Lets keep this on the strait and narrow, what do ya say?

I have tons of polk salad growing in the clear cut on my property. I was just wondering if deer or anything else in the wild eat this stuff.

Thanks!!!
Matt

What in the world is Polk Salad?

you'd be better off just spraying that mess nothing really eats it

Years ago had a hunting place in west Louisiana. After it was logged we had polk salad pop up everywhere, the deer and birds seemeed to love it. Once it got tall we didn't see much activity from anything.

I think they like it when it's young and tender. I've eaten polk salad myself. You cook it up like spinach or turnip greens. Once the leaves are out of the young, tender stage, I'm not sure much of anything will touch it.

JJ

Yes sometimes they'll eat the young tender leaves and the ripe berry's but it's not their favorite thing to eat.

I wouldn't consider it beneficial or anything they'd miss if you mowed it down.

Never seen deer eat polk weed. Have seen them rub their antlers on it. Have seen deer, coons and birds eat the berries.

Is this an east TExas thing? Never heard of it.

Only if they boil it 3 times first to get the poison out like mawmaw used to do. Really I've seem them it the young sprouts but never when its ripe.

No. It isn't just in East Texas. We used to gather and eat it at my grandmother's place near Fort Worth. It does need to be par-boiled. There are other names for the stuff:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pokeweed

Good eaten!!!

I've seen that stuff here around Austin. It's never occurred to me to eat it though. I can't remember ever seeing a deer eating on it but maybe I've never paid close enough attention to it either.

Y'all eat all the Polk Salad you want. I'll stick with a nice chef's salad or spinach salad.

If you have "tons of it growing", my guess would be 'No'.

They will but only at certain stages of growth, Have seen them eat it like crazy on out in the Summer. Had a lot of it around tank in parents back yard in Mississippi. My parents enjoyed watching deer eat it. The Deer had oats and wheat there to eat also but for about 2 weeks they pretty much cleaned it up

Had to edit has season mixed up. But then late summer is a tough time some years on deer

Anything I had to boil three times before it was safe to eat....Well it's safe from me. You could choose anything in the woods,, boil it three times, and it would likely be safe to ingest. I just never got the whole Poke Salad thing myself. I see people in East Tx every year on the side of the road picking that stuff tho. To each their own.