Best Shrubs and Tall Growing Grass for Deer Cover

When you plan to go hunting on your own property, it’s important to have a good cover so you can hunt well. Now when you grow tall grasses and shrubs to hide you from the deer, you should be aware that these covers should be there in different seasons and weathers. But whenever it’s dry or warmer days, deers would feed less. There are a lot of deer cover forms but the three main types are the screening, the summer thermal, and the winter thermal. You can also check the best longbow.

Shrubs and tall grasses benefits deers too:

Whenever you plant these, the goal is to make the deer feel comfortable while they are on your land, you also want them to feel secure and be able to roam around freely. Now, whenever shrubs and tall grasses grow in the right area they turn into cover and bedding areas. You can also check this out if you’re looking for the Best Knife For Deer Hunting.

Where should you be planting them?

First of all you should aim for them to be hidden. You want tall grasses to grow in between shrubs and tall grasses. If you only have tall grasses then that’s just adequate coverage. You should also aim to create a mono-culture which should be a combination of:

• Grass
• Hardwood regeneration
• Conifer
• shrubs

Your must have at least 3 of them, but the more the better. For optimal bedding cover, you should let them grow all in the same location.

Best Shrubs for Deer Cover

Witch Alder

This one is a south-eastern shrub and is known for growing very slowly. It offers a good scent and it grows from 6 to 10ft. It also provides coverage spread of 5 to 9ft.

Oldfield Aster

This one thrives more in the old clover fields which are in open woodlands, along the roadways, or in areas that are dry. Depending on where the plant is located, it could grow from 2 to 5ft.

Black Haw

This tall shrub provides maximum deer cover and it’s categorized as a small bushy tree. Its branches are spreading and it tends to grow in areas that are moist and even dry. It also grows in rocky upland forests as well.

Ninebark

This one is native to the US, it’s a heavy cover for deers. If you are planning to plant a single type of plant then this one should definitely be the one. They usually reach 9 feet tall.

Prairie Willow

This one has a varying height aspect, it could grow from 2 to 8ft. You should make sure you plant this one with other tall grasses and shrubs to give the deer optimal cover. The leaves are usually narrow and short so it won’t be a good spot alone.

American Plum

This one grows as much as 15ft and is known to be a very good deer cover. It even grows fruits of different colors that are about an inch big.

Chickasaw Plum

This one is another one that varies in height, it grows from around 3 to 10ft. There are some that grows as much as 25ft. This was first cultivated in 1874 and it has been very popular for deer cover.

Smooth Sumac

This one is a shrub you would be able to identify easily. This is also available for the whole year. It usually grows as much as 10 ft and in some parts of the country, they are known to be as tall as 16 feet.

Climbing Prairie Rose

This one has scattered prickles along its stem and it also features flowers that are pink and are about 2 inches. It grows from 6 to 15 feet and provides a beautiful cover for deers.

American Beautyberry

This one doesn’t just grow up to 6 feet, it even provides as much as 6 feet coverage in width. For some areas it has even reached 8 to 10 feet which means more width as well. This usually have arching branches and is a round shape.

Highbush Blueberry

Just as the name implies, it’s a bush that grows high. It usually reaches up to 8 feet, while there’s also a lowbush berry, the highbush would be providing better cover for the deer. But the two types are good for bedding.

American Winterberry

This one is native to North America’s eastern part. It grows as tall as 12 feet and is ideal to be grown with other tall grasses and shrubs for optimum coverage.

Best Tall Growing Grasses for Deer Cover

Switchgrass

This one is a native to North America and grows well along the roadsides, the prairies, and in native grass pastures too. It grows as much as 9 feet and it’s a very good deer cover.

Prairie Cordgrass

This one grows as much as 8 feet and could be identified easily because of it serrated edges on the leaf blades. This one is a native to warmer seasons.

Sugarcane Plumegrass

This grows as tall as 10 feet and it even stands up very straight while being large. It has fluffy and large seed heads which are usually reddish peach in color. You could find this in areas that are moist.

Lindheimer’s Muhly Grass

This plant is only 3 ft tall and has a width of 3ft too. But this is in this list because the moment it blooms, it extends another 2 to 3 feet and provide excellent cover for deers. When it’s planted in hedgerow it becomes a more ideal deer cover.

Little Bluestem

This one has a really broad distribution that varies in color and height based on where it’s planted. It usually only grows 3 feet tall.

Purpletop Grass

This one grows either in bunches or individually, it also grows as tall as 5 feet. This type of grass usually occurs from mid-summer to late spring. You can also check this Turkey Pot & Slate Calls for hunting.