Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Wildlife Management Primrose for deer food plot

I let the primrose go one year and in oct. when we started bow hunting we were noticing a lot of tracks around the pond.It was a dry fall and just th.ought they were watering.One night I set and watched and a doe waded out belly deep and started eating. At first I assumed she was hot and drinking and then I realized she was eating. I didnt think about the primrose at first and thought she was eating moss. But it was the primrose for sure. That the only one I saw wading but they were on the banks every night when we came out. Ive decided a guy is never gona see it all but for sure IT IS GOOD

Wow....that's awesome! I have that all the way around my big pond. Maybe I'll draw a big boy in for a snack?

When I had horses, they loved it. Nice to know that deer like it too.

What species of primrose are you discussing?

Ooh...good question RAH....I assumed Water Primrose. I've got that most of the way around the shoreline of the big pond.

I personally like the stuff. It's a great filter for water clarity, it provides good cover for forage through the growing season (but then dies off in fall to give the forage a chance to be eaten), and in my pond which has fairly steep banks it doesn't go out terribly far.

A possible food source for deer would be pure gravy.

It seems like this plant is considered an exotic invasive, or do I have that wrong? BTW - I once saw a deer eating submerged aquatic plants in one of my duck ponds as though it were a moose.

I don't think we know for sure which plant we are talking about yet.

I believe Bill Cody indicated some weeks back that in northern venues Water Primrose is mostly accepted as a decent aquatic plant. But in the areas of the country where a hard freeze doesn't happen or at least not often it can be very invasive.

Mine will go years sometimes without blooming/coming on, no idea why. This is the first year since 2011 that I've had what I'd call 'mostly full' coverage, which means to me that 70-80% of the bankline has it.

Looks like there are various species as well so it likely depends on what species is being considered.

That wouldn't be my first choice for a food plot though...

X2 thats for sure, I just thought it was intersting. The best food plot Ive got is a 10ac creek bot thats been planted to oaks. I let it go after planting to give oks some light competition so they wouldnt grow like bushes. So after 10 yrs I started mowing every thing but the oaks. I had to saw a lot of stuff first,big job.But now I mow it once a year in Aug. The deer simply love the buds of the tender new growth.I think better than beans or corn until it gets cold.