# Deer CANDY - What is this?



## DAGATOR16 (Oct 3, 2010)

Last night while tracking Jonathan's deer, we discovered this berry. It looks like deer scat. The deer dropped many piles of their own while feeding on this berry. It seems to be dropping from a huge vine the size of my arm. It grew so tall and into the tree tops that I could not see anything other than the vine itself. We discovered other vines like this in the same swampy area that only had the husk or pit (no fruit). This tells me that different vines drop at different times like an oak. Also, I don't think the deer eat the pit.

You can see it is not that common berry the size of your thumb that we see all the time in the swamp (two on the left). This berry is the size of deer droppings.

What is this deer candy called?







Here is the pit.


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## Bubbaforsure (Oct 3, 2010)

Looks like the two diffrent types tupelo tree berry's
They love them....


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## robert carter (Oct 3, 2010)

The larger tuopelo are all over our swamp and I`ve never seen deer and pigs eat them. Don`t know about the smaller.RC


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## DAGATOR16 (Oct 3, 2010)

I just put the larger "look-a-like" in the picture to give a size reference. Deer do not eat the large ones in the picture. The small ones have the same colors as the large ones. 

RC, I was hoping you would know this berry. Now I'm counting on Mr. Womack or Nick. These huge vines were found at Chickasawhatchee.


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## Nicodemus (Oct 3, 2010)

Those bigger berries look like tupelo berries, and the smaller ones look like blackgum berries. Are you sure they came from the vines, or the trees that they were climbin` on?


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## Shane Whitlock (Oct 3, 2010)

The small ones are black gum berries, I posted the same thing about two weeks ago on the primitive skill link. And sometimes called swamp gum berries.


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## DAGATOR16 (Oct 3, 2010)

Nicodemus said:


> Those bigger berries look like tupelo berries, and the smaller ones look like blackgum berries. Are you sure they came from the vines, or the trees that they were climbin` on?



Nick-
I could not tell where they were falling from. I could not see any (with a spotlight) on any of the trees around. I guess it could be from a tree? What do you know about a blackgum tree?


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## Nicodemus (Oct 3, 2010)

DAGATOR16 said:


> Nick-
> I could not tell where they were falling from. I could not see any (with a spotlight) on any of the trees around. I guess it could be from a tree? What do you know about a blackgum tree?





Blackgums live in low places that are subject to be damp. They are also the first tree to have their leaves turn red, down in our part of the country in the fall of the year. I know that birds utilize the berries, but I`ve never known deer to.


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## robert carter (Oct 3, 2010)

I think Mudfeather has killed deer over them . I`ve killed a bunch of early season squirrels with a 22 on the big tupelos.RC


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## bam_bam (Oct 3, 2010)

Swamp Tupelo/ Swamp Black gum

http://www.duke.edu/~cwcook/trees/nybi.html


Regular Blackgum

http://www.duke.edu/~cwcook/trees/nysy.html


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## DAGATOR16 (Oct 4, 2010)

Yep, I did my own research yesterday and they are the fruit of the blackgum. Simply deer candy! Don't overlook this food source.


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## DAGATOR16 (Oct 4, 2010)

Bam Bam, your first link shows the tree I remember seeing. Longer slinder leaves. 

"Nyssa biflora"Swamp Tupelo 
(not to be confused with the common blackgum
(Nyssa sylvatica),...however similar.


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## Jake Allen (Oct 4, 2010)

I have a good many large blackgums on my place.
I have seen the berries eaten by alot of critters; birds, (mainly robins and cardinals). squirrells, rabbits and deer. (Have seen deer
out the kitchen window on them).

Plus, you can make a toothbrush from one of the small limbs.


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## rapid fire (Oct 4, 2010)

Jeff, you beat me to it.  I have one in my back yard and every time my grandfather comes over, he breaks off a limb and brushes his teeth.  Mine must be the wrong sex, b/c it has never had berries.


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## Bubbaforsure (Oct 4, 2010)

DAGATOR16 said:


> Yep, I did my own research yesterday and they are the fruit of the blackgum. Simply deer candy! Don't overlook this food source.




Here in Panhandle of Florida....
There's plenty of it this around right now..
They really love this stuff...


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## ChrisSpikes (Oct 4, 2010)

I've killed deer on blackgum berries early in the season.  After the acorns start to fall, they usually abandon them around here.


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## Georgia27 (Oct 5, 2010)

I think i seen some of those berries right off the dirt rd. at the corner where the peanut field is @ chickasaw today.  That area is tore up.  Looked like hog scat.  Prob not the same berry, i see where you said it is grown in swampy areas.  Does anyone know the area im talkin bout?  What kind of trees are these?  And i also found an acorn thats husk wrapped around whole acorn... big too!  anyone know what kind that was?   gonna post pics in a min.


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## DAGATOR16 (Oct 6, 2010)

The acorn that has a wrap around cover is called an "overcup". One of the first acorns to fall. I don't care to hunt over them unless the "sign" is there. 
DNR agent at the Chick, (Julie) says it is her favorite tree to hunt in early bow season. I personally have not found them to be a primary food source.

As for the swamp tupilo, I hunted over them this afternoon. The leaves are already turning red. That is about the only way to identify this very common looking tree. This is the only tree with red leaves this time of the year as far as I know.


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## pine nut (Oct 6, 2010)

I had a fellow tell me that he coukd make wine from the blackgum berries.  He called them hog berries.  Do porkers eat them?  Anybody?


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## dawg2 (Oct 6, 2010)

pine nut said:


> I had a fellow tell me that he coukd make wine from the blackgum berries.  He called them hog berries.  Do porkers eat them?  Anybody?



Yes, people and porkers eat them.


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## mossyjaw (Nov 4, 2010)

The Tupelo gum is used for making water fowl decoys.There's a company (i think) in Kinston,N.C. that will dry this wood and sell blanks,ther's very little movement in the drying process.Pull up Tupelo Gumon the web,quite interesting.Mossyjaw.


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## RUTTNBUCK (Nov 4, 2010)

Jake Allen said:


> I have a good many large blackgums on my place.
> I have seen the berries eaten by alot of critters; birds, (mainly robins and cardinals). squirrells, rabbits and deer. (Have seen deer
> out the kitchen window on them).
> 
> Plus, you can make a toothbrush from one of the small limbs.


We saw them in several places on our walk at Horse Creek WMA!!......The berries that is!!..........I didn't know that deer ate them??


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## johnweaver (Nov 5, 2010)

Thanks for the information folks.  My daddy used to know every tree in the forest.  Now that he's gone I wouldn't know who to ask.


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## Nicodemus (Nov 5, 2010)

mossyjaw said:


> The Tupelo gum is used for making water fowl decoys.There's a company (i think) in Kinston,N.C. that will dry this wood and sell blanks,ther's very little movement in the drying process.Pull up Tupelo Gumon the web,quite interesting.Mossyjaw.




It is also the wood that folks used to carve bread trays out of, back in the old days.


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