What do whitetail deer like to eat?

Asked by: Kim Bock

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.

What is the best thing to feed deer?

What To Feed:

• Natural Food. If possible, it is best to feed natural food. …
• Deer Pellets. Most farm feed outlets carry a specially formulated ration for deer or can tell you where it can be bought. …
• Cereal Grains. …
• Hay or Alfalfa. …
• Fruit & Vegetables.

What do whitetail deer like to eat the most?

They love pecans, hickory nuts and beechnuts acorns in addition to acorns. A couple of favorite fruits are apples, blueberries, blackberries and persimmons. Deer occasionally enter yards to get their mouths on flowers, vegetables and ornamental trees — quite often to the surprise of the homeowners.

What food attracts the most deer?

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.

Do deer eat carrots?

Carrots are root vegetables and can be found in a number of colors such as orange, purple, red, and yellow. Once in a carrot garden, deer will dig up the carrots and eat them. A garden full of carrots is one of the quickest ways to attract a population of deer.

What food can deer not resist?

5 Deer Attractants Bucks Seem Unable Resist

• Deer 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.

Is it OK to feed deer corn?

Using only corn or other fermentable carbohydrates as a primary deer food can be dangerous. Eating a large amount of corn can affect the deer’ digestive process and cause a flush of lactic acid in their stomach. In most severe cases, this leads to the dehydration and death of the deer.

What can I feed the deer in my backyard?

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. …
• Acorns are another safe food source.

Do whitetail deer like peanut butter?

Deer love peanut butter, so it is an excellent bait. You can use peanut butter alone or in a mixture to lure deer into an area for hunting or just to enjoy watching them. Peanut butter is much cheaper than most commercial deer attractants and works as well or better.

What is the cheapest thing to feed deer?

An inexpensive way to feed deer is with corn. Deer love corn and many hunters rely on it for supplemental feeding. That being said, corn is not an excellent source of protein, which is essential for antler growth and the nursing of fawns.

Should I cut up apples for deer?

Items you will need

Use more apples once you begin to see deer at the feeding spot. Cut the slices of apples into smaller pieces and place into a bowl.

Should deer eat apples?

Deer naturally eat apples, and apples are perfectly safe for use in a deer feeder. Apples provide deer with a sweet treat that gives them a large nutritional boost. However, deer aren’t capable of properly digesting apples. For that reason, deer typically only eat them at the end of the winter.

Do deer like potatoes?

Often the tops of root vegetables such as potatoes are less palatable to deer, but deer love sweet potato plants, beet tops, and radish tops. When they are hungry deer have been known to dig for beets and other root vegetables. Deer love and will dig for carrots.

What do you feed deer from a feeder?

Once deer are consistently coming to the area daily looking for corn, set up a free-choice feeder filled with corn. Hand-toss corn on the ground around the feeder. When you observe deer consistently eating out of the free-choice feeder, stop hand-tossing corn.

What is the cheapest thing to feed deer?

An inexpensive way to feed deer is with corn. Deer love corn and many hunters rely on it for supplemental feeding. That being said, corn is not an excellent source of protein, which is essential for antler growth and the nursing of fawns.

What can you feed deer instead of corn?

Some good fall food sources include hard mast (e.g., oak acorns, beech nuts, chestnuts, hickory nuts, etc.), soft mast (e.g., apples, pears, persimmons, etc.), and agricultural crops (corn, soybeans, brassicas, cereal grains, etc.).

What can I feed wild deer in the winter?

Other good choices for winter forage are brassicas (greens and root bulbs) and sugar beets (greens and root bulbs). Both of these food types are favorites of deer because they are palatable and provide the nutrients necessary to help deer thrive during the winter and are particularly high in protein content.

Are salt licks good for deer?

Deer lick blocks and powders draw deer to your area and provide needed nutritional supplements for your herd. Deer attractants like salt and protein licks can draw deer into your hunting area. Many also provide added nutrition for better rack growth and a healthier herd.

Is it OK to feed deer apples in the winter?

You should try to load up deer feeders with apples near the end of winter. They’ll benefit more from easily digestible foods during the winter months. Deer naturally eat apples, and apples are perfectly safe for use in a deer feeder. Apples provide deer with a sweet treat that gives them a large nutritional boost.

Does deer eat bird seed?

Unfortunately, deer eat bird seeds even if they’re not the first or second food choice. If you own a feeder, birds may not be your only diners. Deer can quickly empty out birdseed, which costs homeowners more money. You’ll need to purchase more seeds for your flying friends.

Do deer eat straw bales?

hunter. This time of the year, I will break open a couple grass and alfalfa hay bales and leave it in a few spots in the woods. The deer will nose around in it and eat some, especially if snow and ice is making it rough on them.

Can deer eat oats?

As previously mentioned, oats are highly favored by deer and they consistently rank among the top species consumed by deer in forage preference trials. Oats are highly nutritious as well. In well-managed food plots with a neutral soil pH and good fertility, oats can contain more than 25% crude protein.