{"product_id":"whitetail-winter-cover-block","title":"Whitetail Winter Cover Block (14 Plants) | Spring 2027","description":"\u003cp\u003eEvergreen cover for whitetail in deep snow, with browse along the edge. \u003ca href=\"\/products\/ponderosa-pine-bundle-of-3\"\u003ePonderosa pine\u003c\/a\u003e and \u003ca href=\"\/products\/rocky-mountain-juniper-bundle-of-3\"\u003eRocky Mountain juniper\u003c\/a\u003e for thermal and hiding cover, plus \u003ca href=\"\/products\/chokecherry-bundle-of-5\"\u003echokecherry\u003c\/a\u003e and \u003ca href=\"\/products\/serviceberry-bundle-of-5\"\u003eserviceberry\u003c\/a\u003e to browse.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"mft-facts\"\u003e\u003ctable class=\"mft-facts-table\"\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth\u003eWhat you get\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e14 plants: Ponderosa Pine (3, 7-15 in.), Rocky Mountain Juniper (3, 8-15 in.), Chokecherry (3, 3-5 ft.), Serviceberry (5, 2-3 ft.). Bare root, shipped or picked up in Missoula in spring 2027, roots wrapped in moist sawdust. Guaranteed to bud out.\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth\u003eHardy to\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eZone 2 (winters to about -50°F). Check your spot with our \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/cold-hardiness-calculator\"\u003ecold hardiness calculator\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth\u003eWhy these\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eWhitetail pick cover over food once snow gets deep (about 16 in. or more). Wyoming rates Rocky Mountain juniper excellent hiding and thermal cover. Serviceberry gives whitetail adequate nutrition in all seasons in the Black Hills, and chokecherry is valuable year-round food and cover on the plains.\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth\u003ePollination\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eServiceberry is self-fertile. Chokecherry sets fruit better with several plants together.\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/tbody\u003e\u003c\/table\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eJunipers come as separate male and female plants, and these are seedlings, so the sex of each one is unknown until it blooms. Plant them all together to give yourself the best odds of both.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eHow to Plant for Winter\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eMinnesota DNR recommends keeping 10 to 20% of a property in conifer winter cover with a browse strip about 50 ft. wide along the edges. Plant the pines and junipers in a block on the north or west side of your best ground. I'd put the junipers in their own clump at the far end, with the pines between them and everything else, and the chokecherry and serviceberry along the pine side's sunny edge. That keeps the junipers as far as you can from the serviceberry and from any orchard. The conifers start small and take years to make cover, so start them early.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eKeep junipers away from your fruit.\u003c\/strong\u003e Rocky Mountain juniper hosts cedar-apple rust and its cousin rusts, which also hit crabs, hawthorn, serviceberry, pears and mountain ash. University of Minnesota Extension says keeping junipers a few hundred yards away cuts the problem down, though spores can travel farther.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eKeep livestock away from chokecherry.\u003c\/strong\u003e The leaves, bark, stems and pits are toxic to livestock, especially cattle and sheep, and wilted leaves are the worst.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eProtect Them\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eDeer, elk and moose browse young plants hard, and bucks rub trunks in fall. Cage each tree until it's out of reach: a welded-wire cage about 5 ft. tall and 3 ft. across works for deer. Where elk come through, MSU recommends an 8 ft. fence with a top rail. Trunk tubes alone won't stop rubs. Water with drip the first couple of summers.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eIs Planting This Baiting?\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eGrowing plants is habitat work. Rules on fruit or nuts you pick, move or pile up vary by state, so check your state's hunting regs before you hunt over it.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor the full how-to (why these plants work, spacing, protection and timing), read our \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/whitetail-deer-orchard-guide\"\u003ewhitetail deer orchard guide\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSee our other wildlife bundles on the \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/wildlife-orchard-bundles\"\u003ewildlife orchard bundles\u003c\/a\u003e page.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003csmall\u003ePhotos: white-tailed deer by \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Oh_Deer!_(8662455217).jpg\"\u003eU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service\u003c\/a\u003e (public domain), via Wikimedia Commons.\u003c\/small\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Montana Fruit Trees","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45840799662146,"sku":null,"price":339.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0626\/5687\/2514\/files\/Oh_Deer_21__288662455217_29.jpg?v=1793317861","url":"https:\/\/www.montanafruittrees.com\/products\/whitetail-winter-cover-block","provider":"Montana Fruit Trees","version":"1.0","type":"link"}