Early season soft mast opportunities
Hunt natural food sources for easy success

If hunting whitetails with stick and bow is your game and you lie awake at nights thinking about the hunt, a week or two before the season even opens in your area, then you are by all accounts addicted. 

That is just fine though. There are plenty of other more hazardous addictions you could have, even if your spouse thinks to the contrary. If hunting whitetails is wrong then I am surely doomed.

 Shooting arrows into your favorite 3-D target in the back yard after work every day might provide an interim fix, but it doesn't compare to the actual hunt. For me, the weekend scouting trips to the woods helps to scratch the itch. If you are determined to place venison in your freezer on the first day of the archery season, then you should be scouting now for soft-mast producing trees. 

I spend most of my time chasing old Odocoileus virginianus in North Florida. In the extreme Southeast we have several soft-mast producing bushes and trees. Some produce before deer season opens and some produce during the season. In the Southeast there are two soft-mast producing trees that you should be scouting for; persimmon trees and southern crabapple trees. Doing so will increase you success rate for the opener.

Both of these fruit bearing trees should be producing well by the time opening day arrives, in most parts of the country where these trees occur. Both trees produce a fruit that is slightly smaller than a golf ball and when the fruit ripens and drops to the ground, the deer positively relish them. 

Persimmon fruit is generally yellow to orange or red in color. Southern crabapples are generally yellow-green to light green in color and look like ordinary green apples only miniaturized.

The average sportsman can identify the ripened fruit of both trees when it lay on the ground but in the absence of fruit, can you identify a persimmon tree and a crabapple tree? Once you know what the trees look like, scouting for them is a much easier task. 

You need to know what Waldo looks like before you can find him. So, what do these trees look like and where should you start looking to find them? After all, the forest is a pretty big place. 

Lets start with the second part of that question and lets start with persimmon trees. 

Persimmons or Diospyros virginiana in botanical terms, can be found in both poorly drained and well-drained soils. They can be found in floodplains; along seepage slopes or at the base of ridgelines adjacent to wetlands such as swamps.

However, they can also be found in upland sand hills. That might seem sort of broad and you are right, but curiously, persimmon trees seem to exist in habitats that are either really wet or just the opposite; upland and rather dry. It is an either / or occurrence. Interestingly, persimmon trees that occur in uplands and in rather dry soils generally don’t appear to grow as large in size or as tall as those that occur in wetter locations.

Perhaps the lack of water stunts the growth of trees that occur in uplands? Although persimmon trees found in uplands do not grow as large, they can still produce an abundance of fruit and they often grow in patches of several trees which at times can result in bountiful fruit production. 

Persimmon trees that occur in a more “wet” topographical setting typically are rather large and are much taller than those that occur in uplands. Although low-land persimmons can be found growing in clusters of several trees, you will invariably find lone individuals. These large rogue individuals are rarely found in uplands and they grow right on the edge of wetlands such as the edge of a swamp. 

You will rarely find persimmon trees growing directly in water but rather on the edge or very near water. Look for these large, robust water-loving trees on small islands in your favorite swamp, where tree-harvesting equipment cannot reach. These are rather slow growing trees, so don’t waste time looking in areas that have been timbered in recent years.

Now that you know where to look for persimmon trees, you also need to know what the trees look like. 

Persimmon trees are medium-sized with very hard wood. If you spend your weekends on the golf course when hunting seasons are closed, you have probably heard of “Persimmon” brand name golf clubs. That’s right. That old wood driver in your attic was made from the wood of a tree that produces a preferred whitetail food source. 

Leave it to me to make a connection between deer hunting and golf. 

Persimmon trees can grow approximately 15 meters (50 feet) tall. They have very dark brown to virtually black colored bark that is furrowed into small rectangular blocks. Dr. Ray McIntyre, President of Warren and Sweat Tree Stands and an authority on whitetail preferred food sources, has a straightforward description of persimmon tree bark. 

Dr. McIntyre will tell a novice hunter to look for trees with trunks that resemble old creosote treated telephone poles. Old creosote treated poles are almost black in color and indeed persimmon trees will often exhibit the most black colored bark as compared to other trees in the woods. 

When I scout for persimmon trees, I do so in the off-season, in the late winter and early spring before green up occurs. I do this because I can see further through the woods when the leaves are off. I simply stroll through the woods and look for the most black colored tree trunks I can find. 

Occasionally, you will mistake the bark of a persimmon tree for that of a black cherry or tupelo here in the Southeast, but with a little practice, you will be able to quickly distinguish between them. 

Many other trees that occur in or near wetlands have “swollen” trunks that are obviously larger near the base. Persimmon trees do not exhibit this characteristic at all. They appear very “post like” and exhibit a very uniform trunk diameter from the base to the first branch. 

If you scout for persimmon trees when the leaves are still on, there are a few characteristics you should look for. The leaves of a persimmon tree occur alternately along the stem. In botanical terms, they are “oblong-ovate” to “ovate” in shape and have a partial metallic luster and often have black “splotchy” blemishes on their upper green colored surface.

Persimmon trees have inconspicuous flowers that are rather tiny. They are pale yellow to white in color and are trumpet shaped. Late in the summer when the trees drop their flower buds, the forest floor directly below them will look as if it received a light powder of snow.

So there you have it. Now that you know what a persimmon tree looks like and where to find them, you are probably thinking that you can record the locations of several trees in your favorite hunting woods and return on opening day to collect your venison. It is almost that easy. 

Actually, that approach will yield about a 50/50 chance for success. 

Let me explain. 

Unlike acorn producing trees, not all persimmon trees produce fruit. Persimmon trees are either male or female. In botanical terms, persimmon trees are considered “Dioecious”. Simply put, male trees produce male flowers and female trees produce female flowers. 

Without going further into the “birds and the bees” story, I’m sure you can surmise that female trees bare fruit and male trees do not. In a previous paragraph I explained why I prefer to scout for persimmon trees in the late winter before the leaves are on. At this time of the year the trees do not have fruit, you might be thinking; so at this time of the year, how can I tell if a persimmon tree is female and thus will produce fruit when hunting season arrives?

This is where it gets interesting. When I discover a persimmon tree while scouting, I actually get on my hands and knees and rummage through the leaf litter at the base of the tree. I search meticulously for a “calyx.” Yes, it is another botanical term. 

A calyx is a morphological component of the flower that persists and stays attached to persimmon fruit when they develop. It is a four-point, star shaped structure that is located on the top of a persimmon fruit where the fruit is attached to the stem. This rigid, leathery star shaped “hat” drops with the fruit and is not easily removed from it. 

Although I have never actually witnessed a deer spitting out the calyx while it was chewing on a persimmon fruit, I have never found the remains of a calyx in deer droppings, even when the seeds from persimmon fruit were evident. Deer will often spit out the hulls of acorns when they feed on them and I suspect they do the same with the hard leather like calyx of a persimmon fruit. 

Persimmon fruit contains four to eight seeds. The deer do not seem to mind the seeds. You’ll know when whitetails are feeding heavily on persimmons in the early season when you find the seeds from the fruit in their droppings. For whatever reason, the calyx of a persimmon fruit does not readily decay and with minimal effort you can find several in the leaf litter at the base of female trees. 

Identifying a calyx at the base of a persimmon tree is direct evidence that the tree you discovered is female. If you find several calyxes under a single persimmon tree, you now have direct evidence that the tree is a real fruit producer. You should scout this tree a week or two before the opener to verify the current year’s fruit production and identify deer sign associated with it. 

The seeds do not readily decay either, so you should also look for the seeds. However, I have often found several calyxes under a tree and not a single seed. This is because deer would visit this tree in a hit and run fashion. The deer would quickly consume the fruit, seeds and all, spit out the calyxes in the process and then move on. Unless deer deposit droppings with the seeds contained in them right under the tree, you may not find them.

Persimmon fruit are so savored by deer; I am reminded of a situation that was told to me by a colleague. He was hunting adjacent to a large persimmon tree that was in the peak of fruit production. A large doe was bedding down a mere 20 yards from the tree in nearby cover. Every time a persimmon fruit dropped off the tree and fell to the forest floor below, the doe would rise from her bed, walk over to the tree and eat the fruit. The doe would then return to her bed and listen for the next piece of fruit to fall. After a few hours of witnessing the same scenario unfold over and over, the hunter harvested the doe with a single arrow through the lungs.

Like anything else, hunting over persimmons is not an exact science. A few years ago North Florida experienced a severe drought. The drought took its toll and many of my favorite persimmon trees, which were severely stressed from the drought, dropped their fruit a bit early. I found several trees with lots of fruit under them. Unfortunately, the fruit was either un-ripened or decaying and I found little deer sign associated them. 

If you ever take a bite from a ripe persimmon fruit, you will surely realize that it is perhaps the tastiest food in the woods. If you ever take a bite from a persimmon fruit that is not ripe, you may never want to taste test one again. Persimmon fruit that is not ripe is “astringent” to the taste. The taste sensation is similar to that obtained from a lemon only it makes your throat and tongue feel as though they are constricting. 

I imagine the deer did not like the taste of those un-ripened persimmons I found a few years ago either; hence they were left to rot on the ground. 

Like I said, hunting over persimmons is not an exact science nor is whitetail hunting for that matter. However, as a general rule, if you sit over ripe persimmon tree fruit long enough, whitetails will visit this preferred food source, sooner or latter. Their sweet tooth is an Achilles’ heel. 

Crabapples are a bit easier to identify and the task of locating them is a cinch. 

Southern crabapples or Malus angustifolia in botanical terms can generally be found where upland persimmon trees can be found. 

The southern crabapple is the southern relative of the sweet crabapple (Malus coronaria) that occurs commonly in the more Northeastern states. Southern crabapple fruit is much smaller and is typically much more sour to the taste as compared to sweet crabapples. 

Southern crabapples grow well along roadways; along field edges; along the edges of clear cuts or anywhere that receives full to mostly full sun conditions. Although you can find southern crabapple trees that grow as much as 10 to 15 feet tall, you will often find them growing in a more bush like condition. 

It is not uncommon to find southern crabapple trees growing in a small thicket condition. Generally when you find one, you will find several trees growing together. 

These trees or bushes produce tiny ping-pong ball sized, green colored apples that are often quite sour to the taste. Deer relish the fruit despite the sour taste. 

Unlike the persimmon, all crabapple trees produce fruit, so you don’t have to worry about distinguishing between male and female trees. When you find the trees, you’ll eventually find the fruit.

I could describe the southern crabapple tree in extreme detail like I did for persimmon trees, but that is simply unnecessary. There is a single best way to locate wild crabapple trees of either species in your location. 

You must scout for these trees during the months of March through May, depending on your location. Somewhere in this time window, crabapple trees in locations where these trees can be found will be in full bloom. 

I know where several southern crabapple trees grow, adjacent to a forested highway that I travel along to and from work every day. When these trees start blooming, I know it is time to hit the woods. 

Crabapple trees produce a quarter-sized pink and white flower. At this time of the year, crabapple trees are the only naturally occurring trees producing pink and white colored flowers of any appreciable quantity. 

Keep in mind that dog wood trees in your area may be flowering too, but they produce a larger white colored flower with no pink hue. Also, wild plum trees may be flowering this time of year. The trees look similar to crabapple trees, but they too have white flowers with no pink hue. Wild plumbs produce a savored fruit too, but in the deep Southeast, they drop prior to the season opener. 

During the spring months, you should hit the woods and simply look for foliage that has a pink color. It is that easy. At this time of the year I am often turkey hunting, so I also scout for crabapples. Like any potential preferred food source that I encounter; I use a GPS to mark the location and hang a piece of fluorescent colored marker tape and then return to verify mast production, prior to or during the hunting season. 

Hunting over southern crabapple trees requires you to be on your toes. Individual trees will usually drop their fruit quite quickly. It is not uncommon to discover a southern crabapple tree loaded with fruit only to find the tree virtually devoid of fruit a mere week latter. 

The fruit will rarely rot on the ground. Once the deer locate this preferred food source, they will devour it in a matter of days. If you plan to hunt southern crabapple trees this opener, it is a good idea to have several patches identified, preferably in rather close proximity to the truck. 

Quickly scout them a day or two before the season to be certain they are dropping and that the deer are feeding on them, so you are not disappointed when you show up for the first day of the hunt. 

Look for lots of deer tracks and fresh droppings. If you discover that your favorite southern crabapple tree patch contains a bundle of fruit on the branches but none on the ground, pick a tree and vigorously shake a few limbs. Doing so will often dislodge several fruit and cause them to drop to the ground, where they will be available for deer to consume. 

Return a day or two latter for the hunt and when the major feed period occurs, you may receive a welcome visitor.

Become familiar with soft mast producing trees bushes and vines. Take the information contained here, add it to your knowledge base and increase your success rate for the season opener. Good Hunting.

ED NOTE: Dr. Ray McIntyre's book “110% Success Bowhunting Whitetails” can be ordered by calling him direct at (352) 357-0744.