Pears are one of the most famous fruits in the world. They are known for their distinctive taste and components. Pears have a lot of health benefits for humans and other animals. Today, we are going to discuss and find out whether deer eat pears or not.
Do deer eat pears?
Deer are capable of eating pear tree and its fruits due to the non toxic effects of pears. Deer do not have trouble digesting pear tree and its fruits. Moreover, deer enjoy the sweet taste of pear fruits. Pear fruits are considered as one of the favourite fruits of deer.
Table of Contents
Let’s look at different varieties of pears and see if deer consume them.
Bradford pears:
Another name of bradford pears is callery pears. Bradford pears work as an ornamental shrub in most of the gardens. They are hailed for their landscaping beauty.
But bradford pear tree is also liked by deer and they can be seen feeding on different parts of the bradford pear tree whenever they get a chance.
Asian pears:
Other names of asian pears are Chinese pears and Japanese pears. The fruits produced by the asian pear tree are loved by deer.
They can be seen roaming around in gardens that have asian pears. Deer do not miss out on an opportunity to feast on asian pears because of the tasty fruits.
Wild pears:
Wild pears belong to the category of European pears. Wild pears are famous for possessing sweet and tasty fruits. Deer love feasting on the fruits of wild pears. They do not mind eating the other parts of a wild pear plant too.
Prickly pears:
Prickly pears are also known by the names cactus pears and opuntia pears. The texture of prickly pears might make you think that deer do not eat them.
But that is not the case as deer love eating prickly pears whenever they get a chance. It is considered as a good choice of food for deer.
Cleveland pears:
Cleveland pears are famous for being an ornamental tree. They are grown in the garden to increase the landscape beauty of the property. But they are quite good at attracting different birds and animals.
Deer is also one of the animals that cleveland pears can attract. Deer can be seen eating the leaves of cleveland pear if there is no other source of food.
Ornamental pears:
Ornamental pears are grown in the garden for the landscape beauty they offer. They are not a good source of food for deer and other animals.
But deer are not a picky eater and they sometimes indulge themselves in eating the leaves of ornamental pears. Ornamental pears do not have any toxin that can cause harm to deer.
Kieffer pears:
Kieffer pears are famous as a hybrid pear tree. But the important feature of kieffer pears is the sweet and tasty fruits produced by them. It is believed by animal and gardening experts that deer love eating kieffer pear fruits.
Do deer like pears?
Pears are one of the favourite fruits of deer. They like feasting on the fruits and leaves of pears. First of all, pear fruits taste good to the taste buds of deer. So they like eating pears because of the sweet taste.
Another reason why deer like pears is the non toxic effects of pears. Pear fruits and leaves do not possess any harmful element in them.
Pear fruit is a healthy choice of food for deer. According to many gardening and animal experts, pear is the most favored food item of deer. Deer will utilize the chance of eating pears every time.
Do white tail deer eat pears?
White tail deer are known for eating pear fruits and leaves. Moreover, deer hunters use pear fruits as part of their food plot to attract and trap deer. White tail deer get their much needed energy by consuming pear fruits and leaves.
If a white tail deer is given the chance to consume pear fruits and leaves, it will not miss the chance. Apart from the health benefits of pears, they also taste sweet which make them a good source of food for white tail deer.
Do deer eat these parts of pears?
There are different parts on a pear plant. But not all the parts are edible by deer. Let’s look at some parts of the pear and see if they can be consumed by deer.
Pear trees:
Deer prefer eating the pear fruits rather than the pear trees. But if there is a lack of food sources, then deer will be compelled to eat the pear trees.
Deer can be seen eating young pear trees because they are easily digestible. Young pear trees need proper protection against invasion of deer.
Pear leaves:
If deer can not find pear fruits in your garden, then they will settle for the pear leaves. However, the leaves of a pear plant do not hold as much health benefits as pear fruits. But the pear leaves are capable of providing energy for deer.
Will deer eat rotten pears?
Deer have been known for eating the over ripen versions of pears. The important thing to remember here is that deer loves eating pears and they will eat a pear fruit as long as it is edible.
If the rotten pears taste and smell good to deer, they will not hesitate to eat them. Sometimes over ripen pear fruits fall to the ground and deer can be seen devouring them to satisfy their hunger.
It is very normal for deer to eat rotten pears. Pears are consumed by deer until they create any toxic reaction inside their body. A fresh pear fruit is obviously a safer choice of food than a rotten one.
What kind of pears do deer like?
There are many varieties of pear available in the United States. But deer do not like all of them equality. Let’s discuss in detail about the kind of pears deer like.
Good smell:
Deer will not eat something that does not smell good. Smell of food is a crucial factor when it comes to the feeding routine of deer. Deer like feasting on the pears with good smell. Almost all the pear trees smell good.
So deer are drawn towards most of them because of their smell. Deer can be seen eating the leaves of many ornamental pear trees like bradford pears and cleveland pears too.
Good taste:
Deer like eating pear fruits that taste good. The best pear fruits with good taste are asian pear fruits, european pear fruits, and kieffer pear fruits.
These pear fruits have a soft texture with a good taste. Deer enjoy consuming these particular pear fruits because of their sweet taste and soft texture.
Small in height:
Deer have a hard time reaching the fruits of pear trees that are tall. So they prefer eating the pear fruits of young and small pear trees. The fruits of small pear trees can be reached easily.
Full of energy:
Deer like to eat pear fruits that provide them enough energy to get through the day. The carbohydrate found in pear fruits is the source of this incredible energy.
Fruits of kieffer pears are considered as a better choice of food for deer when it comes to the amount of carbohydrate.
How to keep deer from eating pear tree?
Keeping deer from eating pear tree might seem like a difficult task if you have no prior experience regarding the matter. However, you can follow the steps and methods given below to accomplish the task.
Put up fences:
Young pear trees have to be protected from the invasion of deer. Deer prefer feasting on the small peach trees because they can reach them easily.
So you will need to put up at least eight feet fences around the young pear trees to give them protection and stop deer from eating the pear trees.
Grow deer resistant plants:
You will need to grow deer resistant plants around your pear tree to repel deer. The deer resistant plants can also be grown along the perimeter of the garden to keep out deer effectively.
Apply deer repellent spray:
You can also use home made deer repellent spray to keep deer from eating pear trees. You will need to make the spray by combining a heavily scented soap and water. The mixture will have to be sprayed around the pear tree to keep out deer.
Apply rotten eggs:
Rotten eggs are also capable of repelling deer. The rotten eggs will have to be applied around the pear trees to stop deer from eating them.
Final Thoughts
Deer can often be seen consuming pear tree and its fruits for several reasons. Pear fruits possess a high amount of carbohydrate which supply sufficient energy to the body of deer. Pear fruits also do not have any harmful element. Pear is a safe and good source of food for deer.