Deer are beautiful animals and when one turns up in your yard, you can sit and watch them for a long time because they make us feel more connected to nature.
Fortunately, this doesn’t have to be once in a blue moon circumstance as there are multiple ways that you can attract deer into your yard so that you can provide a safe space for them as you watch from the kitchen window.
However, if you are more inclined to track deer for hunting or photography purposes then there are also ways that you can help bring the deer to you instead of having to search high and low for them through the thick forest.
Whatever your intention is, this guide will tell you the different ways to attract deer and before you know it you will have deer right in front of you.
Before we get into how to attract deer, we will cover important things that you should take into consideration before you do anything else.
Before You Attract Deer
If you have a vegetable patch in your yard, you may not want to have any deer in your yard because they will chow down on the majority of planted crops you may have around the yard including lettuce, pumpkins, beans, strawberries, peas, and much more.
They like to eat these crops because they are similar to the kinds of weeds, they eat in the wilderness all year round.
However, there are some plants that are poisonous to deer that may be hidden in your yard somewhere which include foxgloves, daffodils, and poppies but deer are usually pretty good at avoiding these.
Deer also don’t like flowers that are especially fragrant like peonies or herbs that have a strong scent such as sage and lavender.
Another thing to keep in mind before attracting dear is to read up on the laws and regulations where you live as some areas do not allow you to bait deer.
It is also a law in many states that do not allow you to feed deer at certain times of the year as they can become a nuisance to some people so you should check these too before going ahead with anything.
How To Attract Deer
In this guide, we will cover two methods that are used to attract deer and it is up to you to choose the best method for you and your circumstance.
Food Plot
The first method is to use a food plot which is a piece of land that has been cleared and seeded with plants that deer love to eat. This can be done on your own property or somewhere else as long as you have the rights to it.
The food plot should not be near any roads because this will not only prevent the deer from getting close but can also cause road accidents which are extremely serious.
It is also best if the food plot has a source of water close by which will encourage the deer to come in the first place and then stay for longer.
You should do a check of the area and remove and dangers such as poisonous plants or litter such as glass, cans, or barbed wire so that the deer are not injured and if it all looks good then you can move on to the planting stage.
For the best results, it is recommended to plant crops that deer find irresistible such as kale, turnips, peas, and soybeans which are all high in protein and therefore very enticing.
You can also do a mix of plants such as wheat, oats, and rye as they have clover and grasses which also attract deer.
Nuts such as acorns and chestnuts may take a long time to grow but once these trees bear nuts you will have many deer coming over to have their share but instead of nut trees, you can grow ones that produce fruit like apples and pears.
This wide variety of trees you can grow to attract deer is particularly helpful when your land is a bit temperamental, giving you plenty of options to work with.
A helpful tip to keep in mind is to not plant anything that is already growing in abundance in the area because this will not make your food plot stand out and the deer are likely to get their fix somewhere else.
Fortunately, if you are still a bit lost as to what seeds you should plant, there are plenty of seed stores that sell packs of seeds, especially for deer food plots.
Finally, you should check the PH of your soil – anything between 6.0 and 7.5 will support most plants, and then you can fertilize the soil to make things move along a bit quicker.
Deer Lure
This method is a bit more straightforward than the food plot method but still has great results. There are many different lures you can use, and they each have their pros and cons.
Deer urine is a popular choice as it is one of the most effective lures, especially with hunters. To use it, simply apply it around the area that you wish to attract the deer to and if you want to lure bucks then you can put doe scent on tree trunk bases and grass.
It will take about 10 weeks for the deer urine lure to work, and it is best to use it at the height of the breeding season (or the rut) and is from October through to January.
Instead of this, you can use scent wicks which are made from saturated buck urine and are hung from trees at about five feet off the ground which allows the wind to dispense the scent effectively.
When you are placing the lure, be careful not to touch it too much if at all as the deer will be put off by the scent of a human, to combat this you can apply scent control or deer scent onto your hands which can be found at hunting stores.
Another popular lure choice is a salt block which is very easy to use as you just have to place them down on the ground and bury it into the ground a bit with salt on top to keep them hidden from other people.
You have to be patient when you are using salt blocks as lures because it can take months for deer to come to it.
