Briars

[jonny5buck]

I have noticed the deer bedding in what i call briars...you know those thorny suckers that rabbits love?..One occassion i noticed a doe that i watched with binoculars was eating the leaves while she was bedded amongst a large batch of briars...not that unusal ,because i have seen deer before eat the leaves while feeding through....but late season this past season i watched some deer actually eat the plant taking a nip off the top of that thorny son of a gun...i never knew they did that before and you would think it would hurt.

Maybe they are just biting the tops like i have watched them do on soybeans...one time i watched a doe work one row for about 60 yds just nipping the fresh green sprouts off the still growing beans...know wonder farmers get ticked off.
Any one ever seen them eat or nip briars like that? it was new to me,but not surprising at what they do eat...esp/ late season----[:'(]

[furtracker]

I find a lot of briars with the tops nipped off during the fall and winter.

[charlie 01]

Yes I have seen them eat the tips of briars. Seems hard to believe they could enjoy them with the thorns and all.

[bmstaaf]

I've seen them do that as well, it would hurt like heck.

[msbadger]

I maintain lrg brier patches just as a nature browse and bedding area...... deer here love them but they also readily eat the wild rose in the sanctuary area of our place...not much different than our goats....If you want to rid your property of nasty stuff...just put a few goats in it....our pasture was loaded with wild rose...the goats ate them thorns and all till they stopped growing....I don't under stand how but them and deer luv the thorny stuff......