Deer love eating apples and apple trees. Many plant apple trees for themselves, some for wildlife, including deer. No matter whom you expect to harvest the apples, one thing is for certain: If you do not protect the newly planted and young trees from deer, the trees will never reach maturity to bare fruit.

Will deer damage apple trees?

White-tailed deer in the eastern United States are one of the leading causes of damage to crops, including many perennial crops such as apples (figs. 1, 2). Deer feed on dormant shoots as well as growing trees.

How do I protect my apple trees from deer in the winter?

When damage to trees is severe and there is a large deer population that isn’t likely to go away anytime soon, fencing is the most reliable deterrent. Conventional 8-foot (2.5 m.) woven wire fences are proven barriers to deer marauders. This type of fence is composed of two widths of 4-foot (1.2 m.)