They prefer apples just like rabbits and everything else. One trick you can do is train your deer and other herbivores. Before you laugh to loud consider thorns are great training for deer. Plant out my rootstock then graft them over later. They rip my trees up once in awhile when they are small but then they start cutting a wide path around my trees.
As they get larger I prune them then graft them. Notice that photo has snow on the ground but there is no rabbit or deer damage. Pyrus Betulifolia Asian pear rootstock
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