Whether you are on an endless quest to become a better hunter, love photographing deer, or just want to lure them into your yard, there are some common tools and strategies to help attract deer into your area.
Some popular deer attractant methods include providing mineral sources or vegetation, using deer scents or baits, or using food.
Recently, peanut butter has become a popular attractant method amongst hunters. But do whitetail deer like peanut butter?
The answer might surprise you!
Table of Contents
- Do Whitetail Deer Like Peanut Butter?
- Can You Use Peanut Butter To Bait Deer?
- How To Bait A Deer Site With Peanut Butter
- What To Mix Peanut Butter With?
- How Far Away Can Deer Smell Peanut Butter?
- Do Deer Like Peanuts In A Shell?
- Related Posts
Do Whitetail Deer Like Peanut Butter?
In the wild, deer eat hundreds of different plants and commonly eat acorns, hickory nuts, beechnuts, and other nut varieties. This has led hunters to wonder, do whitetail deer like peanut butter?
Whitetail deer like peanut butter, and it’s often used as bait by hunters. It can be mixed with other attractants, or spread onto a licking branch or log.
One of the most popular and reliable deer attractant methods is…food! Pure and simple, the way to a deer’s heart is through their stomach, and using food attractants is a sure-fire way to draw more deer into your area.
Peanut butter is a great attractant for deer who need stamina after the rut, during the winter months when food is scarce, or extra energy to evade predators.
Can You Use Peanut Butter To Bait Deer?
Peanut butter is an affordable and reliable deer attractant that works just as well, if not better, than store-bought attractants. The addictive aroma, sweet taste, rich protein and fat content of peanut butter make this bait impossible for deer to resist.
Peanut butter, and most nuts in general, are pretty safe for deer as they naturally feed on many nut varieties in the wild. You can use peanut butter independently or in a mixture, to bait deer into your area.
Disclaimer: Before using any deer baits, be sure to verify the state laws with your local wildlife authorities concerning deer baiting and the restrictions that are in place. Some states permit hunting deer over bait while others may strictly prohibit it.
How To Bait A Deer Site With Peanut Butter
There are several ways to bait a deer site with peanut butter.
- Smear peanut butter on a tree – this is one of the quickest and easiest methods. Find tree varieties that are most appealing to deer, such as oaks or apple trees. Smear at waist height so they won’t have to reach too high to lick it off.
- Secure a peanut butter jar to a tree – buy a jar of peanut butter and securely screw the lid to a tree in a high-traffic area. Remove the lid, and secure it to a tree with a screw about 4-5 feet high. Screw the jar back onto the lid and cut the bottom of the jar out with a knife.
- Mixed Food Attractants – another method is to combine peanut butter with other popular food attractants. There are several deer attractants that can be used to lure deer which include peanut butter, corn, acorn, salt, vegetables, homemade mixtures, chestnuts
What To Mix Peanut Butter With?
Some popular mixed food attractants include molasses, brown sugar, pure vanilla extract, apples, corn, nuts, salt, mineral blocks, and even Koolaid to name a few.
The best deer attractants to mix with peanut butter are those that meet one or more of these criteria: aromatic, palatable, and nutrient dense.
Deer have an incredible sense of smell, it is their ultimate superpower. Therefore, the aroma is crucial when choosing attractants, as that is what will attract them first.
How Far Away Can Deer Smell Peanut Butter?
Its widely accepted that deer have an incredible sense of smell, but how far away they can smell peanut butter and other attractants is a bit of a mystery.
However, researchers now theorize that whitetail deer actually have groups of cells inside the nose that can detect certain individual smells. This means they can distinctly identify and smell things like food, predators and other environmental odors.
So let’s put it this way…If you put peanut butter in an area with deer…they are gonna smell it!
Do Deer Like Peanuts In A Shell?
Whitetail deer love peanuts and are known to eat every part of a peanut plant. It is said that deer will eat both shelled and unshelled peanuts, but seem to prefer raw unshelled peanuts more than shelled or salted versions.
They also love to eat peanut leaves and vines, and when given the choice they will eat the foliage of a peanut plant over peanuts in a shell.
Why do you think peanut farmers often see deer as a nuisance and apply for depredation permits!
Nuts are an excellent source of fats and protein and deer. Deer will fuel up on nuts, especially in the winter months, when food is scarce or when they need extra energy. Most varieties are generally safe for them to eat, provided they are organic.
Disclaimer: Before using any deer baits, be sure to verify the state laws with your local wildlife authorities concerning deer baiting and the restrictions that are in place. Some states permit hunting deer over bait while others may strictly prohibit it.
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