrots, and then go dig them up, you have essentially baited in deer.

As stated, carrots are not a source of nutrition, so much as they are a high-calorie treat for deer.

In terms of bait preference, I have found certain scents will help them find bait more quickly, but beyond that, it's the proximity of bait to cover that determines how many deer you'll see near it.

 

Sweet feed from your local co-op or farm surplus store works great!!!! Easy to carry into the woods also. I use a coffee can, just take a scoop each day you go out and spread it. Clear all the leaves from the spot first. They won't leave the spot till EVERY little piece is gone. I have video from last winter of different doe families fighting over it in december. Only use a coffee can so there gets to be competition for it. They'll start showing up earlier to be the first in line for it. BEST PART IS, IS ITS CHEAP!!!!

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In terms of bait preference, I have found certain scents will help them find bait more quickly, but beyond that, it's the proximity of bait to cover that determines how many deer you'll see near it.

Not sure how well known this trick is but for carrots you can increase their scent by grabbing a piece and rubbing it up and down against a tree. Releases all of the juices and scents.

 

I forgot to mention in my earlier post. With the sugar beets. I cut them in half with a shovel to " release" the scent.And only do a few at a time so they keep coming back for more. I do the same with some of the apples also ( green apples only of course !) They seem to love them. They are so dense and pulpy. The deer seem to just stand there forever working on them to get bites. Kinda funny actually, watching them. As for shelled corn. That seems to go the quickest. Their mouths are like a vacuum cleaner.

 

I just put out 2gallons of fresh apples and carrots on Monday after two weeks of no bait. Hunted today and the a apples were gone! Not a single apple, and only a single carrot was nibbled on.