The Way to a Buck’s Heart Is Through His Stomach

The Way to a Buck’s Heart Is Through His Stomach

​By Kent Boucher

​A book every American should read is “A Land So Strange: The Epic Journey of Cabeza de Vaca” by Andrés Reséndez. The book is a telling of the recorded experiences of the famous conquistador Cabeza de Vaca, who wandered the American south for several years after a disastrous attempt to launch a Cortez-like exploration of North America. One particular portion of the book mentions how seasonal the diets of the native people were.

What they ate was largely dictated by what nature made available for calories during the different times of the year. I hadn’t really considered this before, but it makes a lot of sense, and in some ways, it seems like a healthier way to live and consider what should be on the menu. Pretty much all of our fellow members of Kingdom Animalia- they still play by the rules and eat what the land dictates, this includes the mighty white-tailed deer, of course.

Summer

Every late July, when I’m absolutely sick of the summer heat, I begin to romanticize what fall will be like in a few short months. I envision some unpainted Norman Rockwell depiction of Iowa in October- golden big bluestem bent in the wind, dry standing corn ripe for harvest, and the effects of Jack Frost’s first icy touch on our hardwood trees. In reality, aside from the big bluestem and corn, early October is just about as green as early July. This fact means the deer will still be relishing leafy green food sources while they can still be found, such as late-maturing aster species, clovers, and woody browse.

Early Fall

To take advantage of this dietary trend, the best way to hunt this time of year is by hunting evenings on the timbered edge of a habitat transitional area where forest gives way to shrubs and grassland habitat. The last fifteen minutes of legal light never seem to disappoint when hunting in these areas, as deer head out to enjoy the browse they couldn’t find in the deeper, cooler bedding areas of the timber earlier in the day. Speaking of the food found deeper in the timber, hard (tree nuts) and soft mast (fruits and berries) food sources can serve as excellent honey holes this time of year as well, but they tend to disappear quickly as they are very popular for many different species of eaters, and soft mast, such as fruits and berries, rot quickly.

Late Fall

​As late fall sets in, the vast majority of green food sources disappear for the year, and deer begin to agitate their complex ruminant digestive flora by introducing dried agricultural food sources of corn and soybeans. A friend of mine with a wildlife biology degree once told me to keep an eye out for puddles of corn-filled diarrhea to mark the start of this dietary change. Although corn and soybeans serve as the premium food options this time of year, there are still a handful of frost-resistant plants that can attract some browsing attention late in the fall. The trick with this time of year, however, is that it heavily overlaps with rut-influenced travel and feeding patterns. For this reason, the only food consideration should be to hunt near food sources frequented by does and hope for a buck to move in looking for the does as well.

​Winter

As the rut winds down, the holiday season gets started, and most Iowa deer hunting will take place during the two general firearm seasons, with the first firearm season being mostly dominated by deer drives and unnatural deer patterns. For the minority of Iowa deer hunters who hunt the second gun season, late muzzleloader, or the back split of archery season, deer return to their winter bed to food patterns and present, perhaps, the most predictable time of the hunting season for deer encounters with one big fat caveat: in winter deer consolidate to areas that provide an abundance of available calories in close proximity to the best thermal bedding areas.

A classic example of this in Iowa is land with south-facing bedding consisting of thick stands of prairie grasses and eastern red cedars in close proximity to corn litter and long-lasting hard mast. Standing corn and an abundance of red oak acorns are optimal because they resist rotting longer than white oak acorns and are less desirable to other critters than white oak acorns. Gaining access to private land that offers this unique blend of food and cover can turn a winter hunt into the best, most target-rich hunt of the season. Unlike the early fall, deer are more likely to approach feeding areas mid-afternoon, so waiting to hunt until the last hour of light is often too late to make it into position without being spotted.

​Food Plots

You may have noticed I haven’t mentioned food plots and have instead focused on food sources that are essentially part of the given Iowa landscape. My reasoning for that is because that is how I hunt, both out of necessity and preference, and not because food plots aren’t effective. In fact, food plots can be very effective for directly influencing deer behavior if done well, and if that is something you want to add to your hunting property, there are many options of forage species and cultivars that are available on the food plot market. I would, however, encourage you to first and foremost focus on building a healthier ecosystem of native trees, shrubs, and prairie plants around the food plot to best support the deer throughout the year and provide outsized benefits to the other organisms within the ecosystem.

Winter or Fall Options?

In August, we’re looking at winter and fall options, and what you select will need to be able to grow in the fall and winter. For this reason, stick with cool season small grains, like rye and winter wheat. They will grow as temperatures cool and will provide some green to attract bucks as the fall progresses. Next, we see brassica mixes planted. Purple top turnip are a favorite for fall and winter food plots. They will grow and even withstand a couple light frosts. Once it turns cold, the bulbs will start to store sugars and starches. They will be a magnet for hunters in the fall and winter.

​Deer hunting is a nearly insatiable pursuit for a myriad of reasons. I believe the primary reason is that it requires so much adjustment from the hunter throughout the season to consistently locate deer. And keying in on the correct seasonal food source is one of the most foundational and important adjustments a successful hunter can execute.