For those who love the outdoors and are regular deer hunters, one of the necessary skills needed to be learned is knowing what deer like to eat and what forms the regular deer diet. Such a skill will make it easier for you to spot them in the outdoors.
This is especially true if you know where to locate their food and keep track of the availability of their top choices of food. (Read our Deer Hunting for Beginners Guide)
What do deer prefer to eat?
The deer is not the pickiest eater you can find in the outdoors because of how their diet as herbivores is so varied.
Deer are herbivores and preferably eat plant-based food sources. And the types of food they eat vary because of how wide their choices usually are.
In most cases, deer will prefer to eat forbs or weeds over all of the other types of food they can find in the wild. The reason for such is that these food types are generally complete in nutritional value for the deer and are some of the easiest for them to digest.
Deer eat forbs specifically during spring when they have lost a lot of weight from winter. Forbs are rich in all of the vitamins and minerals the deer needs to grow strong antlers and regain their weight. (Read Best Crossbow Brands)
But in most cases, the deer’s diet depends on the availability of food and the season. That explains why they cannot always rely on a diet based on forbs because of how the freezing temperatures of fall and winter and the hot conditions of summer can prevent their growth. At the very best, forbs or weeds are available to the deer for a short period.
What do deer eat in winter?
As previously mentioned, the deer’s diet will vary depending on the availability of food during the different seasons.
But because most plants are not readily available during the freezing temperatures of winter, you may wonder how deer can survive during the cold seasons.
The deer usually feeds on woody browse during the winter season. These are leaves and twigs that come from woody plants.
While the deer may prefer forbs as their source of food, the truth is that woody browse makes up the largest segment of their regular diet.
A deer’s diet can be up to 80 percent reliant on woody browse because of how readily available these food items are regardless of the season. Browse might not be their favorite, but deer have no choice but to eat what is readily available to them.
But what other food sources are available during the winter? For one, oak and apple trees are regular food sources for a lot of animals because they can withstand the cold and freezing temperatures of winter.
You can expect deer to eat acorns from oak trees because they are naturally rich in carbohydrates and fats that these animals need to store during the winter season.
In the case of apples, deer also eat them and other similar soft fruits. Like acorn, they are generally called mast, which are the fruits of plants.
Other examples of the mast that form part of the deer’s diet are grapes, blackberries, and plums, which all supply the nutritional needs they need to grow quickly and to develop their antlers.
Apples are also a good source of food for deer, similar to how other fruits form part of their diet. These fruits are generally eaten during fall because it helps them store the energy and fat they need during the winter season when food tends to be scarce.
What are the other food sources for deer?
Aside from forbs, browse, and mast, deer also eat grass. Surprisingly, the deer do not usually feed on grass and is less likely to prefer them over other sources of food. In most cases, deer will only eat grass when there are no other sources of food available for them.
The reason for such is that grass tends to be more challenging to digest for deer. But they will feed on the grass during the early stages of growth for these plants because grass shoots are more digestible for them.
Deer will also eat cereal grains and corn during the warmer months because they are much more readily available in the wild.
Mushrooms also form a regular part of the deer’s diet because of how they provide the necessary protein the deer needs to develop their muscles.
On top of that, mushrooms also contain a lot of phosphorus, which is essential for antler growth. They are very resilient and will grow even if the climate is dry.
So, if you are looking to hone in on the prime spots for deer, try looking out for feeding areas with an abundance of mushrooms. You might be able to spot a deer there.
A final word
The deer’s varied diet and feeding habits can sometimes harm the ecosystem precisely because they can easily disrupt the natural growth and development of the environment.
Feeding on young grass and trees can prevent woodland growth in the ecosystem. Meanwhile, they can also disrupt the natural diet and habitat of other animals because of how they feed on plants that other wildlife depend on.
This makes it easy to understand why the deer is always a favorite for hunters. On top of that, deer predation in the wild should be encouraged as well to keep their numbers in check. Deer predators may be few, but hunting their natural predators should be discouraged.
That said, it is essential that we need to keep the natural order of the ecosystem balanced. And properly managing the population of deer through hunting and natural predation is crucial in maintaining our woodlands.
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