What White-Tailed Deer Eat
- Fruits & Nuts. Also known as mast, all the shrubs and fruits from forest trees and “hard mast” such as beechnuts, acorns and even hickory nuts are part of what ...
- Grains & Mushrooms. While it is not the easiest to find, white-tailed deer love rye, wheat, soybeans, pecans, and oats. ...
- Woody Browse. ...
- Brassica Blend. ...
- Poisonous Food. ...
What is the best food for whitetail deer?
[36] Douglas Fir: In the west, fir needles are commonly the best available food where whitetails, muleys, and blacktails take winter shelter. Deer seem to have a special fondness for red maple leaves.
What is a whitetail deer favorite food?
- Mouth The teeth structure, jaws, and stomach of the white-tailed deer are strong and very useful for masticating & eating vegetation, but they don’t use them for thick grass. ...
- Stomach Another reason is that white-tailed deer have a different set of microbes in their stomach. So they don’t process mature weed as normally. ...
- Fruits & Nuts
Can deer digest hay in the winter?
If you choose to feed deer in winter, start feeding them early, introduce foods gradually, don’t change feeds abruptly, and stick with the program until spring green-up. White-tailed deer are selective feeders. They normally pick only the most nutrient-packed, easily digestable plant parts available and cannot efficiently digest grass hay.
What do white-tailed deer eat during the winter?
What Do White-tailed Deer Eat During the Winter? Woody Browse. Deer will graze on twigs or dead leaves on the ground. ... Mast. Mast is a much more seasonal food source for whitetails. ... Corn. Deer frequent cornfields, even if they've already been harvested. ... Brassica Blend. A brassica blend is another popular food plot mix used to target white-tailed deer during the late season.
What is the best thing to feed deer in the summer?
During the summer, don't only use corn when feeding deer. Instead, combine it with a supplemental source of protein. It's tempting to stock the feeder full of corn, but it's not a good source of protein – only around seven to 10 percent. Rather, it's mostly carbohydrates, which is needed more in the winter months.08-Jun-2017
What do you feed whitetail deer?
Oats provide deer with a healthy mixture of fiber and carbohydrates without disrupting their digestive system. A wide variety of fruits and vegetables – including apples, grapes, cherries, pears, carrots, and snap peas – are eaten in nature by deer. Therefore, it is safe to feed deer these fruits.
What food attracts deer the most?
Food Plots Plants that typically attract deer include red clover, chicory, and orchard grass. Certain high-protein crops, such as peas, soybeans, turnips, alfalfa, sorghum, kale, or corn, are also attractants that the animals enjoy feeding on. Deer like the nutritious nuts that come from chestnuts and acorns as well.
What are two things whitetail deer like to eat?
So what does a deer eat? Deer will primarily eat browse (woody portion of leaves and stems), forbs (broad-leaved plants), mast (acorns, apples, etc), and grass. Although these are the main foods deer like to eat, the quantity of these different foods differ throughout the year and the region you are hunting.28-Nov-2018
Do deer eat carrots?
Carrots have proved to be among one of the best vegetables to feed these deer with. ... Carrots are root vegetables and can be found in a number of colours such as orange, purple, red and yellow. Once in a carrot garden, deer will dig up the carrots and eat them.
Do deer eat apples?
Waste apples and potatoes are palatable to deer and contain ample calories, but are not a healthy stand-alone diet. Fruits and spuds are high in water and too low in protein and fiber for wintering deer. If deer cannot access high quality natural forages around your feeder, they will not thrive.22-Feb-2012
What food can deer not resist?
5 Deer Attractants Bucks Seem Unable ResistDeer Cane Black Magic. Cabela's. Black Magic by Evolved Habitat has made its mark in the deer attractant category. ... Apple-Flavored Attractants. Amazon. ... Orange-Flavored Deer Corn. Orange Corn Company. ... C'mere Deer. Bass Pro Shops. ... Tecomate. Amazon.
What is a deer's favorite smell?
Doe urine in the liquid form is probably the most common attractant scent used by deer hunters. It is good for calming deer's nerves and piquing their curiosity, since it simulates a new deer in the area. Since it is a common smell in the woods, it very seldom scares deer—bucks or does.30-Oct-2019
Will deer eat peanuts?
Deer and peanuts Shelled or not, deer can eat peanuts. Nuts are one of their most favorite food sources. So, deer will eat pecans, acorns, beechnuts, hickory nuts, and lots more. ... Peanut vines are an excellent source of protein for them too.
Do deer eat corn cobs?
With proper adaptation, deer can safely consume corn and other high-‐starch foods.
What plants do deer like eating?
Deer love narrow-leaf evergreens, especially arborvitae and fir. Deer show a preference for hostas, daylilies, and English ivy. The heaviest garden browsing is from October through February. Many growers note that deer seem to prefer plants that have been fertilized.17-Sept-2020
Do deer eat carrots and apples?
Technically speaking, yes, deer will eat fruits and vegetables such as carrots, apples, and so on. ... Basically, these fruits and vegetables don't have any real nutritional value for them. Sure, the deer love the taste, but it is not part of their normal balanced diet.26-Jan-2022
What is the best food for deer in summer?
High-quality food is the name of the game in summer. Productive, high-protein food plots in peas, beans or lab-lab can provide up to 35 percent protein when properly fertilized and are also very palatable, so your deer are able to digest most of the protein and nutrients that they consume.
What do whitetail deer need?
Just like humans, whitetail deer need a well-rounded diet throughout the year. During different seasons, the nutritional requirements of bucks, does and fawns will vary slightly, but all three need water, protein, energy (fats and carbohydrates), calcium, phosphorus, sodium and fiber. The key for managers is to provide the deer with ...
What is supplemental feed?
As the name suggests, supplemental feed will supplement new browse and spring food plots by providing additional minerals and fats that native browse and most food plot species lack. When planning food plots for the spring, it is beneficial to look backwards at fall and winter.
What to feed deer in spring?
Supplemental feeding, food plots and mineral supplements are all very beneficial to the deer herd in spring. Provide a high-protein (17-20 percent) feed in trough or gravity feeders (so as not to limit the deer's intake). I like to start my protein feeding program around May 1 and continue it throughout the summer.
What is the most brutal season for whitetail deer?
Summer in the South can be the most brutal season of the year for a whitetail deer herd. Drought conditions, temperatures in the triple digits, nursing fawns and parasites combine to make it difficult for a deer to survive, let alone grow.
What can you use to help a deer plot?
Snow and ice can impact your herd's access to food plots greatly, and in some cases you might be able to help out by using an all-purpose plow, rock rake, bucket, or even a snow plow to increase the accessibility of your food plots.
When is the best time to feed deer?
Supplemental feed in summer is also extremely important. If you have to pick one time of year to provide your deer with supplemental feed, summer is it. Be sure that your feeders are accessible by fawns, as they are the most critical deer in your herd to feed.
What do whitetail deer eat?
White tailed deer will eat foods such oats, soybeans, rye, pecans, and wheat whenever they’re able to find them.
What do deer eat in winter?
Some foods you might see deer eating during the winter include acorns and hickory nuts, as well as woody plants. White tailed deer browse for their food. They do not graze in the way that sheep or cows do. This is why deer aren’t compelled to find food hidden by the snow. They’re able to do this when required, though.
What are some good foods for deer in spring?
In this season, deer will be especially attracted to foods rich in carbohydrates and phosphorus. Examples include mushrooms, fruits, and nuts.
What are some good foods for deer to grow antlers?
Mulberries, plums, blackberries, and grapes provide lots of carbohydrates, which supports rapid antler growth. Pears and apples provide a fantastic energy boost. These foods are also great for helping deer store as much energy as they can for the winter. Woody browse is a category of food that includes buds, leaves, and twigs.
Why are whitetail deer so difficult to find?
The first step you can take in finding white tailed deer is to understand their behaviors and diet . They are herbivores, don’t eat meat, and instead, they munch on vegetation.
Why do deer eat in the fall?
The reason why these animals have to eat as much as they possibly can at this time of year is the necessity of fattening up for the winter.
What are the two chambers of a deer's stomach?
The protozoa and bacteria in the deer’s digestive system are essential in fermenting the food and breaking it down in the necessary way. The chambers of a deer’s stomach are: Bile is mixed into the food in the first two chambers of the stomach (the rumen and reticulum). This is what creates cud.
What do deer doe eat?
During the summer months, you'll find the doe feeding upon a variety of different plants, including various grasses, woody plants, mushrooms, herbs, fiddleheads, and even berries if they can be found. Since the winter months can make it a bit harder to find food, the deer whitetail doe usually eats more in the summer to store up some fat ...
Where can I find whitetail deer in the summer?
During the summer time, you'll usually find the female whitetail deer in the thick forests, since there is plenty of food to be found there in the summer. Also, not only do the thick forested areas provide plenty of food, but they also provide safety and shelter from the summer storms that tend to occur.
What color is a whitetail deer doe?
While the whitetail deer doe tends to start losing her grayish coat during the spring, as the summer comes along, her fur becomes a beautiful reddish color, with white underneath.
Why are whitetail deer called whitetail deer?
The whitetail deer are so named for their tails that are white on the bottom, which is revealed when they flip up their tails, and when it comes to large animals in North America, this animal is the most numerous across the continent.
What are the problems that fawns face in the summer?
While she's working to teach her fawns about life and working to get them off on their own a bit in the early summer, there are many problems that can crop up, such as floods, droughts, predators, motor vehicles and more.
When do whitetail deer nurse?
Although this may seem to be a laid back and lazy time for the whitetail deer doe, you have to remember that she's just recovering from carrying young through the winter and nursing them in the late spring as well.
When do whitetails start to intermingle?
The doe spends a great deal of time alone or with other females during most of the summer, but by the end of the summer, the males and females start to intermingle once again. Usually you'll find that the summer months are when the whitetail are least active, and there are a variety of unique problems that a doe may face during the summer.
What do deer eat?
Just about every hunter knows that deer devoir acor ns, alfalfa, apples, corn, and soybeans. But to stay a step ahead, you should also know the following about these five favorites. [1] Acorns: Deer prefer acorns that fall without their caps, as these nuts tend to have fine, firm flesh.
How much whitetail browse do deer need?
Deer cannot live without it. A whitetail needs to consume 7 to 10 pounds of browse every day, which means good deer habitat needs to include plenty of brush, shrubs, saplings, and vines growing low enough for them to reach.
What trees produce the most deer?
Reds are most reliably from year to year. Trees with the widest crowns and on south slopes produce the biggest crops. Blue, scrub, and live oak acorns are tops with western deer. And all of that is perfectly good to know—as long as the deer and the trees play by the rules, which sometimes they don’t.
Is white cedar good for deer?
The foliage of northern white cedar is a winter treat for deer. PublicDomainPictures from Pixabay. During autumn’s excess, when deer delectables fall from the trees and pop up underfoot (mushrooms are a prime, overlooked food in early fall), most evergreen foliage holds marginal appeal.
Can you plant pokeweed for deer?
Scout Out Nature’s Salad Bar. Though poisonous to humans, pokeweed is a favorite of deer. Goran Horvat from Pixabay. You know, you don’t have to plant greenery from a seed bag marked “Monster Bucks” for it to attract monster bucks. You don’t have to plant it at all.
Do deer eat fruit?
Find Fruits and Nuts That Deer Love. Deer will eat the fruit but actually prefer the leaves and stems of berry bushes. siala from Pixabay. Before the moldboard plow made a giant salad bar out of much of the country, deer did just fine, thanks in large part to naturally growing hard and soft mast.
Spring
Does drop fawns in the spring. During this time, they seek nutrients from grass, buds, fruit and tender shoots to produce milk for their young. Photo Credit: Shane Indrebo
Summer
In summer, bucks form bachelor groups, groups that travel together during the spring and summer and generally follow the same movement schedule of bedding and feeding. Photo Credit: Shane Indrebo
Early Fall
While growing, antlers are soft and protected by a fuzzy coating called “velvet.” Velvet is rich with blood vessels to nourish the growing bone, and eventually falls away to reveal hard antlers. Bucks usually shed their velvet in early fall. Photo Credit: John Hafner
Fall
Bowhunting during the whitetail breeding season, or “rut,” is a common tactic among deer hunters. During this time, bucks are motivated to breed, which may result in increased movement and deer sightings for anxious bowhunters. Photo Credit: Shane Indrebo
Winter
In the winter, deer form large herds and focus heavily on feeding. They often bed much closer to food sources than earlier in the year, making hunting over or very close to their feeding areas the best tactic. Photo Credit: Shane Indrebo
