rotten to the point of fermentation

[fadetoblack76]

I bought 15 bushels(600 lbs.) of apples from the orchard for 60 dollars. I though it was a great deal seeing how there are no wild apples this year where I live. Problem is they were all drops and had bruises and now they are starting to ferment. Has anyone had any experience with rotten or fermented apples and the deer eating or not eating them? I wonder if they would get drunk. Lol. If anyone has had experience, it would set my mind at ease to know they will eat them.

Thank for the help,
Jason

 

[las]

I believe they will choose the 'natural' forage that is plentifull this time of year. I don't know how much 'natural' food Vermont holds for deer? If there isn't much, you may have great luck. If there is a lot, then you may not have any success. I do believe a deer will eat a bruised apple if it set in front of them but probably wouldn't walk out of its way to get one? Although; they may walk a distance for a pile of them? In other words-I just realized that = I don't know. Good luck and great hunting.

 

[rh44mag]

When I lived and hunted Michigan it was legal to bait. I offen used apples and the deer would tear them up. They generally never lasted long enough to spoil. However I do remember hunting near apple trees with rotten apples on the ground and seeing deer eat them. If you already have them bought it is worth a shot.

 

[WI BUCKHUNTER]

I've put out dropped apples, little green apples, fermented apples and rotten apples all the time. The deer around here gobble it up like candy. We don't have any other natural fruits to speak of so the apples are a real treat for the deer in my area of northern Wisconsin. It probably depends on what else they have to eat.

 

[fadetoblack76]

Well I just put down about a 75 lb. bag of them. I also put out some corn. I read the deer report from the fish and game awhile back and it said the deer kill for bow season was down due to the wild apples having such a good year. Apparently deer hunters didn't know where to put there stands seeing how every tree had apples. This year there are no wild apples. I have seen maybe 10 apples all year. So I figured if I put some down they would go nuts over them. Well we will see.
Thanks for the comments guys.

 

[Dawgs]

i did it here and got nothing but flies.....

 

[ravenwolf]

From what I've heard they prefer fermented apples because they get a feeling of being drunk after they eat them.

 

[fadetoblack76]

You're serious?

 

[Arrowhead]

They will eat them even rotten.

Yes it can get fermented too.

We used to have a cider mill deliver the leftover stuff to our farm in New York.
The cattle on the farm would eat it and the deer would be all over it at night.

 

[vineyardhunter]

I have dropped old moldy apples out back of my house and the deer eat them like candy. I dug the rest of my potatoes, about a half bushel, had them in a milk crate outside of my shed. the deer ate most of them the other night. now I have no spuds!!

 

[okiefirefighter]

I put out 4-33 gallon trash cans full of apples and pears that dropped off of my neighbors trees. We have pigs and deer on our place. I haven't gotten any pics with my deer cam yet of the hogs eatting them, but I do know that the deer eat them. I watched them. Kevin